TfGM Bee Network - fleet discussion

[978wta]

Beachball liveried Enviro 200 36780 is the first of 4 to transfer from Middleton to Queens Road. 8 17 plate Enviro 400MMCs are due from Stockport soon. 12 vehicles to replace another 12 at Queens Road.

Didn’t those 17 plate MMCs start of at Middleton with them transferring out earlier this year?

 

[xitz2012@gmail]

Didn’t those 17 plate MMCs start of at Middleton with them transferring out earlier this year?

Yes, the 17 plates were always based at Middleton from delivery, only transferring to Stockport in Feb/March. All are supposed to be transferred to Queens Road by the end of the year I’m told.

 

[Class 466]

Didn’t those 17 plate MMCs start of at Middleton with them transferring out earlier this year?

Aye they did.

Enviro 400 MMCs 10846 (SN17MJE) , 10848 (SN17MJJ) & 10849 (SN17MJK) are now at Queens Road.

Aye they did.

Enviro 400 MMCs 10846 (SN17MJE) , 10848 (SN17MJJ) & 10849 (SN17MJK) are now at Queens Road.

10847, 10851 & 10852 have now also been moved to Queens Road this afternoon

 

[Tetchytyke]

I don't recall this really being an issue when First had Queen's Road, has something changed or is it just bad luck?

14 year old Optare hybrids? I wouldn’t say their unreliability is surprising, put it that way…

 

[Class 466]

14 year old Optare hybrids? I wouldn’t say their unreliability is surprising, put it that way…

The exact reason they’re being withdrawn very soon and the free bus converted to double decker operation.

 

[darylyates17]

The exact reason they’re being withdrawn very soon and the free bus converted to double decker operation.

Are they being replaced by a specific batch of deckers or existing vehicles? did think they’d be withdrawn soon 14 years is good going for a hybrid vehicle.

 

[Class 466]

Are they being replaced by a specific batch of deckers or existing vehicles? did think they’d be withdrawn soon 14 years is good going for a hybrid vehicle.

8 Enviro 400MMCs (from Stockport) and 4 Enviro 200s (from Middleton) are at or on their way to Queens Road to replace them. However they’ll just enter the general pool of vehicles rather than be dedicated to the 1 & 2 as such.

 

[Bungle965]

The exact reason they’re being withdrawn very soon and the free bus converted to double decker operation.

Are they expecting a massive upturn in passenger traffic!? Deckers are massive overkill.

 

[Class 466]

Are they expecting a massive upturn in passenger traffic!? Deckers are massive overkill.

Given the bulk of the work out of Queens Road is decker, operationally I would guess it'll actually lead to efficiencies by not having a microfleet for one service. The Optare Versas are due to finish this weekend with some already stood down (48804 for example).

 

[Bungle965]

Given the bulk of the work out of Queens Road is decker, operationally I would guess it'll actually lead to efficiencies by not having a microfleet for one service. The Optare Versas are due to finish this weekend with some already stood down (48804 for example).

It’s a good point, although having deckers trundling around the City Centre isn’t really ideal.
As a side note, they will still presumably have the 12m school Versas or are they going as well?

 

[Class 466]

It’s a good point, although having deckers trundling around the City Centre isn’t really ideal.
As a side note, they will still presumably have the 12m school Versas or are they going as well?

Yeah it’s just the rather knackered free buses going

 

[py_megapixel]

Didn't realise those hybrids were still going - I had an idea it was electric Optares on the free routes now

 

[Fox192]

Why can’t they allocate the new mini buses to free bus and why is deckers driving round city centre an issue when all routes into the city mainly consist of deckers

 

[Class 466]

Why can’t they allocate the new mini buses to free bus and why is deckers driving round city centre an issue when all routes into the city mainly consist of deckers

The new mini buses are required for local out of city centre routes. This wasn’t part of the original plan so a decent substitute has been found in next to no time at all with the sharp drop in Optare Versa Reliability. A permanent solution? Probably not. But it’s an efficient one that deals with a problem with what’s available.

Judging by this mornings allocations the Optare Versas have now been withdrawn.

 

[Along the bay]

That explains why I didn't see a single Versa all day then. Are the electric variants on routes 1/2 also to be withdrawn?

 

[JD2168]

Are they expecting a massive upturn in passenger traffic!? Deckers are massive overkill.

I wonder why they are not being replaced by new Electric buses of a similar size on the Free Bus.

 

[Class 466]

I wonder why they are not being replaced by new Electric buses of a similar size on the Free Bus.

Because the issue with the Optare Versas reliability has only come up recently- there aren’t EVs sat around waiting to replace them.

That explains why I didn't see a single Versa all day then. Are the electric variants on routes 1/2 also to be withdrawn?

There were only 3 of those left and have also gone.

 

[Man of Kent]

Because the issue with the Optare Versas reliability has only come up recently- there aren’t EVs sat around waiting to replace them.


There were only 3 of those left and have also gone.

There were only 3 electrics in the first place - originally First 49921-3.

 

[Class 466]

There were only 3 electrics in the first place - originally First 49921-3.

Ahh okay, I only moved here in the latter part of Go North West’s reign over the area so didn’t know if some had disappeared over the years.

