Used to be even more than that when it was running with single decks pre 2009 - during the peaks it would fairly regularly have up to 7 buses running together.
Those were the days. You would turn up and just jump on one.
I remember when the guided busway looked like it had a tram on it, but it was just a bunch of Eclipses nose to tail.
I remember that too and I think the old fleet number 619 was written off when fleet number 104 crashed with it.
So… more or less like the current 63 route’s southern half & the new tender to Cramond?
Why would they need prepared? There's more then adequate time for them to be cleaned and fuelled (if that's the preparation you mean) between the end of service and the start of the night service.
You know nothing about bus/garage operations, clearly.
Service 22 has also been fully B9TL operated today as a result (it's usually 441-465 on a Sunday) and Service 27 with the Enviro 400MMCs. Service 14 using 426-437 which is also normally B9TLs but some needed to stay off service so that they could temporarily move to Marine while the tours run out of Central tomorrow. At Longstone the 33, 34 and 35 are using regular Mon-Sat allocations over their Sunday ones. Some buses have changed routes to allow for the part route running now so allocations may differ, and it won't be long till most buses return to the garage.
Certain buses must be getting used specially for tonight. Getting them into position must be a huge undertaking. Do they have H prefixes already installed on their screens or will this need to have been added?
You'd presume the Hanover destination systems are updated in advance to allow for drivers to select destinations with a H prefix. They may even exist from previous years, I don't see why remove them during the year.
This is no ordinary night though, is it? Buses will be departing from more locations than normal and more people will be going about too. All the best everyone!
It would be helpful, as one who clearly has a better insight into these matters, if you were to provide some detail as to exactly what goes on in preparing buses for service, rather than dismissing someone's post with a "you know nothing" attitude.
There isn't anything more than fuel, wash and clean, it's all pretty simple and it's the same that happens every night during the year.
Great capture. I see 1114 at the front. I was on that on a 21 last Tuesday. I wonder if the open top bus was used for a Hogmanay service? It would certainly have been well ventilatedHappy New Year. I saw this on the way past Central depot just after midnight
The costs associated with operating buses at this time of year might dwarf any fares collected. Many will have Ridacards or concessions meaning a bus loaded with 100 passengers as it approaches the city centre may only have taken about £50 in fares or concession reimbursement.
That bus was only at Central so the tours could be operated from Central on New Year's Day.
402-404, 406, 410 are repainted alongside 951. Nothing off for repaint this year as of yet.
I’m guessing that this means that there are no plans for 401-404 & 406-425 to go to either Lothian Country or East Coast buses when the new electrics arrive in Spring.
I'd personally assume that any transfers to either would need to be newer vehicles so they last until the electrification of the corresponding depots, otherwise they'd need replacing again.
Bustimes.org tracks all the buses but I would say that it is only about 90% accurate.
