Matching Demand and Industrial Action

Although First have had the timetables up on their Future Timetables’ section of their web site they have only just announced the changes coming up on the 4th December:

Service changes in Devon & Cornwall, effective 4 December
To better match its resources against demand for its services First Devon and Cornwall is making a number of changes to its local bus network from 4 December. Full details of what is happening can be found below.
Customers wanting more information about the services that are changing, or wanting to view or download timetable information, are advised to check the First website, www.firstgroup.com/devon or speak to a member of customer services. The new timetables can all be found online now, under forthcoming timetables. Independent travel advice and help planning journeys can also be obtained from Traveline by calling 0871 200 22 33 or logging onto www.travelinesw.com.

Service X81 Dartmouth " Torquay:

(from Monday 5th December)
The first journey from Dartmouth to Torquay will now run 10 minutes earlier following customer feedback.

Ugobus 2 Plymouth City Centre " Mount Batten:

From 2pm on Saturdays, buses will now run every 15 minutes.

Ugobus 3 Plymouth City Centre " Barne Barton:

From 2.30pm on Saturdays, buses will now run every 10 minutes.

Service 6/7 Plymouth City Centre " Elburton/Staddiscombe:

From 2.40pm on Saturdays, buses will now run every 15 minutes.

Ugobus 15 Plymouth City Centre " Estover/Mainstone:

From 2.10pm on Saturdays, buses will now run every 30 minutes.

Ugobus 5 Plymouth City Centre " Mount Gould:

(from Tuesday 3rd January 2012)
This service will revert back to a 15 minute frequency and its existing route through Ebrington street, following the completion of the roadworks/gas works in the East End.

The other news concerns the closure of the Torpoint Ferry due to industrial action today (Wednesday 30th).

Please be advised that due to Industrial Action, the Torpoint Ferry will not operate on Wednesday 30 November 2011. Service 81 will operate between the City Centre and Devonport (Torpoint Ferry), via Plymouth Station and Stoke, every 30 minutes. Services between the Torpoint Ferry and Cremyll will operate close to the current times. Journeys to Torpoint School will operate as normal. Emergency Timetables are available on the links below.

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Related Links

• Service changes 4th December: First Devon & Cornwall
• Forthcoming Timetables: First Devon & Cornwall
• Emergency Timetable 81C First Devon & Cornwall
• Emergency Timetable 81 First Devon & Cornwall

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The lady Vanishes

Spot the difference:

 

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DJB

Thanks to Tipperman I can bring a summary of the local DJB Haulage fleet:
The fleet stands at 22

8 wheelers

3 Renaults
7 DAF

2 Hino 6 wheelers

4 DAF. 6 Hino,
There are also about 15 assorted sweepers in the associated fleet of Brooking Hire including this impressive Scania machine. Sorry for the break in posts over the last few days - I just needed a break!

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• A square metre and one tree stump ! TGP Photos Unlimted
• By now you may well be totally confused; wonder what the fuss is about or have simply lost the will to live. But fbb guesses that, unless you do happen to be a Morriston Mensa member, you haven't a clue what goes where. Public Transport Experience
• includes the compete contract specification which, for those unfamiliar with LTA tendering, may be of interest. The uninitiated will find some of the obligations quite onerous and interesting. Omnibuses
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• See, they all go TO the hospital; but because those clever computer controlled clerks at First don't seem to inhabit the real world, the service FROM the Hospital only shows those journeys that actually start their days work there Public Transport Experience
• It will be no surprise to learn that the buses and the route are given the Gold treatment—free wi-fi, leather seats, and all the usual accouterments. Omnibuses
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• John Lewis continues to strip TGP
• Oh, and the poster showing station facilities gives misleading information about bus stops. Presumably young Gerald, on a job creation programme, merely printed out an old plan. Public Transport Experience
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Dennis Escapes

