Where have you found that out from? Website is still advertising trips next week.
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East Anglia Bus Scene
- Thread starter F Great Eastern
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F Great Eastern
Established Member
The company sent an email to students of Farlingaye High School saying the buses are cancelled from Monday as the company has ceased trading.
robert west
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It's also on the east Norfolk bus blog with news of vehicle movements
Ok, thanks
Bedford OB
Member
An interesting development, given that it was announced not so long ago that the company had joined the lengthening list of operators in the Home Counties sold to the REL Capital Group, which seems now to be hitting a few regulatory problems.
robert west
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arriva 3552 KX09GYB in 2017 arriva livery now in service at colchester
It is an adl/transbus enviro 300
REL are like a last resort company. They come in to turn around struggling companies or take over companies where a family run company is retiring. Unfortunately Felixstowe Travel probably suffered to lack of contacts or contracts coming to an end. REL own Tendering Travel which has taken over sone contacts from Felixstowe Travel.
So basically Felixstowe Travel has been absorbed into REL Tendering, contact wise.
buslad1988
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Various changes to First’s Norwich network now announced (including Park & Ride), with publicity adopting the new branding. The P&R map is slightly confusing however - it’s a through service but appears on the map like it’s two different routes.
Lowestoft is also getting its enhancements at the same time. It hasn’t had a network at these levels for many years; it’s not earth shattering but certainly a step back in the right direction.
Lowestoft is also getting its enhancements at the same time. It hasn’t had a network at these levels for many years; it’s not earth shattering but certainly a step back in the right direction.
The restoration of the Lowestoft town network to it's pre-pandemic service levels are funded using Suffolk County Council's BSIP budget, it should be noted.
F Great Eastern
Established Member
The vehicles are registered
BU25 YRO - Entered service today
BU25 YRP - Still to enter service.
F Great Eastern
Established Member
Omnidekkas BUS91D (YN55NJZ) and BUS91C (YN55NDY) have now been withdrawn by Beestons and returned to their original plates.
In addition Volvo Plaxton B8R Plaxton Leopards 523FN (AV24YCP) and FHJ565 (AV72 VKT) have been sold. Seems strange to buy a Leopard and then sell it so quickly.
In addition Volvo Plaxton B8R Plaxton Leopards 523FN (AV24YCP) and FHJ565 (AV72 VKT) have been sold. Seems strange to buy a Leopard and then sell it so quickly.
Was it dedicated to a contract which has now ceased? Maybe it was for holidays which may have stopped?
F Great Eastern
Established Member
Beestons stopped the holidays years ago. Not sure what the situation is with school tenders for next year though, so may be related.
Bedford OB
Member
REL have now stated that the purchase was never completed, as they couldn't reach agreement with the landlord and the drivers did not want to move location. So Tendring Travel has taken some work and otherwise that's that for Felixstowe Travel.
BusGeek 1989
New Member
One would presume an incoming Volvo / MCV order with some older Scania deckers for sale (as mentioned YN55NJZ and YN55NDY). There must just be no more requirement for both Plaxton Leopards. Nice to see such a heavy investment into the fleet although most existing vehicles are immaculate as it is.
F Great Eastern
Established Member
One of the two recently delivered Volvo MCV vehicles (BU25 YRO/P) now has the plate 524FN with the other now believed to have 523FN.
524FN which was new to Beestons 21 years ago is back on its original plate YN54OBB.
YN55NDY (EX BUS91C) and YN55NJZ (EX BUS 91D) are now SORN and up for sale at Chartwells
www.chartwellbussales.co.uk
BUS 91E (Ex MX06LDN) is hanging on for the moment as is NSV371 and NSV372 (ex MX04MYW and MX04MYY)
526FN (YN05HFY) will go nowhere soon as It was repainted a few months ago and is of a higher spec than the others.
222GRA, a third MCV Volvo B8L Evora 12.9m has been delivered to Beestons in the Silver livery and joins 219 GRA and 221 GRA which were delivered in March 2023 in the white livery. m
524FN which was new to Beestons 21 years ago is back on its original plate YN54OBB.
YN55NDY (EX BUS91C) and YN55NJZ (EX BUS 91D) are now SORN and up for sale at Chartwells
Chartwell Bus Sales Ltd
Chartwell Bus Sales Ltd 01403 756 804 / 07950 616 106, Founded in 2016 by Director Steve Swain who has over 30 years’ experience in the UK Bus and Coach industry. Chartwell offers a wide range of new and used buses and coaches, from 22 seats through to 80 + to suit all specifications and budgets.
www.chartwellbussales.co.uk
BUS 91E (Ex MX06LDN) is hanging on for the moment as is NSV371 and NSV372 (ex MX04MYW and MX04MYY)
526FN (YN05HFY) will go nowhere soon as It was repainted a few months ago and is of a higher spec than the others.
