The rapid decline of Bournemouth’s Yellow Buses network

[PTR 444]

Three somewhat niche hourly services - More will save on buses and crews. However - ticketing and how this will fit in with the More services must be a question to be answered. Not much to gain from a 'getting about' ticket - which was useful, and reasonable, when it covered More and Yellows.

What would stop Xelabus from joining the ‘getting about’ scheme?

 

[BenS123]

I think the point being made is it seems a bit worthless to buy a multi operator ticket just to be able to use 3 other routes, as opposed to the yellows which had I think 24 public routes in total.

 

[Mainline421]

At the moment it exists solely for the short section of x54 in the zone. Surely it's better if it exists even if demand will be very low? Would hope any new operator will join PlusBus too.

 

[Joe Paxton]

What would stop Xelabus from joining the ‘getting about’ scheme?

I'd think as part of the contract BCP* council might well require that Xelabus / Yellow Coaches participate in the Getting About ticket - that, or come to some arrangement so that Morebus tickets are accepted and sold on the tendered services.


* BCP - Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

 

[E-Rail]

Getting About is dead in the water. Morebus drivers have been told not to issue them anymore.

 

[James H]

Some of us appreciated your post E-Rail ...

 

[Hophead]

I'd think as part of the contract BCP* council might well require that Xelabus / Yellow Coaches participate in the Getting About ticket - that, or come to some arrangement so that Morebus tickets are accepted and sold on the tendered services.


* BCP - Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

That is certainly within the power of the council and, now that there is effectively just a single operator in the area, they absolutely should be requiring Xelabus, or any subsequent operator of these or other routes, to conform to the More Bus fares regime. That's if they are serious about improving local public transport of course.

 

[Western Sunset]

Some of us appreciated your post E-Rail ...

+1

 

[Surreyman]

If it is Xelabus who have gained these contracts then we shall have an ironic development : a week after the elimination of competition The Yellows return running buses on the streets of the town again !

Surely a positive development all round, More cannot be accused of being a 'monopoly' operator and anyway 3 tendered routes is no great shakes. As another poster has said, it saves them a few vehicles and drivers.

 

[Lynford1976]

Where would Yellow Coaches operate the routes from, given that NatEx acquired the depot. An outstation at Yeomans Way? Or considerable dead mileage from Eastleigh?

 

[deconte]

Xela Group completes Yellow Coaches purchase - routeone

Xela Group has purchased the Bournemouth-based Yellow Coaches business and brand from its former Directors and shareholders.

www.route-one.net

Xela Group says it will continue to develop the Yellow Coaches business and is looking to establish a new base “within the vicinity” of the existing Yeomans Way site from which to operate

source - Route One magazine (online)

 

[James H]

I imagine that at the very least the tendered routes will be part of the same multi-operator daily price cap system for tap-on, tap-off that had been introduced by Morebus and Yellow Buses just a few short weeks ago.

 

[Kettledrum]

Getting About is dead in the water. Morebus drivers have been told not to issue them anymore.

Well I welcomed your insight, so I hope you are not deterred from sharing more insights in future

 

[PTR 444]

So with part of the Yellow’s brand now effectively in Xela’s hands, could we start to see yellow liveried buses turning up on the streets of Southampton and Eastleigh?

 

[deconte]

Vide message 351 - ‘Services 18, 33 and 36 will not be operated by Morebus after this Friday following a BCP contract award for these routes’

Has anyone seen any confirmation of this change, whether it be to Xelabus (Yellow Coaches) or A N Other ?

 

[Beemax]

So with part of the Yellow’s brand now effectively in Xela’s hands, could we start to see yellow liveried buses turning up on the streets of Southampton and Eastleigh?

Xela have cut a lot of services in the Southampton/Eastleigh area which should free up a few buses for Bournemouth

 

[James H]

Morebus have confirmed on Facebook that they will not be operating the tendered routes any more, in a slightly barbed message:

morebus

For customers who have been travelling with us this week on routes 18, 33 & 36, we’d like to say thank you. However, we are sorry to announce that BCP Council has decided to award the emergency...

www.facebook.com

However, we are sorry to announce that BCP Council has decided to award the emergency tender for these routes to another operator for the next six months. This is despite us stepping in at short notice to get these routes up and running again following the collapse of the previous operator.

We very much hope to run your buses again soon so it's not so much goodbye from morebus but au revoir!

 

[PTR 444]

Xela have cut a lot of services in the Southampton/Eastleigh area which should free up a few buses for Bournemouth

So green buses in Bournemouth then… For the first time since Hants & Dorset?

 

[341o2]

Vide message 351 - ‘Services 18, 33 and 36 will not be operated by Morebus after this Friday following a BCP contract award for these routes’

Has anyone seen any confirmation of this change, whether it be to Xelabus (Yellow Coaches) or A N Other ?

Reported in the Bournemouth Echo.
All three routes have an hourly service, are they really viable on their own?
Reading the FB comments, Morebus are currently unable to commit themselves to any school services in September, does that only apply to former YB school services?

