Demonstrating

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With the recent good weather last week and the start of this week I have managed to get out into town and take hundreds of photos (giving me a backlog of about 800 photos to process!). On Monday I met up with Graham Smith from London who was down to try and catch the step entrance Darts on camera while they are still out in force. I myself had two main targets to catch - one of them being the current Go Ahead demonstrator BG59FYB Volvo B7RLE with Wright bodywork. This one has been doing the rounds within the Go Ahead Group.

It does seem that Go Ahead are favouring the Volvo/ Wright combination for most of their orders at the moment with even Brighton and Hove switching from Scania this year which was a bit of a shock. When (if) Citybus get the Go Ahead to purchase any new buses I guess there's a good chance it will be some of these. The driver I spoke to when I took these photos was not impressed with the bus though!

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Elsewhere on the net

• I can remember cash registers with glass domes where the value would pop up like a flag as a bell rang. I can remember air tubes that would carry cash to a back office Omnibuses
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(still) Getting to Exeter

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The cutting back of the X38 to every two hours next month will quite possibly see the withdrawal of the old reliable Volvo B10Ms that have served this route so well for such a long time. It was way back in October 1996 that Stagecoach placed these into service on the route. I dont think anyone expected they would still be running the same route almost 15 years later!
I am sure a few years ago it was planned to make these permanent trainers and indeed 52343 is seen at Exeter suitably lettered up:


©Ben Beaver 19 April 2009

2004 it looked like this.
Creative Commons licensed flickr photo shared by Steven Hughes

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Related Links

• B.BPhotos photostream Flickr

Sunday Best M52HOD

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©Jason Beverley (PCTAtlanteanHunter)2005 Milehouse
With the end of step entrance Darts getting ever closer its easy to forget the three Volvo B6's which have all been withdrawn but have lasted longer than many expected as they were the odd ones out in the fleet. I believe they are all still around at Milehouse along with quite a few of the step entrance Darts and even a few of the Mercedes 709Ds. There must be quite a sizable 'reserve' fleet at the moment which will grow shortly when the 45-57 routes come next month. Certainly if you want to get the step entrance fleet on camera now is the time to do it!
Can anyone remember what the 'flashes' on the windows are on this bus? I can recall seeing them advertising something or other but cant recall what they were advertising! I am guessing it was the return fares being available all day but was this as recent as 2005?

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Related Links

• PCTAtlanteans photostream Flickr

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• On the holiday we stayed in Orlando, Florida, of course the tourist magnet of the USA PTOTPA
• Nothing to do with genetically modified fruit, more a interweb-based photo album, that, in my eyes at least, is the new Fotopic. Forbesy's Transport Ramblings(NEW BLOG!)
• If there is a theme to 2011, apart from a seemingly magnetic attraction to Hampshire, it seems to be visiting places that I haven't seen in years and this is the case with York. Transport Illustrated
• In his absence the worm grew to an enormous size, terrorised the denizens of the Durham countryside and gobbled cattle and sheep for daily snacks. Public Transport Experience
• One Thursday in March Fylde Bus Blog
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The Elite

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I only had a 15 minute window and was lucky enough to catch this on camera as I have been after them for a while. Parks HSK645 one of the brand new Plaxton Elite coaches on National Express 504 on Friday.
In my mind its by far the best looking coach in production. Its amazing that this is from Plaxton!

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Elsewhere on the net

• Two Optare Deltas have joined the ranks of preserved Blackpool Buses. Fylde Bus Blog
• Okay, it's supposed to be about horses but as ever the Cheltenham Festival produced its usual mix of Stagecoach buses in transit or revived for the week plus coaches joining the throng up to Prestbury Park Transport Illustrated
• In September 2008, First Hants & Dorset acquired 5 Volvo B10M with Alexander PS bodywork from First in Sheffield for use at Hoeford depot Southern England Bus Scene

Getting to Exeter: The nice way

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You can go to Exeter via the A38 if you want but the nicest way is by double decker on the Dartmoor Link 82 which as been operated by different operators over the years:

©Terry Partridge: Date unknown
©Jos Van Hemert: Plymouth Citybus Leyland Atlantean AN 135 Bretonside 08-07-1990:

©Jos Van Hemert: Western National Leyland Olympian 1803 A753VAF Dartmoor 08-09-1994.

