22 January 2016

Launch Date Announced

The launch date for the massive new Stagecoach investment in new buses for Plymouth has been set for 29th January:

Stagecoach South West confirmed today that it is launching its a fleet of 26 Plymouth buses. A launch event will take place in Plymouth City Centre on January 29 at the Civic Centre Piazza, Royal Parade.

The operator has invested £5million in twenty-six buses for the network.

Read more: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Launch-date-revealed-26-new-buses-Plymouth/story-28578747-detail/story.html#ixzz3xvAaJ7mQ
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I have reproduced a screen shot below as it took ages for the page to open on my PC due to the ovcrload of adverts which now appear on the Herald web site. I am happy - I have the day off so I can get in for that!

Launch date revealed for 26 new buses for Plymouth in £5million investment by Stagecoach - Plymouth Herald

20 comments:

  1. http://www.smmt.co.uk/2016/01/uk-bus-sector-sees-threefold-rise-in-new-low-emission-vehicles/, this suggests that PCB have been breaking the law when buying Euro 5 spec buses

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    1. I am clearly not reading the same article then as it does no such thing! If the product that Citybus have just purchased was not legal then it would not be on sale in this country. Euro 6 is the next standard - Euro 5 are still perfectly legal and will be for some time

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    2. It is true to say that Euro VI is the current emissions standard and Euro V is technically illegal for new vehicles a loophole in the UK regulations allows continued production and certification of Euro V for the time being. However given the step change in emissions with Euro VI and that First and Stagecoach are investing heavily in it, Go Ahead's purchasing policy dors its green credentials no good.

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    3. It's not a loophole for heavens sake. As with every Euro stage, there is a period in which manufacturers use up stocks of engines that have been built in advance, in chassis' and drivelines that need modifying for the next set of engines. It's simply the sensible transition from one level to the next. Some manufacturers are in a position to make the change earlier than others, some types within manufacturers' ranges earlier than others.

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    4. It is still legal to buy Euro 5 buses in UK .They accounted for over half of all registrations last year.They are only clearing existing stock then Euro 6 only after.

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    5. Is there a bit of an irony here, going green with "green flash" with not so green new buses!

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    6. What about the situation on the railways where GBRf ordered engines from General Motors to be delivered before new emissions regulations came into force. Only the engines, note. As long as they were delivered by a certain date GBRf are free to order the rest of the locomotive as and when they require them. Loophole, or clever thinking?

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    7. sorry Anon 25/1/16 18:43 but that is simply not the case here. UK manufacturers ARE making the most of this loophole whilst they can. They are not just clearing existing stock; they are giving operators the choice of buying Euro 5 or Euro 6.

      Enlightened companies (First and Stagecoach amongst others) have made the switch to Euro 6, even though the buses are more expensive, because the emissions are much better. Go Ahead have already bought similar buses to PCB elsewhere which ARE Euro 6 (eg GSC Bluestar bought 18 Euro 6 E200MMCs in Southampton delivered November/December 2015) so it is not a Go Ahead group wide policy.

      PCB have very much taken the cheap short-sighted option; not illegal, but it is a bit rich to for them to claim themselves as green for doing so.

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    8. Technically it is a loophole as the grace period for the EU regs has passed, hence why all the non-UK manufacturers are already only offering Euro 6 models. Grace periods tend to be in months not years and require the work on building to have been started by a certain date which would allow some later deliveries of stock vehicles but what we are seeing is fleet orders after the cut off date covering vehicles built to order. The issue is the UK government has not changed the domestic legislation covering small series & individual model approval for new vehicles which is allowing the domestic market to keep buying Euro 5 vehicles after the EU cut-off. It keeps getting suggested that the government will get round to closing the loophole but it never seems to happen and it is, given the statements from the manufacturers, looking more likely that the manufacturers will force the switch before the government gets round to doing anything as they want to get a return on all their investment in the Euro 6 changes. As the big groups complete their switch the volumes on the old style vehicles will drop dramatically which will enable them to say there is no longer the demand to support retention of the old models.

      As for Go-Ahead they have always had a devolved vehicle purchasing system so other Go-Ahead companies were actually early Euro 6 adopters, Brighton & Hove & Oxford both put early Euro 6 Streetdecks into service & Go-South Coast have also bought Euro 6 models (and Euro 5 ones at the same time). National Express appear to only be buying Euro 6, Stagecoach appear to have nearly completely switched as have First (though both still had some Euro 5's in their 2016 orders) not as sure with Arriva what the split was though Euro 6 featured heavily. It is the smaller bus operators (anyone running new coaches has already had to switch as all coach suppliers have only offered Euro 6 since mid 2015 when the last Euro 5 stock builds were sold) who are reluctant to switch due to the concerns over the extra complexity of the Euro 6 engine and the higher cost of buying them. As long as they can still buy a Euro 5 you suspect many of those operators will keep buying them.

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  2. All it suggests(after reading said article) is that there was a period of grace for operators who wish to buy 'old' technology, however that period of grace is set to end which means in all likelihood that when PCB next order buses they will have to be Euro 6

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    1. The "period of grace" seems to be ever-extending. I may be wrong but I think it needs some sort of secondary legislation to eliminate the current loophole.

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    2. It is understood that the 1 April 2016 date informally agreed by the Department for Transport (DfT) as being the cut-off date to end production of Euro 5 coaches and buses has slipped six months, and will now come into force on 1 October 2016.

      There's no need for legislation on the industry. It's the Dft themselves who say they aren't ready.

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  3. On loan B7L 60917 is now back home in Taunton, seen in the depot yard today.

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  4. The bus manufacturers are still building buses with Euro 5 engines, and these are being certified for service.

    There is likely to be a "cut-off" later this year when all buses built for the UK market will have to be fitted with Euro 6 engines. Euro 6 engines cost between £8k & £10k more than Euro 5 engines so there is an advantage for operators to take buses with Euro 5 engines whilst they are available.

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    1. Well said some think it is illegal .It is legal no laws being broken.

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    2. If Plymouth Citybus had bought Euro-6 engined Enviro200 MMC and Enviro400 MMC, I wonder how many would be criticising them for wasting money unnecessarily?

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  5. I think some of you need to get out more! Moaning about euro 5 engines!!

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  6. Euro 5 or 6 This link passes on the statement from SMMT.

    http://www.busandcoach.com/news/articles/2016/euro-5s-account-for-nearly-half-2015-registrations/

    Yes, a UK loop hole now coming to an end. Euro6 officially started 1 Jan 2014.

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  7. and i thought it was Friday already with two new MMCs out in service today on the 1s and 100, should be out tomorrow aswell if anyone wants to see them before the start date

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  8. Got on new Stagecoach double decker this evening on PR1a (oops, sorry 101) from Derriford

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