In Tray

When appointed, the new managing director at First Devon and Cornwall will have an interesting in-basket. This follows news that the incumbent Marc Reddy, currently splitting his time between Plymouth and Southampton, will in future be working full time much nearer his Bournemouth home, as MD for First Hampshire & Dorset.


For the rest of an interesting post on First in Cornwall head over to Omnibuses...

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TGP - Dads Daily: Dolls House

A Transport of Delight: Bitter - sweet Network Rail

Uncle Terry: 127 Cornerstone

Transport Illustrated: BAC 100 Great collection of Bristols

First News

Helping out with Park and Ride passengers

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First are making good use of their new service 12 buses to help with the Coypool Park and Ride:
During the disruption caused by the Gdynia Way road works (June - November) we are allowing customers of Coypool Park & Ride PR2 to use their ticket on our ugobus service 12 for return journeys from the City Centre. They can alight at the bus stop outside McDonalds on Plymouth Road. Service 12 operates a 12 minute frequency from Monday to Saturday from stand A11 on Royal Parade, stand B3 on the Viaduct and stand C3 outside Drake Circus Mall on Coburg Street. For a service 12 timetable please click on the link below, click on 'timetables' in the left hand menu or visit the First travel shop in Bretonside bus station. FDC

Other less welcome news is of fare increase for Plymouth and South Devon from next week:

From Sunday 20th June, due to increased operating and fuel costs, we will be changing most of our adult and child single and return fares in Plymouth & South Devon. Day, Week, Month,3Month, 6Month & Year tickets remain unchanged and continue to offer excellent value travel from as little as £1.43 a day.
We are also pleased to announce the launch of some new First Year Child tickets for those aged 16 and under:

First Year Plymouth Child £390
First Year Plymouth Plus Child £510
First Year Devon & Cornwall Child £600
More details on purchasing these tickets...

Although the new tickets above might not be sold in big numbers the other new tickets being introduced are likely to be more popular (assuming they are marketed properly):

First in Devon & Cornwall are pleased to introduce a new First3Day ticket, valid across Devon & Cornwall from Sunday 20th June. The First3Day Devon & Cornwall ticket is valid for unlimited travel on all First bus services in Cornwall and most in Devon for 3 consecutive days.
These great value tickets are prices at:
First3Day Devon & Cornwall adult £12.00
First3Day Devon & Cornwall child £9.00
First3Day Devon & Cornwall family £25.00
(valid for up to 5 people with no more than 2 adults)
First3Day Devon & Cornwall tickets are available from your First driver or from the First Travel Shops in Truro, Penzance, Camborne, Plymouth and Barnstaple.
More details

One final bit of news concerns Marc Reddy who is leaving his post at FDC to take over at First Hampshire & Dorset from an unknown date. It seems that notices have gone up to this effect within the company. This of course makes sense for Marc as he still lives in the area and has to commute Devon and Cornwall. Lets just hope that whoever takes over the post at Devon and Cornwall they continue where Marc left off. The Plymouth fleet at least has been transformed under his leadership and is no longer the joke that it was for many years previously.

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A Transport of Delight: Co-ordinated high speed rail
Busworld Photography: Rossendale Transport
PTOTPA: Optare Solo on the road He gets the photo I have been trying to get all week!
Omnibuses: Nicola Shaw and Me I Know how he feels sometimes.

PTOTPA: Away from home Another rare sighting!
Uncle Terry: 125: Little Dipper
A Transport of Delight: NXWM dangles a carrot an offer you can refuse?
Omnibuses: Unknown quantity Smartcards
PTOTPA: Carmel Coaches
Uncle Terry: 126- Uncle Terry

