First Glasgow

[317 forever]

I am considering coming to Glasgow at the end of May. I understand that Monday 30th May will not just be the Spring Bank Holiday in England but also a Glasgow Bank Holiday.

Does anyone know what level of service usually operates on First Glasgow buses on this day?

The double-deck fleet has been updated with new Enviro 500 buses and also ex-London Tridents.

Indeed, I plan to ride one of the Enviro 500-bodied double-deckers. Does anone know which routes they usually operate?

I thank any of you who can answer my questions!

 

[me123]

There's no advice about the level of service for the 30th as of yet, but in my experience services during Glasgow Holidays can be quite considerably reduced so I would expect a Sunday service until advised otherwise.

I don't know much about buses. I do know that the Enviro 500s operate on route 44 (Eaglesham-Knightswood via Cathcart, Victoria Infirmary, Hope St, Charing X, Glasgow Uni & Jordanhill). I imagine that they'd do other routes as well, but to be honest I've not paid much attention!

EDIT: Having a look at some picture, I'm reminded that the buses do (or at least used to) carry an advert advising that the 44 bus is now climate controlled; implying that they may only serve the 44 route.

 

[rail-britain]

Unusually Monday 30 May is showing as a normal weekday service on some routes I checked (routes 44, 66, X4M, and X80)
However, as above I would expect an amended service with Sunday starting times and Saturday service between 09:00 and 18:00

 

[jamesontheroad]

You'll find them on some route 5 and most route 44 services. After being freezing cold all winter, the air-con has now (on a handful of trips this week) been ineffectual in this warm weather. Aside from First Glasgow's frequent price rises, specifying buses with air-con instead of opening windows in Scotland is one of the dumbest ideas yet...

 

[rail-britain]

specifying buses with air-con instead of opening windows in Scotland is one of the dumbest ideas yet...

Does this not go back to the old GRT days?
Buses with air conditioning were order for Aberdeen, but the identical buses for Midland did not

The air conditioning makes sense, as the environment is drier which can be useful in keeping all the windows clear of misting in wet conditions, which is one common complaint
Equally, there was probably little cost difference between specifying with or without, such that either removing it was more expensive or a discount was offered for it being included

 

[jamesontheroad]

Air conditioning consumes more energy, therefore more diesel, therefore more street level pollution and higher running costs. In a very humid climate like the west of Scotland, air conditioning in a bus filled with almost 100 sweating, breathing, talking Glaswegians is pretty ineffectual. It is also a recipe for problems, because the driver is frankly too busy driving the bus and issuing tickets (and is ensconced in a fully enclosed cab) to know when the air con needs to be turned up, down, on or off.

Besides, in any environment with lots of variables (i.e. passengers, climate, traffic etc) remember the golden rule of good design: KISS! Keep It Simple, Stupid! Windows that open are cheaper, reduce energy consumption and allow passengers to control their environment. They're also less likely to go wrong!

 

[route101]

I am considering coming to Glasgow at the end of May. I understand that Monday 30th May will not just be the Spring Bank Holiday in England but also a Glasgow Bank Holiday.

Does anyone know what level of service usually operates on First Glasgow buses on this day?

The double-deck fleet has been updated with new Enviro 500 buses and also ex-London Tridents.

Indeed, I plan to ride one of the Enviro 500-bodied double-deckers. Does anone know which routes they usually operate?

I thank any of you who can answer my questions!

I wouldnt think the Ex London Tridents are that exciting As for routes the E 500s do the 44 , Occ 5s , Occ 75s and ive even had one on the 31 ! I would take the 44 to Eaglesham , you will get to see a slice of Glasgow from Inner City to the Tenements of the Southside to Middle Class Suburbia and Finally a bit of Countryside .Eaglesham isa pleasant village .The e500s seem to stop operated after 8 and Geminis take over .

 

[rail-britain]

I agree, route 44 is great
However it isn't exactly suited to these vehicles!
Also grab on to your seat from Holmlea Road into Orchy Street...

