tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post1965527299664818064..comments2024-03-18T23:11:58.780+00:00Comments on Plymothian Transit: Numbers, lots of new numbers,didbygrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-38294097816621303382015-02-25T08:28:10.237+00:002015-02-25T08:28:10.237+00:00Taking an Olympian though there on the odd occasio...Taking an Olympian though there on the odd occasion is completely different to running a service through there, (potentially up to every 30 minutes each way! I'd also argue an Enviro200 is longer than an Olympian, whilst being just as wide. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-27701638348066971042015-02-24T17:40:02.836+00:002015-02-24T17:40:02.836+00:00target travel still have olympians running still. ...target travel still have olympians running still. you can see some on the school buses as well like at tor bridge high!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-87021297012285262702015-02-24T13:01:54.645+00:002015-02-24T13:01:54.645+00:00Yeah let's get some vr's or olympian's...Yeah let's get some vr's or olympian's lol this is Citybus, a professional company that don't still run clapped out buses that are not accessible for all passengers, you expect that with first who would run a horse and cart if they thought they would get away with itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-84307581127939268542015-02-23T19:48:52.476+00:002015-02-23T19:48:52.476+00:00At A-Line we've been through there with our Ol...At A-Line we've been through there with our OlympiamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-34546849179640260502015-02-22T21:16:53.958+00:002015-02-22T21:16:53.958+00:00Oh, dear - here we go again. This time it's S...<br />Oh, dear - here we go again. This time it's Stoke Climsland which has drawn the short straw. I agree that half-hourly is very generous for Callington to Plymouth - except, of course, that it’s now three buses an hour as the First 76 is still there. I have my doubts as to whether any new traffic will be generated - all that will happen is that the passengers who use the First service will continue to do so and Citybus, instead of carrying a good load on each trip, will now carry half that load on each trip. <br /><br />I don’t see the point of Stoke Climsland losing nearly all its service - it only saves five minutes and I would have thought Duchy College is a worthwhile traffic objective; if it isn’t, then it surely should be as not all the students have cars. The new 12 does offer travel-to-work journeys in the morning from Stoke to both Plymouth and Launceston - but I cannot see on the timetable any way for these people to get back home again.<br /><br />The 78 does seem to be a token service - and passengers wanting to use it to get from Stoke to Plymouth have a poor connection in Callington as well as problems getting home again.<br /><br />It is a pity, too, that the 74 is no longer an hourly service - one of Mark Howarth’s achievements with WG was to have regular headway services, most of them hourly, to places which had never seen such generous provision before. It would seem that this, too, is being sacrificed on the altar of playing games with First. It is also a pity that St. Germans loses its hourly service purely for the operational convenience of Citybus - I assume their double-deckers are too high for the railway bridge there. They need some VRs!<br /><br />There are some good points in the new timetables, mind - for example running buses through from the 79 on to the 12, giving places like Harrowbarrow a direct service to Plymouth. This is less use to Gunnislake as the bus cannot compete with the 40-minute journey on the train.Keithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-9819353635137136622015-02-22T19:17:20.097+00:002015-02-22T19:17:20.097+00:0020:43 the additional service on the new route 12 c...20:43 the additional service on the new route 12 comes from an extension of the 79 every hour. The buses used on the 79 service need to be short wheel based as they need to serve Calstock, Harrowbarrow, etc. These will be the recently acquired Optare Solos, etc (which PCB have already started using on the 79), which are not used for Plymouth services as they aren't big enough so PCB are not using buses taken from city services. Recently PCB have started using quite a few double deckers on the 16 service, maybe they intend introducing double deckers at 20 minutes intervals instead of single deckers every 15 minutes. As always we will wait and see. If First were pro-active they would improved their services in Cornwall without reacting to competition. First Group dumped a lot of Cornish bus routes a few years back, now they have had a change of heart and want Cornwall back and want the traveling public of Cornwall to be their best friends again, why would they want to be?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-61892615446593574412015-02-22T18:48:13.497+00:002015-02-22T18:48:13.497+00:0010:06 you are wrong about an hourly service for de...10:06 you are wrong about an hourly service for decades, the WG and First services have run a 2 buses an hour service since 2009, at first WG ran an hourly service with First running an hourly service from Callington to Plymouth approximately half an hour after WG. Later First ran 5 minutes ahead of WG, leaving 55 minutes between buses, (not good for the passenger).<br /><br />I have caught the 76 and 576 many times through St Dominick and more often than not no one got on or off in either Ashton or St Dominick, why drag all the passengers on the bus around this route adding about 10 minutes to the journey time when from my experience no one got on or off. This route on a narrow country lane is not suitable for buses, especially when you meet another vehicle coming the other way, I don't blame any bus company for not wanting to use this route. This route is a left over from Western National days when less people had cars. There are many villages the same size or bigger than St Dominick off the A388 which don't have a bus service but no one is demanding one for them.