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Elsewhere on the net

• Wales seems to be one step ahead of England, again, regarding its public transport. Its regional assembly yesterday decreed that all school buses will need to have seat belts from October 2014 Omnibuses
• A look at Travel South Yorkshire's New Interactive Map Public Transport Experience
• Yellow Buses of Bournemouth are undergoing an ownership change at the moment. Southern England Bus Scene
• My third and final entry from Poole - this time from Wilts & Dorset. Southern England Bus Scene
• Bournemouth Aviation Museum Vintage Transport Day Transport Illustrated

Computer says no

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Sorry for the lack of posting again this morning - I did spend almost an hour late last night trying to get something together but the computer just wasnt playing!

 

Hopefully can sort it for tomorrow morning...

 

--
Graham
www.plymothiantransit.com
because Plymouth needs an anorak or two


Twitter
@didbygraham
@PlymTransit

Getting to Exeter: Willowbrook style

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After the X38 featuring last week this week will see a bit of a mini theme of "Getting to Exeter":
©Retrobus
Resting Between Services at Plymouth Bretonside Bus Station on 22nd July 1982 is Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard 3536 FDV827V which has been Branded for the X38 Service
©AECRegent: Awaiting its next trip to Exeter, this colourful Western National coach is seen in Bretonside bus station in Plymouth in July 1986

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Related Links

• AECRegent photostream Flickr
• Retrobus photostream Flickr

Elsewhere on the net

• In order to give my eyes a bit of a rest, after pulling an all-nighter trying to get a database to give the results I wanted, I took a stroll along the seafront this morning to blow away the cobwebs Forbesy's Transport Ramblings(NEW BLOG!)
• I visited Poole today - the first time since last June - and managed to capture nearly 200 photos and lots of buses on camera. The weather has been glorious Southern England Bus Scene
• In today’s bus industry, if you’re not driving a bus, you’re driving a computer. Software tools enable business management in ways unheard of 30 or even 20 years ago. Omnibuses
• Stagecoach announced last week that it is to join the ranks of the others in the bus industry's 'big five' by fitting equipment to the dashboard of each of its non-London buses, advice to drivers on how fuel-efficiently they're driving. Transport Illustrated

Information

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So I want to find out about changes to the X38. I know the service is provided by Stagecoach Devon so I do a Google search.

So I click the first link as its usually the one that fits best. I then got a shock as the first time I did this I arrived at a page for Stagecoach East Scotland! When I tried to replicate this for this article it did go straight to Stagecoach South West so clearly the site remembers your settings but it does cause confusion to begin with.

I went for Select Timetable and then the select location. First problem - Plymouth is not listed! OK so I then went for Exeter and then could select a route from the next box to get the X38 but again its an annoyance and not very friendly. The other way is to enter the travelling From and travelling To boxes and these did give me a result:

You can see the two links for the timetables found. One gives View Timetable (from 24 May) and the other View Timetable from 11th April 2011. What is not immediately clear is that the current timetable is the first link. It would help if the date said 24 May 2010 to make it clearer.
You can then select the link and go straight to a timetable (PDF) which just gives the basic timetable as from May 2011. There is no indication of what the changes are to the times. OK so maybe that's not a big issue on a timetable but it would be nice to see an explanation of what the changes are. I guess we are spoilt in Plymouth as Citybus have are very good at highlighting changes on their timetables.

That said the timetable itself is very clear and easy to use. You get the whole timetable in one easy go.

So lets try the Search Timetable Updates drop down:

Again you get a drop down list of all the areas served. So try Exeter - not listed. Try Plymouth - not listed. Try Devon - not listed. You then search through the drop down and see the not so useful "South West" This is just annoying!
At least you then get a fairly clean functional listing of the recent updates.

So lets select the update posted 7th March for Exeter area services and see what we get:

Mmm. Very basic info with no detail. Not exactly friendly is it?

