First West Yorkshire & York discussion

[Seehof]

Thanks - Chinese - interesting

 

[Deerfold]

The new 85 seems to be a secret. Metro's journey planner doesn't have it on, nor is it on Google Maps or bustimes.org, or on roadside timetables.

Sure, if you know it exists you can look up the timetable, but it's not going to do well without a little more notice that it exists.

 

[Andyh82]

The new 85 seems to be a secret. Metro's journey planner doesn't have it on, nor is it on Google Maps or bustimes.org, or on roadside timetables.

Sure, if you know it exists you can look up the timetable, but it's not going to do well without a little more notice that it exists.

This isn't going to change until they go back to 42 days notice

You can't expect (although obviously do expect) everything to be in place from Day 1 when they get minimal notice of half the services in Leeds changing times

From wymetro...

The changes that have been made to services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic mean printed information at bus stops, real-time or journey planner information may be out of date. We are working to address this but in the meantime we are asking people to check www.wymetro.com and @MetroTravelNews on Twitter for the most accurate information.

 

[Deerfold]

This isn't going to change until they go back to 42 days notice

You can't expect (although obviously do expect) everything to be in place from Day 1 when they get minimal notice of half the services in Leeds changing times

From wymetro...

I realise it's short notice, but it was on their website more than 2 weeks in advance (though fairly hidden away). I realise roadside timetables are harder, but if they've had the timetable up on their website over a week, I'm not sure why it can't also be in the planner.

 

[noddingdonkey]

So after First spent millions renewing the Leeds fleet...

Plans to introduce a Clean Air Zone in Leeds are set to be scrapped by the city council.
The much-delayed £29m scheme (CAZ) was paused in August due to unexpectedly positive air quality levels.
It would have seen higher-polluting lorries, taxis and buses charged a fee for entering the city centre and other parts of the city.
A council report has stated the zone, originally due to be introduced in January, was "no longer required".
It was the subject of a joint review with government to see if it was still needed to meet legal limits of air quality.
Polly Cook, the council's chief officer for air quality, said: "If traffic levels returned to pre-Covid levels, we would still not exceed legal limits."

Leeds clean air zone plans set to be scrapped

A £6m camera system has already been installed to monitor traffic for the scheme in Leeds.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

So after First spent millions renewing the Leeds fleet...

Leeds clean air zone plans set to be scrapped

A £6m camera system has already been installed to monitor traffic for the scheme in Leeds.

www.bbc.co.uk

However, the millions spent were to meet their commitments of The Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme (LPTIP) to improve the role of buses rather than merely to meet the CAZ targets.

 

[Andyh82]

A couple of services are changing frequency next week, details on the relevant First websites

https://www.firstgroup.com/bradford.../planned-changes/service-changes-1st-november

Services 630 & 633 are going hourly at peak times seemingly to allow the X6 to increase in frequency at the same times

Arriva are also making some changes as well

 

[Kieran1990]

Few changes from both Leeds depots- some timetables loaded on Metro. Interesting peak hour 56 the service see’s 2 patterns operate-
* Whinmore - Moor Grange every 15 mins
*Swarcliff Ave- Headingley Eden Drive every 15 mins
Be interesting how they will turn at Eden Drive- unless running empty down to Kirkstall Morrison’s around the loop and back up the hill.

 

[Towielad]

Few changes from both Leeds depots- some timetables loaded on Metro. Interesting peak hour 56 the service see’s 2 patterns operate-
* Whinmore - Moor Grange every 15 mins
*Swarcliff Ave- Headingley Eden Drive every 15 mins
Be interesting how they will turn at Eden Drive- unless running empty down to Kirkstall Morrison’s around the loop and back up the hill.

There is a large bay both sides on Eden Road and is already used as a short working point when delays occur

 

[JoshYouWerLAD]

Hopefully in the new year we will see new running times on the 590/592. Services still running to the temporary times used since 2018 to account for flood works with time allowed for services to run upto 20+ late.

