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

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ATW158Xpress

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Newport politician jumps on bandwagon despite the service from Newport to Chepstow not being withdrawn!
That's very kind of Newport Transport, perhaps some clever people could devise a scheme where a council could ask lots of bus companies if they'd run bus services as specified and paid for by a council!
I'm not sure why South Gloucestershire are involved for a service that's got little use to their residents and, if it's peak only, none at all.
I think South Gloucestershire still have to fund the service in some sort as it passes through there local authority.
 
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Dai Corner

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Newport politician jumps on bandwagon despite the service from Newport to Chepstow not being withdrawn!
That's very kind of Newport Transport, perhaps some clever people could devise a scheme where a council could ask lots of bus companies if they'd run bus services as specified and paid for by a council!
I'm not sure why South Gloucestershire are involved for a service that's got little use to their residents and, if it's peak only, none at all.

Until it was diverted to use Chepstow Road instead of the M4 fairly recently the Severn Express didn't even stop in the Newport East constituency!
 

TheWalrus

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May be good to keep a service from Chepstow to Bristol but surely people from Newport would get the train to Bristol?
 

DaveHarries

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It *could be* that a service could yet exist in some form: independent operator Citistar have posted an entry on their blog about the COVID-19 situation - https://citistar.wordpress.com/2020/05/15/corona-chronicle/ - in which there is this comment:
Citistar said:
On the local bus front, Stagecoach West announced their withdrawl from the services they took over from First in September 2018 (Severn Express, Bristol – Chepstow – Newport and X5 Weston – Clevedon – Portishead – Cribbs Causeway) and, having declared an interest, we are currently awaiting a promised tender to be issued.

It is not clear from that blog, however, if such a tender would be for the X5 only or for both X5 and Severn Express. Time will tell.
Dave
 

carlberry

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It *could be* that a service could yet exist in some form: independent operator Citistar have posted an entry on their blog about the COVID-19 situation - https://citistar.wordpress.com/2020/05/15/corona-chronicle/ - in which there is this comment:


It is not clear from that blog, however, if such a tender would be for the X5 only or for both X5 and Severn Express. Time will tell.
Dave
As they're separate services involving different councils they'll be separate tenders. Without North Somerset has decided now is the right time to replace the Weston-super-Mare to Penarth transport service!
 

matt_splat

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carlberry

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The new Stagecoach livery has arrived at Cheltenham and Gloucester and 27705 PO11BBF (without any number applied) ventured south to Thornbury on Friday.

27705-PO11BBF-20200521.jpg
 

embers25

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Exeter has the new Stagecooach bus stop flags which are awful. Also they show the new route numbers which should have started tomorrow (H1 and H2 for example) that wont be running this week so all very confusing too.
 

TheWalrus

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Exeter has the new Stagecooach bus stop flags which are awful. Also they show the new route numbers which should have started tomorrow (H1 and H2 for example) that wont be running this week so all very confusing too.
H1/H2…think that was my idea! Is Magdalen Road-University going to be a separate shuttle service?
 

Wolvercoter

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H1/H2…think that was my idea! Is Magdalen Road-University going to be a separate shuttle service?

The proposal was for D to become Magdalen Road to University only, and H1/H2 to Digby every 30 mins, alternate via Broadfields or Pynes Hill... effectively halving the service.

Service reductions planned on other routes too... my local route I/J/K/T is down to have the K removed from Topsham Road, taking 10 min frequency down to 15 min. We've already seen a reduction in R/S services too in recent times.
 

TheWalrus

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The proposal was for D to become Magdalen Road to University only, and H1/H2 to Digby every 30 mins, alternate via Broadfields or Pynes Hill... effectively halving the service.

Service reductions planned on other routes too... my local route I/J/K/T is down to have the K removed from Topsham Road, taking 10 min frequency down to 15 min. We've already seen a reduction in R/S services too in recent times.
When I was there D/H was very poorly used Digby end. I remember the R/S going from 12 to 20 minute frequency. I/J/K/T was my local route too when I lived there! Didn’t realise the K was going to terminate in City Centre. Used to like those routes.
 

embers25

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When I was there D/H was very poorly used Digby end. I remember the R/S going from 12 to 20 minute frequency. I/J/K/T was my local route too when I lived there! Didn’t realise the K was going to terminate in City Centre. Used to like those routes.