Now lets have a look at the changes to the X80/81 service. Lets do a Google search for First Devon and Cornwall:

Nice and clear which link I want

Well its a lot more cluttered than the Stagecoach South West page but its clear and easy to use and you can find pretty much anything you want from this page.
So lets have a look for the X80 timetable:

You can either scroll through the 8 pages to get to the timetable or take a guess at which page its likely to be on. Not brilliant and made slightly more difficult to guess as where would you list the X80 - many operators list X services after the main numbers where as here FDC ignore the X and place it as if it was service 80. It is also nice and clear as to what is the current timetable with all future timetables available on a separate link. This is useful.
So lets have a look at the current timetable for the X80:

Sadly this is where First looses a few points. With Stagecoach you get the full timetable in one go. Monday to Saturday and Sunday all on one page. There is no way of getting a nice neat timetable like this from First. With a complicated timetable like the X80 it involves a lot of scrolling down through the times. You can link to the PDF which at least gives the fuller timetable to the page with less scrolling but you still have to print out separate pages for Saturdays and Sundays. There is a handy link to a large print version (PDF) but for a large timetable like the X80 it is less than ideal as it looses decent page formatting so could get difficult to use. Smaller routes would probably be ok. There is also the Personalise link on the page but I have never managed to get anything from this so not sure what that is!

So lets see how the changes to the X80 are being dealt with by First. Clicking the link to service changes you can then see the X81 listed.

This is a lot better. First try a lot harder to explain the changes and sell the service. They are just as good as explaining why services are being cut back (even if you might not always believe their reasons, they do explain themselves).

Conclusion

Its funny. If you compare Stagecoach and First nationally most people would say that First are the more centrally controlled corporate image led service. Stagecoach have lots of localised route branded initiatives whereas First seem to have a lot less (although in Plymouth we do quite well). However looking at the web sites it gives the complete opposite suggestion as the Stagecoach site is a lot more clinical (and possibly efficient)  and therefore comes across as a lot less friendly. First appear much more friendly even down to the (not so) local MD giving a personal welcome. If they could just tidy up their timetables a bit it would be even better.

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Elsewhere on the net

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• National Express is reported as seeing a three per cent growth per annum thanks, it says, to value fares and a recession that’s resulted in organic growth. Omnibuses
• Returning from a "jolly" to Winchester on Tuesday afternoon, 15th March, fbb followed his customary practice and had a quick surf to see if anything exciting had happened on the information super (not always) highway. Public Transport Experience
• After the bustle of Bournemouth I always find Poole a delightfully tranquil place with its fascinating maritime old town and harbour. Transport Illustrated
• There are some new developments in the twisted and often bitter tale of Brighton’s Big Lemon, if you’ll excuse the puns. Omnibuses
• fbb occasionally dons a false moustache and dark glasses; wears a broad brimmed trilby and folds up the collar of his gabardine raincoat to become a mystery shopper, a public transport spy. In this case he takes a look at bus information at The Hard Interchange, Portsmouth, from an un-informed passenger's point of view. Public Transport Experience
• First Hants & Dorset have won the short term contracts for two routes in Dorchester. Southern England Bus Scene

X80 X81

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There are quite a few changes to timetables coming up in April which I will be looking at in more detail over the coming week or so. Today we look at First Devon and Cornwall X80/X81 service:

First of all lets have a look at the timetable as it stands at the moment. Plymouth to Exeter as from May 2010
"First are pleased to announce that service X81 will be extended to operate between Totnes to Dartmouth from 11th April 2011, offering an hourly service from Monday to Saturday between Dartmouth, Totnes, Paignton and Torquay. The X81 also offers excellent connections with the X80 so is ideal if you're onward journey takes you to Dartington, Ivybridge or Plymouth (plus if you're heading to Dartmouth from Plymouth the X80 and X81 combined offer a quicker journey than the 93!)"
The extension of the X81 service will enable greater journey opportunities and provide for a direct bus service between Dartmouth and Paignton and is perfect if you're planning a day out.

You can see how the timetable fits in with this extract for journeys from Plymouth as they stand at the moment:

The new timetable from 11th April clearly shows how the extra run to Dartmouth fits in.

This does give a few extra possibilities and I look forward to having a nice round trip Plymouth - Totnes - Dartmouth - Kingsbridge - Plymouth sometime in the summer.
And if I am really lucky I wont get one of these...(horrible hard seats!)

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Related Links

• X81 changes First Devon and Cornwall

Elsewhere on the net

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X38 Cutback

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There are quite a few changes to timetables coming up in April which I will be looking at in more detail over the coming week or so. Today we look at one of the more important links for Plymouth, Stagecoach Devon's X38:

First of all lets have a look at the timetable as it stands at the moment. Plymouth to Exeter as from May 2010

A nice easy to remember timetable with a bus pretty much every hour.
So lets see what we have from 11th April:

Wow!
Half the service with a bus every two hours. Its all a far cry from the days when there was just the one stop at Drumbridges Roundabout on the A38 apart from the main stops in the two Cities.
Remember when they thought the service needed these?


