First Cymru

[GusB]

Following suggestions and discussion between the mods, we've agreed to separate out the "Wales" discussion from the "First South West and Wales Discussion"

First South West and Wales discussion

Given we have quite few members in the general South West and Wales area who know a thing or two about the operations of First in the area, and like to discuss as much, I thought it would be sensible to have a new thread going for them (akin to the two Stagecoach fleet changes threads) so that...

www.railforums.co.uk

Please continue any discussion of First's Welsh operations here. Thanks

 

[cpb]

Swansea Bus Station reopened on Sunday with all buses and coaches now operating from the bus station rather than St Mary's Square and Caer Street. Took this pic at the bus station while I was there which shows the variety of liveries being used by First in the city at the moment!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Swansea Bus Station reopened on Sunday with all buses and coaches now operating from the bus station rather than St Mary's Square and Caer Street. Took this pic at the bus station while I was there which shows the variety of liveries being used by First in the city at the moment!

View attachment 80676

Thanks for posting. First Cymru does seem to pop beneath the radar. After an initial raft of repaints and refurbishments, have things gone a little quiet?

 

[cpb]

Thanks for posting. First Cymru does seem to pop beneath the radar. After an initial raft of repaints and refurbishments, have things gone a little quiet?

After a bit of a lull (thanks in some part I think to a certain pandemic) I think there's a new batch of resprays out and about. Spotted this one on Josh's Flickr page of a un-decal'ed 14 plate Enviro 200 in the new red livery

2020-06-10-12-17-16 by Josh's Photostream, on Flickr

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

After a bit of a lull (thanks in some part I think to a certain pandemic) I think there's a new batch of resprays out and about. Spotted this one on Josh's Flickr page of a un-decal'ed 14 plate Enviro 200 in the new red livery

2020-06-10-12-17-16 by Josh's Photostream, on Flickr

Even pre CV19, seemed that there was a bit of a break.

 

[HA08]

37152 was spotted a month ago at Hants & Dorset. The first B7TL to relieve the new livery and interior refresh. I don’t think it’s been out in service yet. I wonder which vehicles will be next.

YN06URF Eastliegh 23.06.2020 First Cymru

37152

flic.kr

 

[Ridercross]

Next service changes are from the 1st September for First Cymru.

Interestingly the route details of service 349 in the service headers are shown as Haverfordwest to Kilgetty via Saundersfoot. In actuality all the trips just run the normal 349 route between Haverfordwest and Tenby, but this must be a legacy of the planned extension earlier this year of the 349 from Tenby to Kilgetty well into Taf Valley territory. This was scrapped for obvious reasons and as to whether First will ever revisit the plans....

https://www.firstgroup.com/uploads/node_images/south-west-wales/Service_349_MF_Sa_1stSept20.pdf

 

[anthony263]

I've been through some of yhe new timetables.
Theres good and bad points:
Service X1 Bridgend to Swansea has been increased to run half hourly and the 2 hour gap in the morning from Bridgend has been plugged so this is the best timetable I've seen.on this route.
One of the bad points is the X3 Maesteg- Swansea Service is cut back to a hourly Maesteg to Port Talbot shuttle which is gonna put quite a few of the regular passengers off using it.
The X10 Swansea to Cardiff express is reinstated at a 2 hourly frequency and the timetables is not suitable for commuters especially as services leave Cardiff at 1640 and 1840.

 

[Mrs. Fortescue]

I've been through some of yhe new timetables.
Theres good and bad points:
Service X1 Bridgend to Swansea has been increased to run half hourly and the 2 hour gap in the morning from Bridgend has been plugged so this is the best timetable I've seen.on this route.
One of the bad points is the X3 Maesteg- Swansea Service is cut back to a hourly Maesteg to Port Talbot shuttle which is gonna put quite a few of the regular passengers off using it.
The X10 Swansea to Cardiff express is reinstated at a 2 hourly frequency and the timetables is not suitable for commuters especially as services leave Cardiff at 1640 and 1840.

Hopefully it reverts back to this timetable after the fire-break lockdown.

 

[HA08]

It’s great to see finally first cymru buses have started tracking, although there are still a few mistakes and anomalies, 36206 I believe is a different bus with that ticket machine and the other day I caught 69241 without a ticket machine at all!

Fleet list – First South & West Wales – bustimes.org

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It’s great to see finally first cymru buses have started tracking, although there are still a few mistakes and anomalies, 36206 I believe is a different bus with that ticket machine and the other day I caught 69241 without a ticket machine at all!

Fleet list – First South & West Wales – bustimes.org

Completely unrelated but have First Cymru stopped their repaint and refurb programme? Things seem to have slowed up in the last year.

 

[Bristol LH]

Completely unrelated but have First Cymru stopped their repaint and refurb programme? Things seem to have slowed up in the last year.

Only four vehicles have been repainted this year, so far - Volvo B7TLs 37152 and 37668, in two-tone blue, and Enviro200s 44590 and 44624, in red and maroon. Only the B7TLs were refurbished.

 

[iantherev]

Only four vehicles have been repainted this year, so far - Volvo B7TLs 37152 and 37668, in two-tone blue, and Enviro200s 44590 and 44624, in red and maroon. Only the B7TLs were refurbished.

And 44624 promptly had a thermal incident.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Only four vehicles have been repainted this year, so far - Volvo B7TLs 37152 and 37668, in two-tone blue, and Enviro200s 44590 and 44624, in red and maroon. Only the B7TLs were refurbished.

And 44624 promptly had a thermal incident.

Cheers Gents - it felt like it had gone quiet this year. Wonder if it's a reflection on the change of MD?

 

[anthony263]

And 44624 promptly had a thermal incident.

Thought t
Ot was 44623 that went up in flames on its way to Maesteg?

