tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post8654440627194637242..comments2024-03-18T23:11:58.780+00:00Comments on Plymothian Transit: Notices and Proceedingsdidbygrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-6882514326810195782014-10-01T14:57:09.325+01:002014-10-01T14:57:09.325+01:00Back in Ken Livingstone's day, there was no ch...Back in Ken Livingstone's day, there was no chance of any artics becoming surplus - they were still buying them. Boris thought they were monstrosities and wanted modern-day Routemasters. Who knows whether the next Mayor of a different political persuasion thinks the Borismasters are too expensive to buy and too expensive to run, especially with a crew of two, and wants to phase them out. I doubt if we shall see any in Plymouth, though, even if they have to be sold cheap because nobody wants them.Keithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-15591270876853364642014-10-01T07:40:22.227+01:002014-10-01T07:40:22.227+01:00The story about the postman and uniform (he wasn&#...The story about the postman and uniform (he wasn't wearing a tie) is true!<br />Back in my day at WN, Badgerline Group wanted 15% from all Group companies. As the MD of the time said "on a sunny summer day in peak summer I might make that in Cornwall, I can achieve it on some routes in Plymouth but the guys in Bristol only have to drive out of the depot to exceed it..." Yes, times change, but the pressure has long been on in the south west. And I'm sure that it doesn't matter much if your head office is in Weston-super-Mare, Aberdeen, Newcastle or indeed, Perth.<br />As for history repeating itself, would anyone care to speculate how the ownership link between the buses and trains in First-land might have affected things? Onward connections, through tickets and so on all look good in the rail franchise submission, even if the territory is too far from Whitehall for anyone to see the reality of an aged bus fleet. If we didn't now have First Great Western, would we have First Devon & Cornwall?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-1833440186969979832014-10-01T07:22:21.802+01:002014-10-01T07:22:21.802+01:00Sorry, but congestion is no excuse. Someone at Mil...Sorry, but congestion is no excuse. Someone at Milehouse signed has a Service Registration to say that the company will run the timetable and route according to the document submitted to the Traffic Commissioner. <br />My local Stagecoach subsidiary couldn't get my local route to run to time, they looked closely at the GPS data the buses send back and decided that the route needed an extra vehicle so they went out and bought one. A very positive move when they could have cut a little loop out in one town which would ahve saved the required time, but been a bit (but not hugely) inconvenient to passenegers. With another route which was struggling for time, they re-arranged the car workings to link with another route which had some spare time in it, oh and they re-equiped the route with the older vehicles with new rolling stock to match the newer buses on the other.<br />Citybus has a choice, it either runs a compliant operation, with achieveable timetables, or it can continue as it is and get called to explain to Ma'am. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-60016049082645867532014-09-30T21:58:29.338+01:002014-09-30T21:58:29.338+01:00No chance whosoever of any Borismasters becoming s...No chance whosoever of any Borismasters becoming surplus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-14992495046020280312014-09-30T21:33:19.295+01:002014-09-30T21:33:19.295+01:00This idea of high profit-margins rings a bell in m...This idea of high profit-margins rings a bell in my mind. Many, many moons ago, when First Western National reigned supreme in Cornwall and much of Devon, the orders from Aberdeen were to achieve, I think, around 16%. This was the time when they were winning every tender they could by fair means or foul, when they were failing to provide the services to the extent that the managers were wearing out the carpet in the Chief Transport Officer's office in Devon County Hall and when they were deliberately bidding impossibly low for school contracts so that private operators were going out of business one by one. However, once they had the overwhelming network they wanted, managers here struggled to achieve much profit at all, let alone 16% - with the result that Laira Bridge saw a rapid succession of managers given twenty minutes to clear their desks. Apart from the character who was reputed to have sacked the postman for not wearing uniform, they were decent people, too, who treated their staff well - but could not, with a rural network, achieve anything like the profits demanded. One outcome of this was that two companies emerged - Truronian and Western Greyhound - who could run services properly, had low overheads and could cope with a lesser profit margin. Both made huge inroads into First's network.