They didn't stay that long and the reduction to every 90 minutes bendy bus was soon put back to a standard coach every hour.
The one thing I have just noticed is that the day return fare advertised on the back of this bendy coach back in 2001 is £5.95
Ten years later and a Day Explorer ticket is still only £6.50 so only a 55 pence increase in ten years. (There was a time when Explorer tickets were not valid on the X38 as they were cheaper than a day return, but no such restriction seems to apply today.)
The next post looks at changes to the X80 from April and then later in the week I will show you how First is much better than Stagecoach in one aspect at least!

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Related Links

• Timetable X38 11 April 2011 Stagecoach
• Stagecoach X38 Plymothian Transit Extra
• Sunday Best Plymothian Transit June 2009
• X38 Bendy Years Plymothian Transit May 2009
• Stagecoach in South Brent Plymothian Transit October 2008

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• Stagecoach is certainly receiving a bit of a battering in the media, of late. A public inquiry following an old historic wheel loss incident, a bus last week with suspension problems stopped by police and a bus carrying school pupils careering down an embankment Omnibuses

Two from Truro

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Two for Truronian now at work in Plymouth:

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• We left our tale, a day or so ago (read again), with Northampton Corporation Transport [NCT] in the hands of First Group, and United Counties taken over by Stagecoach. Public Transport Experience
• Hardly a day goes by without one searcher or another arriving here having typed “Fotopic problems” or similar. Omnibuses
• I got back over to the island today for the second time this year - nothing has really changed since my January visit, apart from W&D now have two Solos and an on-loan Volvo B7RLE from W&D. Southern England Bus Scene
• Plymouth Citybus have had a wide variety of buses on test over the years, and it was feared that under Go-Ahead ownership we may have seen no more on loan from the manufacturers PTOTPA
• Last night’s fire at Xelabus, near Eastleigh, destroyed two double decks and a single deck. Fire crews were able to move other vehicles and were able to protect preserved buses also on the site Omnibuses
• IT’S being suggested that FirstGroup may take advantage of a break clause in its Great Western contract by bowing out three years early – potentially saving £1 billion or more in premium payments. RailNews UK
• Somehow I've managed to reach posting number one hundred so I thought I'd take a momentary break from contemporary reports (Salisbury, Bournemouth & Poole and the Bournemouth Aviation Museum Rally are in the pipeline) to cover a favourite moment in my past. Transport Illustrated
• That in turn made me speculate on the reasons why some interurban services have prospered, while others have faded away Omnibuses
• Devon has seen the bike bus in years gone by being modified duel door Leyland Nationals, with the room behind the rear door having spaces for bikes, and the front section being for the passengers! Well now First have come along with a whole new concept taking the same sort of ideas, but for the new generation of surfers for the region. PTOTPA
• Its now day 5 without fotopic, and I think I've only just realised how central it was to my online activities. Southern England Bus Scene
• I deposited myself at Gunwharf at about 10h45 on Saurday morning, awaiting the arrival of the inbound 315 that had come along the coast from Eastbourne. Very soon afterwards, HSK 644 rounded the corner. Time to hit Southampton! Forbesy's Transport Ramblings(NEW BLOG!)

Mayflower

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I spent much of Friday down at Marsh Mills where I took over 500 transport photos. I just need to find the time now to process them all. One of the suprises was the sight of the Mayflower Link Trident coming towards me. I naturally expected this to be on the X80 as its not unusual to see the 'wrong' bus on routes with First. However it was actually on the 93 although sadly you have to take my word for it as the destination display has not come through on the photo. One of the drawbacks of this type of display.
This is actaully my first photo of this bus since it received this smart livery although it is let down by the missing panel at the rear.

The 93 has been on a temporary diversion for a few days with the service reverting to its normal route today (Monday):
"We have been informed at very short notice (Friday 11th March) that the road works on the A379 through Modbury necessitating the temporary shuttle buses and diversion of the 93 will be completed early (instead of 18th March)"

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Elsewhere on the net

Bit of a backlog I am afraid - lots more tomorrow!

