Escape in the Eighties

"I would be more than happy to take a ride in either of these two over anything on offer on the same journey today”

Another photographic posting this morning ©AecRegent. Trathens 61 BDV861Y ©Ian Kirby MCW Metroliner DR130/3 Bretonside Bus Station, Plymouth 4th February 1989 If you wanted to escape from Plymouth in the late 1980's you had a great choice of coaches to choose from. I personally always preferred the Trathens Skyliners but also had a soft spot for the Metroliners, which always seemed a bit dull, but gave a nice ride. I would be more than happy to take a ride in either of these two over anything on offer on the same journey today. As always click on the photos above to visit the Flickr collections and explore further - they have some great photos to see!

Seeing Doubles

"They are certainly going for high visibility in Saltash ” Ian the Rev Flickr Busworld Photography The three-axle MCW Metroliner was impressive without being too flashy Omnibuses2.0 So, what is a reasonable bus fare?

A lot of the focus this week has been on the new 5 and 5A route, but it isn't the only line of attack from Plymouth Citybus. The 26 service is one which sees big changes: This service is going from strength to strength and as a result will be increased from 4 to 6 buses per hour operating every 10 minutes between Pemros Road, St Budeaux, Devonport and the City Centre. Services to Saltash will also be increased to operate every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday. In addition evening services will be introduced operating every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday along with a new Sunday daytime service also operating every 30 minutes. The result of this is that Plymouth Citybus will be operating in excess of every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday with 8 buses per hour and every 15 minutes during the day on Sundays and Bank Holidays with 4 buses per hour between St Budeaux Square, Devonport and the City Centre. They are certainly going for high visibility in Saltash with this service as it gains the new Volvo double deckers. They really do stand out! ©Brian George The Tamar Bridge sees more double deck action these days on Sundays at least as due to heavy loadings, new Western Greyhound 576 Launceston - Plymouth service is now booked Enviro 400 double decker on Sundays, worked from Launceston outstation using d/d spare off 510. 576 remains Solos on Mon-Sat. At the moment the full service into Plymouth only runs on Sundays but from the 8th November the full timetable will start. It will be interesting to see if Solos will cope or if something a little bigger is planned. ©Ian Kirby

 

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Omnibuses: Barmy

Fare enough

"We know that nobody likes it when prices go ” Sludgegulper Flickr Omnibuses2.0 Upon hearing the latest from the Competition Commission, I wonder whether First is kicking itself. Withdrawing from Plymouth Citybus sales contest, First has instead ratcheted up its competition against Citybus, to protect First’s market position or to warn off potential competitors. More…

First have provided some more information on the fare rises that have occurred this past weekend. Single and return bus fares on the Plymouth UGOBUS routes, and all season ticket products in the city are unaffected by the changes (with the exception of the FirstDay Plymouth Child ticket which will increase by 20 pence to £2.40). Similarly, FirstDay and FirstWeek tickets in North Devon are unchanged. The decision to review fares was not taken lightly. Marc Reddy, Managing Director of First Devon and Cornwall, says: "We know that nobody likes it when prices go up and we offer our sympathy to those customers who are struggling in the face of the recession, but unfortunately we have no option but to review our fares at this time. Like other businesses in the UK, the tightening economy has forced us to look closely at our operating costs. We have made a number of efficiency savings across our operations, but in order to ensure the long term sustainability of our services we must increase fares on our commercial routes. We have kept increases as small as possible. "In the past year we have invested £4.3 million in new vehicles for Devon and Cornwall, including £2.2 million in Plymouth alone, and in the coming years we need to replace a further 68 vehicles at a cost of more than £7 million to ensure that we are compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (which demands all buses must be low floor, easily accessible by 2015)*.' It is clear that Plymouth and North Devon are spared most of the fare increase. In North Devon the company continue to face competition from Stagecoach whilst in Plymouth... well I am sure I don't really need to explain that one! From Sludgegulpers Flickr stream.

