Stagecoach South & South East

[LUYMun]

Portsmouth’s 19886, which had been vinylled as the Apprenticeship Bus, has transferred to Aldershot to cover the cremated 18379 Trident, assuming to be a loan for now.

Portsmouth's 10477 has also been vinylled into a special livery, commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

10477 - SN65 OBK

Alexander Dennis E40D, ADL Enviro 400MMC (H47/32F) Stagecoach South (PM) Queen Street, Portsmouth 25 May 2024

flickr.com

 

[Flange Squeal]

It is being reported that the Leas Road garage in Guildford is being closed today with routes 34/35/47/91/RHS moving to Peasmarsh. The controllers are reportedly moving to Guildford Bus Station and double decker maintenance moving to Aldershot. The following was posted on the Hants and Surrey Bus Blog Facebook page. There are also videos of the depot by staff on the 'Stagecoach in Guildford Fleet News' Facebook page, but I think you need to join as a member to see the content.

While this morning saw the first Sunday service over the Guildford - Farnham - Alton route in I believe two decades or more begin, it also marked the final run out (again!) for bus operations from the historic Leas Road garage in central Guildford.

Opened in April 1932 by the London General Omnibus Company, it closed just shy of its 90th birthday in December 2021 after Arriva pulled out of the area. It got a brief reprieve though after a reported three year lease (with two year landlord break clause) was signed by Stagecoach in 2022, who had taken on much of Arriva’s network and I believe used the site primarily for their Woking area routes 34, 35, 47, 91 and RHS (and previously the 6 when that interworked with the 34/35, before the 2 was revised and 2/6/7 town services interworked), plus maintenance.

Leas Road’s bus workings will be moving to the Peasmarsh site south of Guildford, with control functions being undertaken from Guildford Bus Station next week. I believe Aldershot will undertake maintenance on the decker fleet due to the height limitations of Peasmarsh’s building.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/handsbusblog

 

[Class450/4DES]

It is being reported that the Leas Road garage in Guildford is being closed today with routes 34/35/47/91/RHS moving to Peasmarsh. The controllers are reportedly moving to Guildford Bus Station and double decker maintenance moving to Aldershot. The following was posted on the Hants and Surrey Bus Blog Facebook page. There are also videos of the depot by staff on the 'Stagecoach in Guildford Fleet News' Facebook page, but I think you need to join as a member to see the content.


Source: https://www.facebook.com/handsbusblog

Why was it closed?
Surely that's more of a headache for Guildford due to the double deckers.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Why was it closed?
Surely that's more of a headache for Guildford due to the double deckers.

Probably because the negotiation of the lease meant an increase in rent OR the landlord may wish to develop the site OR the cost of running two sites isn't sustainable in the long run (or combinations of all these)

 

[Class450/4DES]

Probably because the negotiation of the lease meant an increase in rent OR the landlord may wish to develop the site OR the cost of running two sites isn't sustainable in the long run (or combinations of all these)

I see.

 

[fgwrich]

Probably because the negotiation of the lease meant an increase in rent OR the landlord may wish to develop the site OR the cost of running two sites isn't sustainable in the long run (or combinations of all these)

Indeed, I believe Stagecoach managed to secure only a 2 year lease extension for Leas Road at the time of taking over from Arriva. Those 2 years have crept up, and Stagecoach has either been unsuccessful in securing a longer lease or didn't wish to renegotiate further. Considering that it's at the end of a residential street, I can see that land being fairly valuable to developers too.

 

[DunsBus]

Indeed, I believe Stagecoach managed to secure only a 2 year lease extension for Leas Road at the time of taking over from Arriva. Those 2 years have crept up, and Stagecoach has either been unsuccessful in securing a longer lease or didn't wish to renegotiate further. Considering that it's at the end of a residential street, I can see that land being fairly valuable to developers too.

I think it was a 3 year lease, with a break clause after 2 years which has now been invoked by the owners.