 

[route101]

I agree, route 44 is great
However it isn't exactly suited to these vehicles!
Also grab on to your seat from Holmlea Road into Orchy Street...

Yeah its tight around there. i used to take the 44 over the 66 when i lived in Busby . 66 is a riot at peaktime.

 

[317 forever]

I wouldnt think the Ex London Tridents are that exciting As for routes the E 500s do the 44 , Occ 5s , Occ 75s and ive even had one on the 31 ! I would take the 44 to Eaglesham , you will get to see a slice of Glasgow from Inner City to the Tenements of the Southside to Middle Class Suburbia and Finally a bit of Countryside .Eaglesham isa pleasant village .The e500s seem to stop operated after 8 and Geminis take over .

I may well ride route 44 to Eaglesham now. I recognised the route number, and believe this was where the Volvo Olympians-Northern Counties Paladin IIs operated.

Thank you to all of you who have offered suggestions and feedback.

When I come to Glasgow, I hope also to have time to ride from Glasgow to Helensburgh or Balloch as they are served by direct First buses.

 

[route101]

I may well ride route 44 to Eaglesham now. I recognised the route number, and believe this was where the Volvo Olympians-Northern Counties Paladin IIs operated.

Thank you to all of you who have offered suggestions and feedback.

When I come to Glasgow, I hope also to have time to ride from Glasgow to Helensburgh or Balloch as they are served by direct First buses.

Yeah 44 out to Eaglesham good choice , i used to take the 44 over a 66 back to Busby when i stayed there . The Volvo Olympians are the buses that operated on the 44 before the Geminis went into service . You will rarely get them on the 44 but i still see them from time to time. Make sure you pick up a 44 timetable . Bear in mind the 44a splits at Clarkston and goes to Newton Mearns.
For Balloch and Helensburgh they are some of the longest First routesout of Glasgow . You will need a £5 Network all day . Buses on this route are umcomfortable Scanias as Dumbarton Depot recieved them from Larkfield Depot .

 

[rail-britain]

I'm not too up on my buses (lost interest after stagecoach removed the toothpaste stripes)
I believe the buses now on route 44 were on route 66 for a while, but it was a complete disaster
Even now they are a squeeze on route 44
However these two routes seem to be the first to see newer vehicles, presumably as they pass Larkfield (Victoria Road)

I still keep an eye on buses from Stagecoach that pass me in Cumbernauld
We went through a period of Citylink coaches, then Megabus, and recently have gone back to Citylink (these are on Stagecoach Glasgow registered services)
First Glasgow turn up with a double decker, eeek
I assume the route is used simply to swap vehicles and provide free transport to drivers to/from the depot!

 

[route101]

I'm not too up on my buses (lost interest after stagecoach removed the toothpaste stripes)
I believe the buses now on route 44 were on route 66 for a while, but it was a complete disaster
Even now they are a squeeze on route 44
However these two routes seem to be the first to see newer vehicles, presumably as they pass Larkfield (Victoria Road)

I still keep an eye on buses from Stagecoach that pass me in Cumbernauld
We went through a period of Citylink coaches, then Megabus, and recently have gone back to Citylink (these are on Stagecoach Glasgow registered services)
First Glasgow turn up with a double decker, eeek
I assume the route is used simply to swap vehicles and provide free transport to drivers to/from the depot!

The 66 is hampered by the Busby Railway Bridge so any deckers have to be Low Height .The 66 newest bus is a 06 plate Eclipse ! so the 44 buses have never been on the 66 unless its Larkfield Single. Yeah Larkfield and Scotstoun Depots do the 66 , its a long Route Mountblow to East Kilbride !!.

I think Stagecoach run any coach or Bus on the Cumbernauld Routes . They are competing with First here .

 

[rail-britain]

I think Stagecoach run any coach or Bus on the Cumbernauld Routes . They are competing with First here .