Back on the front line

Marc Reddy and gang go back to the shop floor

If you are on the Tavistock bus tomorrow ... MANAGERS at a bus company are becoming front-line workers tomorrow . Four First Devon and Cornwall bosses are going 'back to the floor' for a day to 'refresh their understanding and appreciation of the tasks done by First's 1,000-strong workforce' in the counties. Marc Reddy, managing director of First in Devon and Cornwall, will be swapping management meetings, budget planning and performance reviews for a day on the road as a driver. He'll be doing an eight-hour shift covering routes between Plymouth and Tavistock. Simon Newport, commercial director, will be spending half a day working in the First Travel Shop in Bretonside Bus Station – and half a day on the road driving. Steve Grigg, operations director, will spend ten hours in the South Devon Support Centre as a traffic controller. And Simon Marsh, newly appointed engineering director, will be spending a day in the engineering workshop. The move has come about following examples set by bosses at Ann Summers, House of Fraser, South West Water and the RSPCA. Marc Reddy said: "I came up through the ranks, starting as a bus driver before becoming a manager, and the experiences I had have stood me in good stead. This is Plymouth

Further Reading TGP: Chasing a VR Uncle Terry: Rocky Path PTOTPA: Weston Maid Omnibuses: Madder than a Hatter Transport Illustrated: Forest of dean Transport of Delight: Easter Wayfarer First on Twitter / Facebook 06 April Citybus on Twitter / Facebook 06 April

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• Lets get Reddy to Rumble! (plymothiantransit.com)

Lets get Reddy to Rumble!

Someone up there must think he is doing a good job!

First UK Bus has made Managing Director changes, prompted by the demands of the Competition Commission to provide large volumes of highly detailed information about its operating companies. Andy Scholey, MD for First in Manchester, is being seconded to the central First UK Bus team to help deal with the current Competition Commission Inquiry. Andy, who has been MD in Manchester since 2007, will also assist in planning First’s bus provision for spectators at the 2012 London Olympics, for which FirstGroup has been announced as the preferred bidder by the Olympic Delivery Authority for spectator transport, requiring around 900 coaches and buses. He will return to his position as MD in Manchester once his work on both projects is completed. Replacing Andy in Manchester will be Richard Soper, the current MD for First in Hampshire and Dorset. The responsibilities at Hampshire and Dorset will be assumed by Marc Reddy, who will combine the role with his current position, MD for First in Devon & Cornwall. All the changes will come into effect on Monday 8 March. Nicola Shaw, Director (First) – Bus, UK, Ireland and Germany, said: “These are important roles for each of the three directors involved and I am sure they will each carry on their proven track record of success in business.” Good luck to Marc in what must be seen as a vote of confidence by the Senior Team at First group. Update: I have just come home and realised that this post didn't go live when I expected it too - typed in the wrong date so my fault but it does allow me to point you to Omnibuses blog which has also picked up this story and added to it. In a move that will probably see the largest span of control for any single English operational managing director ever, Marc Reddy prepares to take over the reigns at First Hampshire & Dorset... in addition to his current managing directorship at First Devon & Cornwall. Excluding outstations, the distance between his furthest garages (Penzance & Barnstaple) used to be a mere 107 miles. Now, from Penzance to Portsmouth, it becomes 241 miles. Truly of Olympic proportions The full post can be seen here...

Further Reading Uncle Terry: Im a celebrity... Highton-Ridley - award winning shot TGP: Dads Patterns PTOTPA: 57000 in Devon Omnibuses: Destigmatise Leon Daniels: Lucky Dip First on Twitter / Facebook 26 Feb 09:13 Due to a road traffic accident in Yealmpton on the A379 Mayflower Link Service 93 will for the time being not serve Plymstock, Brixton, Yealmpton or Longbrook. It will be diverted via the A38, Ivybridge and through Ermington before continuing normal route on the A379 through Modbury 09:54 Royal Parade, Plymouth closed to traffic in both directions due to an accident. While closed services coming into City from Plymstock/Plympton area will travel as far as St Andrew's Cross roundabout (by the post office). Services travelling from West/North Plymouth (Saltash, St Budeaux, Ernesettle, Southway, Estover, Derriford, Torpoint) will travel as far as Derrys Cross roundabout. More info. 13:18 The accident in Yealmpton necessitating the diversion of service 93 has now been cleared and the Mayflower Link Service 93 is now operating it's normal route. Thanks for your patience during the diversion and delays. 15:11 Royal Parade in Plymouth is now open to traffic after the earlier closure resulting from the accident this morning. We thank you for your patience during the closure and while services were diverted. Citybus on Twitter / Facebook 26 Feb 08:13 Due to a serious accident which has closed the A379, both the City College and Grammar School buses from Kingsbridge will be unable to operate this morning. Assuming the road re-opens later in the day the afternoon services will operate as normal. The situation is entirely beyond our control; however we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. 09:39 Royal Parade has been closed in both directions to all traffic due to a serious accident. The closure is likely to be in place for some time. All buses will terminate on the Viaduct or in Union Street. We have dispatched as many staff as we can find to provide assistance to drivers and customers. 11:21 The Royal Parade closure is likely to last until the early evening or longer. We have several staff in the City Centre who will assist you with up to date information on where to catch your bus. Look out for high viz jackets with Plymouth Citybus on the back. We will do all we can to stick to our timetables but with such a major road closed delays are bound to occur particularly during the evening rush hour. 14:32 Royal Parade has just been reopened. We will get everything back to normal as soon as we possibly can. Thank you all for your patience.