My local route is the IJKT from Whipton and whilst the I/J will be every 15 minutes, the K will run direct from Whipton Shops to Sainsburys, not via Whipton Barton (like it used to years back). Therefore we lose two buses an hour through Whipton Barton and to Countess Wear 2 buses an hour are lost too. I agree on the H1/H2 (basically back to what they were years back) but every hour to the Hospital is not great for my wife who uses it daily from Galllows Corner. Obviously, she can still use other services and walk from Heavitree but its not ideal in Winter. Ironically, after lockdown the service changes will mean thes ervice is cut on both routes from levels during lockdown! In theory my wife could go via Digby to get to/from the hospital but that makes teh journey rather longer!
 

TheWalrus

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My local route is the IJKT from Whipton and whilst the I/J will be every 15 minutes, the K will run direct from Whipton Shops to Sainsburys, not via Whipton Barton (like it used to years back). Therefore we lose two buses an hour through Whipton Barton and to Countess Wear 2 buses an hour are lost too. I agree on the H1/H2 (basically back to what they were years back) but every hour to the Hospital is not great for my wife who uses it daily from Galllows Corner. Obviously, she can still use other services and walk from Heavitree but its not ideal in Winter. Ironically, after lockdown the service changes will mean thes ervice is cut on both routes from levels during lockdown! In theory my wife could go via Digby to get to/from the hospital but that makes teh journey rather longer!
Not surprised they are reducing services to Countess Wear as they aren’t that busy and they also get the regular 57. The 15 minute frequency on the I/J might mean you get a more reliable service with increased running time. The D/H from what I could see probably wasn’t worth running Digby end But I think it may have been funded from somewhere?
 

MarkC

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Does anyone know if Stagecoach are going ahead with Plymouth area changes due to come in this week. Ie re routing of 101 via Mutley instead of Milehouse and timetable changes on other routes?
 

Wolvercoter

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When I was there D/H was very poorly used Digby end. I remember the R/S going from 12 to 20 minute frequency. I/J/K/T was my local route too when I lived there! Didn’t realise the K was going to terminate in City Centre. Used to like those routes.

Yes - I am sometimes the only passenger on the bus when I've used the H between RD&E and Middlemoor. But I do tend to travel against the peak flow.

Not surprised they are reducing services to Countess Wear as they aren’t that busy and they also get the regular 57. The 15 minute frequency on the I/J might mean you get a more reliable service with increased running time. The D/H from what I could see probably wasn’t worth running Digby end But I think it may have been funded from somewhere?

I am quite surprised the frequency is being reduced to Countess Wear... I've usually found the buses to be busy enough, although can usually get a seat. Service cuts are usually dressed up as 'reliability improvements' - I've not had much of an issue with reliability on I/J/K/T personally.

I thought the D was funded by Devon CC for the Digby section but not completely sure on that.

I think the B, E, F and L are also being snipped a bit, whilst the P, R and S are already reduced. All minor cutbacks, but it all adds up to a less attractive network - particularly for turn-up-and-go usage.
 

padbus

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I am somewhat miffed at losing the D which gives a fairly direct route into town without going twice round the hospital on the way. If the service is hourly and I just miss a bus it would be quicker to walk than wait for the next bus. It is ironic the under the current Covid timetable, the D run runs between Digby and the City Centre with no service to the Uni whereas in future it is only City to Uni section that will run.

Oh, and I agree the new bus stop flags are awful. It is a big come down from the rather elegant red topped signs used up till now.
 

TheWalrus

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Yes - I am sometimes the only passenger on the bus when I've used the H between RD&E and Middlemoor. But I do tend to travel against the peak flow.



I am quite surprised the frequency is being reduced to Countess Wear... I've usually found the buses to be busy enough, although can usually get a seat. Service cuts are usually dressed up as 'reliability improvements' - I've not had much of an issue with reliability on I/J/K/T personally.

I thought the D was funded by Devon CC for the Digby section but not completely sure on that.

I think the B, E, F and L are also being snipped a bit, whilst the P, R and S are already reduced. All minor cutbacks, but it all adds up to a less attractive network - particularly for turn-up-and-go usage.
Apart from E and F,all those routes you have listed bareky justify half hourly frequency off peak, and certainly not a turn up and go frequency, hence they get cut back.
 

ATW158Xpress

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First bus have stepped in temporarily until North Somerset council can find a permanent solution. But only to Portishead and not serving Cribbs.

