That’s what I strongly suspect too. I’ve noticed the 231/2/3 Truro College buses start tracking dead from Truro depot around 07:20, presumably as soon as the drivers log into their ticket machines
One of the problems with that diversion is the number of times that Ross Bridge gets closed, often with little or no warning. It's rarely to do with shipping access to the Dry Dock, or very high tides, more that Cornwall Council wishes to tinker with something, that often gets re-tinkered with the following week: keeps some in employment, i guess! If the bridge is closed, there is no way the Jubilee Pool can be served as there are no alternative roads suitable for full size buses. Westbound buses should have no problem stopping at Jubilee Pool, but for the life of me I can't see anywhere for eastbound buses. Perhaps we'll get a Greenmarket, Penzance situation, where the eastbound stop is known to drivers and regular passengers but has never existed in the form of an actual stop/timetables/bus stop markings on the road.
The Greenmarket "stop" amuses me. The most official unofficial stop I know!
Yes, On The Buses is quite right, when the driver logs in, picks up the duty on the machine and then the route, thats when the vehicle will track. Hence the Cornwall College fleet and Schools etc not tracking as there is no duty in the machine for them.
What is with the need and obsession for deckers in Cornwall? It's nice to see single deckers. They take less damage from the trees. And with low numbers are more viable surly? I noticed when the solos came down, nice addition, but to small for what they were on. The company got rid of the 53 plate darts, and replaced with solo. Would have been better to replace with the long E200 surly! They look the part to. Never mind, guess what the public think doesn't get taken into account really. Shame. Never the less. I hope they build back better, then start to bury the shambles of TfC
Which routes which are currently double deck would you consider should be single deck?
The costs between single and double are not that different. As you say trees is an issue however long single decks have always been an issue in Cornwall. If the capacity is used on one journey a day (especially an issue with current rules which might be why the darts are being moved on) then a double deck is going to be more cost effective. Tfc will be around in much the same form until the first break point in the contract (4 years I believe, however I could be wrong). For any route that's trying to promote itself to tourists a double deck is always going to be a big plus point.
Spot on.
There’s no obsession. It’s purely where peak capacity is required.
FWIW, long single deckers have always been relatively rare in Cornwall, given the nature of the roads. Back in NBC days, I think they were mainly on the 17 Penzance to St Just, and 27 St Austell to Bodmin, and 55 Bodmin to Padstow because they simply don't fit around Cornish roads either through ripping corners off them or grounding (and they were only 11m/11.3m long). That they have concentrated on having deckers makes a lot of sense. The 14/18 were converted to Tinners on a reduced headway and elsewhere, there's the need to have deckers for college work as well as those dedicated school runs plus those that also have major schools/college traffic.
If people ask the right people then the answers become so much clearer!! And respect to the people who are working their socks off to produce one of the biggest changes in recent history with the impending service enhancements and into territory not seen for years or before. The identity of First South West has definitely turned full circle. Very exciting times ahead!!
The St Just road was generally double decks until the significant influx of Leyland Nationals in January 1977 as part of the Cornwall OPO conversion.
Seem to recall St Austell depot had a few Leyland Nationals; they might have been the same moved from Penzance with the Cornish Fairways MAP scheme and replaced by ex London DMSs? In fact, just made me think... aside from open toppers, once the President Tridents go, FK will have very few ex London deckers.
Yes, I think at least some of the Penzance Nationals moved to St Austell.
Yes, large numbers of Lodekkas were replaced by a load of ex Maidstone and District Atlanteans then the DMSs then second hand VRs (plus the minibus era of course) however it makes sense if you've got a few busy school journeys or expect to have loads of holidays makers for only a few weeks a year. In NBC days I think Western National only had a couple of open toppers outside of the Torbay area. There were various small single deckers (Bristol LS/MW/SU and Bedford VAM) however the services they were used on mostly disappeared by the 1980s
As I drew my car into the kerb at Greenmarket this morning I was surprised to see a TfC stop flag had been discreetly added onto the nearest lamp standard by the HSBC cash machines. My powers of observation may not be what they were but I'd still swear that it wasn't there a fortnight ago. There was no attempt to attach a timetable frame, and certainly no road markings.
TfC took a lot of the First flags out of Porthleven and replaced them with theirs. Even now they only do one or two buses a day there.
I have noticed on several routes that First Kernow (FK) don't do any more (except for college runs), that FK flags are still up but no TfC flags!
Yes, but there's no consistency as to where they're put.
