Cornwall Catch up

I did post this last week, and have just realised it never went live at the time, so I post the slightly updated version now.

The fire started early this morning

Five buses were caught up in a blaze at a bus depot in Cornwall this morning (November 27).

Crews from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service were called to the fire at Summercourt bus depot at around 6:35am.

On arrival at the scene between Truro and Newquay, firefighters used breathing apparatus and hose jets to extinguish the blaze. The fire was confirmed to be out by around 9:20am.

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A spokesperson for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: "Two fire appliances were mobilised from Newquay to reports of a bus on fire.

"A total of five buses were found to be involved. A third appliance was requested from St Columb.

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"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used hose reels and main jets to extinguish the fire."

We have subsequently been informed that the fire involved two buses, a van and a shipping container.

Cornwall Live 27 November

Meanwhile back to the planned post for this evening…

Cornwall Buses blog has been looking at a large number of errors in the bus timetables in Cornwall..

🚍 Overview A recent review of the Transport for Cornwall (TfC) website has revealed widespread mistakes in its published bus timetables. While occasional errors are expected, the sheer number of inaccuracies has raised serious concerns about reliability and oversight.

📄 Key Issues Identified

• PDF timetables riddled with mistakes: Many linked versions are outdated, failing to reflect the latest schedules (supposed to be updated on 1 September 2025).

• Confusing listings: Go Cornwall Bus services are listed first, while First Bus services appear at the end, forcing passengers to cross-check multiple versions.

• Missing operators: Stagecoach services are absent from the online list, despite being included in the composite timetable book.

• Poor oversight: Neither Go Cornwall Bus nor Cornwall Council’s passenger transport unit appear to have systematically checked the site for errors.

📧 Response from Officials

• On 19 November, concerns were raised directly with Cornwall Council’s transport portfolio holder.

• By 2 December, Richard Stevens (Managing Director of Go South West) acknowledged the mistakes, accepted responsibility, and promised corrections by the end of the week.

• Dan Rogerson (Cornwall Council transport lead) thanked the complainant but did not apologise for the Council’s failure to spot the errors earlier.

⚠️ Why It Matters With First Bus withdrawing from Cornwall, Go Cornwall Bus is set to hold a near-monopoly on services. Passengers depend on accurate timetables, and the current situation undermines confidence in the Transport for Cornwall partnership.

✍️ Takeaway This episode highlights the importance of transparency and accountability in public transport. A few hours of administrative diligence could have prevented widespread confusion, yet weeks later, passengers are still left navigating flawed information.

Life and Death after Plymouth

This was the scene earlier today just outside Bristol…

Double-decker bus fire closes A370 at Long Ashton

Several fire crews were called to the A370 Long Ashton bypass, on the outskirts of Bristol, just after 13:46 BST on Wednesday.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service said the bus was "well alight" when firefighters arrived and breathing apparatus had to be deployed.

The road remains closed in both directions and motorists have been warned to avoid the area.

First West of England, which owns the bus - an X1 service from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare - said the driver and passengers were all evacuated safely.

The company's commercial manager Simon Ford said all passengers had been taken to a replacement bus, and there would be a "thorough investigation" into the cause of the fire.

In a statement Avon Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Bedminster, Bath and Kingswood had been sent to fight the blaze, using high-pressure hose reels.

"Firefighters remain on the scene damping down. The cause of the fire is thought to be accidental," it added.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said police and highways officers are supporting the fire service at the scene, and a road inspection will be carried out before it reopens.

Some bus services along the route are being diverted through the village of Long Ashton.

BBC News Somerset

This was former Park & Ride bus 33417

Seen back in happier days (February 2011)

A sad end to one of the finest batch of buses ever to grace the street of Plymouth, certainly far better than anything that has appeared on Plymouth park & Ride ever since.

Citycoach BBQ

Plymouth Citycoach were among several operators sending coaches to Portsmouth for the Argyle match this weekend. However, one of the coaches didn't make it back…

“Supporters were forced to flee the coach and watch as huge flames engulfed the Plymouth City Bus Coach. Huge plumes of black smoke filled the sky, an hours drive from Portsmouth near Salisbury around 8pm this evening, as fire crews tackled the blaze. A spokesperson for City Bus confirmed that all passengers were safe and well after the incident and said the driver of the coach was an ex firefighter, so passengers were in "good hands".

