• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Stagecoach East Scotland

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
I'm not sure about 53814 but 53813 is replacing a B7 so no reduction in capacity. The bus working likely does Express all day apart from the school contract so an E300 would not be preferred. Aberhill does at least one school in the morning which is worked by a B11 before going to Edinburgh.

was that the one which used to do K4- Kirkcaldy high school - Edinburgh peak? I doubt it does any all day service, since the cuts.

They could use one on the X55 which is much busier this year compared to last.

This week we have had various B7's, E300's (branded for the Perth 1 & 2) and a Megabus tri axle.

I doubt it since there having to add in more journeys, coaches are useless since there leaving people behide. E300 plenty of room even for standing.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

ijk286

New Member
Joined
20 Apr 2014
Messages
3
I'm not sure about 53814 but 53813 is replacing a B7 so no reduction in capacity. The bus working likely does Express all day apart from the school contract so an E300 would not be preferred. Aberhill does at least one school in the morning which is worked by a B11 before going to Edinburgh.

53814 is based at Perth in X55 branding. This was last believed to be replacing 53108.
 
Joined
20 Mar 2012
Messages
704
Dunfermline E200 36204 has been transferred to inverness/highlands, possibly more E200 are going there.

Perth E400 19557 has apparently or going to be transferred to bluebird to replace 16116.
 

Fifescottish

Member
Joined
14 Oct 2015
Messages
276
53108 was quick on the X55 and had good heating. Dunfermline could do with a spare when 53718 is off the road.

Are there spare E200s at Dunfermline or is something replacing them
 

Jamester

Member
Joined
9 Jul 2010
Messages
155
was that the one which used to do K4- Kirkcaldy high school - Edinburgh peak? I doubt it does any all day service, since the cuts.



I doubt it since there having to add in more journeys, coaches are useless since there leaving people behide. E300 plenty of room even for standing.

I only know the Aberhill workings. One of the first X58s starting from the depot services back from Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy in time for morning schools. Likewise in the afternoon after Kirkcaldy schools, goes light to Edinburgh to do the extra X58 peak service. Sometimes a B13 crops up on the pm one. (It might be two separate bus workings)

I've heard 36201-36206 are transferring to Highlands, perhaps with more to follow. They are being replaced by Optare Versas.

I personally think they should drop the X from the X55 journeys that don't go to Perth and use low floors. Increased capacity and much easier boarding for disabled passengers etc.

18082 is now in service at Aberhill.
 
Last edited:

Fifescottish

Member
Joined
14 Oct 2015
Messages
276
So fleet replacement involves bringing in older vehicles now, albeit they seem more powerful.

Was the reason the X55 was upgraded to coaches not that passengers were complaining?
 

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
So fleet replacement involves bringing in older vehicles now, albeit they seem more powerful.

Was the reason the X55 was upgraded to coaches not that passengers were complaining?

No, it seems that was a pack of lies, turns out the tri alxes were not great on the fuel consumption, X55 will need newer buses or coaches shortly will within two years I would say, but what would be the replacements? ,

53287 is still chugging away in Glenrothes depot but I have notice something very weird going on, their keep on change the coaches over....
 
Last edited:

Stan Drews

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2013
Messages
1,569
Was the reason the X55 was upgraded to coaches not that passengers were complaining?

Yes, the vast majority of passengers hated the Scania's, and were regularly asking why the X55 was the only service that didn't get coaches.
So, the company relented, and guess what.... now the passengers complain about the coaches!!

You couldn't make it up!
 

Fifescottish

Member
Joined
14 Oct 2015
Messages
276
To be fair the scanias were mobile greenhouses in the summer as the air con didnt work (or did stagecoach disable it to save fuel.....), and conversely were freezing in the winter!
 

Jamester

Member
Joined
9 Jul 2010
Messages
155
The primary reasons the Scania's were withdrawn were fuel consumption and air conditioning units not working. The heat was in issue in the summer months and the blackened windows they put in simply did little to alleviate the issue. I think this was the reason behind complaints other than passengers demanding a coach. Were they receiving complaints about them for the full 8 years they were in service? I think Stagecoach wanted rid for their own reasons.

I see no reason how a relatively short trip between Edinburgh and Dunfermline requires a coach. Especially when there are a series of other services which link Edinburgh and Fife which are coach spec. Just my opinion of course!

Although the Optare Versas are slightly older than E200s they replace, I believe they are far better buses all round.
 
Last edited:

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
Part of the reason the old 55 never got coaches was because it was an all stops service, its bad enough at the best of times with out having to deal with the longer delays due to the doors. It was also to help people with prams etc travel into edinburgh from Dalgerty bay and Dunfermline/Rosyth. On top of that it was also one of the main routes to Inverkeithing.

There could have solved part of the problem if there could just put in same window sections that could have opened. The back vent on the roof was partly useless because the Air con was right in front of it so no decent flow of air was possible.