 

 

  
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Pay Point

"Looks like another good idea” * * * * * * * * * * * This post was meant to go live on Saturday but for some reason it didn't make it! * * * * * * * * * * *

Tomorrow sees the start of Plymouth Citybus 5 and 5A service which is their retaliation to First's new Ugobus services started two weeks ago. I must admit I am surprised not to see any special fares being promoted to get them started, although I guess with First putting their general fares up from tomorrow they might not feel the need to. Having aid that First have reduced fares on their Plymstock services to try and head off the new Citybus routes. Meanwhile the new Ugobus routes carry on and certainly the 15 seems to be picking up more passengers now, although the £1 flat fare ends tomorrow so may see a decline. I took Zak to McDonalds Crownhill this afternoon on the 15 (nice not having to change buses at Derriford) and both drivers were pointing out £5 week ticket to all passengers that boarded. We did have a long wait for a bus on the way back, but the driver promptly apologised and explained that traffic at Manadon was 'horrendous' which is why he was running so late. We didn't see a single 7 service either in this time. Not sure how Citybus were doing as there was no Citybus timetable at the bus stop. Doing my regular run of the local bus company web sites I have noticed this advert on the Citybus site: Looks like another good idea which I am sure passengers will find useful. The website does not give anymore details just yet but I am sure it will soon. Looks like Christmas is coming!

The final stages?

"yesterday 12:00 was the deadline for bids for Plymouth Citybus” Ian Kirby Flickr IoW Sparky Flickr Omnibuses2.0 Route One Dorset Sprinter Bankfoot Banged Leon Daniels Advertising Pays

It remains to be seen if and when we get an official announcement from the City Council, but yesterday 12:00 was the deadline for bids for Plymouth Citybus. It is widely expected that the two final bids will be from Stagecoach and Go Ahead Group. A short while ago Omnibuses Blog ran a quick poll asking the question 'who poses the greatest threat to Ugobus? Stagecoach, Go Ahead or the status quo of Citybus on their own. Not surprisingly just over two thirds saw Stagecoach being the greatest threat. Stagecoach Devon are already in competition with First in North Devon having made a big move into the area a few years ago. There have also been spats between the two on the Plymouth - Torbay corridor, which most observers felt was going Stagecoach's way until they unexpected pulled their Plymouth - Paignton route. Having a base in Plymouth would fit very well with the Exeter based Devon fleet. The company would be able to make fairly easy savings by centralising many of the backroom support services, and possibly even things like maintenance and repairs with Milehouse being well placed to pick up work from within the enlarged company. Of course any savings like this would possibly seem some non driving jobs being lost too. Sadly this is likely to happen who ever takes the company over as they strive to make savings. From a passengers viewpoint Stagecoach operation in Plymouth will bring benefits with greater availability of through tickets across the group. With Stagecoach already having agreements with Western Greyhound in Cornwall it makes a Stagecoach Day Explorer even more useful. You could also see the company reinstating the link between Plymouth and Torbay. We would almost certainly see investment in new buses into Plymouth. New double deckers would be nice. Stagecoach being big buyers of Alexander Dennis Enviros. Sadly any new buses would be in Stagecoach livery so we would see the end of the Citybus red livery. ©Ian Kirby. Alexander Dennis Trident/Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 Exeter Bus Station 1st August 2008 The other question asked by Omnibuses was 'Who would serve Plymouth better?' Slightly under two-thirds felt that Go Ahead would offer the city and its residents a better service overall. Go Ahead seems to be the enthusiasts favourite from what I can gather across the groups. They have shown impressive levels of investment in their fleets with lots of new Scania double deckers entering service in their Southern England fleets from Brighton to Wilts and Dorset and Southern Vectis on the Isle of Wight. They also maintain good strong local identities in their fleets rather than a standard group livery. There is no reason to suggest this would be any different for Plymouth so the Plymouth Citybus 'brand' would almost certainly continue in some form or other. For Go Ahead there is probably less scope for savings in maintenance and repairs at least as Plymouth would remain a separate fleet with no near neighbours within the group. ©IoW Sparky Southern Vectis Scania OmniCity 1106 (HW58 ARX) 'Linstone Chine' seen here in Sandown on the No. 8 Route (These would look great in red!) Of course, we may all be wrong and find that another group has bid, or even less likely that the council decides not to sell, but the smart money is on Citybus going to either Stagecoach or Go Ahead. As for me? Well if it has to be sold, my heart says Go Ahead but my head says Stagecoach!