• fbb attended that excellent educational establishment, Billing Primary School - also attended, some 30 years later by actor-to-be Matt Smith, the 145th Doctor Who. Public Transport Experience
• Today, once again fotopic has gone down. Again, there is no explanation - complete silence from fotopic (or rather their "Snappy" owners) Southern England Bus Scene
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• One Monday morning at the end of January as I looked out the window on the train to work, I glimpsed a strange coloured minibus parked at the rear of Stagecoach’s depot on Hyde Road Manchester Transport
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• The Wrightbus Streetlite demonstrator has arrived in Blackpool as part of its nationwide tour of potential customers. Fylde Bus Blog
• Yesterday’s government’s announcement of £10mil towards supporting rural bus services reminds me of the tapered grant it gave operators at deregulation Omnibuses

Mostly Purple

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Current state of play on TavyLinx:

40581 New registration and full new livery. Looks great with the front grill picked out in silver making all the difference

40582 New registration and full new livery

40583 New registration and full new livery
40584 New registration and full new livery

40570 in full livery but still with the original registration
The biggest surprise is that 40580 has gained a new registration but has been repainted into full Barbie livery out of the old TavyLinx livery. It does kind of raise the question - was this an error and should the registration on 40580 have been put on 40570?

Road work city

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It seems that Plymouth is roadwork city at the moment...

© Copyright StewDean and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
Plymouth Citybus: Please find a list of all advertised roadwork's that may affect our services over the next few weeks, whilst we have tried to list all services that will be directly affected by the roadworks, other services may be affected due to the knock-on effect of buses changing from one service to another.
Roadworks that may affect Citybus services:
Arden Grove: 10/03/11 - 25/3/11: Partial lane closure: minor delays to service 31
Durnford Street: 03/03/11 - 07/03/11: Partial Lane Closure: minor delays to service 34
Elburton Road (near Jnc Southern Way): 07/03/11 - 10/03/11: Partial Lane Closure: minor delays to service 5 and 5A
Ferry Road (Jnc New Passage Hill): 14/2/11 - 31/3/11: Partial Lane Closure: minor delays to service 34
Honicknowle Lane (Jnc: Melrose Ave) 07/03/11 – 25/03/11 Temporary traffic lights: delays to service 61, 62 and 62A
Melrose Avenue: 14/1/11 – 8/3/11 Access difficulties due to open work areas and barriers: delays to service 31
Millbay Road/the Crescent: 31/1/11 – 26/4/11: Road closure: diversion via Union Street for service 34
Poole Park Road (Jnc Barne Road): 07/03/11 - 09/ service 34 3/11 Temporary traffic lights: delays to service 26
St Peters Road (Jnc Crownhill Road): 09/03/11 – 11/03/11 Partial Lane Closure: minor delays to service 62 and 62A
Victoria Road (Roman Way to Bickingham Place): 28/02/11 – 11/05/11 Partial Lane Closure: minor delays to service 43 and 152
All areas listed as Partial lane closure are for works that have barriers where traffic is required to give way to each other.

We also have...
Diversions due to road works Saltash Road (Jnc with St Levan Road): 07/03/11 - 11/03/11
Due to road works and closure at St Levan Gate, services will be diverted as listed below.
Service 8D, 23D, 26, 26B and 46 outbound form the city will divert via St Levan Road and Wolseley Road to Camels Head.
Service 26, 26B, 26D and 47 inbound from Camels Head will divert via Wolseley Road and St Levan Road to the city centre.
Service 14D inbound from North Prospect will divert via Wolseley Road and St Levan Road to the city centre.
Service 36 outbound from the city turn right into St Levan Road from Keyham Road and drop off at the first bus stop on St Levan Road..
Service 36 inbound to the city will pick up at the last bus stop on St Levan Road, then turn left onto Keyham Road.
And...

Mayflower Street:: 07/03/11 - 18/03/11
The diversion and stop closure will only take place between 07:00 and 15:30 Monday to Friday. At all other times, and all day Saturday and Sunday, normal service will resume.
Due to road widening works and left turn ban from Cobourg Street into Mayflower Street, services will divert as listed below.
All services that would normally use Mayflower Street will instead service Cobourg Street and Western Approach. Service 31 will run via Cobourg Street, North Cross Roundabout and Cobourg Street to North Hill.
Please use the bus stop on Cobourg Street or outside Comet as an alternative bus stop to catch the service you require.

