Stagecoach South West - Fleet News & Discussion

[TheGrandWazoo]

In some respects it's full circle - prior to X53 Axe Valley ran the 899 as a through Lyme Regis-Seaton-Sidmouth service on a commercial basis. The subsidised element was the 378 Sunday & Bank Holiday tender. The introduction of the X53 led to revenue abstraction and Devon had to subsidise the service from 2001 onwards.

This wasn't the only commercial route which suffered from the introduction of the X53. When it was rerouted away from Dorchester to serve the coast road down to Weymouth it abstracted passengers from the Wessex Bus service which ran between Abbotsbury and Weymouth taking in villages en route off the main road. On their own that wasn't sufficient to sustain the route and in 2004 they withdrew the service and focused instead on their schools contracts.

That's it - I knew there was a 378. I think it was Richard Holladay's Red Bus Services that operated that one. I couldn't recall the 899 but now you mention it, it rings a bell. I can't recall the Wessex Bus one but Southern National had a daily service from Bridport to Weymouth IIRC.

The introduction of the 373 is also a return to the old days prior to Culm Valley Connect?

 

[fgwrich]

On an unrelated note, I rode on the 95 for the first time this year yesterday. Does anyone happen to know why the conversions on 19657 and 19658 have been done so differently from each other. I must admit I find 19657 to be really odd at the front upstairs, certainly if you had kiddies sat there then they would not see the view ahead!

I hadn't realised how high up the front is until you'd mentioned it. It wasn't a bridge bash victim was it?

 

[RELL6L]

The outcome of these service changes seems typically unsatisfactory. So there will now be 5 buses per hour to Cranbrook instead of 3. Is that justified? But only 6 per day to Axminster. Sounds like more resources for a less satisfactory result.

Is it clear that the 373 will be operated by Stagecoach? The reference to Stagecoach tickers being accepted suggests it might not be. The numbering of 373 (and 378) says ‘these services are not important’. If the 373 is Stagecoach it might interwork with the 1 at Cullompton. Hopefully it will connect. Will the 378 connect with the 9A? I don’t think we’ve seen times for the 9A yet. No mention of significant changes to the 5 or 6 group which is hopefully good news…

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The numbering of 373 (and 378) says ‘these services are not important’.

I don't know if I agree with you on that one. To me, it sounds rather like some enthusiast harking back to earlier times

 

[150249]

I hadn't realised how high up the front is until you'd mentioned it. It wasn't a bridge bash victim was it?

No. It was converted. 18186, 19571 and 15665 were the bridge victims

Is it clear that the 373 will be operated by Stagecoach? The reference to Stagecoach tickers being accepted suggests it might not be. The numbering of 373 (and 378) says ‘these services are not important’.

3xx routes seem to be for the routes that run between villages and through the country. 319, 360, 372, 373.

(Isn't the 378 AVMT?)

 

[Wolvercoter]

Is it clear that the 373 will be operated by Stagecoach?

It's registered with VOSA as Stagecoach (PH1020951/361), along with 44/44A (PH1020951/360). Makes me wonder whether Stagecoach don't want these routes and will operate them on an emergency basis until a council tender is won. I suppose time will tell all.

What's surprised me is that the B2 will go via Pinhoe Road, not Beacon Lane. I was expecting it to follow the current L route to Station Road Pinhoe thence Pinn Lane to Tithebarn Way.

 

[150249]

It's registered with VOSA as Stagecoach (PH1020951/361), along with 44/44A (PH1020951/360). Makes me wonder whether Stagecoach don't want these routes and will operate them on an emergency basis until a council tender is won. I suppose time will tell all.

What's surprised me is that the B2 will go via Pinhoe Road, not Beacon Lane. I was expecting it to follow the current L route to Station Road Pinhoe thence Pinn Lane to Tithebarn Way.

Good observation, I didn't see that. I know that some school children from St James use the L route to get home so that could cause some complaints.

 

[Wolvercoter]

Good observation, I didn't see that. I know that some school children from St James use the L route to get home so that could cause some complaints.

Looks like B1 will follow the current L route, hourly.