Another of the step entrance Darts has found a new home - L112YOD
The above step entrance Dart is now operated by RH Buses (Hutt, Witney, OX) and has been put into service, still in Plymouth Citybus livery and fleetnames with small RH logo. It is number 608 in the RH fleet. Yesterday it was used on X15 Witney - Abingdon service.
Thanks to Ralph Adams:

The end of the Royal Navy

Sad news from Jason Beverly:
Just to inform you that sadly Leyland Atlantean Roe 129 GJZ 9575 (STK129T) which I once co-owned and was named Royal Navy before becoming an open topper with City Sightseeing Oxford (Tappins) has been found to be beyond economical repair by its current owners who did rally her last season. She is now being broken for spares. The engine etc for sale on ebay currently:

Some pictures taken in happier times:

©Ian Kirby (cc) Jan 1993


©Steven Hughes (cc) Cambridge 13 March 1999


©Steven Hughes (cc) October 2010

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• STK129T in PCT Red /Les Eddy Flickr

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• The threats of disemboweling and deporting to the antipodes for non-payment of fare offered a truly friendly welcome to the new face of public transport! Public Transport Experience

Enviro Refreshed

Finally managed a few decent views of my own of 133 out in service in the new livery. Very nice.
A reminder of why these buses have been so desperate for a repaint...

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• Unlock Plymouth Plymothian Transit 10 November 2011

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Remember

Back at the end of October Citybus announced they were putting large poppies on the front of many of their buses: Plymouth Citybus has pledged its support to the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal by putting more than 150 extra large poppies on the front of the buses Andrew Wickham, managing director at Plymouth Citybus, said that many people in the company felt it important to display the symbol of remembrance.

"Not only should we remember those employees of bus companies who were killed in action or by enemy action, but support the Royal British Legion that will provide future help to members and their families involved in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan," he added.

One surprising recipient of a poppy was 132 M132HOD step entrance Dart which shouldn't be in service. I captured it sitting at Bretonside on Friday so maybe its in use as a runabout at the moment but presumably can still be used in service if necessary.

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Buy now before they are all gone

The step entrance Dennis Darts are pretty gone from the Citybus fleet. However, if you want one you can purchase one of these from Nigel McCree who have the following on sale:

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• Last one standing Plymothian Transit 1 November 2011
• Citybus Fleet Update Plymothian Transit 30 June 2011

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• On Monday, 28th November, services 60, 61, 62, 64, and 65 - all operated by Local Link - are receiving a series of timetable and route changes, which may affect you. Torbay Bus Routes
• Well, the weather wasn't that brilliant yesterday for good quality photography, but here's a couple that were at least half decent from yesterday. PTOTPA

Doris

Citybus 429 is now a permanent Driver Training Bus and carries the name Doris on its former Go Ahead London livery. I guess that's the advantage of having a mainly red livery, this bus does not look out of place in the Citybus fleet.

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Evolution: Tesco

1999 and 2010

Rainy Day

CASH from the sale of Citybus is to be used to dig Plymouth out of a financial pothole. Part of the £19million raised from the sale last year is to be ploughed back into a range of high-profile projects.

Among them is a new £1.3million blitz on Plymouth's crumbling roads. The pothole cash is coming from a £2.7million "invest to save fund" set up using Citybus cash.

Mr Bowyer said another £1.3million would be used to create a new data centre at Windsor House in the north of Plymouth, in preparation for the council to move out of the Civic Centre. He said the Windsor House data centre was needed to ensure continuity of council business if staff are moved out of the Civic Centre. The building was unexpectedly listed in 2007, just as the council was preparing to redevelop the site.

Mr Bowyer said it would also be used to pay for repairs to the crumbling West Hoe pier and the Armada Way toilets, upgrading Western Approach car park, and improving the Royal Parade/Armada Way pedestrian crossing.

Another big expense coming up for the council is to upgrade the recycling facility at Chelson Meadow for when the proposed incinerator comes online.

The Citybus cash has already paid for the purchase of Home Park from Argyle for £1.6million, and £650,000 of extra spending on autistic children.

"We said we would save the money for a rainy day, and this is that rainy day," Cllr Ian Bowyer, pictured right, the city's Cabinet member for finance, said yesterday.

