Stagecoach West/South West/South Wales - Fleet News & Discussion

[Bristol LH]

Really - didn’t think Tredegar lasted that long!

So for Abergavenny and Monmouth, they survived the MAP but it was a stay of execution! Of the current depots, it’s just Cwmbran and Brynmawr o/s that survive?

Sounds like a good book.

...and Porth, after being used by Rhondda Buses between 1992 and 1997. Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil depots were purchased by Western Travel in pre Stagecoach days, Caerphilly depot was purchased by Stagecoach to operate the former Cardiff Bus network in the town , Blackwood depot was in the hands of Islwyn Borough Transport until 2011 and the Bishops Meadow base at Brecon goes back to National Welsh days when the depot at Watton closed

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

...and Porth, after being used by Rhondda Buses between 1992 and 1997. Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil depots were purchased by Western Travel in pre Stagecoach days, Caerphilly depot was purchased by Stagecoach to operate the former Cardiff Bus network in the town , Blackwood depot was in the hands of Islwyn Borough Transport until 2006 and the Bishops Meadow base at Brecon goes back to National Welsh days when the depot at Watton closed

I thought Thomas have the old Porth depot and Stagecoach have a new one in the back of the yard?

Isn’t Tesco built on the old Aberdare and CVT depots?

 

[iantherev]

There were two depot buildings at Porth - the top and the bottom. I think it was in Rhondda Buses days that Thomas moved into the bottom depot.

Yes - Tesco’s is where the two Aberdare depots used to be.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

There were two depot buildings at Porth - the top and the bottom. I think it was in Rhondda Buses days that Thomas moved into the bottom depot.

Yes - Tesco’s is where the two Aberdare depots used to be.

Ahh, right. I’d just assumed that they had developed a new depot at the rear of the site, rather than they had two depots and merely vacated one.

Of all the depots closed, not many are still standing. Brecon was a tyre depot and Coleford was a garage. Not many more.... most seemed to become Somerfields!

 

[freetoview33]

Stagecoach Bristol are running quite a lot of Private Contacts now, which they are operating other services off of, seems like they are building a good business!

 

[markymark2000]

Does anyone know where Stagecoach South Wales drivers are authorised to have their breaks?

I know most of the Stagecoach union agreements specify exactly where breaks can be taken which is always the depot but sometimes there are other canteens which drivers can have breaks. Any ideas.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Does anyone know where Stagecoach South Wales drivers are authorised to have their breaks?

I know most of the Stagecoach union agreements specify exactly where breaks can be taken which is always the depot but sometimes there are other canteens which drivers can have breaks. Any ideas.

Thanks in advance.

Seen plenty congregating in bus stations rather than depots - Merthyr depot is some way from the town centre

 

[DaveHarries]

Just been looking at the VOSA Bus Registrations for today, 17-Sep-2019, and Stagecoach dominate with entries for both South West and Cymru. Details as follows:

Stagecoach Cymru:
Effective 16-Sep-2019:
- 8 (Glynhafod - Morfa Glas): Timetable revision: additional journey 0820 Aberdare - Glynhafod

Effective 03-Nov-2019:
Revised timetables for:
- Pontypool: 9, 10, 12, 16, 17, 80A - 80F
- Abergavenny: 46, 83
- Ebbw Vale / Brynmawr: E2, E3

Further Info / In addition:
- 15 (Treventhin - Newport): Revised timetable.
- 21 (Blackwood - Cwmbran): Revised route and timetable.
- 23 (Varteg Hill - Cwmbran): Revised route and timetable.
- 50, 50A (Bargoed - Newport): Entry to correct error in registration of 06-Sep-2019.
- 80A - 80F (Cwmbran - Pontypool): Revised timetable on schooldays only with loss of 80A - 80C and retiming of 80F.
- 170 (Blaenllechau - Clydach Vale): Revised route - will no longer serve Penrhys Estate.
- A (Caerphilly - Graig y Rhacca): Entry to correct error in registration of 06-Sep-2019.
- B, X (Cardiff - Senghenydd): Entry to correct error in registration of 06-Sep-2019.
- X3 (Hereford - Abergavenny / Abergavenny - Pontypool / Pontypool - Cardiff): Revised timetable.
- X24 (Blaenavon - Newport): Revised timetable.