 

[Leyland Bus]

In a surprise turn, Stagecoach Manchester E400 19470 has been repainted into Greater Manchester Transport brown, orange and white livery and will resume service at HE. Perhaps an interesting farewell by Stagecoach?

Photo attached sent by a friend who works at HE.

 

[aswilliamsuk]

In a surprise turn, Stagecoach Manchester E400 19470 has been repainted into Greater Manchester Transport brown, orange and white livery and will resume service at HE. Perhaps an interesting farewell by Stagecoach?

Photo attached sent by a friend who works at HE.

It looks great.

Also, is it not 50 years since GMPTE was formed, so presumably to mark that too.

 

[Leyland Bus]

It looks great.

Also, is it not 50 years since GMPTE was formed, so presumably to mark that too.

Of course! I'd forgotten about that!

 

[M60lad]

I must say I was surprised when I saw it, I was on my to work yesterday afternoon and it went past the bus I was on at about 12:50 on Oldham Road heading towards Manchester.

 

[jp4712]

Done in association with the Museum of Transport as part of their ‘200 years of the bus’ celebrations*. You‘ll see it at museum events later this year.

* the UK’s first bus service wasn’t Mr Shillibeer in London in 1829 - it was John Greenwood who started a service from Pendleton to Manchester in 1824.

 

[mic]

the last of the EVs at Oldham have entered service this week been 84231/48/49/50

11832 is been used as a spare bus for the 348/350s and based at Ashton depot

 

[mayneway]

Just from my own MK1 eyeball outside of Victoria the other day virtually every bus going by on the 93, 97, 98, 100 and hell even the number 1 was one of Mayneways much hated Scania double deckers so they mustn't be blowing up and breaking down that much.

The scania’s are the most ‘attended’ to at the roadside vehicle in the fleet, so much so that they *should* in an ideal world only turn up now on free buses, 135’s and possibly the 41, so they can be attended to and swapped with ease without masses of lost mileage etc.

 

[Fox192]

I think the ideal world would be to have them not on the road at all

 

[mayneway]

They seem to work now that Go North West aren’t “looking after them” by operating them out of a yard in Heywood. Although Stagecoach are still waiting on three from Go North West that are yet to materialise.

They are now far more reliable than they ever were at GNW.

Edit: only 2 now 15397 (YT59 RYM) has entered service on the 2.

The only things proving to be rather unreliable at the moment are Optare Free buses. Wouldn’t be surprised to see them gone sooner rather than later.

Pretty sure all scania’s have been delivered. The final ones were Mot’d, had engine rebuilds and made fit for service over the last couple of weeks. There’s a couple with ongoing faults. One has issues with its gear box.

The last GNW vehicle left queens road last week. A yellow TFGM school Versa which has sat the top of the depot semi scrapped for quite a while. Apparently it’s gone to Bolton where GNW will make it serviceable, replacing all the parts taken for other buses before it passes over to First Rochdale for use on a school contract.

Because the issue with the Optare Versas reliability has only come up recently- there aren’t EVs sat around waiting to replace them.


There were only 3 of those left and have also gone.

The issues with the TFGM owned Versa’s isn’t a recent issue it’s been long running.
I know both MCT and Vision had long running issues with the maintenance of the vehicles at Optare Trafford park. GNW seemed to be happy to cover missing Versa’s with their own vehicles, potentially loosing mileage on other commercial services, but it looks like Stagecoach have said enough is enough.

Manchester airport and APH ended maintenance contracts with Optare Trafford park and it seems TFGM have as well - apparently switch/Optare have subsequently announced the Trafford park site will close at the end of the year.

I think the ideal world would be to have them not on the road at all

The Scania’s??
I drove one back from Piccadilly approach last night and it was a nice drive, couldn’t fault it but they are just so problematic.

 

[Class 466]

Pretty sure all scania’s have been delivered. The final ones were Mot’d, had engine rebuilds and made fit for service over the last couple of weeks. There’s a couple with ongoing faults. One has issues with its gear box.

The last GNW vehicle left queens road last week. A yellow TFGM school Versa which has sat the top of the depot semi scrapped for quite a while. Apparently it’s gone to Bolton where GNW will make it serviceable, replacing all the parts taken for other buses before it passes over to First Rochdale for use on a school contract.


The issues with the TFGM owned Versa’s isn’t a recent issue it’s been long running.
I know both MCT and Vision had long running issues with the maintenance of the vehicles at Optare Trafford park. GNW seemed to be happy to cover missing Versa’s with their own vehicles, potentially loosing mileage on other commercial services, but it looks like Stagecoach have said enough is enough.

Manchester airport and APH ended maintenance contracts with Optare Trafford park and it seems TFGM have as well - apparently switch/Optare have subsequently announced the Trafford park site will close at the end of the year.


The Scania’s??
I drove one back from Piccadilly approach last night and it was a nice drive, couldn’t fault it but they are just so problematic.

Yep, 15387 entered service this week completing them all. I notice that there's a few B9s that haven't seen service since mid-April, I assume that's not helping the current vehicle shortages at all.

 

[mayneway]

Yep, 15387 entered service this week completing them all. I notice that there's a few B9s that haven't seen service since mid-April, I assume that's not helping the current vehicle shortages at all.

There’s two or three having full engine rebuilds and another having its axles and suspension totally replaced, plus a couple of scania’s that look ‘dead’ with bits being removed to aid others running.