Plymouth Live   (If you can grin and bear it through all the adverts there are a few photos and a quick video of the coach in full flames if you like that sort of thing)

For the record the coach was 315

I think it is safe to assume that this is the end of 315. Whilst a coach fire like this is never a good thing at least everyone got out safely and did eventually get home. At least it gave the Argyle fans something to talk about and take their minds of the match itself…

Hot Dart

"You maybe aware that there has been a fire on one of our vehicles in Plymouth today. This is a very rare occurrence but one we take very seriously. We are glad that no injuries occurred and thank our staff for their actions. We would also like to thank the emergency services for their prompt response." Robbie Lamerton, General Manager, First South West

AN investigation will be carried out after a bus caught fire in Plymouth city centre. The First Devon bus had no passengers on board when it bust into flames at about 2.30pm today. The bus was parked in Exeter Street, on the carriageway above Bretonside bus station, leading into St Andrew’s cross, with just the driver on board when the driver of another bus saw sparks coming from the engine, in the rear of the vehicle. Within minutes the rear of the bus was in flames, with thick smoke billowing.
Plymouth Herald

Post by The Plympton Podcast.

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Western Greyhound under attack, again

You do have to wonder if someone out there does not want Western Greyhound to survive.

A fire which broke out at a bus depot in Liskeard this morning is thought to have been caused by arson. Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service attended a blaze involving three Western Greyhound buses at the Trevecca industrial estate in Liskeard at 4.50am Three crews from Liskeard and Callington were sent to the incident. The cause of the fire is thought to be arson and the incident has been handed over to Devon and Cornwall Police.

Managing director of Western Greyhound, Mark Howarth, told BBC Radio Cornwall that he feared the company might be being targeted.

Three buses have been destroyed in a second suspected arson attack at a Western Greyhound depot in Cornwall. People living nearby raised the alarm after seeing the flames at the depot in Trevecca, Liskeard, at about 06:30 GMT. In May, 35 buses were written off after a severe fire in another suspected arson attack at the firm's depot in Summercourt. Greyhound manager Mark Howarth said: "It is not as bad as the last one, but one wonders why they are doing this."

Police and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service have both confirmed that they are treating the fire at the Liskeard depot as arson. The fire has led to disruption to services because the depot and nearby roads have been closed while investigations continue. Eleven Western Greyhound buses, including school buses, and two Plymouth City Bus vehicles parked at the Liskeard depot cannot leave. Buses at the depot served three routes, the 593 between Newquay and Plymouth, the 572 between Polperro and Plymouth and the 573 between Polperro and Callington.

Mr Howarth said said: "We are waiting for the all-clear to get the buses out. "We are trying to run the full 593 service with buses from Summercourt, but the 572 and 573 and related school buses won't operate until further notice."

Plymouth City Bus said that services 120 and 121 were affected, but replacement buses were on their way.

Pictures of the buses destroyed in the fire - thanks Peter...

© Peter Murnaghan

You can see the two Plymouth Citybus buses in the background, uncomfortably close to the action.

As with last time lets all hope that the culprits are caught and punished as soon as possible. More importantly lets hope that this is the last such attack on WG…

Bravery Honoured

Its great to see the bravery of this bus driver being recognised by his employers.

A First Devon and Cornwall company spokesperson said: "One of our drivers was involved in an incident. The driver, travelling on Service 4 towards Keyham, came across a vehicle on fire.

"On realising that a man was also involved in the fire, he stopped his bus in such a way to shield the scene and protect his passengers, before getting out and assisting the injured man. All of our buses carry fire extinguishers so he had this at his disposal to help.

"The injured man was already out of the car when our driver arrived, but he was on fire.

"Our driver helped to extinguish the flames and then stayed with him, keeping him calm, maintaining his airway and continuing to talk to him until the emergency services arrived.

"We are incredibly proud of our driver's actions. The scene was distressing but he acted quickly, remaining calm under pressure.

