Saturday duties are normally longer for some reason. Today is no exception. Just on my first trip and i notice the royal oak has had a huge decking area stuck on the front of it. An sure it's nice when the suns out. Although it's hardly stopped raining this week. Glossop and Gee cross until 1230ish then a couple of trips on the 216s. Nice to read that we won public transport operator of the year at the awards on thursday so we must be doing something right somewhere. Well done us.
Yikes - it looks tacky!
ReplyDeleteMost Excellent, can't wait to use my pass and try that decking out , in the homeland! Well done the Souters and associates too !
ReplyDeletedoing a 10k race from Hadfield train stn tommorrow and it goes round Longedale on the old railway line
ReplyDeleteHope it stays cool for you! The wind can be a pain too! The "put trains back on it" brigade really wind me up, im thinking of starting a "save the londedale trail" group !
ReplyDeletethanks Chris went on speedwell P502 OUG and like the bus low floor but can not take wheelchairs etc
ReplyDeletewonder what newer double decks will come to stagecoach Ashton
Good to accredit yourselves wih awards... Is that for Stagecoach or just Stagecoach Manchester? Nice though and well done.
ReplyDeleteChrus, Stagecoach ordered 56 of these:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/oxford/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8821000/8821972.stm
with 26 to Oxford, now in service, and 30 due in manchester soon. Nice green paint job though, the interior is also nice, heres a pic:
http://www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/upload%20SandJ29/G%20Francis/SCO%2012007%20int%20ud%20rwd%20230610%20G%20Francis.jpg
Rather nice, so lets see if they'll be around in Tameside sooner or later
I doubt they will ever get to tamside. Part of the deal is they have to be used on certain GREEN routes. I know the 43 is one but carnt remember the other one.
ReplyDeleteBullocks have also got 4 coming as well, but theres will have Dual Doors, not sure why but should be good.
there is a new bus with First Leeds on loan for 6 months I think that is same sort it is in buses mag
ReplyDeleteYes i think i know what bus your talking about Mic, its being trailed on a service that runs to Bradford as its very hilly.
ReplyDeletethere is a single decker also new been used in Bradford
ReplyDeleteThey are being used on the 42 and 43 route. hense why the 42 is going to prinny road. Bullocks are getting them for that wilmslow road to piccadilly route they do. Very subsidised i think they even get the buses for free!
ReplyDeleteYes thats right, they were going to split them first with half going to Princess road and half going to Hyde road but it seems the powers that be wanted them all together under one roof, hence them all now going to Princess road.
ReplyDeleteThey do get the buses for free but if ever they loose the tender i presume they get taken back. I think its going to work in the same way as the Yellow Bus scheme.
I can see a lot of allocation changes coming then
ReplyDeletestagecoach know how to look after customers I have noctied they have got new buses every year which is good wonder if 16774 to 80 will be repainted into fleet livery as they are used just on school services like 16189
on yellow school buses I think the 68501/49 pair are owned by Firstbus as 68549 just had its 3rd transfer it is the 68204 etc owned by the PTE
Worst do as well, Oldham passengers get brannys , and all the stuff on the way to Farrars (you need to come from glossop for that one !)get dropped off in tameside for a 5 year stint before the knackers yard,even speedwell have some nicer buses now !
ReplyDeletegood race today at the start there was a 237 behind just after 11am lovely run bit windy just glad I did not do Holme moss fell race which is 17 miles
ReplyDeletejust had an email saying that Ashton depot are getting 22159 and 22242 this weekend in exchange with 22117/38 he said there would be more to come in exchange
ReplyDeletelooks like speedwell could be repainting the KX 54 NKH bus not seen it this week
ReplyDeleteworstbus that sounds right
Mic, there's an electrical fault on one of the enviros... nothing major, just a bit of computer checks and it'll be back on the road soon. Plus the S49 is being held back until Late September to October... trying to time it right after it seems that first are pulling a timetable refresh in late august for the 348 and 350.
ReplyDeleteApparently there is no gearbox on the hybrid buses, rather that the diesel motor is a generator powering a super sized electrical motor... quite clever, as it allows the potential for more efficient motors to play a part in the near future... maybe even an all electric bus, if they can find a big enough battery lol
I can not see the 350 gaining more passangers even if they do change times
ReplyDeletethanks William it will be the NKH as NKG is still running
do you know what the 348/50 changes are
will tell you speedwell will not be moved the NKG bus was full on the S50 yestaday
As far as I know, the summer timetable in place next week is the removal of Greenfield to Oldham school Journeys... one of which is Firsts and the other is Stotts (Why doesn't that show... hmm). The idea is that the 350 will simply restore school journeys, but the 348 is on no summer timetable, and the changes are currently unknown for know.
ReplyDeleteNKH is the newest addition so just abit of teething problems... give it a bit of time.
The Hybrid's must be different to drive as well as im told drivers have to through alot of extra training before they can drive the Hybrids out in serice.
ReplyDeleteSad to hear the S49 has been put back. I was looking forward to it starting in September but it has to be done right for it to be a big success.
Any idea when it will be registered William?
I did think Speedwell were having problems as there has been some strange workings on the S48/50 last week. Solo's and even the V reg dart, just hope it doesn't put them off buying more.
I wonder if thats true though? Mind you it is a big take to drive a virtually electrical Heavy duty vehicle.
ReplyDeleteThe S49 is special and has to be timed accordingly, and will be registered in due time.
No problems, as the 'V' reg is a branded value bus anyways. It's just that only certain buses can be put on the S48... The longer excels and enviros can't be put on it logically because of the tight turns, so nimbler Solos have to fill the 1 void.
I think they will get more firstbus should get worried the way they are going all passangers will be using the S services in a few months which should be great the Excel has been on the S50 the last few days the V dart has speedwell bus fleetnames or has it been changed again
ReplyDeleteI though it might be school services on the 350 as with loads of others services do you know how many mans are being exchanged with Princess rd I do know that 22242 is coming and 22117 going
ReplyDeleteMic,
ReplyDeleteas far as I've seen, the MPD has never been restickered. I recently had seen it on the sunday service labelled speedwellvalue. The only other V reg is VU02TTZ, but thats always been a 'speedwellbus' branded vehicle.
The VU02 Dart has Speedwellbus and the V reg Dart had Speedwellvalue and a wonkey blind lol.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the 343 changes have been put on hold. I wonder if this had anything to do with the latest campaign to stop the changes going ahead.
I was at Stott's on Friday and they have another two 08 reg Solo's coming which will be used for the 353/4. Apparently theres been lots of phone calls asking whether the services will be low floor or not so they think if anything passenger numbers SHOULD go up when they takeover.
I thought the new MAN's were coming from Stockport. Most of Princess roads MAN's are the same age as Ashton's.
ReplyDeletethey are exchanging buses and bringing more to Ashton with CCTV fitted
ReplyDeleteon the stotts bit I will be one who will use it will they have the regular drivers like speedwell did
ReplyDeleteYes Mic they will have dedicated drivers for the 353/4 just as they do for there schools and other services.
ReplyDeletewent for 409 bus to work at 7.12am and it never turned up firstbus I nickname lastbus
ReplyDelete