 

[Flange Squeal]

The auction advert from 2022 is still online if you search for "Leas Road bus depot auction" or similar, and confirms the lease arrangement with Stagecoach. £120k per year on a 3 year lease term but with landlord break option after 2. It can be read at: https://www.allsop.co.uk/lot-overvi...evelopment-potential-in-guildford/r220217-090

LOT 54 - Guildford​

Bus Depot, Leas Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4QT

VACANT - Freehold Site with Possible Development Potential​

Withdrawn​

Residential - 17th Feb 2022 - Online Only

Key Features​

• Site Area approximately 0.376 Hectares (0.928 Acres)
• Currently comprises a Former Bus Depot
• Possible Potential for Redevelopment and/or Change of Use, subject to consents
• The Seller has Agreed Terms to Lease the site to Stagecoach for a term of 3 years (with a Landlord's Break Option after 2 years) at a rent of £120,000 per annum. The Lease is due to be signed prior to the auction date
• Situated in Guildford town centre
• Guildford Rail Station is situated 0.3 miles to the south

This appears to have also been referenced in this news article about the Stagecoach closure.

Sun sets on Leas Road… again!​

MAY 26, 2024/ HANTS & SURREY BUS BLOG
In Spring 1932, the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) opened a garage in Guildford at the end of the residential Leas Road. Backing on to the River Wey (which has on occasions flowed through the depot!), it’s a handy central location a stone’s throw from today’s Friary Bus Station. Later coming under the control of London Country Bus Services in 1970, deregulation saw the divvied up London Country South West pass through the hands of Drawlane (1988) and British Bus (1992), with vehicles wearing the bold London Country two town green with red stripe livery and carrying ‘Guildford & West Surrey’ fleet names. Cowie acquired British Bus in 1996 and rebranded the following year as Arriva.

Around six months shy of the garage reaching the 90th anniversary of its opening, October 2021 saw Arriva make the announcement that they were proposing to close Leas Road and cease operations in Surrey, this coming to fruition after the close of service on the night of 17th December. In the very early hours of the following morning, Mercedes-Benz Citaro 3901 (BX56 VTU) arrived in Guildford after working the 23:08 Camberley to Guildford route 34 journey. It seemed like it was the end of the road for Leas Road, and that the long talked about redevelopment of the site may well now be able to go ahead.

It soon became apparent that it wasn’t quite the end though, as the site appeared up for an auction in February 2022 on the website of property consultancy Allsop. Interestingly though, alongside the stats of an area “0.376 hectares (0.928 acres)” in size and its possible potential for redevelopment, there was a caveat that “The Seller has Agreed Terms to Lease the site to Stagecoach for a term of 3 years (with a Landlord’s Break Option after 2 years) at a rent of £120,000 per annum. The Lease is due to be signed prior to the auction date”. Stagecoach moved in and primarily operated Woking area routes 34, 35, 47 and 91 from Leas Road (plus initially local circular 6 which was at the time interworked with the 34/35), as well as the lone morning 28 journey which becomes a 91 at Knaphill Sainsbury’s and more recently the RHS Garden Wisley shuttle bus service recently taken over from Woking Community Transport on 29th March this year. The workshops were also put to good use for maintenance of the fleet, these being particularly handy as the building at Stagecoach’s existing Guildford premises in Peasmarsh was unable to fit double deck vehicles inside. Latterly, Stagecoach’s London & South East operator licence (PK0002571) has shown an allowance of up to 35 vehicles at Leas Road and 45 at Peasmarsh.