There are also land closures around Crownhill:
Work to improve traffic flow on Tavistock Road and around the Crownhill junction of Budshead Road is set to start on Monday 7 March.
The work forms part of the ongoing transport improvements for the Northern Corridor (the main route between the city centre and Woolwell). It aims to reduce queuing along the slip road from Tavistock Road (the A386) towards Crownhill Police Station and Whitleigh and improve road safety in the area. Traffic sensors are being installed on the slip road, which will be able to detect when vehicles are queuing back along Tavistock Road. The sensors will be linked to new traffic lights being installed on the Crownhill-bound side of Budshead Road. The new lights will control traffic heading from the Whitleigh direction onto the roundabout near the police station. They will operate on a demand responsive system, meaning they will stay green unless traffic on the Tavistock Road slip road extends beyond a set point. When this happens the lights will hold traffic on Budshead Road and give vehicles queuing on Tavistock Road more time to access the roundabout and clear the area. This will improve traffic flow for all northbound traffic on Tavistock Road. The works will last for around six weeks and during this time there will be occasional lane closures on the slip road.
The Crownhill-bound side of Budshead Road will also need to be closed overnight (6.30pm to 6.30am) for two weeks during the works – the dates will be announced as soon as they are confirmed. During this time a diversion route will be in place via Tamerton Foliot Road, which evening citybound bus services will also follow. At all other times bus routes will run as normal. Councillor Kevin Wigens, Cabinet Member for Transport said: "Tavistock Road is on one of the busiest transport routes in the city and there is often queuing along this slip road, particularly during peak times. These new signals will be able to respond to heavier traffic, help keep everything moving and significantly improve journey times for motorists and bus passengers.” The Budshead Road works are being carried out by Plymouth Transport and Highways, the partnership between Plymouth City Council and Amey. For more information see our Northern Corridor transport improvement scheme page or call 01752 668000.

With all this work going on you would hope that the work was of a high standard but the BBC reports:

Inspections have revealed that nearly 40% of road repairs by utility companies in Devon are faulty.

 

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Related Links

• Crownhill road works Plymouth City Council

Elsewhere on the net

• Census forms will shortly be dropping through our letterboxes. They were posted out yesterday. It could well be the last of its kind which, for family historians of the future, is a shame. Omnibuses

PCTPG Update

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Thanks to Jason Beverley I can bring you up to date with happenings at the Plymouth City Transport Preservation Group:

129 GJZ9575 is going to retain sightseeing ivery and irish registration is now preserved and will be rallied this year is still part of the PCTPG group but is no longer owned by Paul Paske and Jason Beverley.

© Copyright Steven Hughes and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
125 STK125T has been purchased as planned and is now part of the group will be rallied in Essex currently is licensed. Eventually will be restored to dual door livery undecided currently owned by Paul Paske

170 TTT170X is in the process of being purchased by Jason Beverley from Ralph Deldridge to allow him to concentrate on his other ongoing projects. Should be complete by 31st March deliberately avoiding 1st April date. 170 will this year go into full starsky and hutch Citybus livery with Royal Navy names to differentiate it from 168 which will go black red and white and 171 which currently is retaining as withdrawn livery.

©Jos Van Hemert July 1982.
27 D127LTA Dodge S50 is a probable acquisition by the group no date or deal yet agreed but agreement in principle.

133 STK133T should be finished this year.
137 TCO537 is back in Plymouth fully restored last i knew was just missing its tramway style fleet numbers and Leyland Badges she's looking superb.
131 STK131T has a little minor work to do to pass MOT ready for summer season.

Have no news of 458 WJY758 or any of the other buses.
214 FJY914E still eagerly awaited.
Also added to the group is former London Country Volvo B10M Citybus Northern Counties G642BPH.
OTHER ITEMS:
Can anyone help with any of the following 120 OCO120S went to Southampton, AML BUS Hounslow, London and Country Reigate AN120, P&O LLOYD WALES, 2 TRAVEL Swansea was last seen at Swansea Marina in May 2006 anyone help with where is she now?
Also would love to trace any of following 91/4 LTK91R LTK94R sold by Edward Thomas to Farnham coaches any ideas??
100 LTK100R last known to be in the midlands,
108 OCO108S last open top with Crossville Wales,
139 VJY139V last with Edward Thomas Surrey,


© Copyright Steven Hughes and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
143 VJY143V last in the midlands,
149/50 ATK149W ATK150W last in Poole,
172 TTT172X last in Chepstow.
Have discovered MCO 669 on Flickr she is still on the Dvla databaser today as a mobile home.

