High Peak Bus Company / Trentbarton Split [Merged Thread]

[MCW]

In standard colours I assume?

 

[northwichcat]

Yep. Identical to this one but with the words High Peak instead of Centrebus: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwbphotos/6795100139/

 

[johnnychips]

Yep. Identical to this one but with the words High Peak instead of Centrebus: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwbphotos/6795100139/

Saw an ex-Bowers in that colour scheme this weekend - sorry didn't get reg.

Stops around Buxton have been relabelled 'High Peak'.

Saw some buses labelled TP2 TP3 TP4 (what's that all about?) including the famous 'Unibus' on Sunday, then saw the Unibus doing a schools' service, I think, in Tideswell this afternoon.

 

[Deerfold]

Saw some buses labelled TP2 TP3 TP4 (what's that all about?) including the famous 'Unibus' on Sunday, then saw the Unibus doing a schools' service, I think, in Tideswell this afternoon.

That's the Transpeak service - it's been registered in several sections. Loevly and confusing.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=http:...QQFjAA&usg=AFQjCNFiz_ow7nMu9EkvoyYHNMAnM_GnBw

 

[BuhSnarf]

So to travel the full route would you need to change there times?

Sent from my Galaxy S2 with Tapatalk.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

So to travel the full route would you need to change there times?

I have checked this concern of yours with a transport body and the current full length services from Manchester to Derby/Nottingham..and vice-versa..have had no changes to the original timetable.

 

[tbtc]

That's the Transpeak service - it's been registered in several sections. Loevly and confusing

So to travel the full route would you need to change there times?

There shouldn't be any need to change - Stagecoach have done this on a large number of their longer distance services - its to comply with driving hours - to keep staff on the domestic/bus regulations rather than the European/coach regulations (which would require longer breaks between duties)

 

[Welshman]

There shouldn't be any need to change - Stagecoach have done this on a large number of their longer distance services - its to comply with driving hours - to keep staff on the domestic/bus regulations rather than the European/coach regulations (which would require longer breaks between duties)

It's a trick also employed by Arriva Cymru on their 5 & 5x services from Llandudno-Caernarfon too and, I suspect, by other operators in other places.

It seems a blatant way of getting round the EU regulation, but the Commissioners seem happy with it! So why accept the original regulation?

 

[tbtc]

It's a trick also employed by Arriva Cymru on their 5 & 5x services from Llandudno-Caernarfon too and, I suspect, by other operators in other places.

It seems a blatant way of getting round the EU regulation, but the Commissioners seem happy with it! So why accept the original regulation?

I'm not sure - it appears to comply with the law (though perhaps not with the spirit of the law!) - seems a big loophole though!

 

[johnnychips]

Anybody seen any buses with new livery, or any news of new stock? I only saw two Unibuses today on the TP - had thought there was only one!

 

[tbone]

Anybody seen any buses with new livery, or any news of new stock? I only saw two Unibuses today on the TP - had thought there was only one!

There are a few buses going around in High Peak livery- Centrebus colours with High Peak fleetnames like this

There are at least 3 unibus paladins that transfered to High Peak. Notts and Derby's 112 has been on loan over the past few days, even former Transpeak coach 60 make an appearance last week!

At least one Scania Omniciti is now in use on Transpeak, there are rumours of more omnilinks/cities coming as well as maybe some Scania Wrightbus Solars. Lots of spares a re appearing on the route as a)there aren't enough branded vehciles and b)High Peak seem reluctant to let elderly 158 get too far away, it appears to have been consigned to Buxton Town duties only

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I do hope that High Peak eventually provide a reasonable quality of vehicles for those services that run the full length route from Manchester to Derby/Nottingham. It will be good for both the travelling passengers and for the company image in both Manchester and Stockport on the TransPeak route.

 

[gnolife]

I do hope that High Peak eventually provide a reasonable quality of vehicles for those services that run the full length route from Manchester to Derby/Nottingham. It will be good for both the travelling passengers and for the company image in both Manchester and Stockport on the TransPeak route.

Or at least buses where you can get a good bit of sleep in - those Paladins are pretty good for that when I had one turn up to take me from Nottingham Broadmarsh to Dove Holes after I did a bash on them, about a week before the split.

One thing that I'm not thrilled with after this merger, is that on more than one occasion, Solos have turned up on the 199, at a time when it picks up loads of Stockport Grammar and Hazel Grove High schoolkids.