 

[Andyh82]

According to a report in the T&A, the Union representing drivers at First Bradford are balloting for strike action. This is said to be due to drivers having to work longer hours covering for staff who are self isolating

First Bradford bus drivers to vote on strike action over extra hours due to coronavirus

BUS drivers in Bradford are being urged to vote for strike action in a dispute over overtime as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Unite union is set to hold a ballot among staff working at the depot in Bowling Back Lane amid claims staff are working long hours to cover for absent colleagues.

Unite has issued a notice of potential forthcoming industrial action to First Bradford staff who are part of the union. It must first go to a vote.
The notice, from Unite the Union Regional Officer Darren Rushworth, states: “The Union intends to conduct a ballot for industrial action of the following members – Bus Drivers.”

 

[Leeds1970]

seems an odd thing to ballot for strike action, i would of thought that overtime would be voluntary, plus would be limited by way of rest hours required between duties.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Very bleak conditions in northern England. This tweet (video clip) shows the challenges for bus drivers..... I don't envy them

https://twitter.com/LeedsPlusSocial/status/1349713283239047170

Yeah, I think I'll walk home.

It is treacherous out there right now! The bus driver definitely regretted attempting this on Bank Bottom over in Halifax

 

[_toommm_]

All the buses were ordered back to depot about 3 or 4pm. You could walk faster up Otley Road today than most cars.

 

[grangergranger]

Crazy video shows 10 buses stuck in snow on Leeds road right now for over two hours

This footage shows 10 buses all stuck in the snow on a road in Kirkstall in north Leeds

www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

Not nice scenes up in Kirkstall, Leeds either

 

[_toommm_]

Two photos from today in Leeds - the first today of Otley Road (a major bus route) and the second of the back roads:

 

[Statto]

One video of First Halifax decker sliding on the ice

 

[Tempest3K]

First York are a single down for a few days at least:

Two serious road accidents in York

yorkmix.com

A bus skidded off the road and collided with railings in York this morning (Friday).

The First York bus hit black ice and skidded off Leeman Road near the railway bridge and Carlisle Street.

 

[Kieran1990]

Noticed while out today that first are bringing back the “XX Line” brand in Leeds
27/28 “Headingley Line”
1 “Beeston Line”
33/34 “Guislsey Line” (only caught a glimpse

 

[Leeds1970]

the line brandings are not being bought back by First it is 'connecting Leeds' who are responsible for this, as it is part of the LPTIP and a right mess they are making of it. some routes are individually coloured, some are a different colour each side of the city centre which makes it look like you have to change buses ( E.G. morley to moor allerton) and in east Leeds a whole bunch of services to different destinations are one colour. in addition non of the new colours match what First bus have traditionally used for example the number 2 towards Middleton is red on timetables but under the connecting Leeds scheme it is the (lightish) green line whilst the fronts of the buses and internal route guide are dark blue !!

 

[Kieran1990]

the line brandings are not being bought back by First it is 'connecting Leeds' who are responsible for this, as it is part of the LPTIP and a right mess they are making of it. some routes are individually coloured, some are a different colour each side of the city centre which makes it look like you have to change buses ( E.G. morley to moor allerton) and in east Leeds a whole bunch of services to different destinations are one colour. in addition non of the new colours match what First bus have traditionally used for example the number 2 towards Middleton is red on timetables but under the connecting Leeds scheme it is the (lightish) green line whilst the fronts of the buses and internal route guide are dark blue !!

What a absolute shambles! You’d have thought they would have planned this in line with bus operator to match their colours etc... naturally now Headingley centred buses are street decks with the red band- naturally the colour should match and be red.
I feel it’s a bit of waste of money- who actually identifies there bus by a colour line or (for example) “headingley line” destination display.