Maesteg depot is completely empty of any buses and is locked up so I think this will ne next to shut for good

 

[iantherev]

Thought t
Ot was 44623 that went up in flames on its way to Maesteg?

Maesteg depot is completely empty of any buses and is locked up so I think this will ne next to shut for good

It was a bus in red livery confirmed by several sources as 44624. 44623 is very much with us and out on the 76 today.

ian

 

[Mrs. Fortescue]

I really do dislike the off-shoots of different liveries. Much prefer things uniform. The red is vile.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The court case regarding the fatal accident involving a decker striking a low rail bridge in Swansea has concluded.

Fatal bus crash into bridge happened after driver took shortcut

The crash killed university academic Jessica Jing Ren and injured seven others

www.walesonline.co.uk

The driver of a double-decker bus which slammed into a low railway bridge and killed a passenger had taken a different route to try to avoid a traffic jam. Eric Vice had taken the road in question many times before - but only in small single-decker vehicles.

Much of the upper deck of the bus was ripped away when Vice took the bus under the bridge in the Landore area of Swansea in December 2019, causing catastrophic and fatal injuries to university academic Jessica Jing Ren and injuring a dozen more passengers

Vice, aged 64, of Y Berllan, Dunvant, Swansea pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving when he appeared at Swansea Crown Court.

The court heard the defendant had been a bus driver for 40 years, and was well-regarded.

Judge Geraint Walters told the defendant his decision to take a different route that day was born from impatience, and would have saved him just a few minutes - but that "fatal error" led to "carnage".

There's more in the article but it sounds terrible for all concerned. Awful for the family of the deceased lady obviously. Terrible for the driver who will live have to live with the consequences of making that decision. Also, must be horrific for the other passenger who comforted the critically injured woman. All very sad.

 

[DaveHarries]

A post, with photo, on the "First Bus Enthusiasts" group on Facebook says that Swansea depot have got a demo in the guise of ADL/BYD Enviro200MMC EV LJ68 CYO which will be trialled on Service 4 there until 28th February.

Dave

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Apologies for not providing the link but First Cymru have tweeted details of their open-top services to be operated by their former Weston open toppers. Two routes are to be operated, both branded as Cymru Coaster

• Service 1 from Swansea to Bracelet Bay via Mumbles - a route that has often had open-top buses at various times. The livery appears to be much the same as the one worn by the Weymouth open toppers (cream with blue front and rear slashes)
• Service 99 from Trecco Bay to Rest Bay via Porthcawl - the livery is different shades of sea green; can't recall an open topper round there before (but my knowledge is limited) and been a while since Bridgend depot had a decker. Assume that this will be one vehicle with a single deck deputising when required

Nothing on the website and tweet doesn't give a start date

 

[Marcus Fryer]

[*]Service 99 from Trecco Bay to Rest Bay via Porthcawl - the livery is different shades of sea green; can't recall an open topper round there before (but my knowledge is limited) and been a while since Bridgend depot had a decker. Assume that this will be one vehicle with a single deck deputising when required
[/LIST]

Porthcawl Omnibus Company had an ex- Crosville convertible open-top Lodekka (627 HFM) for nine years 1981-1990. I seem to remember it operated a seafront service there.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Porthcawl Omnibus Company had an ex- Crosville convertible open-top Lodekka (627 HFM) for nine years 1981-1990. I seem to remember it operated a seafront service there.

Didn't know that - I was thinking of the main firms and hadn't thought of an independent.

 

[KendalKing]

Apologies for not providing the link but First Cymru have tweeted details of their open-top services to be operated by their former Weston open toppers. Two routes are to be operated, both branded as Cymru Coaster

• Service 1 from Swansea to Bracelet Bay via Mumbles - a route that has often had open-top buses at various times. The livery appears to be much the same as the one worn by the Weymouth open toppers (cream with blue front and rear slashes)
• Service 99 from Trecco Bay to Rest Bay via Porthcawl - the livery is different shades of sea green; can't recall an open topper round there before (but my knowledge is limited) and been a while since Bridgend depot had a decker. Assume that this will be one vehicle with a single deck deputising when required

Nothing on the website and tweet doesn't give a start date

Start date given as 29th May.

 

[Ridercross]

According to the WMBusphotos.com First Fleet lists Haverfordwest and Ravenhill have had a big fleet swop.

Haverfordwest seem to have lost their Darts and E200s to Ravenhill with 11 Streetlites going the other way.

Can anybody on the ground confirm that this has happened?

 

[iantherev]

According to the WMBusphotos.com First Fleet lists Haverfordwest and Ravenhill have had a big fleet swop.

Haverfordwest seem to have lost their Darts and E200s to Ravenhill with 11 Streetlites going the other way.

Can anybody on the ground confirm that this has happened?

Correct

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

According to the WMBusphotos.com First Fleet lists Haverfordwest and Ravenhill have had a big fleet swop.

Haverfordwest seem to have lost their Darts and E200s to Ravenhill with 11 Streetlites going the other way.

Can anybody on the ground confirm that this has happened?

This tweet of the First Cymru MD visiting Haverfordwest shows it appears to be the case (in part) https://twitter.com/JaneRDavies/status/1392875742317449218

 

[Ridercross]

Thanks for the replies, looking forward to a trip on one on the 349 next time I am down on holiday then, hope they don't get too scratched by the branches along the A4139!

 

[traveller1]

Open Top Services (1 - Mumbles and 99 - Porthcawl) now in operation. Good to see open top services return to South Wales, and this must be a first for Porthcawl? Can't wait to try out the 99 on the weekend.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

this must be a first for Porthcawl?

I thought that but was corrected - see post #21

 

[traveller1]

I thought that but was corrected - see post #21

well i didnt realise that!