They are hardly competing, except between the destinations
First concentrate on the towns linking the route
Stagecoach concentrate on the direct link (linking in with the Fife services)
Equally, the First services don't even link in with their Stirling / Falkirk services at Cumbernauld

Stagecoach during the day run coaches from the Glasgow fleet
However early in the morning and late at night they swap this to vehicles from the Citylink services
I've never found out why, but I assume this is to keep the depot empty?!?

 

[jamesontheroad]

The 44 and 66 are, IIRC, some of the longest end-to-end urban bus routes in the UK. A glance at the weekday timetable shows a 44 taking 1h 40m Crookfur to Knightswood, and a 66 taking 2h 4m.

 

[route101]

They are hardly competing, except between the destinations
First concentrate on the towns linking the route
Stagecoach concentrate on the direct link (linking in with the Fife services)
Equally, the First services don't even link in with their Stirling / Falkirk services at Cumbernauld

Stagecoach during the day run coaches from the Glasgow fleet
However early in the morning and late at night they swap this to vehicles from the Citylink services
I've never found out why, but I assume this is to keep the depot empty?!?

The x25 Stagey Route runs on the M80 to Cumbernauld . First has a few x routes to Cumbernauld and the only slow route is the 36 ! . this is unlike East Kilbride which has the Regular City services terminating at EK no expresses .Im sure First run services from Glasgow to Falkirk and Stirling . Trains way quicker though .
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The 44 and 66 are, IIRC, some of the longest end-to-end urban bus routes in the UK. A glance at the weekday timetable shows a 44 taking 1h 40m Crookfur to Knightswood, and a 66 taking 2h 4m.

Yeah from the Northwest of City to East Kilbride .ive used the 66 to Clydebank and find it useful for GWR rD . The 216 to Helensburgh and the 266 to Shotts are bloody long routes .

 

[rail-britain]

The 44 and 66 are, IIRC, some of the longest end-to-end urban bus routes in the UK. A glance at the weekday timetable shows a 44 taking 1h 40m Crookfur to Knightswood, and a 66 taking 2h 4m.

I've done both routes, terminus to terminus
It really does give you an insight to Glasgow and it is amazing how quickly a few hours can pass
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Im sure First run services from Glasgow to Falkirk and Stirling

Yes, those are the original Midland Scottish services
I've been on them a few times, the services wander past every tree and village more now than they used to compared to the train which is point-to-point

As mentioned above these compete quite well with the Stagecoach services, the other First services (using double deckers) are no where near as fast
The Stagecoach services operate direct along the M80 and A80 non-stop between Cumbernauld and Buchanan Bus Station, the First Bus services operate through Crowwood and Condorrat only briefly using the M80

 

[route101]

I've done both routes, terminus to terminus
It really does give you an insight to Glasgow and it is amazing how quickly a few hours can pass
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Yes, those are the original Midland Scottish services
I've been on them a few times, the services wander past every tree and village more now than they used to compared to the train which is point-to-point

As mentioned above these compete quite well with the Stagecoach services, the other First services (using double deckers) are no where near as fast
The Stagecoach services operate direct along the M80 and A80 non-stop between Cumbernauld and Buchanan Bus Station, the First Bus services operate through Crowwood and Condorrat only briefly using the M80

Christ , Mountblow to Calderwood ! Southside section of 66 is better ! Another nice route is 31, well the Section around and through Carmunnock.

 

[317 forever]

Yeah 44 out to Eaglesham good choice , i used to take the 44 over a 66 back to Busby when i stayed there . The Volvo Olympians are the buses that operated on the 44 before the Geminis went into service . You will rarely get them on the 44 but i still see them from time to time. Make sure you pick up a 44 timetable . Bear in mind the 44a splits at Clarkston and goes to Newton Mearns.
For Balloch and Helensburgh they are some of the longest First routesout of Glasgow . You will need a £5 Network all day . Buses on this route are umcomfortable Scanias as Dumbarton Depot recieved them from Larkfield Depot .

I seem to recall that Newton Mearns is quite a good area for variety of bus routes.