 

[bluenoxid]

How much can West Yorkshire Combined Authority/Leeds City Council speak with bus operators about standard route branding before concerns are raised about anti-competitive practices? Three of the large operators could justifiably call for the green route for example.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Noticed while out today that first are bringing back the “XX Line” brand in Leeds
27/28 “Headingley Line”
1 “Beeston Line”
33/34 “Guislsey Line” (only caught a glimpse

I've noticed this too. On Wade Lane there is a bus stop which has a map of Leeds and the city centre, its very Bristolish (saying that, it was my idea when I suggested it to Metro over what First WoE and Travelwest do and Metro should do the same) and I've noticed the complete cockup on the "Local Lines" brand in Leeds.

Really Connecting Leeds and Metro should have used the newish LeedsCity corridor colours as a template for the new "Local Lines", instead of this split mess as we now have. I'd imagine that the bus timetables (once Metro start reprinting a limited number of them) will feature both the LeedsCity brand and the "Local Lines" branding, the latter mostly for area guide style timetables rather than let say six seperate timetables for services through Headingley. It'd probably help if all the fleet had the Pulse branding removed as some were out yesterday with Pulse still plastered on it despite it being dropped in favor of LeedsCity.

Another thing that I've noticed is the 5 and the 29 which run to almost a similar route, I think it would be easier if First Leeds scrapped the 29 and instead rerouted the 5 to start from and terminate at Leeds railway station with the 5 running as now but turning left (instead of right) at the top of Portland Way then to the Parkinson Building where it would turn right where it'd rejoin the 5 route as far as Duncan Street / Vicar Lane where it'd turn right and join Eastgate before running towards Leeds Docks serving there and then as the current 29 route to Eastgate again where it'd turn left onto Vicar Lane then back to the railway station. The city centre to Halton Moor section of the 5 could easily be renumbered as a 41.

One thing we have to remember is that a small section of Call Lane will be closing soom outside of the Corn Exchange meaning that services will have to run via Eastgate.

 

[Kieran1990]

I've noticed this too. On Wade Lane there is a bus stop which has a map of Leeds and the city centre, its very Bristolish (saying that, it was my idea when I suggested it to Metro over what First WoE and Travelwest do and Metro should do the same) and I've noticed the complete cockup on the "Local Lines" brand in Leeds.

Really Connecting Leeds and Metro should have used the newish LeedsCity corridor colours as a template for the new "Local Lines", instead of this split mess as we now have. I'd imagine that the bus timetables (once Metro start reprinting a limited number of them) will feature both the LeedsCity brand and the "Local Lines" branding, the latter mostly for area guide style timetables rather than let say six seperate timetables for services through Headingley. It'd probably help if all the fleet had the Pulse branding removed as some were out yesterday with Pulse still plastered on it despite it being dropped in favor of LeedsCity.

Another thing that I've noticed is the 5 and the 29 which run to almost a similar route, I think it would be easier if First Leeds scrapped the 29 and instead rerouted the 5 to start from and terminate at Leeds railway station with the 5 running as now but turning left (instead of right) at the top of Portland Way then to the Parkinson Building where it would turn right where it'd rejoin the 5 route as far as Duncan Street / Vicar Lane where it'd turn right and join Eastgate before running towards Leeds Docks serving there and then as the current 29 route to Eastgate again where it'd turn left onto Vicar Lane then back to the railway station. The city centre to Halton Moor section of the 5 could easily be renumbered as a 41.

One thing we have to remember is that a small section of Call Lane will be closing soom outside of the Corn Exchange meaning that services will have to run via Eastgate.

That’ll be a hell of a lot bus traffic up and down Vicar Lane needing to turn right onto Eastgate. Assume some services i.e 4/16’s could be diverted via the headrow after Wellington St

 

[Leeds1970]

buses from call lane wont be going via eastgate the junction with york st next to what used to be the firstbus office is going to have a new right turn off vicar lane for sevices 5/19/40/5/166 etc then 2/3/51 etc going south will be via duncan st and lower brigate
as for metro time tables when they do return they are going to be in a different format they will be black and white with only basic info this is to cut down on print cost and also to deter timetable collectors

 

[grangergranger]

tre, its very Bristolish (saying that, it was my idea when I suggested it to Metro over what First WoE and Travelwest do and Metro should do the same) and I've noticed the complete cockup on the "Local Lines" brand in Leeds.

