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NJ51

Member
Joined
15 Jan 2018
Messages
28
Location
Yatton
Tim is indeed still running 704BYL ex YN54AEV on Somerbus commercial service 83 for Norton Hill and Somervale schools which he drives himself. The Solos have gone , but Somerbus still own ex Westbury Coaches MHY1 and ex Blagdon Lioness D771GTC. Andy Fear now publishes the timetable on his Citistar website.
 

northken

Member
Joined
23 Apr 2016
Messages
106
Anyone know if BCT/CT+ are accepting card payment now? They have the new Ticketer machines with barcode scanners, so hopefully with the upgrade they also went for card payments!
 

swifty

Established Member
Joined
19 Sep 2012
Messages
1,672
I noted a few Former Eastville Coaches vehicles this weekend. F310MYJ has a new static home inside The Bottle Yard Studios in Hengrove and S670AAE is parked in a yard on Albert Road, both in as aquired condition.
 

-Colly405-

Member
Joined
25 May 2018
Messages
634
Location
Stoke Gifford
From Monday 23rd March, the 5 Stagecoach school bus routes to Winterbourne Academy are being replaced by two 16-seat minibuses, at least for Monday and Tuesday while the number of children of "key workers" is determined.
If either bus gets full it will go straight to the school and then return to continue its route from where it left off.
Route 1 is Fishponds, Downend, Bromley Heath, Mangotsfield, Emersons Green, Lyde Green, Coalpit Heath & Frampton Cotterell.
Route 2 is Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke, Great Stoke, Frenchay & Hambrook.

The 2 vehicles are being provided by Bristol Travel Ltd of Yate using their new 2-vehicle licence noted as granted in last week's N&P. One of the directors is Tony Lavoie - from memory wasn't he the owner a few years back of a small coach company with an operating centre somewhere near Patchway station?
 

swifty

Established Member
Joined
19 Sep 2012
Messages
1,672
The 2 vehicles are being provided by Bristol Travel Ltd of Yate using their new 2-vehicle licence noted as granted in last week's N&P. One of the directors is Tony Lavoie - from memory wasn't he the owner a few years back of a small coach company with an operating centre somewhere near Patchway station?

Tony of course started Leisure Travel back in 1997 before reuniting with Roger Duribn to form SGBC. Think he had the South Glos taxi company operating from SGBCs old depot on Station Road, I can’t remeber the name of the coach company though!

Wasn’t he also involved with Eurotaxis at one point?
 

carlberry

Established Member
Joined
19 Dec 2014
Messages
3,169
On VOSA today all the registrations for Pickford (Faresaver) have been transfered to a new licence for the limited company (Faresaver Limited).
 

-Colly405-

Member
Joined
25 May 2018
Messages
634
Location
Stoke Gifford
So, where do we put information about the New Adventure X7? I'm thinking here.

I see that Traveline now shows this, and the Bristol terminus is indeed Marlborough St, using stop N3 (still referred to as Rm), and not the bus station.

It doesn't go through the Centre, instead calling at BRI, Park St Top, Clifton Down, Blackboy Hill Top, Westbury (Falcondale Rd, just south of Canford Lane), The Mall, then non-stop over the bridge to Bulwark.
 

carlberry

Established Member
Joined
19 Dec 2014
Messages
3,169
So, where do we put information about the New Adventure X7? I'm thinking here.

I see that Traveline now shows this, and the Bristol terminus is indeed Marlborough St, using stop N3 (still referred to as Rm), and not the bus station.

It doesn't go through the Centre, instead calling at BRI, Park St Top, Clifton Down, Blackboy Hill Top, Westbury (Falcondale Rd, just south of Canford Lane), The Mall, then non-stop over the bridge to Bulwark.
All those stops are going to make time keeping even easier! :rolleyes:
 

tramboy

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
367
It will be interesting to see what fleet ends up operating this, given that it is being advertised as a TrawsCymru route (albeit as "TrawsHafren"). Any observations would be welcomed from those who might be nearer to see.
 

northken

Member
Joined
23 Apr 2016
Messages
106
I wonder if they'll be part of the inter-operator ticketing in Bristol. Their cheap Bristol fares seem to suggest that they want to capture some of the market there.

The choice of route number, even if the buses are different colours, is poor - having two X7s mere metres apart going to wildly different destinations is a recipe for confusion.

Nevertheless, their taking on of the service is most welcome.
 

D2007wsm

Established Member
Joined
26 Jul 2015
Messages
1,310
I wonder if they'll be part of the inter-operator ticketing in Bristol. Their cheap Bristol fares seem to suggest that they want to capture some of the market there.

The choice of route number, even if the buses are different colours, is poor - having two X7s mere metres apart going to wildly different destinations is a recipe for confusion.

Nevertheless, their taking on of the service is most welcome.
It may cause some confusion for passengers travelling to Chepstow looking for the what is the Severn Express in Bristol Bus Station. However, the two X7s will share no common stops. The First West of England excel X7 service to Clevedon departs from Bristol Bus Station Bay 10, whereas the new X7 service to Chepstow departs from Marlborough Street on the other side of the road.

Passengers have slowly got used to the service being the Severn Express, for it to go back to the X7. I think it should have remained as the Severn Express, SEV or 7Xp or if it had to be changed, it should have been the X14. This service went the way the new one will.
 

carlberry

Established Member
Joined
19 Dec 2014
Messages
3,169
It will be interesting to see what fleet ends up operating this, given that it is being advertised as a TrawsCymru route (albeit as "TrawsHafren"). Any observations would be welcomed from those who might be nearer to see.
Where is it being advertised as a TrawsCymru route?
 

anthony263

Established Member
Joined
19 Aug 2008
Messages
6,518
Location
South Wales
Rumour mill it's the optare tempos from the T9 service now they are being replaced by optare metrocitys on that route.

I'm trying to confirm if the network riders will be valid to Bristol
 

-Colly405-

Member
Joined
25 May 2018
Messages
634
Location
Stoke Gifford
It may cause some confusion for passengers travelling to Chepstow looking for the what is the Severn Express in Bristol Bus Station. However, the two X7s will share no common stops. The First West of England excel X7 service to Clevedon departs from Bristol Bus Station Bay 10, whereas the new X7 service to Chepstow departs from Marlborough Street on the other side of the road.

Passengers have slowly got used to the service being the Severn Express, for it to go back to the X7. I think it should have remained as the Severn Express, SEV or 7Xp or if it had to be changed, it should have been the X14. This service went the way the new one will.
But of course, the X14 has been the Chepstow - Cribbs bus until today (OK, it's been furloughed since March, but the cancellation if from today). So that would be confusing too.

When First ran to Chepstow as the X7, wasn't that the same time as Greyhound were running to N Somerset as the X7? Ironic that First is now the N Somerset X7 instead...

Does anyone have, or can anyone pull together, a timeline of the Bristol-Chepstow bus, its route, operator and number, as it must be one of the most changed in the area?
As a start, I know that we have:
- Route numbers: 300, 301, 601, X7, X7, X10, X11, X14, X14, 7XP, SEV, Severn Express
- Routes: via Westbury village & Cribbs. Via Falcondale & Cribbs, via Gloucester Rd & Cribbs, via Gloucester Rd not Cribbs, via M32 & Cribbs, via M32 not Cribbs.
- Operators, National Welsh/Badgerline, Stagecoach/First, First, Stagecoach, NAT
 

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