As you can tell I'm a bit miffed about this whole thing, but whats not helped matter is those service cuts went to far, that pretty clear ( what doesn't help here was, some of those cuts needed to be done for a while) most of siad management team which deals with this side of the business has gone walkies, so it just a mess.

The problem I have is I cant really tell what the main reason was, even if one of the replies above really should be accepted no questions ask: gold standard.

But when you get to a point where service changes come and said management didn't listen and neglected to look at the overall service levels going forward, replacing much bigger buses with smaller coaches with only 47 seats.. ( should be 49 but the seats where the wheelchair go have never reappear plus No standing) what do you expect to happen? I did like the Scania's over the coaches, I wouldn't mind a coach on that route if someone tried to have a proper fast express like the old M91, at least you could have matched what other parts of Fife have.

I see people are still complaining about the Optare Versas on the 747.
 

Fifescottish

Member
Joined
14 Oct 2015
Messages
276
The doors on the new express coaches are a joke. Been stuck because they wouldn't work properly in Perth one night and almost daily drivers have to open and shut a few times to get the bus to move. I presume we cant have inward opening doors anymore like the original LXXX HSG and MXXX TSX interurban coaches used to have because of the wheelchair ramp?

I think the cuts need to be looked at, not having a link from Dunfermline East to Inverkeithing / Ferrytoll like the 1 used to allow is a joke, and the 2 in the morning stops far too early. More and more houses are being built but there has been no increase in car parking at rail stations.

The way things are going there is going to be a big upgrade needed at some point, if we have 10 year old coaches on the X55, and are replacing the Enviro 200's with 10 year old Versas. I don't know what the life expectancy is but it cant be more than 15 years?

I wonder what a new management team will do in the future?
 

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
Were they receiving complaints about them for the full 8 years they were in service? I think Stagecoach wanted rid for their own reasons.

To be fair, Dunfermine side still have the X54, mind you the X57 only had ONE coaches on those peak runs at 17.20( later 17.15) So people know where the coaches and the buses were. As soon as the X54 was pulled out of Dunfermline in 2014/2015 as part of changes to Halbeath P&R it become all buses.

I think the cuts need to be looked at, not having a link from Dunfermline East to Inverkeithing / Ferrytoll like the 1 used to allow is a joke, and the 2 in the morning stops far too early. More and more houses are being built but there has been no increase in car parking at rail stations.

Fife council still pays for the No89. I do agree with you its stop FAR to early, even in the evenings. There people still coming out of there work at 19.00 and 19.30. Of course changes happened and that made 1A in 2014 operate at the oppside end of the half hour when people needed it.

The other problem is Duloch is running behide by 6 years and the whole estate should have been complete by now. There was some BRDG for this area but it just seems to have disappeared, while being wasted at the wrong time. Let run a bus down Lapwing drive when there nothing here, back in 2007.

I wonder what a new management team will do in the future?

Lets get a new management team first ;)
 

Fifescottish

Member
Joined
14 Oct 2015
Messages
276
The other problem is Duloch is running behide by 6 years and the whole estate should have been complete by now. There was some BRDG for this area but it just seems to have disappeared, while being wasted at the wrong time. Let run a bus down Lapwing drive when there nothing here, back in 2007.
QUOTE]

I do remember that, as I recall the D3 and D4 each ran every half an hour in alternate directions, providing a bus up and down Lapwing Drive when there were no houses!

The 89 needs rerouted to serve Masterton Rd and Lapwing Drive, at the moment it is pretty restricted in what it serves!
 

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
I do remember that, as I recall the D3 and D4 each ran every half an hour in alternate directions, providing a bus up and down Lapwing Drive when there were no houses!

It was alot worse than that, it was every 20mins, it also went up Trondheim parkway and back down Linburn road, ( linburn now only get a bus every 70mins) At the exact same time, the D5/D6 was reduced from every 15mins to every 20min thus the buses were just pushed over to the paid for D3/4.
 

mbonwick

Established Member
Joined
26 Oct 2006
Messages
6,257
Location
Kendal
replacing much bigger buses with smaller coaches with only 47 seats.. ( should be 49 but the seats where the wheelchair go have never reappear plus No standing)

I'd hardly call 8 seats (for all their extra length, the Scanias only seated 55) a big difference.
Standing wise - OK, you have a point. But on a service of that length, it's questionable whether customers should "ideally" be standing at all.

Inward opening doors are possible, but you'd lose another 2 seats to fit the lift in (so C45FL max, rather than C47FL now or C49 with demountable seats).

Seems a bit odd if Dunfermline are losing their E200s en mass for Versas, but at the same time, if the margins have gone, then at least the older vehicles delay cutting of the routes...
 

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
I'd hardly call 8 seats (for all their extra length, the Scanias only seated 55) a big difference.
Standing wise - OK, you have a point. But on a service of that length, it's questionable whether customers should "ideally" be standing at all.

Scanias are only 51 seats, the point was there took a good number of standing passengers. I've seen full load with standing passengers come in on and out of Edinburgh on the Scanies. Again with the X51 weekend the coaches ended up replacing the Scanies and now there left passengers behide before a mad rush to swap them over to deckers but the damage was done.

