First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)

[richw]

Apparently it’s been taking over an hour Penzance to marazion at some times of the day due to traffic

 

[83G/84D]

Apparently it’s been taking over an hour Penzance to marazion at some times of the day due to traffic

Jeez, that’s not good.

 

[Busaholic]

Apparently it’s been taking over an hour Penzance to marazion at some times of the day due to traffic

Even more specifically, 45 minutes Long Rock to Marazion as 90% of visitors arrive by car and wish to park within sight of St Michael's Mount.There is almost no legal parking other than the tiny council car parks and much larger St Aubyn Estates rough ground long stay (for deep pockets) ones, with queues out on the main road blocking things for everyone. Wednesday on a sunny Summer day is always the worst for traffic, not helped by Rosudgeon Boot Fair which further hinders operation of the U4. An operational, rather than long-closed, railway station would help, as would a more frequent bus service, but that would not be easily achieved without a lot of money and attention.

Today at a few minutes before 5 p.m. a Sprinter was on Chyandour making its way back to the depot, but as I passed the bus station a Solo was making its way out with passengers on board: I suppose the upside being it carries a few more!

 

[83G/84D]

I saw the unusual occurrence of a T2 service at St Erth railway station earlier. The train wasn’t running to or from St Ives so I can only think that there was ticket acceptance on the T2 and it diverted in on the way to Camborne.
Only problem was it was a Solo and was full and standing.

 

[Busaholic]

I saw the unusual occurrence of a T2 service at St Erth railway station earlier. The train wasn’t running to or from St Ives so I can only think that there was ticket acceptance on the T2 and it diverted in on the way to Camborne.
Only problem was it was a Solo and was full and standing.

Every T2 should call there imo, subsidised by Cornwall Council if necessary as it's that authority's strange attachment to the transport interchange/hub idea at St Erth station that brings lots of visitors flocking there in their cars at this time of year. A Solo on the T2 in August just shows how First are losing the plot.

 

[Andyh82]

Every T2 should call there imo, subsidised by Cornwall Council if necessary as it's that authority's strange attachment to the transport interchange/hub idea at St Erth station that brings lots of visitors flocking there in their cars at this time of year. A Solo on the T2 in August just shows how First are losing the plot.

Because First never ran incorrectly allocated buses when First South West had local management…

 

[richw]

A Solo on the T2 in August just shows how First are losing the plot.

Isn’t it better than nothing if no decker available due to breakdown etc?

As for St Erth last night, First Kernow tweeted that T2 and Sunseeker would call additionally at St Erth station due to the failure of the branch line train service and to assist in getting stranded train passengers moving.

 

[henryb]

Is there a coach on the Dartmoor Explorer regularly now? There was yesterday and supposedly tracking today as well. (Definitely was there yesterday)

 

[Busaholic]

Isn’t it better than nothing if no decker available due to breakdown etc?

As for St Erth last night, First Kernow tweeted that T2 and Sunseeker would call additionally at St Erth station due to the failure of the branch line train service and to assist in getting stranded train passengers moving.

With no college and school work currently, surely a more suitable bus was available? Not everything normally on that work can be out of action simultaneously without either bad planning or in a case of genuine emergency.

 

[Westnat]

With no college and school work currently, surely a more suitable bus was available? Not everything normally on that work can be out of action simultaneously without either bad planning or in a case of genuine emergency.

The company where I work must also be guilty of bad planning, as we park up all our school and college buses up for the summer. They're certainly not available for service at the drop of a hat.

 

[Busaholic]

The company where I work must also be guilty of bad planning, as we park up all our school and college buses up for the summer. They're certainly not available for service at the drop of a hat.

Many of these First buses are not dedicated to school and college work and see ordinary service in between times. They are also a much higher proportion of the fleet than in many areas. Perhaps the company where you work is not so used to seeing the vast influx of visitors expanding the local population in August in particular, so no hats need dropping here.

 

[OptareOlympus]

Many of these First buses are not dedicated to school and college work and see ordinary service in between times. They are also a much higher proportion of the fleet than in many areas. Perhaps the company where you work is not so used to seeing the vast influx of visitors expanding the local population in August in particular, so no hats need dropping here.