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-1183229450171333722015-02-22T17:44:15.047+00:002015-02-22T17:44:15.047+00:00If I were First I would pull out of the 76 route.....If I were First I would pull out of the 76 route..if Citybus want to run every 30 mins let them have it, I give it 2 months before they are cutting it back again. i don't think First do well on this route anyway even against the old WG. They could better use the 76 resource in Plymouth competing against Citybus in the estates where with the lower fares they offer should bring in more customers/revenue for less mileage. The resource from this route I am sure could cover a Southway type route.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-58410519902379998472015-02-21T10:06:30.366+00:002015-02-21T10:06:30.366+00:0030 minute buses between Callington and Plymouth is...30 minute buses between Callington and Plymouth is a waste of money. There will not be enough passengers to support that level of service. Instead of increasing the frequency of service it would have better served them to keep to the current schedule of hourly and provide more modern buses. Not the hodge podge of buses they currently use on the route.<br /><br />The 78 Time table is another joke. With the money they are throwing down the drain trying to run the Callington service they should put into serving St Dominick and Stoke. Provide those villages with a service and promote that they are doing so. Let the villagers know that they have to use it if they want to keep it.<br /><br />Callington has serviced with an hourly bus service for decades, it can continue to do so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-13133884431748827222015-02-21T09:19:24.787+00:002015-02-21T09:19:24.787+00:00Reading the information in the citybus website sou...Reading the information in the citybus website sounds like brand new double deckers coming in the summer- in yellow flash for 50!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-64038300693390778822015-02-21T00:17:00.171+00:002015-02-21T00:17:00.171+00:00The problem is that First Group is in a large amou...The problem is that First Group is in a large amount of debt, brought over from the years of a 'let it be' culture. The see there future in the rail industry, yet they have lost two of the biggest franchises they owned Capital Connect & Transpennine. They have lost out on the West Coast & East Coast, and there only hanging on to the Great Western because the government can't be bothered with it until after the IEPs have been introduced. Most of the buses they have bought new where for the Olympics and Commonwealth games events, these have now passed, so I think its more likely to have a vehicle interior refresh with some of the newer buses to replace a lot of the step entrance buses. Note the transfer of some First London buses to Leicester & Bristol.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-79524671155185493042015-02-20T20:43:04.930+00:002015-02-20T20:43:04.930+00:00Citybus changes are on line as well as Mountbatten...Citybus changes are on line as well as Mountbatten service it seems to be mainly increase of services to Plymstock and Saltash plus a bizarre half hourly service to Callington, at the expense of some core areas, ie 16 route reduced in frequency. Seems like a cynical attempt at pushing First out again. Hopefully First will retaliate hard on their routes nowAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-84543201895856247572015-02-20T14:30:24.257+00:002015-02-20T14:30:24.257+00:00Okay, first of all First is a bit company that are...Okay, first of all First is a bit company that are capable of buying brand new buses for most of the country and bringing a few second hand buses down here like the B7's would hurt and secondly I think they do know the difference! Passangers where not happy when first moved the new buses off of the 83/86 in place of tridents also with the situation of the Park and Ride, newer buses are also more reliable therefore it's is easier to keep to a timetable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-43526730066259702882015-02-19T21:47:35.650+00:002015-02-19T21:47:35.650+00:00The 28A is the same. Its nice to have 2 buses but ...The 28A is the same. Its nice to have 2 buses but the 50 is always full becase people dont want to take the 28A into town because its to long of a route. I live in Keswick and I dont mind going up the hill to get the 28A because I dont like taking the 50 and its me and about 4 other people who are on the busAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-20720527146757262692015-02-19T21:05:06.804+00:002015-02-19T21:05:06.804+00:00Just out of interest, the historical service numbe...Just out of interest, the historical service numbers for SE Cornwall services are (were) in a group, but numbered in or near the 70s. They include:<br />69 Liskeard to Looe via Duloe - used continuously from 1930 to 1969 - when did this cease?<br />70 Liskeard to Looe via St.Martin - used continuously from 1946 to 1969 - when did this cease?<br />71 Liskeard to Rilla Mill via St. Cleer and Crows Nest - still in use in 1969 - when did this cease?<br />72 Plymouth to Looe - started 1961 when the Tamar Bridge opened and still (just about) in use<br />73 Torpoint to Liskeard direct - used continuously from 1949 to 1969 - when did this cease?<br />74 was a Torpoint town service<br />75 was Liskeard - St. Ive - Quethiock<br />76 Saltash to Callington - started 1930 and still in use (I believe via St. Dominick throughout)<br />81 Torpoint to HMS Raleigh started in 1968.