 

[krisk]

The scruffy thing running down Stockport rd this afternoon wouldn't inspire me to travel on it. What happened to the coach seated vehicles with tables at the back.

 

[BuhSnarf]

Not sure I'd want to do the full transpeak route or even just buxton to Manchester or notts to derby in anything less than a proper coach or a bus spec'd out like the x6 that goes between Coventry and Leicester.

Not some clapped out x reg single deck definitely.

Sent from my Galaxy S2 with Tapatalk.

 

[northwichcat]

Solos have turned up on the 199, at a time when it picks up loads of Stockport Grammar and Hazel Grove High schoolkids.

One problem with Bowers was they seemed to have too many Solos meaning it was frequent for a Solo to stand-in for a higher capacity bus when one was out of service. It sounds like that is continuing under High Peak.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Can someone inform me if there has to be a requirement for a certain standard of bus which has to run journey lengths of the same length as that of Nottingham to Manchester ?

 

[Deerfold]

Can someone inform me if there has to be a requirement for a certain standard of bus which has to run journey lengths of the same length as that of Nottingham to Manchester ?

I don't think so -so long as it's good enough to run as a bus it sould be able to run anything. Whether they'll scare passengers away is another matter.

 

[omnibologist]

The ex Trent services are presently being run from Dove Holes and ex Bowers from Chapel and seem set to continue for a while which is to allow for reconstruction/reorganisation at Dove Holes.
The management are confident that the majority of buses will be accomodated at Dove Holes (a few contract vehicles to remain at Chapel), the road staff are a little sceptical.
Transpeak and Skyline are to remain in ther branded liveries with replacement Transpeak vehicles acquiring Transpeak livery, probably green.
Vehicles are swopped between depots for breakdown cover and for maintenece but I can't remember a Solo on Skyline though I'm not there all the time.
As for timetables ticketing etc, after a year's wait the whole thing seems to have sneaked up on them

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Transpeak and Skyline are to remain in ther branded liveries with replacement Transpeak vehicles acquiring Transpeak livery, probably green.

I see the Buxton to Manchester Airport "Skyline" 199 service quite often at Manchester Airport bus station and the livery colour scheme they have carried always looks very good.

I see the new High Peak two-tone livery scheme is somewhat garish in the choice of the two colours chosen.

Perhaps my idea of a livery is somewhat conservative but my own views expressed in terms of "supermarket" comparisons would be:-
Existing "Skyline" 199 livery.......Marks & Spencer
New "High Peak" livery..............Netto

 

[johnnychips]

Perhaps my idea of a livery is somewhat conservative but my own views expressed in terms of "supermarket" comparisons would be:-
Existing "Skyline" 199 livery.......Marks & Spencer
New "High Peak" livery..............Netto

Paul. I'm afraid Netto have been taken over by Asda. Has the Macclesfield one closed? And their shopping bags were yellow and black, so that's more like Bournemouth or Wilfreda-Beehive school buses.

In fact, it would be nice to get some unity of colours (however garish) and some nice vehicles on the TP, which really should be their flagship route.

 

[omnibologist]

Can someone inform me if there has to be a requirement for a certain standard of bus which has to run journey lengths of the same length as that of Nottingham to Manchester ?

They are promising newer Scanias for Transpeak but as it is registered as a local service they will have to be low floor and not coaches so probably "Omnilinks" or "Wright Solars"
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

One problem with Bowers was they seemed to have too many Solos meaning it was frequent for a Solo to stand-in for a higher capacity bus when one was out of service. It sounds like that is continuing under High Peak.

The majority of ex Bowers routes only need small capacity buses so a large fleet of "Solos" is the sensible solution

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

They are promising newer Scanias for Transpeak but as it is registered as a local service they will have to be low floor and not coaches so probably "Omnilinks" or "Wright Solars"

How can Nottingham/Derby to Manchester ever be classified as "a local service", as this part of the route would have to be shown in the submission documentation. Surely that anomoly would have been seen and queried by the relevant body concerned.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Paul. I'm afraid Netto have been taken over by Asda. Has the Macclesfield one closed? And their shopping bags were yellow and black, so that's more like Bournemouth or Wilfreda-Beehive school buses.