 

Full story The Herald

Not a good day

Accidents involving buses are pretty rare and its even rarer to have passengers getting hurt but yesterday was had an accident in Plymouth:

A BUS has collided head on with a car in a busy city road leaving passengers and drivers with minor injuries.Paramedics from South Western Ambulance Service treated several people at the scene, in Saltash Road, Keyham, close to the Goschen Centre, shortly after 5.10pm today. It is understood the single decker bus, owned by Target Travel, veered across the carriageway and into oncoming traffic.

The bus and a black Audi estate car collided, writing off the smaller vehicle and causing severe front end damage to the bus. Police have said four people were injured including an elderly female bus passenger who was taken to Derriford Hospital with a suspected broken wrist. The driver of the bus was treated by paramedics at the scene for a knee injury while the driver of the Audi was treated for chest and neck pain.

It is understood the police inquiry will be assisted by investigators from VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency).

Plymouth Herald

There is a video – but its just of the car being loaded onto a truck.

Meanwhile up the road in Tiverton…

Full story and video: Express & Echo

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A true gent

One thing which has been made very clear over the past few days is the very high regard that both bus industry leaders and bus enthusiast’s have for Western Greyhound’s MD Mark Howarth. Less than 48 hours after having seen a third of his fleet wiped out he has provided a listing of all the buses that were destroyed. Whereas I, and I know many others have felt quite uncomfortable with the almost indecent haste in which some have clamoured to find out exactly what buses have gone, Mark has taken the time to post the list on Facebook. You can see exactly why he is so highly respected. The listing is reproduced below with a few photos which also illustrate the high standard of presentation of the WG fleet.

There has been speculation on what buses were completely destroyed in the fire last night. Here is the definitive list:
Plaxton Beavers; 564, 566, 572

P&R Citaros: 201, 202, 204, 205 Citaros: 207

Solos: 816, 818, 819, 910, 912, 931, 951, 952, 958, 982, 988

E400s: 401, 402

Tridents: 440, 442, 444, 445

Olympians; 450, 452, 453, 467, 473, 475, 498, 499

[cc] Ian Kirby
VR 259 Training bus; DSU 107 Solo 931 was badly burned and assessors are working on whether it is repairable.

Thanks once again to Mark for providing the list when I am sure he has plenty of other paperwork to to working on at the moment!

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Western Greyhound

It wont have escaped your attention that Western Greyhound suffered a massive set back to  their business in the early hours of yesterday morning with a large fire at the main Summercourt base which has destroyed 37 buses – a third of the whole fleet.

The fire in Summercourt, near Newquay, broke out at about 01:00 BST. The blaze - the cause is not yet known - is expected to cause "significant disruption" to services in mid-Cornwall, including school buses. Mark Howarth from Western Greyhound said: "A lot of hard work has gone into Western Greyhound and it's awful to see it going up in smoke." The burnt-out buses included two brand new vehicles which cost more than £100,000 each, and four of Truro's six park-and-ride buses. BBC

Incident Commander Guy Herrington, from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Because of the flammable liquids and materials in the buses, the fire took hold very quickly. "It takes very little for fire to spread from one vehicle to another but to tackle this number of vehicles in one go is rare." Western Greyhound has been operating buses in both counties since 1998. It describes itself as a "locally based, family-run business". There was no damage to the depot's offices or workshops and there were no reports of any injuries.

At 02:37 hrs assistance for "Make Pumps eight" was made and further appliances from Truro and Mevagissey were mobilised. The incident was divided into two areas and five main jets, one hose reel jet are being supplied by one hydrant and an open water source. Along side the major appliances two landrovers attended and specialised equipment - command support vehicle from Launceston, an operational support vehicle from St Austell, and water carrier from Wadebridge and a welfare wagon from St Dennis. Falmouth Packet

As for the vehicles lost it seems a large number of the double decker fleet have been lost including some of the Enviro 400s along with some of the Mercedes Citaros used on Truro Park & Ride duties. Several Optare Solos have also been lost including it seems two brand new ones which had yet to enter service. One bus which has been confirmed as lost is the heritage fleet Bristol VRT JVW259W pictured below way back in 2008.