<br /><br />Go Ahead Citybus can make 17% in the city - possibly - but, if they have their eyes on a rural network as well, they may struggle. History, if ignored, has a nasty habit of repeating itself.Keithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-68949929067771340642014-09-30T20:07:47.629+01:002014-09-30T20:07:47.629+01:00Have you not seen manadon roundabout in the mornin...Have you not seen manadon roundabout in the morning peak? Manadon Flyover in both peaks, Woolwell roundabout in both peaks, drake circus on a saturday, tailing right back to top of exeter street sometimes! <br />Our buses get stuck in this chaos day in day out. Maybe if more people left their cars at home, and travelled by bus, then the roads wouldnt be so congested, meaning more reliable bus services, and more people would travel to plymouth to shop rather than exeter, which isn't as congested.<br />It's much less fuss when u take the bus as london transport used to say.<br />We should have a car free day on saturdays as a trial. with possibly a special shopper dayrider to tempt people to leave their cars at home?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-76757340125560528702014-09-30T20:01:23.418+01:002014-09-30T20:01:23.418+01:00there will be no more ex london deckers coming. there will be no more ex london deckers coming. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-45305726326883930912014-09-30T11:53:48.320+01:002014-09-30T11:53:48.320+01:00Once Boris has gone off to be an MP, what's th...Once Boris has gone off to be an MP, what's the guessing that a few Borismasters would become surplus to requirements? Now there's a thought .....<br /><br />I have long wondered, too, if some Plymouth corridors are intense enough to justify trams. If they were high-platform, Manchester-style, it would be possible to have tram-trains from Tavistock/Gunnislake and also from an A38 Park-and-Ride out beyond Saltash (a long-dormant plan was Trerulefoot but that is a long way out), Sherford would be another candidate for a high-quality, high-capacity service. Now there's another thought .....<br />Keithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-80973349725441555222014-09-30T10:43:41.084+01:002014-09-30T10:43:41.084+01:00That is an interesting idea. Maybe also extend the...That is an interesting idea. Maybe also extend the 25 to Durnford Street and the Royal William Yard, maybe even the Torpoint Ferry, providing a half-hour circular from Mount Batten to the Hoe, Cremyll Ferry and Torpoint Ferry. Would also increase frequency to the Cremyll Ferry to every 15 minutes, combining with the 34. A really interesting idea.Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-78901202632198108842014-09-29T23:10:21.419+01:002014-09-29T23:10:21.419+01:00I'm not sure about the merging of the 43/50, t...I'm not sure about the merging of the 43/50, two popular services which seem to work well as they are. Would it not be a better option to use the new single deckers to fight Mount Batten in a bright yellow or green (or gold) flash livery - and perhaps, here is radical thinking: Mount Batten - City Centre - Barbican/Hoe (combine with current 25), with perhaps some kind of link ticket to the water taxi too. It might make more of a public transport link to our main asset and promote our links to the sea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-19764584734846414692014-09-29T22:28:24.393+01:002014-09-29T22:28:24.393+01:00Especially as 3 of the Volvos are used on 42A/B, w...Especially as 3 of the Volvos are used on 42A/B, which according to some commentator required another bus anyway (paint 103?) which would leave 104-109, 6 buses, which is definately not enough for 43/50Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-82642154559513289662014-09-29T21:49:44.916+01:002014-09-29T21:49:44.916+01:00...and we know that GoAhead has promised the city ......and we know that GoAhead has promised the city industry leading profit margins (Stagecoach currently delivers 17%)!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-12251561610833752362014-09-29T21:36:06.255+01:002014-09-29T21:36:06.255+01:00I think the only we thing we know for sure is that...I think the only we thing we know for sure is that we dont know what if anything is currently due! Rumours I have heard the most are that some new single deckers are due and possibly some secondhand DDs are due, but not from London. One commentator here indicated Citaros going but I've not heard this from anyone else yet - but it cant be ruled out! I had heard that if and when we get Gold Flash 43/50 then it would be run using the Volvo B7RLEs - but I cant see that there are enough of these tpo run the whole route so maybe we are getting some more? didbygrahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-24443636246541754072014-09-29T19:23:43.039+01:002014-09-29T19:23:43.039+01:0011 brand new single deckers sounds good, guess tha...11 brand new single deckers sounds good, guess that is replacements for 14 Citaros, and with more ex-London double deckers due I imagine 3 of them will make up the numbers against Citaros. Anyone know when the Deckers are coming?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-6150992875679080742014-09-29T18:54:11.038+01:002014-09-29T18:54:11.038+01:00Tom, there is also another Dart in the spray shop,...Tom, there is also another Dart in the spray shop, not sure which one it is (it is not 26, 35, 38, 61, 63 or 70). Anyone got any ideas?