Versas are warmer, and seem to have a better amount of power in them, I say replace the whole lot. If you get a good working bus no one cares of its age look at the PS. The daft network which was push in during 2014 and then cut back and cut back etc didn't help matter.... Still runing 4 buses an hour up past lapwing drive with nothing really on the road, Its only been this year the housing has finally been getting built.
 
Last edited:

Fifescottish

Member
Joined
14 Oct 2015
Messages
276
I think it all started going downhill when the network was renumbered. I couldnt understand at the time how they were affording to run the level of service they did. Now we basically have the bare bones left.

The number 2 was a classic example, all day running including Sat, it should have been obvious it would fail.

Hopefully things might pick up and some routes might be reinstated.
 

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
I think it all started going downhill when the network was renumbered. I couldnt understand at the time how they were affording to run the level of service they did. Now we basically have the bare bones left.

The number 2 was a classic example, all day running including Sat, it should have been obvious it would fail.

Hopefully things might pick up and some routes might be reinstated.

The clues all lead to one Mr Javis for pushing though the renumbering, he did it in Aberdeenshire and since he left some of the number went back to the original system. ( some have)

To be diplomatic, the 2 was bad idea, someone believe ( dare say the same people who no longer listened) places like Abbeyview etc never needed a bus to other areas, and it was believe just Duloch alone would create enough passengers, what happened? months later there back tracked, cut the 2 back to hourly off peak and reroute the 3 to cover parts of the 2 and give them the links back but the damage was done, of course. The 2 also operated on top of the 1 down to the Ferrytoll, yes 4ph.

In Kirkcaldy the 2014 K7/K8 idea was dreadful and never lasted, then the no16 idea again more thumbs down, and that was killed off aswell. To be fair some ideas have improved the network, like service going into the retail parks. There good ideas and then there just being silly.

I see from the Fife council tender K.... Are coming back, one will have to wonder if we will see Daytime routes also become K1,K2, K4, K5, and K6 again would be nice in August 2017.
 

Jamester

Member
Joined
9 Jul 2010
Messages
155
Going back to a previous comment about complaints about Versas on 747.

From a passenger point of view, seeing brand new coaches being advertised for X24 to Glasgow Airport, and then seeing Versas going to Edinburgh Airport which are often very busy with standees and luggage storage problems. Is it any wonder there are complaints?!
 

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
Going back to a previous comment about complaints about Versas on 747.

From a passenger point of view, seeing brand new coaches being advertised for X24 to Glasgow Airport, and then seeing Versas going to Edinburgh Airport which are often very busy with standees and luggage storage problems. Is it any wonder there are complaints?!

There better watch there back since the new Edinburgh gateway is now open, of course thats no good for the commuters and workers. ;)
 
Joined
20 Mar 2012
Messages
704
you can bid farewell to the Olympians very soon as tridents 18009/13/4/5 are currently getting seatbelts fitted so they might go to perth
 

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
At last:

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/news/...ber/new-operations-director-for-east-scotland

New Operations Director for East Scotland 16 Dec 2016

Bus operator Stagecoach has welcomed home a local man to the senior management team by appointing a new Operations Director. David Frenz, has taken on the role of Operations Director, Stagecoach East Scotland from December.

Stagecoach East Scotland provides local bus services across Fife, Perth, Strathtay and into Edinburgh and Glasgow. It has over 1300 employees and a fleet of around 520 buses and coaches.

Originally from Perth, David began his career in 2007 with Stagecoach South as a graduate trainee. Upon completing his training, David was appointed as an Operations Manager in Manchester and remained in post for 5 years. In 2014 David moved to Scottish Citylink, which is operated as a joint venture between Stagecoach and ComfortDelGro, as Operations Director.

David now joins the East Scotland team and will be based at their head office in Dunfermline. Having been part of the Stagecoach team which helped to deliver transport solutions in London during the Olympics in 2012, David worked with a number of East Scotland staff whilst on secondment and his connections through Citylink have also made him a familiar name to some East Scotland depot staff.

David takes over the role from Mark Whitelocks, who was recently promoted to the role of Managing Director for Stagecoach North Scotland.

David commented: "I'm delighted to be returning to East Scotland and working for a company I know very well from growing up in Perth. I'm looking forward to working with a great team and continuing to deliver high quality, affordable bus and coach travel for our customers across the region."
 
Last edited:

overthewater

Established Member
Joined
16 Apr 2012
Messages
8,153
It is actually Highland that is losing out as they are replacing newer Enviro300s with smaller and older Enviro200s.

So where has the Highlands E300 gone? Also if these where the ones on the town services, it makes to swap them for the E200.
 

Fifescottish

Member
Joined
14 Oct 2015
Messages
276
I thought the Versas were doing that?

Was on 36203 last night....they are welcome to it, was freezing as the heating is bust!
 

Top