Mercifully most of the heritage fleet were based elsewhere in Cornwall so were safe. Indeed at least one, a Routemaster is operating in normal service as everything that is available is pushed out.

There have been a lot of messages of support for the company in Cornwall from passengers and also from within the industry.

Terrible news about the fire at WGH depot this morning. We will be accepting WGH season tckts for travel on First svcs for the next few days

— Marc Reddy (@MarcReddy) May 13, 2013

 

A particularly kind gesture comes from First Devon & Cornwall who posted this message on their Facebook pages

Due to the terrible incident at the Western Greyhound depot, First will be accepting WG season tickets for travel on our services for the next few days to enable passengers to travel by bus in the county. We have only just announced this and are in the process of communicating it to our drivers across Cornwall (therefore please be patient with any drivers who may not yet be aware). Further updates on how long this arrangement will be in place will follow in the next day or so. Facebook

I will leave the final words for now to Western Greyhound

First will be temporarily accepting Western Greyhound seasons from our passengers having difficulty in getting to their destination at no extra charge. We would like to thank First for their kind offer to assist.

We would like to pay tribute to the fire crews who tackled the enormous blaze at our Summercourt base this morning. They acted with great professionalism and saved the offices and workshops from being destroyed as well as saving some of the buses. I would also like to thank all our staff that, despite their shock and stunned disbelief at what had happened, worked to do everything they could to keep the wheels turning under the most difficult circumstances. They are all true stars! Well done! Thank you also to our customers who are currently facing inconvenience, we are all working long hours to try and get everything back up and running normally as quickly as the situation allows.

Up in smoke

There was a big plume of thick black smoke across the Derriford end of Plymouth on Sunday evening after a coach was set alight at Plymouth Airport.

FIRE crews raced to Plymouth Airport last night as an abandoned coach went up in flames. Plumes of thick black smoke were visible across the city as the blaze took hold near the runway at about 8pm. Sergeant Ryan Canning said: "The fire was first reported by a police community support officer who was in the area, and we had numerous calls from members of the public." The coach was completely gutted and Sergeant Canning said there were also signs of fire in the adjacent portacabins.

Read more: http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/VIDEO-Plymouth-City-Airport-police-suspect-arson/story-18762672-detail/story.html#ixzz2REepiQp2

Anyone know exactly what coach this was?

Coach on fire at Plymouth airport twitter.com/samblackledge/…

— Sam Blackledge (@samblackledge) April 21, 2013

@plympolicewco surveys the scene of the fire at Plymouth airport twitter.com/samblackledge/…

— Sam Blackledge (@samblackledge) April 21, 2013

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Super Brigade?

Sticking with the emergency services theme…

Two West Country fire brigades are in talks over merging to save money. Avon Fire and Rescue Service and Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service said the move could "improve effectiveness". The Devon and Somerset service faces a shortfall of £5.5m over two years and unions fear 150 jobs are at risk. The services said they were exploring everything from sharing support services to a full merger. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said such moves would not improve services. BBC News

I guess its almost inevitable these days that Fire Brigades are going to end up merging with each other. We already have Devon & Somerset so the addition of Avon would fit, but you do have to wonder how long Cornwall is likely to remain independent?