<br /><br />A few Devon long-serving numbers are:<br />83 Plymouth to Tavistock - started 1930 and still in use<br />88 Plymouth to Ivybridge - started 1930 and only recently dropped<br />93 Plymouth to Datrmouth - started 1930 and still in use<br />94 Plymouth to Noss Mayo - started 1930 and still in use<br /><br />A few city services still bearing old numbers:<br />7 Hooe to city in use from 1958 until fairly recently<br />8/9 City to Efford and Laira - in use from 1953<br />20 City to Woodford Eatate - in use from 1959<br />21 City to Plympton - in use from 1942<br />42 City to Tamerton Foliot - in use from 1958<br />43 City to Ereesettle - in use from 1958<br />59 City to Cornwood - in use from 1968<br /><br />There may well be others.<br /><br />My reference is ‘The Years Between’ (Crawley and Simpson) and I am sure someone with a reference set of timetables will be able to plug a few gaps.<br /><br />As Graham said a while back, the use of service no. 6 resurrects the old Devon General number for the Okehampton-Exeter service. Stagecoach does seem to be bringing the old numbers back gradually as we now have:<br />2 - Exeter - Dawlish - Newton Abbot<br />4 - Exeter - Honiton - Axminster<br />5 - Exeter - Crediton (although this was originally 7)<br /><br />One which survived the renumbering of years back was the 12 (Newton Abbot - Torquay - Brixham)<br /><br />Other possibilities might be:<br />3 - Exeter - Tiverton<br />9 - Exeter - Sidmouth<br />11 - Newton Abbot - Ashburton - Buckfastleigh <br />13 - Torquay to Teignmouth (they have recently used 11 for this)<br />15 - Newton Abbot to Totnes<br />19 - Exeter - MoretonhampsteadKeithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-60308971083651992192015-02-19T20:19:44.187+00:002015-02-19T20:19:44.187+00:00And you think the average passenger even notices, ...And you think the average passenger even notices, let alone can tell the difference between a Citaro and a B7? No. They will notice if it is dirty, uncomfortable, too cold/hot, if the driver is miserable, but most of all they notice if it is on time. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-28127383989419291102015-02-19T16:21:29.990+00:002015-02-19T16:21:29.990+00:00You have to make a profit to be able to buy new bu...You have to make a profit to be able to buy new buses. I find it hard to believe that they even cover their running costs with their low fares in the Plymouth area. More than likely other areas of the country including Cornwall are paying for these cheap fares in this area which does not seem fair to me. Perhaps if they paid their drivers a better wage and charged a realistic fares to passengers they might be able to buy new buses. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-20835252501718788662015-02-19T09:44:40.659+00:002015-02-19T09:44:40.659+00:00I want to see First Group order some new buses for...I want to see First Group order some new buses for Plymouth as we are in need of them!! then routes will be more profitable like some newer Volvo B7's to make route more attractive and some Wright Streetlite Micro hybrid to save money and maybe some new park and ride buses, this is a lot to ask I know but it makes sense to compete with CityBus.<br />CityBus have 55, 56, 08, 12, 63 plate buses.<br />I know First have 55, 56 and 08 buses but they are Darts, tridents and two Enviros.<br />Not the Citaro's, Volvo's and Enviros.<br />I know they are more expensive to run but to make first popular again, they need it!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-11474812552928299072015-02-18T22:29:32.951+00:002015-02-18T22:29:32.951+00:00The long circular routes which go all over the pla...The long circular routes which go all over the place sound great in theory but struggle to make much money - hence the old 46/47 was pulled. Most passengers want a bus which goes straight from their place to town, or wherever they want to go. They don't want a tour of Plymouth as the bus tries to serve too many places at once. didbygrahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-69290616905991148162015-02-18T21:29:02.462+00:002015-02-18T21:29:02.462+00:00Unlikely. Unlikely. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-7662626537608314902015-02-18T21:24:30.554+00:002015-02-18T21:24:30.554+00:00I fear the 5/5a could go from Every 10 minutes com...I fear the 5/5a could go from Every 10 minutes combined to every 15 minutes combined during the week, apart from during the peaks, to match the Saturday base frequencyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-39699653099951217232015-02-18T19:02:18.244+00:002015-02-18T19:02:18.244+00:00That would be a lot of fuel etc though. I do howe...That would be a lot of fuel etc though. I do however feel that a loop route for the north and east of the city would be good idea, along the lines of 3 and 3a over the south and west of city. I would like to see something like you suggest, take in as many of citybus areas as possible with 1 route!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-83883475166885212912015-02-18T18:16:45.255+00:002015-02-18T18:16:45.255+00:00first new long route could be from the city to nor...first new long route could be from the city to north hill long to south way ,then to deriford then on to estover then to marshmills to city .and buses running both ways <br />,that will up set citybusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-42136177700875078732015-02-18T13:41:51.196+00:002015-02-18T13:41:51.196+00:00Any idea what route. What is a long route exactly...Any idea what route. What is a long route exactly?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-78738075336005862692015-02-17T23:35:25.084+00:002015-02-17T23:35:25.084+00:00I can see why they want to keep the numbers separa...I can see why they want to keep the numbers separate. It looks like the 10 will be serving Saltash to replace the 5 which will then give a 10 11 12 service from City to Saltash corridor. didbygrahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.com