 

markymark2000

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First bus have stepped in temporarily until North Somerset council can find a permanent solution. But only to Portishead and not serving Cribbs.

I'm interested into why First would do such a thing. Very rarely will operators jump in commercially for a short time to help out the council plan long term tenders. Either way, it's plausible but First have already ran the X5 previously and supposedly it wasn't viable, that is why Stagecoach took it so why would you 'help out' a council on a route which you know makes no money and more so at a time when revenue is vastly reduced, if it wasn't viable before, there is no chance for it now. Something strange going on with First.
 

TheGrandWazoo

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I'm interested into why First would do such a thing. Very rarely will operators jump in commercially for a short time to help out the council plan long term tenders. Either way, it's plausible but First have already ran the X5 previously and supposedly it wasn't viable, that is why Stagecoach took it so why would you 'help out' a council on a route which you know makes no money and more so at a time when revenue is vastly reduced, if it wasn't viable before, there is no chance for it now. Something strange going on with First.

Think you’re overthinking this; imagine it’s an emergency tender until NSC can go through the formal tender. They’ve done this before with Webberbus and Nippy Bus until SCC got the funds/process sorted.
 

markymark2000

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Think you’re overthinking this; imagine it’s an emergency tender until NSC can go through the formal tender. They’ve done this before with Webberbus and Nippy Bus until SCC got the funds/process sorted.
Emergency tenders don't normally mean press releases, just timetables pop up. Press released generally are put out if services are put out commercially. Also why would a council be 'grateful' for someone taking on service if it's funded.
 

-Colly405-

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Emergency tenders don't normally mean press releases, just timetables pop up. Press released generally are put out if services are put out commercially. Also why would a council be 'grateful' for someone taking on service if it's funded.
The press release might be because there has been a lot of 'noise' around losing the direct link between WSM, Clevedon & Portishead?
 

TheGrandWazoo

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Emergency tenders don't normally mean press releases, just timetables pop up. Press released generally are put out if services are put out commercially. Also why would a council be 'grateful' for someone taking on service if it's funded.

Perhaps because there has been a lot of noise in the local press about the service being lost. This is a way of demonstrating that they are doing something in the interim AND also providing a longer term solution.

The "thanks" is probably because NSC have very few options and currently operators have enough operational challenges without taking on emergency tenders.
 

markymark2000

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The press release might be because there has been a lot of 'noise' around losing the direct link between WSM, Clevedon & Portishead?
Perhaps because there has been a lot of noise in the local press about the service being lost. This is a way of demonstrating that they are doing something in the interim AND also providing a longer term solution.

The "thanks" is probably because NSC have very few options and currently operators have enough operational challenges without taking on emergency tenders.
I can understand a 'bus saved' thing from councils and councillors but the operator doesn't normally do announcements for this thing. That is why it seems odd as it comes from the operators perspective that THEY have single handedly saved the bus rather than saying it's a joint effort.
 

laira 2

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I can understand a 'bus saved' thing from councils and councillors but the operator doesn't normally do announcements for this thing. That is why it seems odd as it comes from the operators perspective that THEY have single handedly saved the bus rather than saying it's a joint effort.
Perhaps the service from Weston to Cribbs didn't pay, but the section Weston to Portishead was the best bit of the route
 

carlberry

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I can understand a 'bus saved' thing from councils and councillors but the operator doesn't normally do announcements for this thing. That is why it seems odd as it comes from the operators perspective that THEY have single handedly saved the bus rather than saying it's a joint effort.
Either the council have put a small amount towards it (there is a 'de minimis' allowence where a council can just pay without going to tender however it's usually an existing operator) or First have just agreed to save it. For all the usual attacks on First the local company is run by somebody who actually believes in buses and may have been willing to cover the cost of running the easier bit of the route (no M5/Cribbs complications) as a lifeline for a short period at a low frequency.
 

freetoview33

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Either the council have put a small amount towards it (there is a 'de minimis' allowence where a council can just pay without going to tender however it's usually an existing operator) or First have just agreed to save it. For all the usual attacks on First the local company is run by somebody who actually believes in buses and may have been willing to cover the cost of running the easier bit of the route (no M5/Cribbs complications) as a lifeline for a short period at a low frequency.
Or North Somerset Council aren't willing to pay for a service that benefits South Gloucestershire
 

MarkC

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Stagecoach SW are to uplift their timetables from June 15th. Most services will return to full operation with some just short. Timetables available shortly
 
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