23 December 2015

Citybus Treats and Holiday Buses

New Enviros

Plymouth continues to get treated with new buses. The first of the new Alexander Dennis Enviro 200s have now arrived at Milehouse for Plymouth Citybus. The first few noted are in red livery and are expected to get full swoops before being placed into service.

I can now confirm the fleet numbers and registrations for the whole batch:

147 WJ65HMA

148 WJ65HMC

149 WJ65HMD

150 WJ65HME

151 WJ65HMF

152 WJ65HMG

153 WJ65HMH

154 WJ65HMK

155 WJ65HMO

156 WJ65HMU

157 WJ65HMV

158 WJ65HMX

159 WJ65HMY

The latest I have heard is that the first 6 will in red with the other 7 being GREEN FLASH for the 5 5A. Later we get the new Enviro 400s with 1 being GREEN FLASH and the other 6 in red.

Christmas Bus Services:

Plymouth Citybus

  • Thursday 24th Dec Monday to Friday ending from 20:00
  • Friday 25th Dec NO SERVICE
  • Saturday 26th Dec NO SERVICE
  • Sunday 27th Dec Sunday Service
  • Monday 28th Dec Sunday (BH) Service
  • Tuesday 29th Dec Saturday Service
  • Wednesday 30th Dec Saturday Service
  • Thursday 31st Dec Saturday Service ending from 20:00
  • Friday 1st Jan NO SERVICE CLOSED
  • Saturday 2nd Jan Return to normal service (Saturday)

Stagecoach

Stagecoach South West will operate the following service during the holiday period:

  • Monday 21 December Monday School Holiday service
  • Tuesday 22 December Tuesday School Holiday service
  • Wednesday 23 December Wednesday School Holiday service
  • Thursday 24 December Thursday School Holiday service with early finish (last buses around 2030)
  • Friday 25 December No service
  • Saturday 26 December On Boxing Day we will be operating special timetables on some of our services:
    • In Exeter, Exmouth and Crediton areas our Services A, C, 5, 57 will operate a special timetable.
    • In Torbay our Service 12 will operate as a special service,
    • In North Devon on Service 21
    • and in Plymouth Services 1 and 2.
  • Sunday 27 December Sunday service
  • Monday 28 December Sunday service
  • Tuesday 29 December Saturday service
  • Wednesday 30 December Saturday service
  • Thursday 31 December Saturday service with early finish (last buses around 2030)
  • Friday 1 January No service
  • Saturday 2 January Saturday Service
  • Sunday 3 January Sunday service
  • Monday 4 January normal school term timetables start

First Kernow

Here's a summary of how our buses will be running over the Christmas & New Year period.

And Finally

There has been quite a discussion after an earlier post showed 65 in full swoops with an unidentified Dennis Dart behind being worked on. In view of the discussions as to what this bus was, Richard has suplied another photo from a different angle so you can now all see exactly what bus it is! (T133EFJ)

Plymouth Citybus 65 WJ52GOH

20 comments:

  1. Interesting of it is only one decker going green, as the timetable advertises the decker on the route. Also there are two deckers in use on 5/5a every day at the moment without the added st Budeaux end. Be interesting to see also how the flash livery looks on an enviro 200.
    As an aside, trying to get out of Plymstock in the morning rush hour won't get anyone anywhere in a flash - or at least til they rephase the lights through laira bridge to heles terrace.

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  2. Pesumably these E200s are MMCs as they follow on from the ones just delivered to sister company Bluestar? Not sure if ADL stil make the old version - or why you would want one - it suddenly looks incredibly dated next to the MMC.