Thank you for your "Supermarket" clarification...these were just two names plucked out of the ether to show "classical" and "cheap and cheery" establishments as somewhat of a correlation.....not as an actual livery colour scheme comparison. (I was originally going to use Waitrose instead of Marks and Spencer).

I am still not enamoured of the chosen High Peak two-colour scheme, but everyone knows how conservatively I view poor artistic colour schemes. I still would have preferred the single colour dark-red colour scheme for the entire High Peak group that is carried by the 199 Skylink service, which I still regard as "classical".

 

[Deerfold]

How can Nottingham/Derby to Manchester ever be classified as "a local service", as this part of the route would have to be shown in the submission documentation. Surely that anomoly would have been seen and queried by the relevant body concerned.

It is the distance between stops which determines if a service is local, not the length of a route.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It is the distance between stops which determines if a service is local, not the length of a route.

I was under the impression that the Transpeak did have stretches of a goodly distance between certain area stops...the stopping sequence from Manchester to Stockport alone being a prime example of this. Can you comment on the stopping sequence from Stockport onwards to give similar examples as that stretch that I have just quoted. I appreciate from Buxton to Matlock may well be served by more of a local stopping pattern.

 

[gnolife]

From Stockport to Buxton, the stopping pattern is
Stepping Hill, Hazel Grove Instore, Hazel Grove Rising Sun, High Lane, Disley, Newtown, Furness Vale, Dove Holes, Fairfield, Buxton Station, Buxton Market Place

 

[Deerfold]

I was under the impression that the Transpeak did have stretches of a goodly distance between certain area stops...the stopping sequence from Manchester to Stockport alone being a prime example of this. Can you comment on the stopping sequence from Stockport onwards to give similar examples as that stretch that I have just quoted. I appreciate from Buxton to Matlock may well be served by more of a local stopping pattern.

Generally there need to be gaps of over 15 miles between stops for it not to be a local service. I don't think anywhere on Transpeak comes close to that whereas National Express's 350 Nottingham - Manchester (and beyond) service does.

See http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Local PSV Service Registrations Nov 08 (PSV 353A).pdf (page 2)

 

[BuhSnarf]

In fact, it would be nice to get some unity of colours (however garish) and some nice vehicles on the TP, which really should be their flagship route.

You would think as it's a joint venture with wellglade that they'd be able to call upon their marketing and livery teams to come up with something good!

Sent from my Galaxy S2 with Tapatalk.

 

[omnibologist]

How can Nottingham/Derby to Manchester ever be classified as "a local service", as this part of the route would have to be shown in the submission documentation. Surely that anomoly would have been seen and queried by the relevant body concerned.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Thank you for your "Supermarket" clarification...these were just two names plucked out of the ether to show "classical" and "cheap and cheery" establishments as somewhat of a correlation.....not as an actual livery colour scheme comparison. (I was originally going to use Waitrose instead of Marks and Spencer).

I am still not enamoured of the chosen High Peak two-colour scheme, but everyone knows how conservatively I view poor artistic colour schemes. I still would have preferred the single colour dark-red colour scheme for the entire High Peak group that is carried by the 199 Skylink service, which I still regard as "classical".

Transpeak has been split into 4 seperate interconnecting routes TP1 - 4 advertised as connecting but with no need to change buses as the bus continues all the way, which apparently makes it ok to be a local service
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Generally there need to be gaps of over 15 miles between stops for it not to be a local service. I don't think anywhere on Transpeak comes close to that whereas National Express's 350 Nottingham - Manchester (and beyond) service does.

See http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Local PSV Service Registrations Nov 08 (PSV 353A).pdf (page 2)

Some parts of TP serve all stops eg Matlock to Buxton

 

[Deerfold]

Transpeak has been split into 4 seperate interconnecting routes TP1 - 4 advertised as connecting but with no need to change buses as the bus continues all the way, which apparently makes it ok to be a local service

That's just down to driver hours regulations - it could still be registered as a local bus service along the whole route, it'd just need the vehicles to be tacho-fitted (see Yorkshire Coastliner's 840, taking up to 3h42 but registered as a single route - with the new summer service registration coming in later this month).

Registering as a local bus service generally makes it possible to claim Bus Service Operators Grant for the mileage run but means 56 days notice of most changes must be made. Coach services sometimes have local sections registered so this can be claimed.

Some parts of TP serve all stops eg Matlock to Buxton

Indeed. I used to be a regular passenger (well, half a dozen times a year).