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Reaching for the skies

Devon & Cornwall show off their new aerial ladder appliances

Plymouth Hoe staged the dramatic backdrop for the launch of six new Aerial Ladder Platforms (ALPs), five for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and the sixth for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service. This is the first joint regional procurement project of its kind between the two Services at an investment of 2.2 million. An official handing over of the keys took place and Cllr Bernard Hughes, Chairman of the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Authority, said: “This represents a significant investment in our vehicle fleet and will ensure that our fire fighters have the latest specialist equipment to fight fires at height.” The new ALPs are replacing existing appliances which are approaching the end of their life-cycle and due to go on the run in July, after training has taken place. Training is required in various areas, and will be rolled out through March, April and May. The driver training lasts for one day, the operator instructor training for five days and will include instructors from all of the five stations who are due to receive the vehicles. Manufactured by VEMA in Finland, the appliances were then delivered to John Dennis Coachbuilders (JDC) in Guildford for fitting and stowage, who also made alterations that were requested by the Service for end-user and health and safety improvements The hydraulic platforms will allow firefighters to work from a height of 34 metres, which is six metres higher than the current aerial appliances. Benefits of the appliances: • Rear wheel steer better manoeuvrability • Rear wheel steer improved tyre wear • Boom reach 6 meters further reach current Bronto • Self levelling system • Latest technology including dial up diagnostics, this allows engineers to find faults quickly from a remote location • Standard appliance through both services allow cooperation for training documentation and degradation The five appliances for Devon and Somerset will be located at • Crownhill • Yeovil • Taunton • Exeter Danes Castle • Torquay • The Cornwall appliance will be located at Newquay. The vehicles were purchased as part of the Firebuy national framework contract. Devon and Somerset Fire Press Release Thanks to Dave Boulter I am able to bring you photos of the launch event on Plymouth Hoe. As he puts it himself: To say the photography was 'challenging' is the understatement of the year. Conditions were horrendous with heavy, swirling continuous heavy rain and a somewhat low cloud base! Any half-decent print is a miracle! ©Dave Boulter From left to right: WA59FUF, WA59FUB, WA59FUG, WK59BPZ, WA59FUE, WA59FUD. I think you can spot the Cornish one! ©Dave Boulter

Cornwall: Good, Bad, and indifferent

GOOD

A CORNISH BUS company has scooped two of the most prestigious awards in the business.

This is Cornwall
When you get a headline like that you can have a good guess at who they are talking about. Yes - its Western Greyhound again!
Summercourt-based Western Greyhound won the titles of Independent Operator of The Year at the UK Bus Awards as well as Medium Operator of the Year at the RouteOne Operator Excellence Awards.

 

Mark Howarth paid tribute to the team effort across the operation, stating: "I am delighted that the hard work of all Western Greyhound staff had been given such extensive recognition by the industry.

BAD

Meanwhile…

A DAMNING report by the Audit Commission (AC) has downgraded Cornwall Fire and Rescue Authority's performance from a "fair" rating to "poor".

The findings of the AC's independent Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) examine the management of Cornwall's fire service and not the work of firefighters. This is Cornwall

INDIFFERENT

Thanks to Terry Partridge I can bring you the new First livery scheme being applied to Truronians Private Hire fleet:

©Terry Partridge

I think the jury is still  out on this one!
Although, if I had hired a coach and ended up sitting on the back seats above the rear wheels I wouldn't be to thrilled about the view.

Final Fire 2001 photos

The final selection of photos from the 2001 Crash Rescue Competition with a few visiting vehicles from other brigades:

Tyne and Wear

Manchester

Cleveland

South Yorkshire

 

West Midlands

 

The final vehicle is this smart 'concept' fire appliance from Zeigler.

Plymouth helps out

Copyright 2008 Dave Boulter MBE - used with permission

Torquay has its own Bronto aerial rescue machine but when not available (ie for mechanical reasons) the similar appliance from Camel's Head, Plymouth moves to Torquay, thus ensuring high rise access is available in the Torbay holiday town and surrounding area. (Sufficient aerial coverage remains in Plymouth in the shape of the turntable ladder based at Crownhill.) . Camel's Head's appliance, Volvo reg.no. H188 AFJ, is seen on a routine journey on Torquay seafront on 26/7/08.

The same appliance back on its home ground back in April 2008

Emergency Services at Crownhill

It seems that my computer problem might have been solved as I now have access to my blogs again through my preferred online editor, rather than just through the Flickr account.

Yesterday I spent an hour at Crownhill just watching the traffic go by, with my camera in hand of course. A couple MAN appliances from Devon and Somerset Fire Brigade and two ambulances from South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust - or whatever they are called this week.

Refresh that DOG

30065 A167VFM is now in the new standard Barbie livery and looking very smart indeed. Thanks to Nick Rice for permission to use his fotos in this blog. This is of course originally Crosville DOG167.

This bus was last mentioned in my blog back on 12th August when it was still running around in PMT red / Yellow livery. It sounds like all of them are now in full livery.
FDC have recently transferred a few elderly Olympians out of Plymouth and into Cornwall including a couple of the FUM-Y buses (horrible things - glad to see them go) and the two D-HUB Optare buses which were not so bad.