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-28221322572322781112014-09-29T15:26:51.432+01:002014-09-29T15:26:51.432+01:00It's also worth noting that on all 'refurb...It's also worth noting that on all 'refurbished' SLF's (16,17,21,22,23,25) that they've completely re-trimmed the interior too; re-trimmed every seat. Combine that with their re-paint and the ramp fitted, they really don't look their age at all. I suppose the vast majority of passengers wouldn't be able to tell that the refurbished ones were anywhere near 16 years old.Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-46654970392209675952014-09-29T10:43:15.971+01:002014-09-29T10:43:15.971+01:00I heard that the reasons that the Citaros were be...I heard that the reasons that the Citaros were being sold were too many accidents involving them, very expensive spares and that they still had a resale value. Whether this is true or not we will see.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-48658896912447170872014-09-29T08:21:17.023+01:002014-09-29T08:21:17.023+01:00On the contrary, it's not 'stupid' at ...On the contrary, it's not 'stupid' at all. In fact, it makes good business sense. If you have a batch of buses that you've looked after since new which are presumably still in good condition underneath, why not spend a bit on them to get a few more years out of them? Far cheaper than shelling out a lot more money for second-hand buses which may be newer but which you don't know, and which will still need a repaint and probably an interior refurb too. As Graham says, the passengers won't notice the age of the buses unless perhaps their condition is poor, it's really only enthusiasts who make an issue of it. It's not the age of the bus, it's the condition of it that matters, inside, outside and underneath and Citybus's R-reg Darts do belie their age rather well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-3314720185787453832014-09-28T23:10:09.580+01:002014-09-28T23:10:09.580+01:00But then most passengers would be hard pressed to ...But then most passengers would be hard pressed to tell the difference between an R reg Dart and a 54 Reg Dart as they look pretty much identical from the outside. Also First have repainted older Darts included an R reg one and at least one former Hong Kong S Reg so they seem to think its worth spending a bit of money on old Darts too. <br />I agree with you re the Citaros though - I cant see these going anywhere unless its part of a vehicle swap with others in GA Group.didbygrahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-17009136079510062632014-09-28T16:32:32.932+01:002014-09-28T16:32:32.932+01:00When the 43 was merged with the 41 and ran through...When the 43 was merged with the 41 and ran through to Southway the service was a joke. Buses all running late, drivers not knowing which bus was theirs. Citybus just blame traffic hold ups around the city and not the fact that the route is to long with not enough buses to cover it. The most sensible option would be to merge the 43 and 44 like it used to be in the good old days.<br /><br />We lookk forward to another down grading of service.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-35372330125139578112014-09-28T14:33:10.797+01:002014-09-28T14:33:10.797+01:00It is stupid to dispose of DDA compliant Citaros w...It is stupid to dispose of DDA compliant Citaros when you have non DDA compliant Dennis Darts to replace within 18 months. It is also stupid to spend money on buses that are worth not much more than scrap value to make them DDA. First aren't doing it - they are putting in slightly newer, but DDA compliant single decks as replacements.<br /><br />An R reg Dennis Dart was modern technology when it was new - it's just an old banger now. <br /><br />Why PCB are repainting them and running them still is beyond me. They aren't what people want to travel in, whereas a Citaro is what customers want to travel in. Refurbish them and they still look very modern, an old R/S reg Dart is still an old R/S reg Dart. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-20637024040772454942014-09-27T12:03:13.204+01:002014-09-27T12:03:13.204+01:00Not heard anything about Citaros being sold? And w...Not heard anything about Citaros being sold? And who says DDs not suitable for the 50? As someone who relies on the 50 every day I'd rather have the DDs than anything else. That said the Citaros are idea for the route even if I am not a fandidbygrahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-18204699265365471012014-09-27T00:19:16.108+01:002014-09-27T00:19:16.108+01:00Heard this from a usually reliable source who work...Heard this from a usually reliable source who works for Citybus. If the Citaros are going to be sold in December and as the 50 is not really suitable for deckers then this would make sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-68559542423586516242014-09-25T20:17:24.003+01:002014-09-25T20:17:24.003+01:00Anon 13:00 This is true .. trouble is , do Cityb...Anon 13:00 This is true .. trouble is , do Citybus care about messing this route up at all. Tamerton for example they have no competition so can mess customers around as much as they want, and Tavistock I think they have lost this one to First and they know it, the route change making it unreliable and subsequent price increase will only speed up this routes demise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-28498144166032316182014-09-25T20:15:56.990+01:002014-09-25T20:15:56.990+01:00no? where you hear that?no? where you hear that?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com