 

[Surreyman]

Reported in the Bournemouth Echo.
All three routes have an hourly service, are they really viable on their own?
Reading the FB comments, Morebus are currently unable to commit themselves to any school services in September, does that only apply to former YB school services?

Not sure what you mean when you say 'viable' they are council tendered contracts?
Looked at facebook, can't find any comment about Morebus being unable to commit themselves to any school services, can you provide more detail? The wording "cannot commit" doesn't rule out operating school services - are they operated commercially or on tender/contract from local council?

 

[deconte]

As said viability doesn’t come in to it directly. iEach of the three tendered routes requires two buses, so that’s six needed plus a seventh early morning for an hour on the 18 in school term. Given that Xelabus / Yellow Coaches can find a suitable base locally I would think that this package makes a useful operational unit with the not inconsiderable other school work they have inherited.

 

[markymark2000]

As said viability doesn’t come in to it directly. iEach of the three tendered routes requires two buses, so that’s six needed plus a seventh early morning for an hour on the 18 in school term. Given that Xelabus / Yellow Coaches can find a suitable base locally I would think that this package makes a useful operational unit with the not inconsiderable other school work they have inherited.

There is a unit near the Airport which is likely to become vacant soon and is an ideal size for this sort of operation.

 

[PTR 444]

There are a few other council tendered routes which are all currently operated by Morebus: 7A, 7B, 7C, 20, 23 and 32. I wonder if these will also be awarded to Xelabus/Yellow Coaches in the near future?

 

[baza585]

There is a unit near the Airport which is likely to become vacant soon and is an ideal size for this sort of operation.

Indeed!

The mystery to me at least is why National Express has taken on a depot that is far bigger than it needs for its express services.

Morebus have confirmed on Facebook that they will not be operating the tendered routes any more, in a slightly barbed message:

morebus

For customers who have been travelling with us this week on routes 18, 33 & 36, we’d like to say thank you. However, we are sorry to announce that BCP Council has decided to award the emergency...

www.facebook.com

One can only assume that Xelagroup submitted the lowest bid. Maybe they bid low to establish a foothold, maybe GSC bid high to try to recoup the costs they have incurred thinking they would be the only bidder.....

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

So green buses in Bournemouth then… For the first time since Hants & Dorset?

Not quite - the bus operation of Shamrock and Rambler (including the Charlie's Cars minibus ops) were green and white

 

[PTR 444]

Not quite - the bus operation of Shamrock and Rambler (including the Charlie's Cars minibus ops) were green and white

Is this the same Shamrock that went bust 10 or so years ago? I thought their livery was orange and white

 

[Western Sunset]

So just shy of a week and the unified system begins to be broken up. I really hope that ticketing won't get split again; those living in the area appreciated the single system - if only for a week...

 

[miklcct]

morebus has replied on Facebook that it will resume the number 12 between Alum Chine and Hengistbury Head from 14 August.

morebus

For customers who have been travelling with us this week on routes 18, 33 & 36, we’d like to say thank you. However, we are sorry to announce that BCP Council has decided to award the emergency...

www.facebook.com

 

[James H]

The Yellow Coaches website now has a 'bus times' tab:

https://www.yellowcoaches.co.uk/bus-times

albeit with no actual content yet.

(The Gmail address shown last week has been replaced with a Xelabus one.)

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Is this the same Shamrock that went bust 10 or so years ago? I thought their livery was orange and white

No - no connection at all but they may have tried to trade on some nostalgia.

Shamrock and Rambler was a coach firm that subsequently acted as the coach arm of Hants and Dorset in the 1970s. It was split off in 1983 to be a firm in its own right in readiness for privatisation. It decided to branch out into bus operations in 1986 (I think) and operated minibuses under the Charlie's Cars name. It later ran Leyland Nationals in green and white under the S+R Buses name.

More info here: http://www.countrybus.com/shamram.htm

Deregulation of local buses following the Transport Act of 1985 led in October 1986 to the revival of the Charlie's Cars name by James Freeman (S&R managing director at the time) for use in a new activity, the introduction of green and white minibuses on what grew to be a network of local services in and around Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Then as part of the government's sell-off of the National Bus Company subsidiaries Shamrock & Rambler were purchased by Drawlane, itself a subsidiary company of Endless Holdings of Salisbury, for £0.7 million pounds. That took place on 6th July 1987 whilst Ray McEnhill was chairman (this was the company that would eventually become British Bus), and was their first acquisition of a transport business. At that time S&R operated forty-four coaches and twenty-nine minibuses with a staff of one hundred and ninety. But as soon as December 1988 the Charlie's Cars operation was abandoned by the new owners. Once again activity was focused on coaching, both tours and express work, but this was at a time when traditional coaching was beginning to decline. In September 1988 the coaching fleet had numbered forty-five (including fifteen MCW Metroliner double-deck coaches) but the loss of National Express contracts at the end of April 1989 led to the closure of the Shamrock & Rambler business.