(31 May 2017, 5:53 pm)TEN 6083 wrote [ -> ]https://www.blackpooltransport.com/fylde...=hootsuite
Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk
Doesn't surprise me at all for Blackpool, a fair amount of the Blackpool Transport buses I rode whilst I was down there last year had been trashed, seats and windows covered in graffiti was probably the most common find, worse still most of it had been scratched, scraped (not sure on best terms) into the backseat of seats and windows.
It's not just Blackpool either, think I heard at least once on Facebook about Transdev Yorkshire Coastliner's B5's having damage to the ports at the tables as well. I've seen broken USB's on the backs of seats on some of our Arriva MAX buses a few times as well plus on at least one occasion, the ports had been blocked with stuff.
Spotted an Arriva liveried Mellor Orion on delivery in Windsford today. One of 9 on order for rural services in Cheshire. All for the return of breadvans if it makes lifeline rural routes viable.
(28 Jun 2017, 1:48 pm)James101 wrote [ -> ]Spotted an Arriva liveried Mellor Orion on delivery in Windsford today. One of 9 on order for rural services in Cheshire. All for the return of breadvans if it makes lifeline rural routes viable.
Actually there Mellor Strata vehicles went to the launch on Saturday outside Macclesfield town hall. Posted pics up on my google drive for Tyresmoke to check out and can share the folder if anyone else wants to see them and it looks like pretty much sapphire geminis, the pulsars and these which make it mostly wifi on all vehicles round here Arriva wise. Shame to see the solos go but if its an upgrade in offerings on the vehicle then its an improvement.
(12 Jul 2017, 7:43 am)jamessolomon wrote [ -> ]Actually there Mellor Strata vehicles went to the launch on Saturday outside Macclesfield town hall. Posted pics up on my google drive for Tyresmoke to check out and can share the folder if anyone else wants to see them and it looks like pretty much sapphire geminis, the pulsars and these which make it mostly wifi on all vehicles round here Arriva wise. Shame to see the solos go but if its an upgrade in offerings on the vehicle then its an improvement.
I caught up with one of these on Northwich town services today (4700). Of the few van/bus mash-ups out there, this seems to be well executed. This is mostly due the the corporate feel added by Arriva's interior house style.
They are very much still a van up front, with glove box on the passenger side and even a floor mounted hand brake! Nimble & nippy round the estates, more noticeable than a solo or mpd.
Ran with about half of the 21 seats taken, hope there's no issues at peak times. I believe they are meant to be confined to specific routes, although at least one has strayed onto key corridor route 84, usually full size or decker operated - yikes!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Imagine if one strayed onto the 38 it would create chaos
(14 Jul 2017, 7:53 pm)jamessolomon wrote [ -> ]Imagine if one strayed onto the 38 it would create chaos
Soon to be the recipient of Enviro 400s.
Wonder where the DB300 Geminis will go, being Sapphire they're very much oddballs.
Id say Arriva should do the following:
Debrand the geminis to use as alx400 replacement at Winsford then with the displaced solo SR's 1 to oust 679, 2 to replace 894/908, 2 to replace 2545/2473.
Then throw 4 at Bolton to replace 2826-29 which leaves a spare to allocate somewhere unless not every service around Macclesfield is operated by the new Mellor Strata
Grand Prix's former 563 from Kirkby Stephen up the A66 to Penrith has been revived, By Stagecoach :
http://www.cwherald.com/a/stories/relief...74503.html
Good to hear theve gained there link back so soon, I believe its in the interest's of Brough and Kirkby Stephen and everywhere inbetween to have a Community Shuttle Service up to Kirkby Stephen Station, So basically everywhere inbetween is now covered once again.
Though I'm sure there's a few remaining Collage runs by Stagecoach and Independent's from Kirkby/Brough up to Penrith remaining.
(18 Jul 2017, 4:34 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote [ -> ]Grand Prix's former 563 from Kirkby Stephen up the A66 to Penrith has been revived, By Stagecoach : http://www.cwherald.com/a/stories/relief...74503.html
Good to hear theve gained there link back so soon, I believe its in the interest's of Brough and Kirkby Stephen and everywhere inbetween to have a Community Shuttle Service up to Kirkby Stephen Station, So basically everywhere inbetween is now covered once again.
Though I'm sure there's a few remaining Collage runs by Stagecoach and Independent's from Kirkby/Brough up to Penrith remaining.
There's one from Brough to Kendal in the morning and back in the evening on college days (Stagecoach service 502).
Cumbria Classic Coaches also do a few routes from Kirkby Stephen and Brough including the 574 from Kirkby Stephen to Penrith on Tuesdays which offered a partial replacement to the 563:
http://www.cumbriaclassiccoaches.co.uk/h...routes.php
Timetable for all Kirkby Stephen and Brough buses:
http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Conte...4272411238
(18 Jul 2017, 1:59 pm)jamessolomon wrote [ -> ]Id say Arriva should do the following:
Debrand the geminis to use as alx400 replacement at Winsford then with the displaced solo SR's 1 to oust 679, 2 to replace 894/908, 2 to replace 2545/2473.
Then throw 4 at Bolton to replace 2826-29 which leaves a spare to allocate somewhere unless not every service around Macclesfield is operated by the new Mellor Strata
Can you clarify; which 4 buses should be "thrown" at Bolton?