Stagecoach South West:
Effective 27/10/2019:
- 1, X1 (Plymouth - Tavistock): Revised timetable.
- 3 (Plymouth - Kingsbridge): Revised timetable with addition of earlier and later journeys.
- 12 / N12 (Newton Abbot - Brixham): Introduction of Winter TT and revised Sunday evening times.
- 21, 21A (Ilfracombe / Barnstaple - Appledore / Westward Ho!): Revised timetable for Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings.
- 22 (Dawlish Warren - South Devon College): Revised timetable: withdrawal of last journeys from Dawlish Warren daily.
- 30 (Brixham / Paignton - Cuthbert Mayne School): Revised timetable.
- 35A / 35C (Torquay Strand - The Willows - Torquay Strand): Revised timetables.
- 39T (Torquay - Newton Abbot): Withdrawn.
- 100, 101 (George Junction P&R - Plymouth): Revised timetable.
- 200 (Coypool P&R - Plymouth): Revised timetable: service to become a normal stopping service.
- Gold (Totnes - Plymouth): Revised timetable.
- Red P&R (Honiton Road P&R) (Exeter): Revised timetable.
- K (Whipton Barton - Countess Wear) (Exeter): Revised timetable
- P (Crossmead - Pennsylvania) (Exeter): Revised Timetable

Effective 28/10/2019:
- 27 (28) (Paignton - Torquay GS): Revised timetable
- 39 (Newton Abbot - Exeter): Revised timetable.
- 120 (Paignton - Kingswear): Revised timetable.
- B (Prince Charles Road - Exminster & Dawlish): Revised route and timetable: some journeys extended from Union Road to Prince Charles Road Morrisons.
- Green P&R (Sowton - Matford P&R): Revised timetable.

HTIOI,
Dave

 

[carlberry]

Stagecoach North Bristol expanding a bit!

https://www.stevenknightmedia.com/fleet-news-ramblings

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Stagecoach North Bristol expanding a bit!

https://www.stevenknightmedia.com/fleet-news-ramblings

Well spotted. Not an entire surprise.

 

[Anthony ross]

Well spotted. Not an entire surprise.

It had to happen at some point

 

[freetoview33]

Stagecoach North Bristol expanding a bit!

https://www.stevenknightmedia.com/fleet-news-ramblings

It was going to happen especially since Jeffrey Durbin sadly passed away earlier in the year.

 

[Mwanesh]

I can imagine some of the staff at SGBC will be devastated. Some left Stagecoach South Wales to work there. They now work for Stagecoach West so may start on a new footing. There is going to be major changes in the depot.

 

[mbonwick]

Been in the works for a long time, even before Jeffrey Durbin's passing.
I imagine there will be major changes on the SGBC side, as it's only been the Megabus work that kept them afloat the past few years - their private hires and tenders lost money.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Quick note: he was known as Roger (his middle name) rather than Jeffrey

 

[carlberry]

The Steve Knight site has been updated today with the press release for he takeover, plus a list of what's being transfered:

Caetano Levante: BN64FKP/R/S/T/U/V/W, T100/200SGB
Scania/Van Hool: T37CNN, L300/555/600/777/800SGB
Volvo Citybus: N305/306/307/308CLV, N271/77CKB, L562/64YCU, G614OTV, S828OFT
Mercedes-Benz minibus: Y347VKH, Y196GBO, S856JSR

I wonder if any of these will actually run for Stagecoach in the near future or end up like the Wessex vehicles variously disposed of or being stored for months whilst they're rebuilt. I cant imagine the Stagecoach engineer looking forward to dealing with the Citybuses! Unfortunately little chance of them being substituted onto the Severn Express!

 

[Mwanesh]

The Steve Knight site has been updated today with the press release for he takeover, plus a list of what's being transfered:

Caetano Levante: BN64FKP/R/S/T/U/V/W, T100/200SGB
Scania/Van Hool: T37CNN, L300/555/600/777/800SGB
Volvo Citybus: N305/306/307/308CLV, N271/77CKB, L562/64YCU, G614OTV, S828OFT
Mercedes-Benz minibus: Y347VKH, Y196GBO, S856JSR

I wonder if any of these will actually run for Stagecoach in the near future or end up like the Wessex vehicles variously disposed of or being stored for months whilst they're rebuilt. I cant imagine the Stagecoach engineer looking forward to dealing with the Citybuses! Unfortunately little chance of them being substituted onto the Severn Express!

You will find all those vehicles are in use daily on the Aviva contract and Bristol Grammar school runs. The Mercedes minibuses are staff shuttles.

 

[Stan Drews]

The Steve Knight site has been updated today with the press release for he takeover, plus a list of what's being transfered:

Caetano Levante: BN64FKP/R/S/T/U/V/W, T100/200SGB
Scania/Van Hool: T37CNN, L300/555/600/777/800SGB
Volvo Citybus: N305/306/307/308CLV, N271/77CKB, L562/64YCU, G614OTV, S828OFT
Mercedes-Benz minibus: Y347VKH, Y196GBO, S856JSR

I wonder if any of these will actually run for Stagecoach in the near future or end up like the Wessex vehicles variously disposed of or being stored for months whilst they're rebuilt. I cant imagine the Stagecoach engineer looking forward to dealing with the Citybuses! Unfortunately little chance of them being substituted onto the Severn Express!