 

[embers25]

Could you confirm where this is shown please?

 

[Wolvercoter]

Could you confirm where this is shown please?

It's here at the time of writing.

South West Timetables

www.stagecoachbus.com

Services B/2B, K and L will be replaced by new Service B1/B2providing new cross city connections for customers.

Service B1 will operate between Exminster and Pinhoe via City Centre, hourly, and Service B2 operating between Exminster and Science Park via City Centre, hourly. The new routes will provide a combined 30 minute frequency between Exminster and the City Centre on weekdays and Saturday daytimes.

Service B1 will operate hourly during the evening Monday to Saturday and during the day on Sundays and Public Holidays. Evenings and on Sundays, buses will operate between the City Centre and Pinhoe only. Service B1/B2 will serve Exeter High Street in both directions and will not serve Exeter Bus Station.

The current section of route 2B between Exminster and Dawlish / Teignmouth will be withdrawn, with the exception of two weekday AM peak journeys towards Exeter and two weekday PM peak journeys towards Dawlish / Teignmouth. The new routes are designed, however, to co-ordinate with Service 2 between Exeter and Exminster, which will facilitate connections for travel to and from Dawlish.

Map attached.

 

[embers25]

Thanks So Pinhoe Road as far as Warwick Way is one of the few winners.

 

[richard13]

Stagecoach in Devon need to adjust services to something more like current post-Covid usage and also match staff availability. The 9/9A is largely unchanged during the day, but less frequent early, late and Sunday, which cuts out anti-social hour shifts as well as matching demand. As they says it makes a new base network from which to expand in new different ways.

Lyme Regis is back to being AVMT with 378 (Devon contract - only 2 trips in winter) and school 897 (but runs I think, during this summer holiday). As said previously this was part of their 899 at a similar service level. AVMT run quite a few school services with elderly double deckers.

A number of services like the 1, 4 etc may have been almost commercial, but no longer are. The daytime ones I used a month or so ago were not empty, but did not exceed 6 people, so loosing money and many journeys must be empty. Hence Devon contracts for reduced services 44/A and 373. This has meant Devon having to define what is an acceptable reduced service level, rather than Stagecoach doing it.

At Cranbrook, the 4 serves the new town, where as the 44 stays on the old A30 (London Road), which acts as the bypass. I would think that Cranbrook is big enough to have bus service to somewhere other than Exeter now. It has a well used train service.

The last time I used the K to the Science park, I was the only passenger. The K service level was premature.

The 56 has lost all its airport short workings - this cannot be a surprise.

The rest of Devon will follow with similar reviews over the next few months.

 

[M803UYA]

That's it - I knew there was a 378. I think it was Richard Holladay's Red Bus Services that operated that one. I couldn't recall the 899 but now you mention it, it rings a bell. I can't recall the Wessex Bus one but Southern National had a daily service from Bridport to Weymouth IIRC.

The introduction of the 373 is also a return to the old days prior to Culm Valley Connect?

The two routes from Bridport to Weymouth were 210 (one round trip daily) increased to two hourly in 1998 with new Mercedes Varios, but there was shorter route from Weymouth to Abbotsbury which ran hourly in the summer. Weybus either ran it and Southern National competed on the same frequency (as they always did in response to a Weybus introduction as part of the strategy to remove them from the roads). I best end it there as I'm off topic!

373 was an hourly Devon tendered route needing double deckers in the early 1990s - as Stagecoach's predecessor didn't operate tendered services on principle it was run for some time by North Devon with red and cream Olympians. They ended up with three of the very first Volvo Olympian models in 1993 to run that route before Stagecoach won it on retender. They twice bought in new double deckers for the service - in 2002 the 52 plate ALX 400 bodied Tridents entered the fleet brand new for this very route.

 

[geoffk]

Thanks So Pinhoe Road as far as Warwick Way is one of the few winners.

