Uno Bus

[A0]

I couldn't find an answer elsewhere, but having passed through Queensbury yesterday, was wondering why Uno use such a relative backwater as the terminus for the 614/644?

Is it simply that it's the quietest place on the Jubilee Line they could use to serve people living in Brent and Harrow?

It's probably an easier place to terminate with a good connection onto the Jubilee line as well as passing the Northern Line at Edgware with the route it follows.

TFL may also be a factor and it may be that's as far as they are happy for a non TFL route to run.

 

[Mikey C]

It's probably an easier place to terminate with a good connection onto the Jubilee line as well as passing the Northern Line at Edgware with the route it follows.

TFL may also be a factor and it may be that's as far as they are happy for a non TFL route to run.

It does look quite odd to have a non TfL bus serving a Zone 4 station! Stanmore would perhaps be more obvious, but there probably isn't the space to terminate another route there.

 

[jon0844]

While Uno does run for everyone, its primary reason for existing was for students of the University of Hertfordshire - so does the route serve specific university sites or campuses?

It may then go on to a convenient station to allow students from central London to get to the main Hatfield site for a lot less money than the alternatives.

 

[Edvid]

Outside of College Lane / de Havilland (i.e. the Hatfield campuses) I don't think the 614 or 644 visits any other university sites.

The former also serves as a similarly-priced alternative to the TfL 384 for Edgware-Barnet (via Stirling Corner) trips, at least with the £2 cap in place.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I couldn't find an answer elsewhere, but having passed through Queensbury yesterday, was wondering why Uno use such a relative backwater as the terminus for the 614/644?

Is it simply that it's the quietest place on the Jubilee Line they could use to serve people living in Brent and Harrow?

I don’t really know the answer but it is not new, the bus has terminated there for many years. I always assumed it was to enable it to serve Burnt Oak Broadway and the Jubilee Line.

 

[chalkleyt]

3 x Evoseti spotted on the traffic cams A1 northbound at Welwyn yesterday:

 

[Edvid]

Nice spot!

Even though the picture was taken by a traffic cam, the tri-axle chassis can be identified on close examination. Same basic colour layout as that used on the Enviro400 Cities (Comet) as well.

Seeing as they don't appear to be Hatfield-bound yet, my best guess is they were heading for the MCV base in Sutton, Cambridgeshire.

 

[Titfield]

I don’t really know the answer but it is not new, the bus has terminated there for many years. I always assumed it was to enable it to serve Burnt Oak Broadway and the Jubilee Line.

It could also be that this was the only bus stand (to allow a layover) or bus stop with capacity available at the time the route was planned. TfL set capacities for all bus stops and certainly in the central area it can be quite an issue even more so if you want stand time to allow for beaks or crew changeovers.

 

[chalkleyt]

Nice spot!

Even though the picture was taken by a traffic cam, the tri-axle chassis can be identified on close examination. Same basic colour layout as that used on the Enviro400 Cities (Comet) as well.

Seeing as they don't appear to be Hatfield-bound yet, my best guess is they were heading for the MCV base in Sutton, Cambridgeshire.

Complete luck to be fair, not sure when they are going into service but you would think soon.

 

[Edvid]

One of them has turned up at this year's ALBUM conference, registered BV24 LUL. Picture courtesy of Matthew Arnold.

https://twitter.com/KK77470/status/1782786360895590442

 

[stuu]

It does look quite odd to have a non TfL bus serving a Zone 4 station! Stanmore would perhaps be more obvious, but there probably isn't the space to terminate another route there.

It has terminated at Queensbury for decades. When I was student in Hatfield I once made the mistake of using it and the Jubilee line to save money on my way to Hammersmith, having not really paid all that much attention to how long it took. Never did it again

 

[SheikhYerbooty]

Any news on when the evoseti’s are entering service ?

 

[MasterSpenny]

Any news on when the evoseti’s are entering service ?

It may not be for a while yet, as their capacity will not be necessarily required during the university’s Summer Recess meaning they may be registered as 74 plates. However, they have been assigned provisional 24 plates, which are listed below.

Uno | The Bus Forum

Cant believe we do not seem to have a thread for this operator. Are they cleverly positioning themselves to take up some of the slack in Northampton re First ... probably knocked a bit of the p

tangytango.proboards.com

These have been allocated provisional registrations BV24 LUL / LUO / LUP / LUT / LUW - however they may not be registered until September (as their capacity will not be needed during the University Summer Recess) and may be given '74' registrations.

 

[Edvid]

The University is conducting a tender exercise for the purchase of 5 battery-electric single deckers for Uno work. Looks like the first batch of the Herts ZEBRA allocation to me.

Supply of Five Single Deck Electric Buses - 2024 - Contracts Finder

www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk

 

[Edvid]

When the X10 resumes on 2 September the B653 won't be a concern for the Evosetis; they'll be driven down the A1081 instead.

September 2024

This is a summary of the forthcoming changes to local bus services in Hertfordshire in September 2024.

www.intalink.org.uk

X10 Hatfield to Luton
Uno
Route and timetable change. The route will operate from Hatfield via St Albans, Ancient Briton and Harpenden town centre to Luton.
From 02.09.24

 

[Edvid]

Revised timetable and St Albans / Harpenden route for the X10 (23 September onwards, maybe sooner) are now up,* though the defunct Wheathampstead / Batford route hasn't been taken off the Intalink map yet.

The Uni stops have been swapped so the de Havilland campus will become the Hatfield terminus.