Two years on though, today (Sunday 26th May 2024) sees another last day of operation for Leas Road garage after reaching its 92nd birthday. Vehicles are being squeezed in at Peasmarsh further along the River Wey, around three miles to the south, with control functions moving to Guildford Bus Station. I understand that maintenance of double deck vehicles will now have to be carried out at Aldershot though, due to the aforementioned height of the Peasmarsh workshop. It has been reported on the ‘Stagecoach in Guildford Fleet News’ Facebook page that Trident 18516 (GX06 DXP) was the last bus to pass through the gates of Leas Road late this evening, hot on the heels of Enviro 200 36176 (KX60 DUH) which quickly popped in to refuel – judging by the tracking on BusTimes.org – between its round trips on the 22:30 route 7 and 22:55 route 6 circulars. If you visit that Facebook page then you can find some videos taken from inside the depot documenting some of the moving out process today.

I’ll close this post off with a couple of my phone snaps – the first showing Leas Road under the control of Arriva taken on 3rd November 2013, and the second showing the scene earlier this evening. Note the Owen & Isherwood ‘For Sale/To Let’ sign attached to the fence to the right of the gates. At the back of a queue of four Enviros is 36437 (GX61 AYS), which according to BusTimes.org tracking appears to have been making a pit stop – presumably all trying to use up the remaining fuel supply – between journeys after arriving on the 18:15 Alton to Guildford route 65 (whose brand new Sunday service launched today) and heading back out on the 20:45 Guildford to Cranleigh route 53.

Source: https://handsbusblog.wordpress.com/2024/05/26/sun-sets-on-leas-road-again/

 

[Surreyman]

The auction advert from 2022 is still online if you search for "Leas Road bus depot auction" or similar, and confirms the lease arrangement with Stagecoach. £120k per year on a 3 year lease term but with landlord break option after 2. It can be read at: https://www.allsop.co.uk/lot-overvi...evelopment-potential-in-guildford/r220217-090



This appears to have also been referenced in this news article about the Stagecoach closure.


Source: https://handsbusblog.wordpress.com/2024/05/26/sun-sets-on-leas-road-again/

Went past Leas Road about 16.30 today (Monday) a single E200 parked in the yard, and one of the service bay doors open with someone in a Hi-Viz, assume they are emptying out the place?

 

[Flange Squeal]

Went past Leas Road about 16.30 today (Monday) a single E200 parked in the yard, and one of the service bay doors open with someone in a Hi-Viz, assume they are emptying out the place?

Judging by the videos on the Stagecoach Guildford Fleet News page on Facebook (need to join to view), it appears the emptying out process has been conducted over the last few days, with yesterday's videos of the site looking fairly empty although it was still an operational garage for the morning run out. There also appeared to be box/Luton style vans there yesterday shifting things. Maybe they didn't quite get finished, or there's still some fuel left in the tank they want to use up? Either way, assuming it wasn't them, then the staff member that had been providing the video updates over the course of the day may have just lost their crown of driving the final bus out and performing the last lock up following your observation!

 

[LUYMun]

Portsmouth’s 19886, which had been vinylled as the Apprenticeship Bus, has transferred to Aldershot to cover the cremated 18379 Trident, assuming to be a loan for now.

It has returned and been replaced by 19887, a non-branded variant.

 

[Surreyman]

Judging by the videos on the Stagecoach Guildford Fleet News page on Facebook (need to join to view), it appears the emptying out process has been conducted over the last few days, with yesterday's videos of the site looking fairly empty although it was still an operational garage for the morning run out. There also appeared to be box/Luton style vans there yesterday shifting things. Maybe they didn't quite get finished, or there's still some fuel left in the tank they want to use up? Either way, assuming it wasn't them, then the staff member that had been providing the video updates over the course of the day may have just lost their crown of driving the final bus out and performing the last lock up following your observation!

At Leas Road this evening, the gates were padlocked & the Stagecoach sign has been taken down. It's the end of an era with the last surviving depot from LBCS (London Country Bus Service's) south western area; all others have since been demolished (Reigate still physically exists - part used as a childrens' nursery).

I believe the only 2 former LCBS depots still in use are Northfleet at Gravesend & Harlow, all other depots in use in the former LCBS area(s) of operations date from the era of the succeeding operators.