222GRA, a third MCV Volvo B8L Evora 12.9m has been delivered to Beestons in the Silver livery and joins 219 GRA and 221 GRA which were delivered in March 2023 in the white livery. m
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F Great Eastern
Established Member
Quite a few more changes to come I've heard with more new vehicles to arrive.
Apparently Omnidekka 524 FN that has now gone back to YN54OBB is actually not going anywhere .
Apparently Omnidekka 524 FN that has now gone back to YN54OBB is actually not going anywhere .
buslad1988
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- 457
Yet another crash on the Cambridge Guided Busway today; on the same day the council has been fined £6m after three deaths since it’s opened.
www.bbc.co.uk
Hope all those injured today are okay. Unfortunately it’s more bad publicity.
Cambridgeshire guided buses crash with fire engine in Northstowe - BBC News
Eleven people are taken to hospital after a collision at a dedicated lane for guided buses.
www.bbc.co.uk
Hope all those injured today are okay. Unfortunately it’s more bad publicity.
F Great Eastern
Established Member
Seat belted hybrid spec Omnidekka YN54 OBB (524 FN until recently) has now gained the BUS91C plate that recently has been vacated by standard bus spec YN55NDY that has been listed for sale.
gingerheid
Established Member
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- 2 Apr 2006
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- 1,571
The first timetable for a CPCA "Tiger" (funded by an extra council tax charge) timetable is now available: https://bustimes.org/services/t1-huntingdon-cambridge
The routes starting in this round are:
There's also a future bus network map at this link, which is too big to upload to the forum.
The routes starting in this round are:
- Tiger 1 – Huntingdon to Cambridge
- Tiger 2 & 3 – Cambridge North and South connections
- Tiger 4 & 5 – Soham to Cambridge & Newmarket to Cambridge
- Tiger 7 – Chatteris to Wisbech
- Tiger 9 – Peterborough Orbital
There's also a future bus network map at this link, which is too big to upload to the forum.
buslad1988
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I’m still trying to figure all this out; so every route that gets absorbed into the franchises will have a ‘T’ prefix? If that’s the case I hope they keep the routes simple or it’ll become a mess like First West of England with T12a/x etc.
I presume Stephensons will be keen to keep hold of Tiger 4 & 5 - otherwise that sees them removed from the county altogether?
Is there any actual Tiger livery/branding yet? Tiger itself just seems odd - it’s not like tigers have any significance in Cambridgeshire? (Or atleast not to my knowledge). They could have found a brand name more locally focused… Cambus for example!
The network map and the list of routes already throws up numbers used twice on Cambridge and Peterborough locals. Presumably as these get re-worked they will want no duplicates? Although the fact the first few rounds are using T1-5/7/9/12 in some random areas demonstrates they aren’t putting much thought into grouping routes to common places together? Something tells me this is going to get very messy indeed.
gingerheid
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I want to be in favour of public transport improvements, but these ones feel implemented by someone that never travelled on a bus!
I've no idea what's going on with the T numbering, and indeed the numbering in general. Within Cambridge there will be a 1, a T1 and a U1 (potential confusion between the T1 and U1 by way of operator, and 1 and T1 by way of route), and a 2, T2 & U2, with potential for significant confusion between the U2 and T2 in West Cambs, and betwen the 2 and T2 in Milton. The 3 and T3 will also cross paths in Cherry Hinton.
The T4 registration has appeared and it's Stagecoach, which (like with the T1 going to Whippet) feels like the beginning of a ticketing mess (and possible legal issues).
In general terms, I feel like I could have done better things with whatever number of extra buses the roads will see.
The Tiger brand seems to mean many random things; an express service, a regional service, orbital services, rural services & DRT. I think it's supposed to be a reference to the Fen Tiger? In election materials it was supposed to represent brand of regional network of frequent rural services connecting market towns, or something like that.
I've no idea what's going on with the T numbering, and indeed the numbering in general. Within Cambridge there will be a 1, a T1 and a U1 (potential confusion between the T1 and U1 by way of operator, and 1 and T1 by way of route), and a 2, T2 & U2, with potential for significant confusion between the U2 and T2 in West Cambs, and betwen the 2 and T2 in Milton. The 3 and T3 will also cross paths in Cherry Hinton.
The T4 registration has appeared and it's Stagecoach, which (like with the T1 going to Whippet) feels like the beginning of a ticketing mess (and possible legal issues).
In general terms, I feel like I could have done better things with whatever number of extra buses the roads will see.
The Tiger brand seems to mean many random things; an express service, a regional service, orbital services, rural services & DRT. I think it's supposed to be a reference to the Fen Tiger? In election materials it was supposed to represent brand of regional network of frequent rural services connecting market towns, or something like that.