Didn't Marc Huws say last year that Kernow had around 60 buses on college and schools routes? Even if only half of those see no stage carriage work, SORNing (Statutory off-road notice) them off for July and August would not be an inconsiderable saving in terms of tax and maintenance time. If they are on 4 weeklies, then that's potentially 30-60 buses that can skip 2 periods during the summer and allow scarce engineering manpower to be redirected to keeping the year round, and crucially for Kernow, the seasonal fleet operational.

 

[Westnat]

Many of these First buses are not dedicated to school and college work and see ordinary service in between times. They are also a much higher proportion of the fleet than in many areas. Perhaps the company where you work is not so used to seeing the vast influx of visitors expanding the local population in August in particular, so no hats need dropping here.

I'm not sure that I follow your logic. Our vehicles aren't dedicated to schools/colleges either, but since we have a reduced peak vehicle requirement during the summer holidays, a certain number of vehicles are parked up for the summer, and not available for service at short notice. Cornwall does see a vast influx of visitors in the summer, but is that actually reflected in an uplift in services during August? Off the top of my head, open tops excluded, I can only think of the one add additional vehicle for the U4 this summer holidays.

 

[Busaholic]

Didn't Marc Huws say last year that Kernow had around 60 buses on college and schools routes? Even if only half of those see no stage carriage work, SORNing (Statutory off-road notice) them off for July and August would not be an inconsiderable saving in terms of tax and maintenance time. If they are on 4 weeklies, then that's potentially 30-60 buses that can skip 2 periods during the summer and allow scarce engineering manpower to be redirected to keeping the year round, and crucially for Kernow, the seasonal fleet operational.

I'm well aware of all that, but I still query the use of an Optare Solo to replace an MMC on Kernow's 'flagship' T2 service at the height of summer in St Ives, regardless of whether they were aware in advance of any trouble with the train services. I know it has happened before at least a couple of times, but that sort of experience may only add to the visitors who won't come back again, especially when the weather has been so bad. Visitor numbers are well down on 2021 and 2022.

 

[Andyh82]

Every single operator in the country has run a smaller than usual vehicle on a busy service at the worst possible time at least once. I’m not sure it needs an inquest

 

[GBM]

Every single operator in the country has run a smaller than usual vehicle on a busy service at the worst possible time at least once. I’m not sure it needs an inquest

If the most appropriate vehicles are off road, awaiting repairs/servicing, then surely anything is better than cancelling that run!
A shortage of engineers is not helping First.

 

[Busaholic]

Lots of comments on the Sprinters' small front blind box, but the rear one is sufficiently capacious to detail 'via Alverton' or 'via Promenade' instead of 'The Mousehole' as the latter is superfluous given that message appears in very large letters on the backs of the buses.

 

[Goldfish62]

Lots of comments on the Sprinters' small front blind box, but the rear one is sufficiently capacious to detail 'via Alverton' or 'via Promenade' instead of 'The Mousehole' as the latter is superfluous given that message appears in very large letters on the backs of the buses.

There's room on the front for a via point. On the side a via point can either scroll or alternate with the destination.

 

[Busaholic]

There's room on the front for a via point. On the side a via point can either scroll or alternate with the destination.

I think we're agreed that 'via' information is now overdue, unless, of course, First accepts the Promenade routeing isn't a solution, does the sensible thing and widens the headways on the traditional Alverton routeing to 17,18 or even 20 minutes as previously. The alternative is to suck it up and put the fourth bus into the schedule, even if on occasion it has to terminate at the Coastguard. Doing nothing is no longer acceptable.

 

[83G/84D]

There appears to have been a full Mercedes Benz Sprinter service on the Mousehole today! According to the tracking site Bustimes 54114 made it's debut today joining the other two that have seen use recently.
The engineering staff at Camborne have managed to sort out the issues with 54114 and get in service, well done & hurrah!

Volvo B9TL / Gemini 37244 is now at Camborne and 37245 at Truro, both are from Glasgow.

 

[Goldfish62]

There appears to have been a full Mercedes Benz Sprinter service on the Mousehole today! According to the tracking site Bustimes 54114 made it's debut today joining the other two that have seen use recently.
The engineering staff at Camborne have managed to sort out the issues with 54114 and get in service, well done & hurrah!

Just awaiting the arrival of the elusive 54111 now!