Thank you for warning me of old Scanias on the routes to Helensburgh and Balloch. As I have already been that way on the Citylink route to Portree, I shall probably not do so anymore!

 

[route101]

I seem to recall that Newton Mearns is quite a good area for variety of bus routes.

Thank you for warning me of old Scanias on the routes to Helensburgh and Balloch. As I have already been that way on the Citylink route to Portree, I shall probably not do so anymore!

Well First Dumbarton Depot which runs the 215 , 204 etc have taken scanias off Larkfield depot (Glasgows Biggest). The scanias arent great for long runs.
Newton Mearns only has 3 First routes , 38, 44A and x78(Peak Only). There is also the Stagecoach 4 with E300S that does Glasgow to Ayr .

 

[tbtc]

Well First Dumbarton Depot which runs the 215 , 204 etc have taken scanias off Larkfield depot

Is that to withdraw B10Ms? Or are there none left in Dumbarton now?

 

[route101]

Is that to withdraw B10Ms? Or are there none left in Dumbarton now?

Im sure i saw a B10M on a 204 ! Dumbarton only has a few buses so there might only be a couple of them left . Larkfield has a few now as well . These are a lot better than the scanias for sure.

 

[tbtc]

Im sure i saw a B10M on a 204 ! Dumbarton only has a few buses so there might only be a couple of them left . Larkfield has a few now as well . These are a lot better than the scanias for sure.

Cheers. I don't think there are any ex-South-Yorkshire ones around Glasgow any more (N-CKY etc), but I do look out for any B10Ms when around

 

[route101]

Cheers. I don't think there are any ex-South-Yorkshire ones around Glasgow any more (N-CKY etc), but I do look out for any B10Ms when around

Im sure ive seem them services in West Lothian , i seen one at Fauldhouse Stn last week!

 

[317 forever]

I now know that I am definitely coming to Glasgow by the end of September. I note your suggestions about route 44 to Eaglesham. Does it intersect with any other routes, even if these are run by other operators? If Stagecoach or Arriva, I can use a Strathclyde Daytripper on them.

 

[route101]

You could take the 44 to Newton Mearns then a Stagecoach 4 to Ayr .

 

[Smethwickian]

If Stagecoach or Arriva, I can use a Strathclyde Daytripper on them.

Just don't anyone bank on using a PlusBus ticket without a lengthy argument. An Arriva driver on the 17 last Tuesday peered at mine, took it from me, read it, turned it over, read it again and said "Never seen one of those before, what is it?" - despite driving a bus with a 'PlusBus accepted' sticker on his cab door. At least he accepted it in the end.

But the First Glasgow driver on the 45 who refused point blank and insisted it was only valid from outside the station and within the city centre only is the subject of a complaint to the company for which I have yet to receive a response.

 

[jamesontheroad]

But the First Glasgow driver on the 45 who refused point blank and insisted it was only valid from outside the station and within the city centre only is the subject of a complaint to the company for which I have yet to receive a response.

Try your luck with a First Glasgow Express airport e-ticket. I've been using them about four or five times a month since the service launched in January, and not one First driver on non-airport services has recognised or known what the e-ticket is.

 

[317 forever]

I finally went to Glasgow on Tuesday and returned this evening (Saturday). I rode most First Glasgow buses of interest yesterday apart from the Enviro 300 on the Airport service, which I rode on Thursday.

I didn't venture as far as Eaglesham on a route 44 Enviro 500 but did change onto one at Larkfield garage from an Enviro 400 on route 66! I stayed in town as I had a FirstDay ticket yesterday and would not have known the times of roure 395 in Eaglesham. (I did use SPT Daytrippers on Wednesday, Thursday and today to go noticeably further afield).

I also rode 4 ex-London buses, namely:
32304, 32914, 32939 (odd one out among these 4 for still having First 1997-2008 moquette) and 33000.

The Enviro 400s on route 66 stand out for being silver with a pink skirt and no swirls above the wheel or anything.