Stagecoach Western Discussion

[mbonwick]

Glasgow is considered part of Western for administrative purposes :P

The North Ayrshire expresses that the E400s were used on have seen a decrease in loadings, with comments being that coaches would help bring passengers back. So these E400s have been replaced by B7R/Profiles from East Scotland, allowing them to move up to Glasgow.

54061/71 should be joining them there, allowing the 5 Astromegas to temporarily move into reserve.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

I see that Arran have taken 7 Wright Streetlites. (39001 - 39007) A bit unusual for Stagecoach to buy Wright instead of the norm that is ADL. Or have they been an SPT purchase?

 

[mbonwick]

Owned by SPT, along with 4 Solo M7200SERs which are yet to appear.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

So from what I can make out from the 2015/2016 order, there are 17 E300's bound for Glasgow.

Ordered for the new X1 service perhaps?

 

[mbonwick]

Among other things, yes. PVR of the X1 won't be 17 but the majority are expected to be used on Fastlink work.

 

[Voyager 2093]

http://circleoflondon.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/the-adl-e400-mmc-b5lh.html

 

[Stan Drews]

http://circleoflondon.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/the-adl-e400-mmc-b5lh.html

Nothing to do with Stagecoach Western, as these are based on the opposite side of the country with Stagecoach East Scotland at Arbroath.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

That's Glasgow now taking delivery of their new E300's complete with 'Go X1' route branding...

 

[GaryMcEwan]

From the 14th of September, Stagecoach will be getting rid of paper Megarider tickets in Glasgow completely. Instead Megariders will be put onto Stagecoach Smartcard's.

From Monday 14th September 2015 we’re replacing paper megarider tickets with our Smartcard travel cards on our Glasgow services.
You can still purchase your megarider ticket on bus but it will now be stored electronically on a Stagecoach Smartcard.
Register your card online and save with our special online ticket prices.

Full info here.

 

[smtglasgow]

Can anyone offer any suggestions about what Stagecoach are up to with their G1 and G2 services in Glasgow? This seems like wild over-provision (does anybody think there is need for another 12 buses an hour between Partick and the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital) and even the innovative bit between Glasgow Uni and the Murano Street student village is competing with a free minibus run by the Student Representative Council. I’m back working at Glasgow University and see both the G1 and G2 several times a day – loadings have never reached double figures and there are a fair number of buses running empty. Presumably someone thought this was a good opportunity and they have obviously had backing from senior management as the solos in use are mainly 13 plate. Taken with the brand new vehicles on the X19 on the Fastlink, that’s a huge investment in services which are really struggling to attract punters.

I’ve got a lot of respect for how Stagecoach run services and build up networks, but this just seems like a manager has gone rogue. To go from nothing to a 5 minute joint frequency is, at best, a bold move. Especially coming on top of the Fastlink service which has also failed to take off. Maybe when it’s finally completed the Fastlink services (Stagecoach and McGills) will pick up, but at the moment First seem to be winning the City – QEH battle even though their 77 is the slowest option. I can’t see the G1 and G2 lasting very long in their present form, but moving onto the more obvious city corridors would probably provoke a fight with First.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Can anyone offer any suggestions about what Stagecoach are up to with their G1 and G2 services in Glasgow? This seems like wild over-provision (does anybody think there is need for another 12 buses an hour between Partick and the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital) and even the innovative bit between Glasgow Uni and the Murano Street student village is competing with a free minibus run by the Student Representative Council. I’m back working at Glasgow University and see both the G1 and G2 several times a day – loadings have never reached double figures and there are a fair number of buses running empty. Presumably someone thought this was a good opportunity and they have obviously had backing from senior management as the solos in use are mainly 13 plate. Taken with the brand new vehicles on the X19 on the Fastlink, that’s a huge investment in services which are really struggling to attract punters.

I’ve got a lot of respect for how Stagecoach run services and build up networks, but this just seems like a manager has gone rogue. To go from nothing to a 5 minute joint frequency is, at best, a bold move. Especially coming on top of the Fastlink service which has also failed to take off. Maybe when it’s finally completed the Fastlink services (Stagecoach and McGills) will pick up, but at the moment First seem to be winning the City – QEH battle even though their 77 is the slowest option. I can’t see the G1 and G2 lasting very long in their present form, but moving onto the more obvious city corridors would probably provoke a fight with First.

Over the last few days, the X19 from the town out to the QEH, have been getting busier.

And somebody has to go head to head agaibst the McGill's along Govan Road corridor...

 

[Liam]

There was a fancy B11 interdeck with X74 branding on display at Midsteeple, Dumfries today. Are these new, or cascaded from elsewhere?

 

[mbonwick]

Brand new. First day out today.

 

[Liam]

Brand new. First day out today.

Cool, are the old X74 coaches staying at Dumfries, or moving on?

 

[mbonwick]

Pastures new, possibly blue...

 

[d1672]

Hi all,

The order for Glasgow E400MMC is now confirmed as 15 of which the first 2 are now sitting in the rebranded Stagecoach Cumbernauld depot. Seen earlier today through the open door were 10511 and 10512. I don't know if there were any more further inside.