First Thoughts

"This whole thing seems to be a total disaster” Omnibuses2.0 Live and Kicking Leon Daniels Bus and Coach Highton-Ridley Get Your Pony Mug GOSSIP / RUMOURS Interesting comment left on a recent post was that the main players left in the process are Stagecoach and Go Ahead. I have heard this from a couple of other sources too, although it is still just a rumour until anything gets confirmed!

The bidding process set up by Plymouth City Council to find out how much Plymouth Citybus is worth has been "a shambles" and could end up costing "many millions of pounds", Marc Reddy, managing director of First Devon and Cornwall, said yesterday. Mr Reddy said the council had released so much commercially confidential information that it should abort the process and start again. At the same time Cllr Ian Bowyer, the city's Cabinet member for finance, told The Herald that a consortium led by Plymouth taxi boss John Preece was "no longer in the running". And a report to the Cabinet revealed that the council had received several bids "well in excess of £10million". "They need to sit back and say to themselves: If we're serious about selling, let's restart the whole process," Mr Reddy said. "Or they could decide to keep the asset and let it pay a dividend every year. They don't have to sell. There's no shame in that. "The whole process has left me gobsmacked. That they let John Preece know that his consortium wasn't shortlisted through The Herald. "They've even mentioned prices. This is a process that should be totally confidential. "The council has said it is prepared to spend just under £1million on this process. "The price will run into many millions when you take into account legal fees and the way it is likely to drag out. "This whole thing seems to be a total disaster. First is in the middle of a programme of developing new services, but Mr Reddy denied that he was deliberately targeting Citybus to spoil the sell-off. He said First had looked at the market and begun a programme of investment in April 2008. Since then, the company had boosted passenger numbers by 7.3 per cent. "I'm not trying to target Citybus in any way. It's just about trying to develop something new and attractive – and with simpler routes and timetables." He said he was surprised that the council wanted to sell Citybus. "If it's such a good asset, why are they selling it – particularly in a recession?" The council spokesman said: "The exercise to find out the value of Citybus has been carried out in a fair and transparent way and expert advice and support has been used throughout. "We have always been aware of the possibility of legal challenges which is why we have ensured we have followed a very robust process. This is Plymouth As usual the comments left on are pretty entertaining, my favourite being “Can we keep Citybus and sell the council?”

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• Sale Saga continues (plymothiantransit.com)

Turning the corner

Bus operator First Devon and Cornwall says it has turned a corner after several 'difficult' trading years.The firm says it has implemented changes in its operations after a new management team was appointed in April 2006.Managing director Marc Reddy said: "After a number of difficult years, we have now most certainly turned the corner. The financial performance of the company dramatically improved in the first half of 2006-07 and trading in the second half of the year started well and was in line with our expectations."Our current strong trading performance has been achieved thanks to the hard work and commitment shown by my new management team and all of our staff," he said."The successful partnerships with our local transport authorities have also played a key role in getting us to where we are today."The results include an increase of 31.8 per cent in passenger numbers in the Plymouth area, an investment of more than £5million in 56 new buses over the last two years, passenger numbers on Plymouth park-and-ride services up by 25 per cent and a 22 per cent increase in FirstDay ticket sales.

Alex Huke, public transport co-ordinator with Plymouth City Council, said: "2006-07 was a landmark year in Plymouth City Council's relations with First Devon and Cornwall following a number of highly successful joint initiatives.