 

[RELL6L]

At Leas Road this evening, the gates were padlocked & the Stagecoach sign has been taken down. It's the end of an era with the last surviving depot from LBCS (London Country Bus Service's) south western area; all others have since been demolished (Reigate still physically exists - part used as a childrens' nursery).

I believe the only 2 former LCBS depots still in use are Northfleet at Gravesend & Harlow, all other depots in use in the former LCBS area(s) of operations date from the era of the succeeding operators.

Going off topic here but Hemel Hempstead remains as in LCBS days. Also not sure when Dartford moved to its current depot. But most are long gone except Garston which was fairly recent.

 

[Man of Kent]

Going off topic here but Hemel Hempstead remains as in LCBS days. Also not sure when Dartford moved to its current depot. But most are long gone except Garston which was fairly recent.

Various sources e.g. http://www.countrybus.org/garageC.htm state that the LT-era depot at Hemel Hempstead closed in 1995. Arriva are in an industrial estate on the opposite side of the new Two Waters Road.

 

[RELL6L]

Various sources e.g. http://www.countrybus.org/garageC.htm state that the LT-era depot at Hemel Hempstead closed in 1995. Arriva are in an industrial estate on the opposite side of the new Two Waters Road.

OK, I stand corrected!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Various sources e.g. http://www.countrybus.org/garageC.htm state that the LT-era depot at Hemel Hempstead closed in 1995. Arriva are in an industrial estate on the opposite side of the new Two Waters Road.

Hemel depot went with new A41 and indeed, the current depot is nearby but a new building. Dartford moved c1988/9?

Aside from Northfleet and Harlow, Swanley is still standing and in use with Go Coach. Slough was also a London Country depot but a late build in 1984? Tring still stands too?

Tbf, Guildford is a new build on an existing site.

 

[Man of Kent]

Tbf, Guildford is a new build on an existing site.

Pretty certain it was the original structure. Recent pictures show the frontage much as in this view from the LT Musuem

B/W print; Exterior of Guildford (Leas Road) LT bus garage by Topical Press, 6 Jul 1936 | London Transport Museum

b/w print

www.ltmuseum.co.uk

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

If you look at these photos from Flickr, Richard Stubbings shows the old depot being much closer to the road

London & Country OT1

London & Country OT1, AFE719A (325NKT), a 1962 AEC Reliance with Weymann OB40F body, originally Maidstone & District outside Leas Road Garage, Guildford

www.flickr.com

Guildford - different times

A September 2008 view of the entrance to Arriva's Guildford depot. From left to right are: 3903 (BX56 VTW) - Mercedes-Benz Citaro, new in 2006 and entering service on 22nd October, on the 436 revised from that date. It was tied in with the opening of Mercedes-Benz World. The Guildford - Woking...

flic.kr

The pediment above is much taller and doesn’t have left hand side 45 degree profile. It was a lot larger so perhaps a more accurate description is it was heavily remodelled. The front half of the depot being sliced off and the rest reroofed, reclad, new maintenance facilities fitted out plus new offices. The front of the depot was about 15m from Leas Road; reckon it’s at least double that now

EDIT: it was completely rebuilt in 2002 apparently.

 

[Man of Kent]

If you look at these photos from Flickr, Richard Stubbings shows the old depot being much closer to the road

The pediment above is much taller and doesn’t have left hand side 45 degree profile. It was a lot larger so perhaps a more accurate description is it was heavily remodelled. The front half of the depot being sliced off and the rest reroofed, reclad, new maintenance facilities fitted out plus new offices. The front of the depot was about 15m from Leas Road; reckon it’s at least double that now

EDIT: it was completely rebuilt in 2002 apparently.

I've spent far too long looking at old maps, aerial photographs and planning applications to satisfy myself that this is the case (which it is - thank you). Unfortunately the details of the 2001 planning application are not available, but it does rather look as though a broad replica of the original front has been attached to a foreshortened building.