One other news item to mention here, although nothing at all to do with Plymouth really, is a big fire at a bus garage in London. BBC News:

Twelve double-decker buses have been damaged in a fire which sent plumes of smoke across London. About 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Westbourne Park Bus Garage in west London, on Sunday, which is now under control. Police said initially three vehicles were on fire when they were called, but there were subsequent explosions. The Great West Road, the A40 and Westbourne Park Tube station have all reopened after being shut for hours. A spokesman for bus company First confirmed the fire was estimated to have caused hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage. He said: "It looks like seven buses have been burned out and three to four are smoke damaged." The spokesman added that it was a "complete mystery" as to how the blaze had begun, but confirmed there had been no casualties. He said the incident had happened in an outside area, where the buses had been parked overnight. Services would not be affected, the spokesman said.

It seems as if it was mainly Low Floor Trident DDs that were destroyed, including a few which were ready for cascading throughout First Group as no longer needed in London. Although the Tridents due for Plymouth are already in Plymouth this could have a slight knock on effect as such group cascades are delayed or cancelled it could delay any other cascades throughout the group. As other companies have to wait for the London rubbish to reach them, it delays them sending their cast-offs down here!

Maybe I am just cynical.
didbygraham

Truronian Fire

© Nick Rice

Its not really Plymouth Transit but its still important: News has come through that Truronian have suffered a major fire resulting in the loss of 7 buses on New Years Eve. One bus that is confirmed as destroyed is PRC856X one of the last VRTs in service. Photo above comes from Nick Rice who has kindly allowed me to post it here.


Seven buses were totally gutted in a suspected arson attack at a
Cornish depot. Four double-deckers and three single-decker buses were burned out during the fire which caused thousands of pounds' worth of damage.
Dozens of fire fighters fought the blaze at the Truronian Bus Depot
on Saturday night in Truro. The fire broke out at 9.30pm at the depot on Lighterage Hill, Newham Industrial Estate. No one was injured during the fire, which is being treated as a possible arson attack. The Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service Investigation Unit was due to re-examine the scene yesterday. The Truronian bus company said it was confident that services will not be disrupted despite the devastation to 12 per cent of its fleet. A driver raised the alarm after he had refuelled his bus and was walking towards the rest room. He saw the reflection of a burning bus in a window and called the fire service. Five fire crews arrived on the scene. However, fire fighting efforts were initially hampered by strong winds which caused the fire to spread from vehicle to vehicle. Geoff Rumbles, Truronian's joint managing director, said the quick-thinking of staff on duty stopped the fire spreading further and engulfing the rest of the fleet. He said: "I'd like to say how much we appreciate the help and very, very swift actions of the drivers who were at work on Saturday night. "They were absolutely brilliant and without their help this could have been worse." A portable building in the yard also caught alight and will have to be demolished. Nigel Vincent, spokesman for the fire service, said an investigation had been launched into the cause of the fire, which is as yet, unknown. He said: "We are not ruling anything out at the moment and are investigating the cause of the fire along with police colleagues. "It's early days. "An investigation will be carried out but at this moment in time we won't discount anything." Truronian Ltd was formed in September 1987 and quickly acquired Truronian Tours followed by Flora Motors in Helston and City Taxis in Truro. Over the last three years, more than £2 million has been invested in new vehicles. It operates a fleet of nearly 90 vehicles including 62 buses and coaches, 25 taxis and other vehicles.

It has since been reported that six Arriva Olympians are heading to Cornwall to help out the fleet - it remains to be seen if they are on loan or acquired.

Other news is that Plymouth Citybus Dart 47 is the latest to receive the new livery - thought to have been repainted back in November 2005. I will post a photo here when I get one.
didbygraham

Fire!

A news item in the Evening Herald tonight says that a bus caught fire in Devonport last night. Informed sources have since confirmed that the bus involved was M501CCV 46451 which is pictured above back in May this year. This bus featured in the blog a while back as it had been observed on tow twice within a week. This picture was actually taken in between the two breakdowns! A couple of it' sisters have also suffered from fire damage in recent years.

didbygraham