David Whitton, at Devon County Council, said: "We're pleased that First Devon and Cornwall is overcoming its reliability problems and progressing towards a reliable and sustainable network of commercial bus services.

"The improvements to vehicle quality, with a reduction in vehicle age and more low-floor buses, also show the considerable progress made.

"Later this year improvements will also be introduced on the Plymouth- Tavistock corridor, as a result of a 'Kick-start' bid, jointly submitted by First and Devon County Council."Having come through this difficult period, we're confident that the partnership approach will allow us to move forward by developing services," he said, "with a joint approach to marketing and service delivery, leading to increased passenger numbers."

Congratulation to Marc and his team. The change in FDC is really evident out there on the streets of Plymouth.

Staying Power

If you have Flash installed on your computer you should see a small slideshow of a collection of my Trident Photos. Click on the small thumbnails. Hopefully this will work on most computers!

When FDC took over the Park and Ride contract they obtained 7 Tridents from First London which entered service in London Red and were slowly repainted into Barbie livery. It was expected that these buses would then pass on to Glasgow once the new Enviros had settled in.

The buses T802/3/8/12/17/19/46TLC (fleet numbers 32802/3/8/12/7/9/46) are Dennis Trident with Cummins C220 engines and Plaxton President bodywork and were new in June 1999 (T846LLC was July 1999).
They arrived had arrived at The Ride by the beginning of January 2006. Initial reactions to these vehicles arriving in Plymouth for the P&R contract included one comment on their use in London as “undoubtedly the worst vehicles I rode -- noisy, uncomfortable, gutless, dark boneshakers.” Not very encouraging!
They duly entered service in March and I have to say they were a lot better than I had expected. They were not the fastest buses in the world, but they were comfortable, quiet buses with a nice clean modern appearance, especially when compared to most double deckers we had in Plymouth at that time.

By the beginning of April the first one had been repainted into Barbie livery. By August they were all repainted and looking very smart. If it wasn’t for the registration numbers most passengers in Plymouth would have thought these were a lot newer than they were. They seemed to perform well on Park and Ride duties although I have noticed a few break downs over the year they seem to have been reliable.

With the posh new Enviros now into service we were waiting to see when the Tridents would make their journey North. However it now seems that they are staying in the Westcountry as Marc Reddy (who should know!) states:

All 7 Tridents will be staying with FDC, converted to single door, and LED Destination. Location of these vehicles will be announced in due course.

It remains to be seen where these will end up, but it is nice that they are staying. Of course Plymouth now has the three Cornish Tridents and a few from Bath with possibly another 4 to follow which are currently in York. Just one more example of how First Devon and Cornwall has transformed itself (well in Plymouth anyway!)

FDC NEWS Fares going DOWN!

07/09/2006 BUS FARES COME DOWN IN PLYMOUTH
Bus operator First is reducing fares in the Plymouth area and simplifying the choice of tickets in a major initiative to encourage more people to think about using public transport.
The changes are being introduced following requests from customers across the region.
From this Sunday, 10 September, the new FirstDay Plymouth ticket will give a day's unlimited travel on all First bus services within the Plymouth area for just £2.90.
These new tickets replace the existing peak and off-peak tickets and will mean lower fares for most bus users.The existing FirstDay Peak ticket for travel within the Plymouth area is £4.50 and the off-peak ticket is £3.90. With the new FirstDay Plymouth ticket costing £2.90 customers can save £1.60 a day which is up to 35% cheaper.
There are no restrictions on when the ticket can be used.
There's also a new FirstDay Plymouth Plus ticket which includes journeys to Antony, Down Thomas, Cremyll, Kingsand, Millbrook, Milton Combe, Rame, Wembury and Yelverton. This ticket is £3.90.Child tickets are also available. There are no time restrictions on these tickets so they can be used throughout the day. The tickets can be bought from the bus driver on any First bus.
Marc Reddy, managing director of First's bus services in Plymouth, says: "Our customers tell us that our fares are too high and our range of tickets can be confusing. We've listened to those comments and done something about it. The new FirstDay Plymouth ticket covers all of our bus services in the Plymouth area, and the new FirstDay Plymouth Plus tickets covers those bus services that travel further out from the city. We've removed the confusing peak and off-peak tickets and we've made a significant reduction in the price of our fares to encourage more people to think about using the bus.
A new range of weekly and monthly tickets will be launched in the coming months."75,000 leaflets giving details of the new fares and tickets are being distributed to households across the Plymouth area and details are being posted on every bus. Full details can also be obtained by calling 01752 402060, by visiting the First Travel Shop at Bretonside Bus Station, or by going to the Devon pages at www.firstgroup.com.
This is excellent news and a very welcome initiative by First. I am sure its pure coincidence that the new day ticket is 10 pence less than the same Citybus ticket which is being promoted so visibly at the moment!