Thomas

 

[overthewater]

The new timetables are out on its website, Sunday morning timetable has been improved on the X25.

 

[d1672]

Hi all,

The move into Cumbernauld is in full swing today. E400MMC's up to at least 10520 (all branded) on show along with a few coaches and sleeper coaches at the garage at 1420. Viewed about 20 vehicles.

Thomas

 

[mbonwick]

Believe the current Glasgow fleet will go to Cumbernauld as their diagrams finish today, with the new depot becoming fully operational from runout tomorrow morning.

 

[overthewater]

Strangely there is no changes to the X19, I take it there is a lot of dead running from Easterhouse up the M73?

Also once again there have made THE SAME MISTAKE, the 23.05 and 23.35 From Glasgow on X25 is every day.. How do there keep on making the same mistake.

https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/West Scotland/X25-May 2016.pdf


https://www.stagecoachbus.com/news/...stagecoach-open-refurbished-cumbernauld-depot

Stagecoach West Scotland today (Tuesday 26th April 2016) opened their new base in Glencryan Road, Cumbernauld. The depot will officially open to staff this Saturday with operations being moved from its existing Blochairn depot in Glasgow.

As part of the launch the company is introducing a £4m fleet of 15 new state-of-the-art double decker buses in May to replace the existing vehicles used on Cumbernauld to Glasgow express services. The MMC400 double decker vehicles were built locally by Falkirk based Alexander Dennis.

The new buses will offer increased capacity and greater reliability whilst at the same time featuring high backed leather seats with seat belts, free wifi and USB charging points.

Passengers using the X25, X25A and X28 services will benefit from travelling on modern buses with some of the greenest engines in Europe.


The company has invested over £1 million refurbishing the depot modernising offices and staff facilities and improving the engineering workshop with new pit facilities.

The majority of staff based at the new depot have relocated from the Stagecoach Blochairn depot. There will be 160 drivers, 30 engineering staff and 18 managerial and administration staff based at the Cumbernauld facility.

Tom Bridge, Managing Director Stagecoach West Scotland said: "We are delighted to move to our new Cumbernauld facility which will give us a good platform to deliver higher quality bus services in the area. We have invested in a new fleet of buses for the local area as well as investing in the Cumbernauld depot with a significant refurbishment. We hope that our move will be a boost for the local community in terms of better bus services and future employment in the area.”

So the question has to be will Stagecoach try and go after the X3? Or the even Kilsyth route?

 

[d1672]

Hi all,

This evening I had a run back to Cumbernauld on 10513 - SN16OLW one of the new Enviro400MMC's. I was impressed. Cumfy seats and a good steady pace on the motorway section of the X25.

All we need now is for Stagecoach to get the timetable right with some more services particularly on a Sunday.

I would have thought that they would have used some of the G1/2 redundant solos to act as feeder to the main routes, as there are still large areas of Cumbernauld which have no services.

Any way 15 deckers are a lot of buses for a services which require only 10 vehicles off peak (6 on the X25/25A and 4 on the X28). Incidently theye used Scanias on the X28 today (15815/6/7 and 15948)

Maybe interesting times are ahead.

Thomas

Thomas

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Hi all,

This evening I had a run back to Cumbernauld on 10513 - SN16OLW one of the new Enviro400MMC's. I was impressed. Cumfy seats and a good steady pace on the motorway section of the X25.

All we need now is for Stagecoach to get the timetable right with some more services particularly on a Sunday.

I would have thought that they would have used some of the G1/2 redundant solos to act as feeder to the main routes, as there are still large areas of Cumbernauld which have no services.

Any way 15 deckers are a lot of buses for a services which require only 10 vehicles off peak (6 on the X25/25A and 4 on the X28). Incidently theye used Scanias on the X28 today (15815/6/7 and 15948)

Maybe interesting times are ahead.

Thomas

Thomas

I've heard through the grapevine that the Scania's are going back down the road and going to Ayr.

The place names on the 'Go Cumbernauld' branded Scania's has also been removed which would indicate they are on the move...

 

[overthewater]

Big question has to be, will stagecoach go after the X3, and or North Cumerbernauld?

 

[d1672]

Hi,

Personally, I hope that they try an expand by introducing a new network of services once things settle down.

Just now you can only go from Cumbernauld via the motorway to Glasgow City Centre. It would be nice, for example, if once an hour the X19 service was extended to Cumbernauld so that people could get to the Glasgow Fort shopping complex. Easterhouse isn't that far from Cumbernauld.

Still they have to make some changes to the X25/A timetable where they have diverted buses from North Carbrain to the Town Centre. I don't see the logic of diverting X25A buses away from the houses to the Town Centre which is already well served by the X24/X25/X26/X27 and X28 services.

Anyway, lets hope that once everything has settled, that they make some changes.

By the way, the new buses have all been delivered 10525 was at Cumbernauld earlier today and has gone to Kilmarnock to have route branding applied. They are also very nice to travel in.

Thomas