First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)

[TheGrandWazoo]

I thought no new diesel vehicles were being purchased after 2022?

Is it purchased or leased?

 

[Goldfish62]

Is it purchased or leased?

Here's the relevant section from a recent press release referring to *buses* not *coaches*:

First Bus unveils pop-up encouraging Glaswegians to leave cars in the shadows

News from FirstBus Scotland

news-scot.firstbus.co.uk

Of course they mean buses not coaches. Whether the mechanism for ownership , purchase or lease, is irrelevant in terms of the company's commitment.

We are focused on First Bus becoming a leader in the transition to a low-carbon future and are committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035; we have pledged not to purchase any new diesel buses after December 2022.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Here's the relevant section from a recent press release referring to *buses* not *coaches*:

First Bus unveils pop-up encouraging Glaswegians to leave cars in the shadows

News from FirstBus Scotland

news-scot.firstbus.co.uk

Of course they mean buses not coaches. Whether the mechanism for ownership , purchase or lease, is irrelevant in terms of the company's commitment.

I think the distinction between an outright purchase vs. a short term is relevant. Yeah, for "buses" you can read coaches too but if they need a new coach for a relatively short term commitment (potentially) then a short term lease/hire makes sense.

Besides, apart from enthusiasts, who's counting?

 

[richw]

Is it purchased or leased?

Suspect it’s a Dawson’s vehicle. The other four Tourismo are.

Truronian have won a contract with a tour company justifying the newer vehicles

 

[Goldfish62]

Besides, apart from enthusiasts, who's counting?

Local authorities, environmental groups, central government, the rest of the industry. The stakes are too high to deceive people with the purchase v lease distinction. It seems more than obvious to me that coaches were not included in the commitment, just as it was with National Express.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Local authorities, environmental groups, central government, the rest of the industry. The stakes are too high to deceive people with the purchase v lease distinction. It seems more than obvious to me that coaches were not included in the commitment, just as it was with National Express.

Are you suggesting that someone like TfGM are going to have the wherewithal to say.... "hang on, you said you weren't going to purchase any new diesel buses yet you've leased a coach in Cornwall for a specific contract?"

If they were wholesale buying or leasing diesel vehicles, it would be a different proposition but outliers (for a specific contract) in a new vehicle programme that is dominated by EV vehicles coming into Leicester and York, really aren't a consideration.

 

[Goldfish62]

Are you suggesting that someone like TfGM are going to have the wherewithal to say.... "hang on, you said you weren't going to purchase any new diesel buses yet you've leased a coach in Cornwall for a specific contract?"

Oh come on, that's beneath you to come up with such a blatantly ridiculous theoretical example. I'm sure you know exactly what I mean.

Let's move on. This is getting silly.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Oh come on, that's beneath you to come up with such a blatantly ridiculous theoretical example. I'm sure you know exactly what I mean.

Let's move on. This is getting silly.

It IS a silly example. They're getting a boatload of new EV vehicles.

My point was that no one would be counting a single vehicle or even a couple of outliers.

 

[Goldfish62]

It IS a silly example. They're getting a boatload of new EV vehicles.

My point was that no one would be counting a single vehicle or even a couple of outliers.

Ok, still don't agree. Now, please, let's move on (2nd polite request ).

Sprinter 54112 was seen at Camborne yesterday on the back of a low loader, so I assume some sort of major mechanical issue.

So down to two of four Sprinters now.

 

[jammy36]

Also surprising Yeovil depot is still trundling along!

Seemingly not for much longer based on this BBC News report

Town bus depot set to be demolished - BBC News

A union has raised concerns about First Bus' decision to knock down the Yeovil site.

www.bbc.co.uk

Yeovil bus depot set to be demolished, says First Bus

A town bus depot is set to be demolished.

First Bus is selling the site in Reckleford, Yeovil, where vehicle maintenance and cleaning takes place.

It says inflationary pressures and low passenger numbers are causing challenges which are affecting the sustainability of the business.

The news comes two weeks after First Bus announced the closure of its Bridgwater depot, as part of changes to bus services across Somerset.

Although the company has assured people that services will be unaffected by the demolition, the RMT union said not everyone is convinced.

Barry West, south west regional organiser for the union, said: "There are many aspects that people are concerned about.

"I've heard nothing but complaints from many people about what happened in Bridgwater, so if you use that as a template that's a likelihood that could happen in Yeovil.

"There needs to be a meaningful consultation that we can be involved in and engaged in so we can understand it better."

Simon Goff, managing director of First Bus South, said previous attempts to sell the building in its current state had failed, so the company had decided to demolish it to help the sale.