Full story: This is Plymouth

I know that the sale of Citybus was a contentious issue for many but it does seem sensible to use the money for projects like this rather than just keeping it in the bank. At least the extra spending on the road network will help bus users to some extent.

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+Plymothian Transit on Google Plus for all the extra bits!

A Key Moment

On the Citybus web site: We are currently experiencing problems with our on-line top up facility for the key. We are working as fast as we can to make sure the site is up and running as soon a possible. You can still top up your key in our travel centre in Debenhams, or if you already have a 1 week ticket on your card, you can top this up on the bus via the driver. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will keep you updated on our progress in getting this issue resolved.

It seems to have been a national issue with The Key rather than just local to Plymouth. Certainly on the Go North East Facebook page there has been a lot of attention paid to the problems it is causing.

We've had a technical problem over the weekend which is preventing Key cards from activating. We're currently looking at this issue and trying to resolve the problem as soon as possible. Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

Unlike in Plymouth where there seems to have been little comment, Go North East saw an avalanche of comments.

Go North East We have a procedure in place where the driver should be taking the last 4 digits of the card and allowing travel.

It seems though that many drivers were unaware of these procedures:

This is ridiculous, I've had 2 cards in 6 weeks and not been able to use either, customer service I've spoken to haven't got a clue and bus drivers I've encounter are plain rude and look at you like your lying, and on top of that I've had to borrow money for busfare because my fare for the month is on my card! Before we know it the snow will be down and won't have buses on the roads again so not much chance of using them! IF it gets sorted I won't be using it again that's for certain! Oh and the driver didn't ask for my card today - I had to pay!

It does appear that the problem has been fixed now though

We have been notified that the on-line system is now up and running. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

It does show that for all the benefits these cards bring, when they don't work it causes massive headaches. The company have have all the back up procedures in place but unless the drivers are aware of these then as far as the passengers are concerned then they don't exist. I have not had any problems with bus pass but I do know what it is like when a bank card fails to work. The last time it happened to me the cashier got very snotty and very loudly explained that my card had been declined and I would have to pay. This was not possible so I had to leave the goods behind. By the time I left everyone in the shop was aware that my card had been declined. When I got home a quick phone call to the bank confirmed it must have been a faulty card as there was no issue with my account, which is what the cashier had very loudly implied. The next day I got a new card. This was quite a few years ago but I still remember it as if it was yesterday! It sounds as if a lot of passengers up North had the same experience with their Key Cards.

From the lack of comments on the Plymouth Citybus Facebook page it seems that Plymouth passengers have been treated better. Either way I am sure many passengers and no doubt many drivers were all harking back to the good old days of printed bus passes that didn't need computers to work!

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Whats going on here then?

I did promise to look at the upcoming changes to the X80 X81 from 4th December. The only trouble is I cant actually see what they are, so they cant be that much!

The one thing I have just picked up on is the header key to a few of the journeys..

 

Yep – it does still include a few runs as “this journey only runs until the 18th September 2011”

Very useful to know now, but not useful on a timetable that only starts on the 4th December 2011!

 

I do wonder if perhaps the old timetable has been put up in error?

 

Otherwise if anyone can spot what the timetable changes are I would love to know!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lazy Saturday Afternoons

The timetables changes posted by First are now online and ready to be viewed. It seems that the only change to times is on Saturday afternoons when services get reduced:

Service 2

down from every 12 to 15 minutes after 2pm

Service 6

Down from every 20 minutes to 30 minutes

Service 7

Also down from 20 to 30 minutes

Service 15

Yep you guessed it!

 

I guess this will be put down to matching demand but Saturday afternoons always seems pretty busy to me. It wont make much difference to me as I can catch any but with my pass but my wife will now be switching back to the 50 on Saturday trips to town now. When you are on Royal Parade waiting for a bus home at a stop shared by the 15 and the 50, there is not much of a difference between 15 mins and 20 mins. But if you just miss a bus, a 20 min wait isn't too bad but chances are you will see two 50s leave while you wait for a 15 every 30 mins. That will swing it for many passengers who like us have a choice between the two.