Good Bad and So So

"This does seem a bit of bad timing ” Omnibuses2.0 Nat Express Crisis Beet it Force to be reckoned with

First the good news... From Sunday 25 October First are also introducing a special offer on all ugobus services in Plymouth, where the FirstWeek Plymouth ticket is reduced to £5 for two weeks (until Saturday 7 November). To take make use of this special offer please purchase your £5 FirstWeek Plymouth ticket from your driver as from Sunday 25th October using the special coupon which can be downloaded from a link on their web site HERE This is a good offer which I am sure will be popular especially as it is not restricted to the new Ugobus services like the previous weeks offer was. Now the bad news... Most fares on First services in Devon and Cornwall will change by 5p or 10p as from Sunday 25th October 2009. This does seem a bit of bad timing with the new routes having just been launched. There is already a difference between Citybus and First in the city and this will just get a little bigger, until Citybus have their next increase at least. It will be interesting to see how the passenger loadings fare next week on the new routes when the normal fares kick in. So so news.... I have seen a note tonight which suggests that yesterday was the last day in service for E215/6BTA the wonderful Volvo Citybus double deckers which have served Plymouth so well. It seems that they are being converted to open top, which if true, will at least mean they will last a while longer and wont just be scrapped just yet. E216BTA seen back in October 2006, it still looks pretty smart. One of these two is usually on the Estover school run which I see each morning as I leave for work. Shortly after this posting goes live I will see what has replaced it. I guess one of the K-LAE batch of Olympians which have been transferred from Bristol.

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No life after Plymouth

"If I wasn't an anorak…” Alredbus on Flickr

©Alredbus. Two of the first (1960) batch of Plymouth Atlanteans TCO 521/523 await disposal after seemingly having been ever so slightly bruised. It was too cold today to hang around and wait for my Taxibus home so I walked across to Derriford where I had a choice of transport home. A Citybus Dart on the 50 (boring) A First Wright Eclipse on the 15 (mmmm) or Volvo Citybus 174 on the 50. No contest really! With the newer Volvo double deckers coming into service the chance to ride one of the older DDs will rapidly disappear. At least these buses will go on to see service elsewhere as Citybus have buyers lined up to take them. Clearly the Atlanteans above were not to be so lucky! I must walk across to Derriford Hospital more often as there is usually a double decker working on the 50 which will probably give me my first chance to try a new Volvo DD at some stage soon. Quite why we get a DD I have never worked out as there is rarely anyone on it as, just like today, it often follows a standard 50 all the way into town. Most passengers preferring the newer Darts to the older double deckers. If I wasn't an anorak I probably would myself!

Plympton Coachlines

"John Preece doesn’t intend giving up his desire to operate Plymouth city services, not without a fight” This is a Guess post by Omnibuses2.0: At Omnibuses2.0 we aim to reflect in bite-sized pieces, the many facets of the UK bus industry. The first posts date from 2003 and since the summer of 2005, we’ve been examining the bigger picture almost daily...

This is a guest post by the Omnibuses Blog John Preece doesn’t intend giving up his desire to operate Plymouth city services, not without a fight. Though it appears the council has rejected his bid to buy Plymouth Citybus, he threatens court action. Preece himself says he’s been waiting for Citybus for 21 years. It was in 1988, one year after his Plympton Coachlines bought Western National (with a little help from Badgerline) that Preece as MD began what was to be a doomed combative action, throwing at Citybus much that was second hand, plus a half-dozen or so brand new Leyland Lynxes. But that wasn’t the first time Plympton Coachlines had tried. No, the first time was back in regulated 1983… Back then, Preece didn’t appear as Plympton Coachlines’ front man. Plympton Coachlines was one of a handful of operators who tried to exploit the Transport Act 1981 that made it easier for operators to gain stage carriage road service licences (as they were then called). Though the 1981 Act is famous for deregulating express coaches and for trial bus service areas, the forgotten provision was that it allowed start ups to challenge established operators, through the traffic courts. Stagecoach famously tried and only marginally succeeded. Plympton Coachlines completely failed. Plympton Coachlines applied for two licences, one from Plymouth to its airport and the other between Plymouth & an area in outer Plymstock. Both offered something new. Opposed were Plymouth council and Western National, (partners in the then Plymouth Joint Services) and Devon council. There were concerns, too, about abstraction. The only way, for example, that Plympton Coachlines might make either service pay was by abstracting along its route. Solicitors were successful in persuading the traffic commissioners that Plympton Coachlines’ lower fares and hourly frequency would force PJS to lower theirs. Since the city council expected PJS to break even, there would inevitably be compensatory cuts elsewhere, between £375,000 and £1mil worth per annum. The traffic commissioners were not prepared to see such damage inflicted upon Plymouth and refused Plympton Coachlines’ applications. One of defendants’ main arguments was Plympton Coachlines’ zero experience in operating bus services. To think that in just four year’s time, Plympton Coachlines would have all the knowledge it would ever need, upon the take-over of Western National and the 1988 bus war that ensued. ©Terry Partridge. Plympton Coachlines HFX424V Ford R1114 Plaxton at Bretonside

Life after Plymouth: K104SFJ

" A few of the Dennis Dart fleet have escaped Plymouth ” Retrobus on Flickr (Some great Penzance shots uploaded recently) Omnibuses2.0 On-board wi-fi may just hold the key to encouraging motorists to use bus & coach services.