© Copyright AndrewHA and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
Also CJY299 Leyland Titan is listed on the same database as a Leyland National if only.
Of the last Leyland Nationals can anyone confirm that 60 UCO60L last with Devon County Council, 73 WDR673M last with Kinch Bus and 75 WDR675M last with Globe have been scrapped.

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Related Links

• Welcome Plymouth City Transport Preservation Group

Elsewhere on the net

• After trying to find this for a week, I managed to stumble onto Wilts & Dorset DAF SB250/Optare Spectra 3162 (W162RFX) today in Hythe. Southern England Bus Scene
• It was that time again when myself (one of the LEYTR Editors) and two Associates (one who whom is currently a non-believer!) took a long weekend in one of the UK's colonies A Transport of Delight
• Friday March 4th marked the launch of a new fortnightly periodical about passenger transport. Public Transport Experience
• There are three pages within Passenger Transport devoted to Giles Fearnley’s first month with First UK Bus. That’s the importance of Tim O’Toole’s appointment. Omnibuses
• Warwickshire Wander: I was intending my report on this unexpected trip northwards to just be a one-parter but given the surprising variety of views on offer I'm splitting it into two Transport Illustrated
• While trying to find my actual picture I wanted to use today I stumbled across this photo of 150232, with one of the S reg Dennis Darts passing by PTOTPA

Blast from the past: Western National 76

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From the John Evans Collection
Thanks to John I can bring this wonderful shot of a very new Western National Leyland Atlantean VUH377J on the 76 from Callington to Plymouth. The Tamar Bridge behind looks very quiet. The scene today has changed a lot with the bridge itself widened and a new toll booth complex to replace the old huts. First Devon and Cornwall still operate the 76 although Western Greyhound now run their own 576 over the route as well.

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Related Links

• Timetable 76 First Devon and Cornwall
• Timetable 576 Western Greyhound
• Vosa Variations Plymothian Transit February 2010
• The dog takes over Plymothian Transit September 2009
• Western National Atlantean Plymothian Transit September 2009

Elsewhere on the net

• Yesterday, I visited Salisbury to grab some photos of the X5 in operation... Southern England Bus Scene
• Coastal Coaches has now taken delivery of the first of its new Solos. Like its other vehicles it is named rather than numbered Fylde Bus Blog
• There’s more than a hint of Old Transit about England’s new fortnightly professional Passenger Transport, delivered yesterday. It’s like the return of a long lost friend. Omnibuses
• I'm talking about Wilts & Dorset's step entry DAF SB250/Optare Spectra double deckers - once easy to find no matter where you were in the Wilts & Dorset network, and now whittled down to just 7 in service. Southern England Bus Scene
• With the break up of London Buses came a number of operators to take over the route contracts. At best some were just as good but most fell well short of the mark. Busworks Blog
• Back in 2001 Blackpool Borough Council was awarded a grant a grant of £809,225 from the Department of Transport's Urban Bus Challenge. Fylde Bus Blog

it doesn't always pay to advertise

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One good thing about the ugobus service 15 is that you never know quite what you are going to get. The highlight of last week was Leyland Olympian 34615 on my run to work. The Western National liveried Trident has also been out and about on the 15 over the last week. Sadly not all buses have been quite so welcome and even more sadly for me the most frequent bus for my early morning run is this one

If I am going to get one of these Volvos then I hope its the proper Western National W-PAF batch as at least these have the comfortable seats.
40586 has the same rock hard seats as other First buses of this age. Poor leg room, hard seats, noisy and slow. Not exactly a treat. However this particular bus is by far the worst of the type in Plymouth due to its horrible advertising wrap. Even on a bright sunny morning like we have had the last few days. the inside of this bus is dull. Its not easy to see out and just gets in the way.
Amazingly this advert is not even the worst one carried by this bus for Marjon...

Its hard to imagine why anyone would want to pay for an advertising wrap that says absolutely nothing!
I don't have a problem with all over advert liveries on bus. In fact they can brighten up the place when done right. Its just that when you cant see out of the windows they get incredibly annoying. I then find myself resenting the company which has paid to make my journey less enjoyable.