"Following the transfer of some Yeovil routes to First Bus' neighbouring West and Wales business, buses of Somerset's Yeovil operations have reduced significantly from 43 buses to nine, making the current depot too large and not fit for purpose," he said.

"There will not be any impact to our customers or services, which will continue to operate as normal," added Mr Goff.

 

[richw]

The land will be contaminated, and require significant spending to clean up before its any use as a development site.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Seemingly not for much longer based on this BBC News report

Town bus depot set to be demolished - BBC News

A union has raised concerns about First Bus' decision to knock down the Yeovil site.

www.bbc.co.uk

Very sad but not a surprise. I guess nothing more than a compound will be required, drivers using the bus station office, with vehicles being cycled through Taunton.

Yeovil really is a reminder of a bygone age. I had hoped that the move from First Hants and Dorset to Buses of Somerset was going to see some improvement in its fortunes but the cuts a few years back (2018?) illustrated that wouldn't be the case. Also, the development of the site behind was also an indication of what might happen.

 

[Goldfish62]

Very sad but not a surprise. I guess nothing more than a compound will be required, drivers using the bus station office, with vehicles being cycled through Taunton.

Yeovil really is a reminder of a bygone age. I had hoped that the move from First Hants and Dorset to Buses of Somerset was going to see some improvement in its fortunes but the cuts a few years back (2018?) illustrated that wouldn't be the case. Also, the development of the site behind was also an indication of what might happen.

I wouldn't like to predict the future of BoS if First lose Taunton P&R. Tenders were due back three weeks ago so an announcement probably isn't far off.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I wouldn't like to predict the future of BoS if First lose Taunton P&R. Tenders were due back three weeks ago so an announcement probably isn't far off.

Save for the Exmoor Coaster, good news has been thin on the ground with Somerset.

 

[M803UYA]

Save for the Exmoor Coaster, good news has been thin on the ground with Somerset.

The thing is, there is work there to be done. First aren't the ones doing it. Most of the routes they took over in 1999 still remain - especially the tendered stuff. Other work was marginal but overall helped contribute to the overheads.

Taunton still has a rump of vehicles and work which someone would take on. I guess we could speculate all night about who. As part of a larger operation it'd be viable and contribute something.

 

[Paperyostrich]

I wouldn't like to predict the future of BoS if First lose Taunton P&R. Tenders were due back three weeks ago so an announcement probably isn't far off.

One thing in First's favour with that is, realistically, in Taunton who else would operate?

 

[Snozzel]

The land will be contaminated, and require significant spending to clean up before its any use as a development site.

They managed ok at st austell eliot road site. I guess this would be similar, flats or whatever

 

[richw]

They managed ok at st austell eliot road site. I guess this would be similar, flats or whatever

the long time it took them to start building was due to the contamination, and meeting requirements to be classed as decontaminated

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The thing is, there is work there to be done. First aren't the ones doing it. Most of the routes they took over in 1999 still remain - especially the tendered stuff. Other work was marginal but overall helped contribute to the overheads.

The work is still there....sort of. Hatch Green do tendered work - it's about 4 vehicles around Taunton and a fifth in Chard. South West Coaches do some but Somerset CC cuts have done for a chunk (as have Dorset cuts).

What is most disappointing is the devastation of local services but twirly pass remuneration has done for them (to an extent). The skeletal Taunton network is one thing but as for Yeovil and then Bridgwater...it's pretty awful. Depressing

 

[M803UYA]

The work is still there....sort of. Hatch Green do tendered work - it's about 4 vehicles around Taunton and a fifth in Chard. South West Coaches do some but Somerset CC cuts have done for a chunk (as have Dorset cuts).

What is most disappointing is the devastation of local services but twirly pass remuneration has done for them (to an extent). The skeletal Taunton network is one thing but as for Yeovil and then Bridgwater...it's pretty awful. Depressing

I'll see if I can fish out some PVR comparisons from 10 years back to now as I've saved various timetables in excel sheets. That'll be depressing enough.

One which has stuck in the mind is the Taunton Town bus PVR - 13 to 5 in 10 years. 9 buses in Yeovil c2004. Bridgwater needed 2 buses prior to the recent reductions. It's gone from two/three routes on highly frequent intervals with Webberbus chasing them around to.... not very much at all.

 

[Busaholic]

I'll see if I can fish out some PVR comparisons from 10 years back to now as I've saved various timetables in excel sheets. That'll be depressing enough.

One which has stuck in the mind is the Taunton Town bus PVR - 13 to 5 in 10 years. 9 buses in Yeovil c2004. Bridgwater needed 2 buses prior to the recent reductions. It's gone from two/three routes on highly frequent intervals with Webberbus chasing them around to.... not very much at all.