Really Connecting Leeds and Metro should have used the newish LeedsCity corridor colours as a template for the new "Local Lines", instead of this split mess as we now have. I'd imagine that the bus timetables (once Metro start reprinting a limited number of them) will feature both the LeedsCity brand and the "Local Lines" branding, the latter mostly for area guide style timetables rather than let say six seperate timetables for services through Headingley. It'd probably help if all the fleet had the Pulse branding removed as some were out yesterday with Pulse still plastered on it despite it being dropped in favor of LeedsCity.

Another thing that I've noticed is the 5 and the 29 which run to almost a similar route, I think it would be easier if First Leeds scrapped the 29 and instead rerouted the 5 to start from and terminate at Leeds railway station with the 5 running as now
One thing we have to remember is that a small section of Call Lane will be closing soom outside of the Corn Exchange meaning that services will have to run via Eastgate.

No the case, a new right turn will be placed so that buses can still go via new york street.

 

[cnjb8]

I'm a bit confused, do the LeedsCity StreetDecks have branding on their coloured fronts now?

 

[Bayum]

I’m due for another hospital visit in London on Thursday. I’m just checking up on the timetable to see what time I need to be at my colleague’s to get a bus into York. All of the timetables show the train station stop as being omitted for inbound journeys. Are buses not stopping outside the station? If not, why not? I can’t find any roadworks or anything online and my colleague isn’t sure of anything going on either. Stumped!

 

[dazzler]

According to the First York App (on Android) the buses are calling at York Station (Stop RD) on the way into town today as normal.
Looking at the timetables, there are no times shown on any day for the station inbound, so it may well be that they put the stop in and then didn't work out times. The other alternative is that they are implying that the bus stops at the station, but inbound isn't a timing point, so the bus will depart straightaway after dropping passengers, rather than waiting time.
Other than that, I dunno, as I haven't been into York on the bus for well over a year now. Heck, I've only been into York once in the last year in total!

The journey planner on the First York website does give arrival times at the station though.

 

[grangergranger]

First Bus orders 5 BYD ADL Enviro400EV electric double deckers for Leeds Park & Ride - BYD–Alexander Dennis Electric Buses

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BYD UK jointly announced today that their electric vehicle partnership, the UK’s leading electric bus producer, has taken an order from First Bus for five BYD ADL Enviro400EV electric double deck buses, which will be used on Park & Ride services in West...

www.evbus.co.uk

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BYD UK jointly announced today that their electric vehicle partnership, the UK’s leading electric bus producer, has taken an order from First Bus for five BYD ADL Enviro400EV electric double deck buses, which will be used on Park & Ride services in West Yorkshire.

This additional award from First Bus reflects the ongoing success of the BYD ADL partnership in the UK. Since launching in 2015, the partnership has gone from strength to strength, with over 750 electric buses delivered or on order, and has completed more than 16 million emission-free miles of service. ADL is a subsidiary of leading independent global bus manufacturer NFI Group Inc. (NFI), while BYD is a global leader in batteries, energy management and electric mobility.


A BYD ADL Enviro400EV demonstrator similar to the vehicles ordered by First Bus.
The British-built zero emission buses will operate from First’s Hunslet Park depot in Leeds, where charging infrastructure was introduced last year to support the expansion of zero-emission buses in the city fleet.

First has chosen the larger model of the BYD ADL Enviro400EV at 10.8 metres long and a height of 4.3 metres. The buses will have 69 seats and will use zero-emission heat pump technology to control interior heating and cooling.

Just incase nobody knew already