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Teds
Member
The allocation of T4 and T5 were delayed for clarification - presumeably because of the overlap with the Stephensons 12/12A. The 12A Newmarket - Cambridge via Burwell seems have been cancelled according to this map replaced by T4&T5 which, I think, will both be same operator. I don't know whether the 12A was a tendered route.
The interaction with the other Stephensons routes in Cambridgeshire is limited. 112 (Ely - Newmarket) is tendered as is 9A in Ely. Both are worked from an outstation in Witchford. The 12 is probably commercial and provides the faster route from Newmarket to Cambridge which T5 doesn't duplicate - T4 doesn't go to Cambridge city centre and ends up at Addenbrookes by a rather circuitous route. T4 looks to be a route that is not long for this world in my view. T5 should pick up some traffic from Soham where significant housing development is planned. It should terminate at the northern boundary of Soham rather than at the station where it is unlikely to encourage any connections to the 2 hourly train service.
I am amazed that Stagecoach were so keen to pick up these Tiger routes. From memory, they have T2, T3, T4, T5, T7 (East Midlands from Long Sutton). T9 is not allocated and T12 is AtoB. Previously, they tended to avoid tendered routes.
The interaction with the other Stephensons routes in Cambridgeshire is limited. 112 (Ely - Newmarket) is tendered as is 9A in Ely. Both are worked from an outstation in Witchford. The 12 is probably commercial and provides the faster route from Newmarket to Cambridge which T5 doesn't duplicate - T4 doesn't go to Cambridge city centre and ends up at Addenbrookes by a rather circuitous route. T4 looks to be a route that is not long for this world in my view. T5 should pick up some traffic from Soham where significant housing development is planned. It should terminate at the northern boundary of Soham rather than at the station where it is unlikely to encourage any connections to the 2 hourly train service.
I am amazed that Stagecoach were so keen to pick up these Tiger routes. From memory, they have T2, T3, T4, T5, T7 (East Midlands from Long Sutton). T9 is not allocated and T12 is AtoB. Previously, they tended to avoid tendered routes.
gingerheid
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I honestly don't think many of the routes are long for this world.
For Huntingdon the T1 has speed on its side, but the infrequency and ticketing issue will probably kill it. In any case the frequency of the B probably makes up for the slowness anyway.
The T2 is ridiculous. It's not even the best way of getting between many of the places it connects, and there's no obvious reason why people would want to use it for the connections it does make (ie linking P&R sites to each other, rather than to a railway station or hospital) . The T3 may be better, but it's still very limited. I do see room for orbital services, but not these.
I can see the theory for the T4, but not the practice.
If it was a higher frequency Madingley - Addenbrooke's - Newmarket Rd service I could see it being used.
The T5 at least benefits a fairly large community, and is maybe the best of the Cambridge bunch.
For Huntingdon the T1 has speed on its side, but the infrequency and ticketing issue will probably kill it. In any case the frequency of the B probably makes up for the slowness anyway.
The T2 is ridiculous. It's not even the best way of getting between many of the places it connects, and there's no obvious reason why people would want to use it for the connections it does make (ie linking P&R sites to each other, rather than to a railway station or hospital) . The T3 may be better, but it's still very limited. I do see room for orbital services, but not these.
I can see the theory for the T4, but not the practice.
If it was a higher frequency Madingley - Addenbrooke's - Newmarket Rd service I could see it being used.
The T5 at least benefits a fairly large community, and is maybe the best of the Cambridge bunch.
buslad1988
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I guess Stagecoach have no choice, they have to start putting in tenders for this work otherwise it’s their business gone!
At this early stage I’m really not sure how this whole scheme will benefit anyone in the long run. They don’t seem to have looked to the other areas who are franchising already - I can’t see the likes of Go-Ahead putting in bids for this system.
Do Tiger routes have any specific bus specifications? Standard interior, WiFi, USB charging, 2 wheelchair spaces etc?
If council tax has increased then value for money is key and you need to actually see some positive changes and benefits from this! A few extra limited routes which serve niche markets won’t cut it - if that’s the case they should have just increased the funding for sponsored services.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
The Fen Tigers were a group of rebellious individuals who challenged the status quo (landed gentry) about 300 years ago, with a tigerish fighting capability.
This is the usual "thing" where a local authority etc has its own numbering system to demonstrate that they are spending money on bus services. For previous examples, see Avon CC, Cleveland CC, etc
gingerheid
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Bizarrely though it's really hard to find out what services the CPCA fund. For most they don't do something like the prefix to the service number that you see in many areas, and there's no logos on timetables or anything like that. They don't even advertise clearly on their own website what they currently subsidise!
Linton Zoo have Tigers, but it's not on a Tiger route.