A new 'Lake Sider' B5TL Gemini will be operating on a promotional tour of the North West this coming week
- Monday 24th July in Manchester: 192, 203, 250 and X50
- Tuesday 25th July in Liverpool: 82 and 86
- Wednesday 26th July in Preston: 2/2A
(21 Jul 2017, 11:44 am)RBZ 5459 wrote [ -> ]A new 'Lake Sider' B5TL Gemini will be operating on a promotional tour of the North West this coming week
- Monday 24th July in Manchester: 192, 203, 250 and X50
- Tuesday 25th July in Liverpool: 82 and 86
- Wednesday 26th July in Preston: 2/2A
Manchester ops look slightly complicated, even assuming the 192s are "shorts" between Piccadilly and Levenshulme. The latter is because Piccadilly to Stockport journeys are being curtailed during bridgeworks slap bang in the middle of Stockport, and the "shorts" will run from Hyde Road. 203 & 250/X50 are both Hyde Road services but normally work themselves, with Piccadilly termini meaning interworking would involve a lot of time consuming dead running around the city centre - and ripping up of normal duties for one day! Presumably, the bus will run on/off the 192 & 250/X50 as a normal running board might do, and the 203 will involve a bus changeover outside the depot.
(21 Jul 2017, 11:44 am)RBZ 5459 wrote [ -> ]A new 'Lake Sider' B5TL Gemini will be operating on a promotional tour of the North West this coming week
- Monday 24th July in Manchester: 192, 203, 250 and X50
- Tuesday 25th July in Liverpool: 82 and 86
- Wednesday 26th July in Preston: 2/2A
All seems quite fun & quirky but I don't see the commercial benefit? I used to live in Levenshulme and know most people on the top deck of a 192 are not sober enough to realise the roof has suddenly gone missing.
(21 Jul 2017, 8:07 pm)James101 wrote [ -> ]All seems quite fun & quirky but I don't see the commercial benefit? I used to live in Levenshulme and know most people on the top deck of a 192 are not sober enough to realise the roof has suddenly gone missing.
It does seem a strange set of services. 250/X50 I can understand as it will carry many, and be seen by even more at the Trafford Centre. 192 is a "pet" route, but as you will probably know, outside Student peaks, loadings can be very low, especially north of Stockport. I've made numerous journeys from Stockport to Manchester in the middle of the day, and loadings rarely reach double figures. Although its also a Stockport-Manchester service, the 203 is definately NOT a pet route; it is subject to all sorts of delays, and if it ends up taking a gap much above the registered 10 minute service between Reddish and Stockport, it could easily end up with a standing load even off-peak. Much as I would like to catch it home from work on said 203 route (lol), I would have thought that running it on the 38 (the pointless, low loading service that epitomises the company's fall from grace in Manchester), would have been far more logical if it is a PR stunt.
So today 13802 is in Manchester on the first day of it's mini North West promo tour. Stagecoach staff are on board offering free tickets and travel advice for visiting the Lake District. The Cumbria & North Lancs Twitter is keeping tabs on 13802 throughout it's tour.
https://twitter.com/StagecoachCNL
(24 Jul 2017, 11:04 am)RBZ 5459 wrote [ -> ]So today 13802 is in Manchester on the first day of it's mini North West promo tour. Stagecoach staff are on board offering free tickets and travel advice for visiting the Lake District. The Cumbria & North Lancs Twitter is keeping tabs on 13802 throughout it's tour. https://twitter.com/StagecoachCNL
Bearing the vast majority of the population aren't on Twitter - let alone sat in front of the telly last night thinking "I'm bored, I'll just go and check the Twitter account for a bus company that doesn't run within 60 miles of Manchester" what was the point of this?
There has been no media coverage, nothing on the Stagecoach Manchester website, and most telling, nothing on buses! Could this have been the worst PR stunt ever?
(24 Jul 2017, 9:12 pm)Tamesider wrote [ -> ]Bearing the vast majority of the population aren't on Twitter - let alone sat in front of the telly last night thinking "I'm bored, I'll just go and check the Twitter account for a bus company that doesn't run within 60 miles of Manchester" what was the point of this?
There has been no media coverage, nothing on the Stagecoach Manchester website, and most telling, nothing on buses! Could this have been the worst PR stunt ever?
There was an official press release on the C&NL Stagecoach page, but nothing official from the regions the open topper is/has been going to so far. It has featured heavily on social media with Transport for Greater Manchester and today with Travel Merseyside and Merseyside Better By Bus Campaign, much of the material linking to social media.
It was never planned to be a huge media push (papers etc), an on the fly push to promote with the passing punters. Lots of #hashtags and social media push in the end which has worked pretty well so far. The open topper was in and out of the Piccadilly all day so turned a few heads anyway! There is a Stagecoach promotional team on board and were out in Manchester between runs yesterday too, giving out freebies and whatnot.
In fairness the promo-tour almost didn't happen. It has been a push to get the open-toppers ready, especially in time for the start of the school holidays considering they were suppose to be here in April. In addition, Wright managed to send them not fully complete, there was also an untoward certification issues (which in the end deemed the Lothian Gemini 3 OTs in the red too), plus Hannover have been (and still) completing NSA installations which have caused a headache in themselves due to screen sizes being spec-d wrongly somewhere along the line.
Good feedback from Manchester anyway, a local team push pre-visit from regions would have been the icing on the cake though I agree.
Brand new Volvo B5TL/ Wright Gemini 3 13807 was on show in Carlisle city centre today - when I visited it was absolutely throwing it down.
Must say these vehicles are incredibly smart inside and out; the extra windows at the front of the top deck do make a difference, as does the glass roof and glass along the stair well.
Interestingly the vehicles do not have vandal screens - will this be the first Stagecoach order to not come with them by default?
Asked the driver who was showing people around - he said all of the Kendal drivers were asked previously whether they would like them or not. Due to the Lakes being relatively trouble-free, they mostly/all voted against the screens.