Does anyone know whether the allegations of financial irregularity made by Somerset County Council in June 2016 to Avon and Somerset Police re the collapse of Webberbus were ever substantiated, found to be false, or any other conclusion?

 

[Citistar]

The work is still there....sort of. Hatch Green do tendered work - it's about 4 vehicles around Taunton and a fifth in Chard. South West Coaches do some but Somerset CC cuts have done for a chunk (as have Dorset cuts).

What is most disappointing is the devastation of local services but twirly pass remuneration has done for them (to an extent). The skeletal Taunton network is one thing but as for Yeovil and then Bridgwater...it's pretty awful. Depressing

Yeovil, Bridgwater and Taunton have all suffered from a seemingly unending increase in traffic over recent years too. They're all vibrantly unpleasant places to drive around which can't make driver retention easy when there are so many apparently better employment offers around. Decades of near total disinterest in bus priority and infrastructure (except where development is funding it) haven't helped matters. Whilst there may be a growing political will in the county to raise the profile of public transport issues, i sense things are still going to keep getting worse before the tide is turned. I accept it is a national issue, but what is required is longer term, stable funding - something which no political party has an interest in providing because they only work within the scope of their term of office cycle. Buses need to be depoliticised, yet every manifesto calls for more interference.

 

[henairs]

Yeovil, Bridgwater and Taunton have all suffered from a seemingly unending increase in traffic over recent years too. They're all vibrantly unpleasant places to drive around which can't make driver retention easy when there are so many apparently better employment offers around. Decades of near total disinterest in bus priority and infrastructure (except where development is funding it) haven't helped matters. Whilst there may be a growing political will in the county to raise the profile of public transport issues, i sense things are still going to keep getting worse before the tide is turned. I accept it is a national issue, but what is required is longer term, stable funding - something which no political party has an interest in providing because they only work within the scope of their term of office cycle. Buses need to be depoliticised, yet every manifesto calls for more interference.

Quite agree with you. As a resident of Yeovil it has become a very unpleasant town to live in as King car dominates everything including a fair few pavements as well as the roads.
We have become a little America in this area (Ugh)

 

[83G/84D]

Open top 37801 seen parked at St Erth station for quite a while with no-one on board. Ambulance behind it but not sure if the bus is unwell or its an unrelated incident.

Both left in convoy just after I wrote this.

 

[Busaholic]

Open top 37801 seen parked at St Erth station for quite a while with no-one on board. Ambulance behind it but not sure if the bus is unwell or its an unrelated incident.

Both left in convoy just after I wrote this.

Both bus and ambulance may have gone back to their respective Long Rock homes!

 

[markymark2000]

From my recent visit to BoS land, I used various services and went to various towns and the consistent thing that I found were that everything was just a bit run down and out of love. It kind of makes sense but the council seems to want the bus operators to pay for literally everything as they get the financial rewards from it but the operators simply don't care enough (or have the funds) to sort the infrastructure. Huge lack of ambition from the council as well with no attempt to help bus operators such as seemingly not asking for developer funding to secure buses to new developments. No attempt to merge schools and service work (colleges, bar Yeovil, seem to be working with bus operators but that's about it). Council seem to like enforcing county borders on tendered routes meaning local residents suffer and makes the bus so much less attractive.

It's a recipe for disaster and has North Yorkshire written all over it (and we all slate them often enough).

 

[Goldfish62]

I see The Mousehole has a Gemini back on it today. Solo 53505 seems to be off the road and Sprinter 54112 was taken away on the back of a truck.

 

[83G/84D]

I see The Mousehole has a Gemini back on it today. Solo 53505 seems to be off the road and Sprinter 54112 was taken away on the back of a truck.

53505 was in Camborne on Friday receiving attention, 54112 is there as well but doesn't appear to have had anything done to it.

 

[DaveHarries]

"Due to very heavey rain and with roads under a lot of water the 28 service Taunton to minehead will be can cancelled for the rest of the day."
Buses of Somerset, Twitter @BusesOfSomerset, 17th September 2023. https://twitter.com/BusesOfSomerset/status/1703353282733707442

Dave[/url]

 

[richw]

"Due to very heavey rain and with roads under a lot of water the 28 service Taunton to minehead will be can cancelled for the rest of the day."
Buses of Somerset, Twitter @BusesOfSomerset, 17th September 2023. https://twitter.com/BusesOfSomerset/status/1703353282733707442

Dave[/url]

Lots of road closures in the area due to flooding. West Somerset railway also closed due the line being flooded.