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    Replies
    1. The main reason you'd want the old style is cost! The new ones cost quite a bit more, I guess as ADL clear the books then the old one will drop off the lists

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    2. The old style E200 is still available and will remain available as long as the Euro 5 option remains available, either because ADL decided that demand has dropped too low for them to keep offering it or get fed up of not being able to sell the new model they have spent so much developing alternatively the government could finally get round to change the legislation to close the loophole that allows Euro 5 to still be built. Essentially there are 3 different procedures for new vehicles to be approved:
      1. Type Approval - The standard product approval where as long as you build to set and agreed specifications then approval is automatic, as outlined by European legislation & regulations.
      2. Small Batch Approval - A group of identically specced vehicles can be approved with only one vehicle being checked with the rest treated as passed if this one does.
      3. Individual Vehicle Approval - Each vehicle is checked individually as approved for delivery, this allows national differences to be allowed above & beyond European legislation such as high capacity school buses and probably deckers (I think Batch Approval is also driven by national legislation rather than European).
      The UK government still hasn't got round to changing the domestic legislation that covers these national approvals to reflect the change from Euro 5 to Euro 6 despite it being over a year since Euro 6 should have come in which means that UK operators can still buy Euro 5 models (which are only offered by the 3 UK manufacturers as the big European manufacturers switched when Euro legislation changed). The extra cost & complexity of Euro 6 compared to Euro 5 has led many operators to not want to switch early and many smaller operators are still reluctant to do so.

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    3. Rumour has it that Euro 6 engines are proving to better on fuel then Euro V models. Stagecoach switched their Trident based E400s to MMC pretty rapidly. Scanias were a still Euro V but the Euro 6 Scania Decker is due next year (Prototype is out testing - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gcbp/23749839201/). IIRC the Gold Scanias for Exmouth are the last Euro V deckers for Stagecoach with all future being Euro 6 MMCs

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  3. Any idea why on the engine cover of the Yellow Flash E400s there is no vinyls? On Red Flash it has the 'Plympton - City Centre - Barne Barton' and the originals have 'every 10 minutes' but they yellows have nothing.

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  4. Fleet List update - City Coach 318 is back on the road Graham, saw it loaded today on North Hill (along with 315 and 316, a lot of CityCoach activity o that road this lunchtime!)

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  5. It would appear then that if the E20D's are turning up in red, they will be used on normal service & the E40D's will be as advertised in Green Flash livery

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    Replies
    1. I believe its half E200s in red and the rest green. E400s mostly in red

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    2. Graham, for clarity - 7 E400s due January, 2 x Green Flash (2 double decks needed for service 5 Plymstock school movements, the other 5 E400s will be in red with swoops and with something a little different (which I am not going to share at the moment). These 5 E400s are for the revamped 70/71/32 services so brand new buses for Torpoint.

      13 E200s of which 7 will be red with swoops and the other 6 will be green flash for 5/5A
      I hope this ends the speculation and confusion.

      Graham, many thanks for another year of excellent blogging and Happy Xmas to you and all your many readers

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  6. All the new E40D's will be Green Flash due to the Devonport end of the service having so many people waiting for a bus particularly when the schools & dockyard kick out, something the Red Flash struggle to deal with, all other new buses will be normal livery but without swoops! End Of Discussion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. well thats not what Citybus themselves are saying!

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    2. Brian George,the operations director of Citybus has kindly given us enthusiasts all the details he can regarding the new fleet of buses coming in, for which I thank him.
      So I don't know where you get your information from but it would seem to be pure speculation or fantasy.
      Even if you were correct in what you said, it is totally unacceptable to end your comment in such a harsh way. Who are you to say "End of Discussion!!etc"

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    3. i know the timetable for the 5/5a has a double decker in greenflash livery but as said already Brian George works in the depot and he knows whats happening which the fleet, and also plymouth citybus said aswell that they will be single decks, also Thanks To Brian George for all the info he has kindly given us

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    4. The 5/5A since October roughly has had two double decks for the Plymstock school journeys so it makes sense for this to continue. Great commitment by pcb here to provide capacity when needed so the kids have a safe way of getting to school without over crowding the service for everyone else. Great thinkig and i look forward to seeing them on the road.

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    5. how bloody rude! the ops manager has kindly given us the CORRECT information. if you can't handle that, then i suggest you dont follow the blog. some people eh!

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    6. If Anon 24th December 1540 Doesn't believe what a manager from Citybus has said then, that's fine, they will be proved wrong. If they are reading this comment now then maybe they would like to consider posting their rude and unnecessary comments where someone actually cares! keep this forum happy and be nice, please!

      Mark

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  7. Hi. Thanks for all the details of the new buses - most interesting. Does anybody know the body numbers for the E200s, please? Thanks.

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