I live just off Pinhoe Road, near Polsloe Bridge station (Halt!). Looks as though the RED Park and Ride will be serving all stops, which makes up for the reduction in service K (now to be B2), also I get a bus across the river which will be useful. It appears service 1 will not serve the Swallow Way estate in Cullompton, so I wonder what's going round there. On the map E is shown as just one route, rather than E1/E2, so does this mean they are all operating the same way round the Exwick loop?

 

[embers25]

The K is only hourly currently due to the reduced service so no change. It sucks that the I remains 30 minutes but makes sense given the Reds offset the busier bit. Just annoying for me in Whipton Barton. The local areas of Cullompton will be covered by the 373 as far as I can tell.

 

[MarkC]

Stagecoach in Devon need to adjust services to something more like current post-Covid usage and also match staff availability. The 9/9A is largely unchanged during the day, but less frequent early, late and Sunday, which cuts out anti-social hour shifts as well as matching demand. As they says it makes a new base network from which to expand in new different ways.

Lyme Regis is back to being AVMT with 378 (Devon contract - only 2 trips in winter) and school 897 (but runs I think, during this summer holiday). As said previously this was part of their 899 at a similar service level. AVMT run quite a few school services with elderly double deckers.

A number of services like the 1, 4 etc may have been almost commercial, but no longer are. The daytime ones I used a month or so ago were not empty, but did not exceed 6 people, so loosing money and many journeys must be empty. Hence Devon contracts for reduced services 44/A and 373. This has meant Devon having to define what is an acceptable reduced service level, rather than Stagecoach doing it.

At Cranbrook, the 4 serves the new town, where as the 44 stays on the old A30 (London Road), which acts as the bypass. I would think that Cranbrook is big enough to have bus service to somewhere other than Exeter now. It has a well used train service.

The last time I used the K to the Science park, I was the only passenger. The K service level was premature.

The 56 has lost all its airport short workings - this cannot be a surprise.

The rest of Devon will follow with similar reviews over the next few months.

Any idea when the Plymouth review will be and predictions of what it is likely to contain?

 

[150249]

I live just off Pinhoe Road, near Polsloe Bridge station (Halt!). Looks as though the RED Park and Ride will be serving all stops, which makes up for the reduction in service K (now to be B2), also I get a bus across the river which will be useful. It appears service 1 will not serve the Swallow Way estate in Cullompton, so I wonder what's going round there. On the map E is shown as just one route, rather than E1/E2, so does this mean they are all operating the same way round the Exwick loop?

I think it has always been shown as just E

 

[Wolvercoter]

Timetables for 44/44A, 373 and B1/B2 are available on Traveline SW.

 

[embers25]

So are the 6/6a and 55/155 which seem little changed. X38 also there looking little changed but starting earlier on July 25 for some reason.

 

[MarkC]

What is the change to X38 please?

 

[150249]

Timetables for 44/44A, 373 and B1/B2 are available on Traveline SW.

I'm surprised that the B1/2 goes all the way to Teignmouth on selected journeys

 

[-Colly405-]

I'm surprised that the B1/2 goes all the way to Teignmouth on selected journeys

They did say that the 2B is withdrawn apart from certain peak journeys, so i'm presuming these are they...

 

[richard13]

Timetables for 44/44A, 373 and B1/B2 are available on Traveline SW.

373 - Travel Devon News has links to the new Devon timetable book pages - The TravelineSW timetable only gives the Stagecoach operated journeys - the 2 buses which provide the Uffculme School journeys (presumably double deckers as at present), but the council timetable shows a third bus provided by Dartline (presumably a small bus) to make up an hourly service. The route is odd in that the round trip time from Tiverton is 2 hours and 3 minutes and so with a 57 minute layover each bus only does a round trip every 3 hours. There must be at least some level of interworking, but I haven't looked into that yet.

The Sunday service remains unchanged as service 1.

44 - The Sunday service is just 1 bus from Honiton (presumably still Kilmington outstation?) and includes the Honiton to Sidmouth service labelled as route 9 and so a through Exeter to Sidmouth service as normal. (The 9 Timetable was reissued to include this.)