Interestingly, there is a current outline planning application for offices on the site, rather than the expected flats.

 

[LUYMun]

Stagecoach South East’s professionalism is under fire after posting this now-deleted tweet this morning:

Stagecoach South East (@StagecoachSE)
Due to a driver not knowing which day of the week it is, service 100 departing #Hastings Silverhill for #Rye at 8:56 will be leaving late and possibly getting repositioned.

 

[Trainguy34]

Stagecoach South East’s professionalism is under fire after posting this now-deleted tweet this morning:

View attachment 160226

I mean, I'm not Suprised considering the amount of times they've misspelt Lydd as Lyyd and other similar places.

EDIT: From a look at bus times, it wasn't even a route 100, but a route 101 instead... Really not looking like a good day for the Twitter/X team...

 

[GusB]

That tweet reads more like controller frustration rather than something that the customer service team would come out with. Do local depots still have access to Twitter these days or does it all go through the centralised customer services?

 

[Man of Kent]

That tweet reads more like controller frustration rather than something that the customer service team would come out with. Do local depots still have access to Twitter these days or does it all go through the centralised customer services?

I'm fairly certain South East depot control teams can still put Tweets out directly, so yes, this looks exactly like "controller frustration", and Hastings depot has usually been quite proactive in advising of problems. At least it imparted timely information (if not in the best way).

 

[dodecahedron67]

It could also very easily be a flippant remark on internal comms that has been accidentally transcribed word-for-word onto social media by an SM team

 

[Towers]

Also highly unlikely that the average bus user would have the faintest idea what “and possibly getting repositioned” is supposed to mean!

 

[James H]

I see the Kent County Council list of service changes shows that Stagecoach plans to withdraw the 29 between Northiam and Tenterden

We are not in a position to fund a replacement service. The service will still operate from Hastings as far as Northiam, but will not continue as far as Tenterden.

https://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/travelling-around-kent/bus-travel/bus-services-in-kent

Tenterden's bus links have declined quite rapidly in the past few years

 

[Trainguy34]

Just had a look at the route license things for Stagecoach South East and looks like a new route, probably just for the Summer Season however.

Image shows a route license for the Stagecoach South East route 500 from Ashford to Camber via Lydd, likely only running for the summer season.

Mod note: link is required and you must copy and paste the text

Link: https://bustimes.org/registrations/PK0000098/425
Text:
 500 - Ashford to Camber via Lydd
Registration number
PK0000098/425
Type
Normal Stopping
Supported by subsidy?
No
Authorities: East Sussex County Council, Kent County Council
Variation history:
Received: 14 Jun 24
Effective: 27 Jul 24
End: 1 Sep 24
New
Operates Monday to Sunday

 

[LUYMun]

One of Stagecoach’s new Optare Solo SRs was spotted heading down to Chichester, in particular YJ24BFX. Discussion surrounding it believes this, after baseplate fitting and commissioning at Chi, is bound for Andover. Link to the “Stagecoach in Andover fleet news” Facebook group:

Log in to Facebook

Log in to Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family and people you know.

www.facebook.com

 

[LUYMun]

A number of Stagecoach South’s 500-series Surrey village routes is going up for withdrawal from the end of August with the widespread introduction of Surrey County Council’s DDRT service. This comes in addition with Carlone Buses’ own 500-series routes also being withdrawn. Details are as follows: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/servi...rticle?SituationId=ID-10/05/2023-09:13:08:546

Notice of withdrawal of services 503, 520, 523 & 538​

01 Jul 2024 to 30 Sep 2024​

We are sorry to advise that services 503, 520, 523 & 538 will no longer run after the end of August 2024.

These services run with financial support from Surrey County Council. This funding comes to an end in August 2024, when the contract for these services expires.