Another goodbye

Hot on the heals of yesterdays message about a final running day for Plymouth Citybus Atlanteans comes a message from Marc Reddy of First Devon and Cornwall

All:It is my intention to withdraw the few remaining VR's shortly. I can also confirm that I have agreed to a "Last VR Running Day" when the VR's do come off the road...in terms of timescale I anticipate this will be before Christmas...more details when they become firmed up.Marc

I guess its fitting that we see the last "Western National" VRTs and the last Plymouth Citybus Atlanteans bow out at the same time. Both types have served us very well over the years

First are really spoiling us again

Derriford Hospital had another Bus Users Forum today attended by representatives from the City Council, First Devon & Cornwall and Plymouth Citybus. It was actually a fairly quiet affair with only 3 staff turning up this time - I guess many are away at the moment, although with no timetable changes to annoy staff at the moment either things are fairly quiet anyway.

The biggest contentious issue was the poor deal Plymouth pensioners get with the free bus passes compared with Devon and Cornwall. This was fairly explained by the Council representative as all being down to money and how the money from Government has been poorly distributed. He actually did a good job at explaining all this, and the staff raising the issue did accept his reasons.

The one little bit of good news I managed to find out from Marc Reddy from FDC was about the X80 Plymouth Torbay service. I have noticed the increasing use of Dennis Dart single deckers on the service recently whilst the big 'Airbus' Olympian double deckers seem increasing use on city services. This was partly to keep the buses 'local' he said. He did also confirm that later this year the X80 was getting low floor double deckers. There had been rumours of a batch coming from Bath which at first some thought might be for the Park and Ride instead of new double deckers. As we have already found out the new buses are coming later this year.

All in all its just another sign of improvement at FDC.

Formal warning for FDC

Back in March I reported that FDC had been called to a Public Inquiry but did not know what it was about. Well now we know:
Bus company First Devon and Cornwall has been given a formal warning by the senior traffic commissioner for Great Britain over its maintenance of its fleet. During a public inquiry held in March, Philip Brown, senior traffic commissioner for Great Britain, heard that five First buses were found to have significant faults during spot-checks. Minor faults were also discovered in about a dozen other buses across the region during checks made by staff from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. Among the minor faults reported were oil and fuel leaks, wear on a nearside axle, damage to passenger seats and an external body panel protruding from a bus.First Devon and Cornwall, which has its headquarters in Plymouth, disputed the allegations and argued that the hearing should not have been called.

Reddy to do business?

From This is Plymouth
The new boss of one of the South West's biggest bus companies has vowed to get more people out of their cars and onto public transport in a bid to beat congestion in Plymouth. Marc Reddy, 34, took over the running of First Devon and Cornwall after its previous managing director, Gerald Taylor, stepped down last month.
Mr Reddy has taken the helm at a challenging time for the bus company. The business has made a loss in recent years and is awaiting the result of a public enquiry into the condition of buses it operates in Bude and Barnstaple.But Mr Reddy, a former University of Plymouth student who also worked part-time as a Western National bus driver in Tavistock while studying for his degree in transport management, said he believed it was possible to turn around First's fortunes - and is keen to get on with the job
"I'm not anti-car; I'm pro-bus. I'm not saying to people, 'You shouldn't have cars'; it's how cars are used. Plymouth has bus priority measures, but there's a lot more people can do. Between us, fellow-operators and the council, we are trying to make buses a priority."
Mr Reddy said he would be looking at routes operated by the company - and would not rule out scrapping routes if they didn't pay
With the current city council drive to review its asset base, rumours have been flying that First is considering making a bid for rival operator Citybus.Mr Reddy said that discussions had taken place on this subject between the two companies - but admitted that if Citybus did come on to the market, then First would be likely to make a bid."The First Group is the largest surface transport operator in the UK, with both rail and bus. We're always looking to make acquisitions. We would be interested if the opportunity arose," he said.
Mr Reddy said: "One of the things I intend to do is to bring the financial performance back. I have the backing of the First Group and one of the things that we need to do is bring the company back to a profitable position.