 

[RELL6L]

373 - Travel Devon News has links to the new Devon timetable book pages - The TravelineSW timetable only gives the Stagecoach operated journeys - the 2 buses which provide the Uffculme School journeys (presumably double deckers as at present), but the council timetable shows a third bus provided by Dartline (presumably a small bus) to make up an hourly service. The route is odd in that the round trip time from Tiverton is 2 hours and 3 minutes and so with a 57 minute layover each bus only does a round trip every 3 hours. There must be at least some level of interworking, but I haven't looked into that yet.

The Sunday service remains unchanged as service 1.

44 - The Sunday service is just 1 bus from Honiton (presumably still Kilmington outstation?) and includes the Honiton to Sidmouth service labelled as route 9 and so a through Exeter to Sidmouth service as normal. (The 9 Timetable was reissued to include this.)

I agree, I saw the 373 timetable and thought it was very odd. The outcome seems to require more resources to achieve less, like the 4/4A/44/44A changes do. The 373 departs Tiverton at 45 and arrives at 48, with Stagecoach operating two hours in three. As you say then the bus appears to do nothing for 57 minutes. Meanwhile the (new) 1 arrives at 42 and also leaves at 48. I can't see a 373 arriving at 48 departing as a 1 at 48. Certainly doesn't interwork with the 55. No doubt we'll see next Monday.....

 

[150249]

This evening, I personally witnessed some kids get out of the cab of 37441 while it was parked up at the old bus station in Exeter. It rolled forward into 37443. 37441's screen had been smashed in and 37443 has a massive dent and a crack on the nearside rear.

I found a bus driver and Stagecoach are investigating the incident at the moment

 

[embers25]

Cancellations really increasing now with numerous services lost. The I runs every 30 mins but is completely cancelled from 1255 to 1945 except for the 1705 and 1810 buses. In the other direction every other J is cancelled too so basically its 1 of 4 every hour. The K is also fully cancelled for four hours and the Lis cancelled after 1141 except 4 buses between 1743 and 2038. UNI is also gone almost all day. It is ridiculous that we are staffing the Commonwealth Games over our local bus services.

 

[-Colly405-]

Cancellations really increasing now with numerous services lost. The I runs every 30 mins but is completely cancelled from 1255 to 1945 except for the 1705 and 1810 buses. In the other direction every other J is cancelled too so basically its 1 of 4 every hour. The K is also fully cancelled for four hours and the Lis cancelled after 1141 except 4 buses between 1743 and 2038. UNI is also gone almost all day. It is ridiculous that we are staffing the Commonwealth Games over our local bus services.

That is the sort of level of cancellation we are used to with Stagecoach West in North Bristol on a normal day!!!

 

[padbus]

Cancellations really increasing now with numerous services lost. The I runs every 30 mins but is completely cancelled from 1255 to 1945 except for the 1705 and 1810 buses. In the other direction every other J is cancelled too so basically its 1 of 4 every hour. The K is also fully cancelled for four hours and the Lis cancelled after 1141 except 4 buses between 1743 and 2038. UNI is also gone almost all day. It is ridiculous that we are staffing the Commonwealth Games over our local bus services.

It saddens me to have to say that the bus service in Exeter is virtually useless at the moment. I fear it may never recover.

 

[150249]

The new routes in Devon began today with 37481 serving the first 44A and 37472 and 37480 on the B1

 

[MarkC]

Stagecoach Plymouth changes from September 5th seem to be appearing on Travelline etc..

Park and ride 101 is cancelled , George Junction to city centre served by enhanced service 1 via Derriford, Mannamead Road and Mutley every 10 mins (at least...more frequent again in peak times). Every 2nd bus (20 min frequency) continues to Tavistock

From what I can tell Citybus 61 diverts from Peverell Cherry Tree along Outland Road to city centre to provide service from Milehouse Park and Ride to city centre.

Service 200, Coypool Park and Ride is cancelled, I can't see a replacement , anyone know what is happening here?

Also city council subsidised 19 and 31 showing as cancelled, have Stagecoach lost these?

City college 36 passes from Stagecoach to Citybus at same time.

There is also an odd DY1 from Chaddlewood to Camels Head only few times a day assume this is Dockyard contract?