©Retrobus. Zoar Travel Nr Helston Cornwall Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer Ex Plymouth City Bus K104SFJ Sat 10.10.09 It has long been the case that local operators are keen to get their hands on former Citybus vehicles as they are seen to be very well looked after. A few of the Dennis Dart fleet have escaped Plymouth so far, although I am sure several have recently been put back into service, no doubt to free up buses for the new services starting shortly.     I am currently ‘between cameras’ as mine died on me at Kingsbridge which has been a real nuisance when there is so much going on at the moment. So it is great that there are lots of people out there who allow me to share their photos on Plymothian Transit. Retrobus is just one of several regulars whose work can be found here from time to time. As always please explore their photo collections using the links or just by clicking on the photos as there are loads more that are well worth a viewing. Thanks once again to all of you who have been willing to share their photos in this way.

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More First Fare Deals

"First are pleased to announce it will be lowering fares on ugobus services 2 and 6” Leon Daniels It's been an Aberdeen day… Omnibuses2.0 Clayton Jones is back.

As well as being busy promoting their new services, First are making sure that their existing services dont suffer from the competition with Citybus. They have introduced new lower fares on the Plymstock services which will soon be joined by Citybus service 5 5A. First are pleased to announce it will be lowering fares on ugobus services 2 and 6 in Plymstock from Sunday 11th October Examples of some of our lower fares include Service 6 Elburton to City Single £2.00 Return £2.90 Goosewell to City Single £2.00 Return £2.90 Broadway to City Single £2.00 Return £2.90 Oreston to City Single £2.00 Return £2.90 Pomphlett to City Single £2.00 Return £2.90 Service 2 Mount Batten to City Single £2.40 Return £3.20 Hooe to City Single £2.20 Return £3.20 Broadway to City Single £2.00 Return £2.90 Foresters Rd to City Single £2.00 Return £2.90 It would be nice if First could lower their fares across all their Ugobus services but this is a start and will be welcomed by passengers. It will be interesting to see what fare offers, if any, that Citybus make to promote their new services.

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So far so good

"The real test will come when the special fares end” Plymouth Local History This very rare photo shows a tram at Saltash Passage in 1929 … Omnibuses2.0 Stagecoach or GoAhead - You choose! another Plymouth related post!

From This is Plymouth BUS firm First Devon and Cornwall has launched its four new Plymouth services – with help from some of the people whose faces will appear on the vehicles. The company is extending its Ugobus network by running services from the city centre to Chaddlewood, Ernesettle, Mainstone and Southway. The expansion has brought 22 (nearly) new vehicles, and 60 jobs, to Plymouth. Around 40 people have already had their pictures featured on First's Ugobus vehicles, and the idea is being extended to the new vehicles. Another 11 people, plus Plymouth Argyle mascot Pilgrim Pete and Barne Barton bus-catching cat Casper, will find themselves immortalised on an easy-access, low-floored vehicle. And some of those city folk met First managing director Marc Reddy when the vehicles were launched. They included Holly Chilton, Alan Parsons and David Cumbers, from Plymouth's Disabled Bus Users Group, Jordie Davarian-Cross and Emma Jones, children of First employees, and Pilgrim Pete ©aecregent One of the Volvo B7RLEs brought in to the Plymouth fleet of First to augment the Ugobus fleet. I have caught the 15 to Derriford Roundabout for the last couple of days and have seen that passenger numbers are slowly creeping up. A few people who on Monday let the bus go by, caught it to Derriford this morning. The low fares are also being talked about especially for runs into town. The real test will come when the special fares end and normal fares come into play. From my stop to Derriford Hospital is apparerently £1.20 on First, compared with 80p for Citybus, £1 Taxibus and anything from 50p to £1 on Target Travel. With my bus pass its not an issue for me so I will be using the service as a back up for when I miss the Taxibus as it saves me changing buses at Derriford Hospital. The buses are nice though.