We understand that the services will be replaced by an on-demand 'Digital Demand Responsive Transport' service, which already runs in other parts of Surrey. Please look out for further announcements from Surrey County Council nearer the time. Customers on some parts of service 503 may already be able to use the Cranleigh Surrey Connect service which started running in April 2024. Service 538 customers can use the West Guildford Surrey Connect service. In some instances the Surrey Connect service is able to offer more journey opportunities than are provided by the current services. There is more information about the Surrey Connect on-demand bus service here.

We fully appreciate the important role these routes play in keeping communities connected, but without the vital funding from the local authority, it is not possible for the routes to continue in their current form. We have operated some of these routes for more than 20 years and we would like to extend our thanks to our regular customers for their continued use over the years.

The last days of operation of the services in their current form are:

Service 503 - Friday 30th August 2024
Service 520 (to Woking) - Wednesday 28th August 2024
Service 520 (to Guildford) - Friday 30th August 2024
Service 523 - Thursday 29th August 2024
Service 538 - Friday 30th August 2024

Stagecoach South’s Aldershot division is also wounding up the 412 school route to All Hallows due to its financial unviability, not least due to the immense dead running required to start or terminate buses at Bracknell. A replacement is yet to be announced: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/servi...rticle?SituationId=ID-01/07/2024-12:58:06:902

Notice of withdrawal of service 412​

01 Jul 2024 to 30 Sep 2024​

We are sorry to announce that service 412 from Bracknell to All Hallows School will no longer run after the end of the 2023-24 school year.

We have made this difficult decision on a financial basis, with the bus service having run at a significant and unsustainable loss over several years. During this time we have made changes to ticket prices to attempt to address the shortfall. Our costs have risen sharply in recent years, and we are expecting this rise to continue in the year ahead. It is with regret that we can no longer continue running the service at a loss.

We have liaised with All Hallows School since the early spring so that students can be made aware of this cancellation in good time.

We are very sorry for the impact that we know this will have for students using the current service.

Our other bus routes serving All Hallows School are expected to be largely unchanged for September 2024, with the possibility of some adjustments to timings. Please check back for updates.

School service route 74 for Weydon School changes for the next school year, with it no longer serving Lower Bourne and extending to serve Farnham Hospital from the station via the town centre: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/servi...rticle?SituationId=ID-04/07/2024-14:37:35:821

Changes to service 74 to Weydon School from 4th September 2024
04 Jul 2024 to 30 Sep 2024​

There will be some changes to the route & timetable of service 74 to/from Weydon School from the start of the new school year in September 2024.

Service 74 will no longer serve Lower Bourne. Between Tilford Road and Ridgway Road, the bus will now run via Great Austins, and will no longer run along part of Tilford Road, Lodge Hill Road and Frensham Road. Students who currently board the bus on Lodge Hill Road are advised to catch service 75 from the bus stops on Frensham Road, near to Old Frensham Road or Fox Road. This will help ensure service 74 arrives at school more punctually in the morning.

In the afternoon, the two buses on route 74 will be adjusted as follows:

The bus which currently terminates at Farnham Rail Station will be extended to serve Farnham town centre and will terminate at Farnham Hospital. It will also run along Great Austins rather than via Lower Bourne, to match the morning service.

The bus to Folly Hill will bypass Farnham altogether, resuming the current route at Water Lane Sainsbury's and onwards to Badshot Lea, Heath End and Folly Hill. This will provide a slightly more direct route home for students in these areas.

Students travelling home to the Farnham area are advised to check carefully that they are boarding the bus marked Farnham. The first drop-off point for the Folly Hill bus in the afternoon will be at the Water Lane Sainsbury's bus stop. Please check with the driver if you are unsure.

Service 75 from Rushmoor, Beacon Hill, Churt, Frensham and Lower Bourne will remain unchanged.

We hope students have an enjoyable summer break and we look forward to welcoming you on board in September.

 

[LUYMun]

Andover’s new Solo SRs, numbered 48135 to 48140, have entered the fleet while existing Tridents 19055, 18188, 18311 and 18514 have been moved to reserve for relocation.