With Marjon not only have they managed to annoy me by depriving me of my view they have also added an extra ten minutes to my bus journey to work in the morning. Sitting for a few minutes outside Marjons this morning trying to peer out of the murky windows towards the college which at that moment in my life was really annoying me - what a great start to the day! At least one of the students who caught the bus from that stop was quite hot so took my mind of my misery for a few moments.
Plymouth Citybus recently changed their policy on these advert wraps and no longer will have them plastered all over the windows. Well done Citybus - I salute you! (There are still quite a few out there with windows covered including the bright yellow advert for a taxi company, my views on which are well known!)
Anyway, rant over - I feel so much better now!

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Related Links

• The brand new sound Plymothian Transit July 2010
• Its a wrap - but smarter Plymothian Transit January 2010

Elsewhere on the net

• Doffcocker is a suburb of Bolton lying some 3.5 miles from the centre just short of open moorland on the Chorley Old Road. One proffered explanation of the name is that an early visitor was obliged to "Doff", i.e. remove, his "Cockers" i.e. stockings before crossing the local stream. Public Transport Experience
• Unusual buses at Chester were a few short Leyland Leopards with this angular style of Northern Counties bodywork. Busworld Photography
• There’s no doubt about it. Just over one year since the government finally said it could go, Preston’s “brutalist” bus station’s footprint remains too large Omnibuses
• First Devon and Cornwall have announced today that they will now be extending the X81 to now serve Dartmouth. PTOTPA

VOSA Variables

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I keep a close eye on the VOSA web site to see what changes to local bus services are coming up. These days both Citybus and First are very good at giving notice to any changes but it wasnt always the case. Most of the time the limited details you get on VOSA do match up with the changes announced by the bus companies but just occasionally things get very confused...
VOSA 4 February
PH0000135/14 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA
Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth, Royal Parade and Plymouth, Royal Parade given service number 46 effective from 03-Apr-2011. To amend Route and Timetable.
PH0000135/52 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA Variation Accepted: Operating between PLYMOUTH Royal Parade and DERRIFORD Hospital given service number 47/147/247/47A/47B effective from 03-Apr-2011. To amend Route and Timetable.
so far so good. Then Citybus themselves announce the changes:
From 24th April 2011 the following services are to change
Service 46 & 47 service is to be withdrawn (Sunday Services are to be changed to Service 27)
School Service 46S and 47S are to be withdrawn from end of the summer term with the 15:45 service from DHS Girls returning in September as the Service 116
Then on the 24th February VOSA reports...
PH0000135/14 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA
Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Plymouth, Royal Parade and Plymouth, Royal Parade given service number 46 effective from 24-Jul-2011.
PH0000135/14 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth, Royal Parade and Plymouth, Royal Parade given service number 46 effective from 24-Jul-2011.
PH0000135/52 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA
Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between PLYMOUTH Royal Parade and DERRIFORD Hospital given service number 47/147/247/47A/47B effective from 24-Jul-2011.
PH0000135/52 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA
Cancellation Accepted: Operating between PLYMOUTH Royal Parade and DERRIFORD Hospital given service number 47/147/247/47A/47B effective from 24-Jul-2011.
It all looks a little confusing. The initial VOSA report gives the changes as the 3rd April but Citybus will change them on the 24th April. On first reading it seems odd that the route is down as just being changed rather than cancelled but I guess its because the schools services 46 47S are continuing on until the end of term which explains the 27th July cancellations on VOSA.
What I dont really get is how the route can be both altered on the 24th July AND cancelled at the same time? Either way, the 46 47 routes will mbe missed by a lot of people

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Elsewhere on the net

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• I like to keep you updated with how this blog is doing - here are the February statistics: Southern England Bus Scene
• Trent Barton is running a campaign to save Derby’s bus lanes. This includes a single question it poses asking website visitors to state whether they support or do not support the bus lanes. Omnibuses
• Bus operators have real difficulty in the "naming of parts", describing simply but accurately the "parts", i.e. the localities, served by their routes. Public Transport Experience
• I visited Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst in the New Forest in an attempt to get some photos of BlueStar's takeover on route 56/56A - now BlueStar route 6 - from Southampton to Lymington. Southern England Bus Scene
• the acquisition by RATP Dev UK of the little known and slightly obscure Bath Bus Company Omnibuses
• Solos 261 and 262 have been withdrawn - the first of the type to go following the reduced requirement from the service changes at the end of January. Fylde Bus Blog