[Intalink / Bustimes links]

 

[jon0844]

Revised timetable and St Albans / Harpenden route for the X10 (23 September onwards, maybe sooner) are now up,* though the defunct Wheathampstead / Batford route hasn't been taken off the Intalink map yet.

The Uni stops have been swapped so the de Havilland campus will become the Hatfield terminus.

[Intalink / Bustimes links]

I assume that's to increase usage (although they could get pretty packed) but it is surely going to be way slower than it was when it avoided Harpenden and made for a very quick service between Luton and Hatfield? That said, it avoids Oldings Corner and Wheathampsted.

 

[EnviroExplorer]

I assume that's to increase usage (although they could get pretty packed) but it is surely going to be way slower than it was when it avoided Harpenden and made for a very quick service between Luton and Hatfield? That said, it avoids Oldings Corner and Wheathampsted.

I’m no local so I couldn’t tell you the differences between those options for the routes, but if length clearance is an issue that will explain it. From its reintroduction the X10 is due to be using brand new tri-axle Volvo B8L/MCV EvoSetis, which were ordered some time ago to cope with the huge demand between Luton and Hatfield nowadays.

This may also see a few more withdrawals of the eldest Citaros from the freed up buses, but that’s purely speculation.

 

[Saint66]

The X10 is running as of this morning via the new route and with the new buses. Just saw an Evoseti tri-axle in St Albans at the Ancient Briton junction, turning onto the Harpenden Road.

It looked like there was some ‘Express’ branding on the bus, but I didn’t get a totally clear view.

 

[A0]

I assume that's to increase usage (although they could get pretty packed) but it is surely going to be way slower than it was when it avoided Harpenden and made for a very quick service between Luton and Hatfield? That said, it avoids Oldings Corner and Wheathampsted.

The Lower Luton Road isn't quick by any stretch of the imagination - there's probably little or no time penalty going via St Albans and Harpenden depending on the route taken.

The stretch between Harpenden and Wheathampstead to Hatfield will still be served by the Uno 610 and I notice a couple more journeys have been added to the Centrebus 366 as well which had been stripped back a coupke of years ago.

 

[Edvid]

The X10 is running as of this morning via the new route and with the new buses. Just saw an Evoseti tri-axle in St Albans at the Ancient Briton junction, turning onto the Harpenden Road.

It looked like there was some ‘Express’ branding on the bus, but I didn’t get a totally clear view.

deHavilland express, by the looks of things. The fleet number range is 201-205 (per BLOTW) and MOT checks on gov.uk reveal they were registered with 74-plates yesterday (202 / BV24 LUO aside).

Friends of Buses and Coaches | Brand new 74 plate UNO Volvo B8 looking shiny at Luton Station 2.9.24 | Facebook

Brand new 74 plate UNO Volvo B8 looking shiny at Luton Station 2.9.24

www.facebook.com

 

[RELL6L]

I saw a couple of X10s mid morning this morning. One headed for Luton was nearly empty, as I would have expected, with just four aboard, they looked like students. The one headed for Hatfield - should have been 10.00 ex Luton but was running 20 minutes late - looked very busy, most seats taken, again looked like students. There must be a lot of students based in Luton!

My concern about the timetable remains. Both today and yesterday the 07.40 from Luton made it to Hatfield about 40 minutes late. Started late and got much later during the journey - so much so that they then ran back to Luton via the M1 for their next trip. Not helpful for 9.00 lectures, if such things still exist!

 

[jon0844]

Uno buses are clearly intended for students first and foremost but the timekeeping and driver shortages (which seems to be a thing again sadly) must make it hard to get to and from lessons on time.

A lot of road works (water and gas works) can't be helping the timekeeping and the Arriva 725 often runs 30+ minutes late, which is now very popular and often used instead of Uno around Welwyn and Hatfield because it is less likely to be cancelled, just late.

 

[greenline712]

Uno, of course, now have the 298 (after Sullivan), which I daresay has stretched driver resources slightly ...

I also wonder if Uno have allowed extra boarding times on the triaxles? We all know that paying by mobile often takes longer, and boarding 80+ passengers will still take time .... I bet (with a flat fare), I could board them faster with cash and an Almex!!!

 

[SheikhYerbooty]

Seating is 98 on the evosetis, I travelled on it last week and the 08:40 was 40 minutes late and turned up with the 09:10 for departure to Hatfield. My bus was absolutely full, no empty seats and the 2nd bus going at the same time was about 60 to 70 per cent full.

 

[greenline712]

Maybe they need on-bus Conductors!!! Probably cheaper than retiming the timetable .....

 

[Vexed]

They've done sales/checking mobile tickets off bus before at DeHavilland and Luton, not sure if they still do but this would help

 

[jon0844]

I asked a Uno driver about the introduction of electric buses for Uno (non TfL) routes, after everything went very quiet since their press release, and there's apparently going to be two in service before the end of this year and then twenty or so introduced in 2025.

The first routes are (also apparently) going to be 601 and 653.

 

[Vexed]

653 makes sense to me, it already has route branding and some of the oldest busses (14 plate) in their fleet except the Citaros. It's quite a slow route so mileage shouldn't be a problem though I haven't kept up with the advancements in battery technology.

And 601 will give them double decker experience I guess on a faster route.

 

[Edvid]

I asked a Uno driver about the introduction of electric buses for Uno (non TfL) routes, after everything went very quiet since their press release, and there's apparently going to be two in service before the end of this year and then twenty or so introduced in 2025.

The shuttle will get five BYD B12s,* following the tender exercise noted in a previous post of mine. These appear to be separate from the 27 ZEBRA-subsidised buses that Uno are (apparently) still yet to order.

[* Image link]