 

[83G/84D]

Just awaiting the arrival of the elusive 54111 now!

Yes, I was told it was arriving this week but haven't seen it yet.

 

[Busaholic]

There appears to have been a full Mercedes Benz Sprinter service on the Mousehole today! According to the tracking site Bustimes 54114 made it's debut today joining the other two that have seen use recently.
The engineering staff at Camborne have managed to sort out the issues with 54114 and get in service, well done & hurrah!

Volvo B9TL / Gemini 37244 is now at Camborne and 37245 at Truro, both are from Glasgow.

I did a bit of monitoring of The Mousehole service at lunchtime on Monday, not by design at first! It turned into a lovely afternoon while I was sitting on a bench on the road which the Newlyn Fishmarket backs onto, and spent twenty five minutes there. In that time I saw two Sprinters, both on their way to Penzance, but only 5-6 minutes apart: the first had a few seated passengers, the second was empty. No buses passed in the opposite direction, and neither did they when I then drove into Penzance via the Promenade. Traffic was light at the time, including out of Penzance towards the east.

Late afternoon today, a Lizard-liveried Versa was on the Tin Coaster.

 

[Callum15632]

I did a bit of monitoring of The Mousehole service at lunchtime on Monday, not by design at first! It turned into a lovely afternoon while I was sitting on a bench on the road which the Newlyn Fishmarket backs onto, and spent twenty five minutes there. In that time I saw two Sprinters, both on their way to Penzance, but only 5-6 minutes apart: the first had a few seated passengers, the second was empty. No buses passed in the opposite direction, and neither did they when I then drove into Penzance via the Promenade. Traffic was light at the time, including out of Penzance towards the east.

Late afternoon today, a Lizard-liveried Versa was on the Tin Coaster.

Cornwall don't have any Versas. Do you mean Optare Solo Sr?

 

[Accelerator59]

There appears to have been a full Mercedes Benz Sprinter service on the Mousehole today! According to the tracking site Bustimes 54114 made it's debut today joining the other two that have seen use recently.
The engineering staff at Camborne have managed to sort out the issues with 54114 and get in service, well done & hurrah!

Volvo B9TL / Gemini 37244 is now at Camborne and 37245 at Truro, both are from Glasgow.

According to Bustimes, 37242 was on the U4 today.

37242 - YN08 LCY

Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini

bustimes.org

Mod note:
When referring to bustimes.org, please include the link to the page that includes the relevant information. Thanks

 

[Goldfish62]

There appears to have been a full Mercedes Benz Sprinter service on the Mousehole today! According to the tracking site Bustimes 54114 made it's debut today joining the other two that have seen use recently.

The all-Sprinter service only lasted one day. Seems that Solo 53505 has been resurrected and is out there today:

53505 - YJ56 AOU

Optare Solo

bustimes.org

 

[Accelerator59]

33457 has had a bit of a bump and hit a wall in Goldsithney. Some inconsiderate parking maybe to blame but maybe wrong on that.

 

[Goldfish62]

Last day of the Dartmoor Explorer tomorrow. Hopefully not permanently, but we'll have to wait and see.

It feels like the potential of this wonderful route has never been fully realised, in stark contrast to the Exmoor Coaster.

 

[Busaholic]

Cornwall don't have any Versas. Do you mean Optare Solo Sr?

Probably - I don't claim much knowledge on modern vehicle types.

 

[randyrippley]

Somerset County Council makes "use it or lose it" threat

'Use it or lose it' warns council as it subsidises loss making bus routes

Somerset Council has stepped in to save four sus services with low passenger numbers.

www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk

SOMERSET Council has stepped in to save four sus services with low passenger numbers.

The authority is using cash from the Government's Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus funding to subsidise services until the end of March.
The services are:

• 54 Yeovil to Taunton.
• 58/58a Yeovil to Wincanton.
• 25 Taunton to Dulverton.
• 28 Taunton to Minehead.

Somerset Council plans to work with bus operator First South to encourage more passengers to use the routes as part of its ongoing Bus It campaign, with the aim of making the routes financially viable.

First South will review the routes later in the year, taking into account new data on passenger uptake.

The 54 is the former joint Southern/Western National 264 Beeching-era rail replacement service. Presumably one of the last to survive.