All those listed as ‘Citybus’ are actually Olympians, other than G614OTV - which is the only actual Citybus!

 

[Marcus Fryer]

You will find all those vehicles are in use daily on the Aviva contract and Bristol Grammar school runs. The Mercedes minibuses are staff shuttles.

And, of course, the 462 where practically anything from the fleet can turn up.

 

[gka472l]

Some fine ex Arriva Merseyside Volvo Olympians there, the N/CLV & N/CKB's

 

[carlberry]

Some fine ex Arriva Merseyside Volvo Olympians there, the N/CLV & N/CKB's

And young compared with the Citybus!

 

[richw]

I can’t see much of their fleet surviving long under stagecoach. Most of it has seen better days!

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

Hello there. Do Stagecoach South West still run 59-plate MAN E300's on route GREEN? I may be coming to Exeter for the day from Didcot and I hope to ride on a few - thanks to GWR's new December 2019 timetable which I searched for the journey online.

I googled the MAN's and when I downloaded the fleet list it showed these with Stagecoach South West. Plus I read something about 2 Park & Ride routes being combined into the GREEN route.

Sorry for the capital letters - it's not meant to be rude, it's how the route is listed on the website.

 

[padbus]

Hello there. Do Stagecoach South West still run 59-plate MAN E300's on route GREEN? I may be coming to Exeter for the day from Didcot and I hope to ride on a few - thanks to GWR's new December 2019 timetable which I searched for the journey online.

I googled the MAN's and when I downloaded the fleet list it showed these with Stagecoach South West. Plus I read something about 2 Park & Ride routes being combined into the GREEN route.

Sorry for the capital letters - it's not meant to be rude, it's how the route is listed on the website.

Yes, though not necessarily in green livery (some are in standard Stagecoach livery and one is pink). They also appear on service R (Rifford Road circular).

 

[padbus]

Been in the works for a long time, even before Jeffrey Durbin's passing.
I imagine there will be major changes on the SGBC side, as it's only been the Megabus work that kept them afloat the past few years - their private hires and tenders lost money.

It is interesting that Stagecoach South West lost Megabus work to SGBC and now it has been taken back in-house but this time to Stagecoach West. I wonder if Plymouth will be involved again.

 

[Temple Meads]

Hello there. Do Stagecoach South West still run 59-plate MAN E300's on route GREEN? I may be coming to Exeter for the day from Didcot and I hope to ride on a few - thanks to GWR's new December 2019 timetable which I searched for the journey online.

I googled the MAN's and when I downloaded the fleet list it showed these with Stagecoach South West. Plus I read something about 2 Park & Ride routes being combined into the GREEN route.

Sorry for the capital letters - it's not meant to be rude, it's how the route is listed on the website.

The Green route runs from Sowton to Matford, encompassing the former Blue P&R route, this changed happened a while ago now.

However the E300s now have Cummins engines fitted due to reliability issues with the MAN units.

It is interesting that Stagecoach South West lost Megabus work to SGBC and now it has been taken back in-house but this time to Stagecoach West. I wonder if Plymouth will be involved again.

Maybe at some point along the line but for now the diagrams are set up for Bristol, and Plymouth drivers would probably need to be type-trained on the left hand drive vehicles used, at present most of the drivers that SGBC use on the LHD operated services are from countries where this would be the norm.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

Certainly re-engineing an E300 from MAN to Cummins (just like with the Routemaster but from AEC and Leyland) is cheaper than opting for new - especially when cash maybe tight or short if drivers to train on new vehicles!

 

[Mwanesh]

It is interesting that Stagecoach South West lost Megabus work to SGBC and now it has been taken back in-house but this time to Stagecoach West. I wonder if Plymouth will be involved again.

Plymouth did not want the Megabus work. Staffing issues were causing chaos. At times Megabus had to hire in drivers from Hamiltons Gray to do some of the runs.

 

[richw]

Plymouth did not want the Megabus work. Staffing issues were causing chaos. At times Megabus had to hire in drivers from Hamiltons Gray to do some of the runs.

And HG hired them in from anywhere else they could! A few friends did some Megabus work, after HG subcontracted it on again!

 

[iantherev]

South Wales Optare Solo SRs 48041/3 (YJ 69 CPX/Z) entered service today on the Brecon - Abergavenny 43/X43 Service. 48042 (YJ 69 CPY) was also noted out and about. They are in TrawsCymru Connect livery

https://www.flickr.com/photos/iantherev/48794140856/in/dateposted-public/