Good luck Marc - you are going to need it!

Soap Box Sunday - Waiting for a transformation

"A soapbox is a raised, improvised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. Alternately, the word may be used to describe the box that soap comes in." Wikipedia

As mentioned a day or so ago, First Devon & Cornwall are to face another Public Inquiry. It was not that long ago that they were given a massive fine. One wonders what they will get this time.

Now, it could be expected, if not excused, for a company in such poor financial health to experience operational difficulties. When that company is part of the largest bus group in the country and that large group has just posted this in the opening lines in its latest trading report:

Our UK Bus division has delivered a robust performance against a background of increased costs. We are very encouraged by strong on-bus revenue growth and improved operational performance, reflecting our focus on service quality and efficiency. We have taken a number of actions to mitigate the impact of increased fuel costs and will continue to rigorously manage the business. We are now fully hedged for approximately 38% of our Group fuel consumption for 2006/07.

Then there are less excuses for the poor performance.

Now read Omnibus blog from a few days ago.

There you will read of two other Public Inquiries which led to other, much more profitable First Bus Companies being heavily penalised for poor maintenance.

First obviously takes some pride in its work. It has clearly been doing some things right to be performing so well in some areas. Its rail division has had major success in gaining new contracts. The eyes of the industry are watching developments at York with the first 'ftr' about to hit the road, a concept which certainly seems to be a good idea on paper and is viewed as the future alternative to more expensive rapid transit schemes by the current government.

First Group have a very poor public image. The rail francise which starts this weekend has been greeted with fear and anger down here as its seen as bringing a massive reduction in services. Compare all this with Stagecoach at the moment. You dont see as many negative stories about them at the moment.

First Devon & Cornwall have a new MD now so hopefully things will start to improve soon (although I seem to remember thinking that when Mr Taylor joined us!).

so Come on First... You promised to transform travel, we're still waiting...

Changes at the top

The Evening Herald front page story is the removal from his post of First D&C MD Gerald Taylor.

12:00 - 22 March 2006
The managing director of Plymouth bus company First has been replaced in a major management shake-up as the firm strives to improve its performance, the Evening Herald can exclusively reveal.Gerald Taylor, 42, 'stepped down' after two and a half years in the job, but is still employed by First Group Plc. The engineering director for First Devon and Cornwall, Karl Duncan, has also been replaced and has left the company. It is understood he is involved in an appeals process at present.Plymouth staff were told about the changes yesterday.
The new MD is 34-year-old Marc Reddy, a former University of Plymouth student who moves from his post as deputy managing director for First's bus operations in Hampshire and Dorset.Phil Pannell, formerly quality assurance manager for First's UK Bus Division, is the new engineering director.
First Devon and Cornwall said Mr Reddy's appointment was designed to deliver improvements in "commerciality, operational performance and engineering performance".The Plymouth-based firm has struggled financially, and had a difficult year in 2005. In November Mr Taylor apologised to customers for problems with his company's services during the summer and early autumn. In December there was an outcry from residents about the cancellation of a First Bus service to Glenholt and Derriford. There were also three fares hikes during the year.First is particularly keen to make money from its rural routes, including those around Plymouth.
Leon Daniels, commercial director of First's UK Bus, said: "We face a difficult challenge in Devon and Cornwall but I'm confident the new management team will be able to move our business forward in the area."We must continue to improve reliability and punctuality to meet the travel needs of our customers in Devon and Cornwall by offering quality services that are both sustainable and profitable."Marc's considerable commercial and operational abilities, allied to Phil's experience, will continue to improve the company's overall performance and engineering quality."