Just one other thing to note. The VOSA  registration gives the start date as 10th December but the timetables start from the 4th December. I assume that the VOSA notice is an error.

The other service to change on the same date is the X80 which I will look at later. The 5 will change in January, but no times are up yet.

As always you can view the history of the routes on Plymothian Transit Extra

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Coming up…

A look back on what has been posted on VOSA over the last few weeks:

12 October 2011

PH0004983/31 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT
Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth Bus Station and Paignton Bus Station given service number X80/X81 effective from 04-Dec-2011. To amend Timetable.

17 October 2011

PH1101608/2 - TREVELLYAN JACKETT T/A JACKETT'S COACHES, KINGSETT HOUSE,, ALBASTON, GUNNISLAKE, PL18 9AL Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth, Bretonside Bus Station and Truro, Bus Station given service number X5 effective from 15-Nov-2011. To amend Route and Timetable.

20 October 2011

PH1081198/11 - TALLY HO! COACHES LIMITED, STATION YARD INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, KINGSBRIDGE, TQ7 1ES Variation Accepted: Operating between Newton Ferrers and Plymouth Bus Station given service number 94 effective from 19-Dec-2011. To amend Timetable.

3 November 2011

PH0004983/133 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Cancellation Accepted by SN: Operating between BARNSTAPLE Bus Station and WOOLACOMBE Sands given service number 303 effective from 19-Sep-2011.

PH0004983/134 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Cancellation Accepted by SN: Operating between ILFRACOMBE Bus Station and PLYMOUTH Bus Station given service number X85 effective from 18-Sep-2011.

PH0004983/419 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Cancellation Accepted by SN: Operating between Holsworthy and Tavistock given service number X85 effective from 18-Sep-2011.

PH0004983/420 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Cancellation Accepted by SN: Operating between Tavistock and Plymouth given service number X85 effective from 18-Sep-2011.

These seem to be a clearing up exercise as the route did indeed transfer to Jacketts back in September

4 November 2011

PH0004983/330 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth Royal Parade and Blackstone Close given service number 6 effective from 10-Dec-2011. To amend Timetable.

PH0004983/337 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth Royal Parade and Mount Batten given service number 2 effective from 10-Dec-2011. To amend Timetable.

PH0004983/396 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth City Centre and Mainstone given service number 15 effective from 10-Dec-2011. To amend Timetable.

PH0004983/434 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth, Royal Parade and Elburton Village given service number 7 effective from 10-Dec-2011. To amend Timetable.

10 November 2011

PH0004983/333 - FIRST DEVON & CORNWALL LTD, THE RIDE, CHELSON MEADOW, PLYMOUTH, PL9 7JT Variation Accepted: Operating between Plymouth Royal Parade and Mount Gould given service number 5 effective from 03-Jan-2012. To amend Route and Timetable.

I will go into a bit more detail on these changes over the next day or two, but so far nothing too drastic has caught my attention!

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133 part two

Bonus photos of 133 in her previous livery which were planned to go on this mornings post... 133 in full livery back in 2008 After the window contravision faded badly they were removed which improved matters no end.

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Unlock Plymouth Enviro

Thanks to Brian George for these two shots of 133 in the new livery. It does work well on these buses.

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A quarter of a million and counting

Not quite the fancy blog post I was planning as Virgin Media seem to be having problems tonight as I type this up and my internet broadband connection is rubbish to say the least. It is speeding up a bit now but was down to less than dial up speed at one stage. This is really just a big thank you to all the visitors to this little blog. Yesterday saw visitor number 250000! A quarter of a million visits to my humble blog – wow!

I was going to be having a proper look back at where the visitors are coming from but cant access any of this info at the moment! Special thanks though to Omnibuses Blog for all the encouragement and also for sending plenty of readers my way.

Special thanks to both the main bus companies and the regular contacts from within who supply me information and photos. (Esp Brian George even after my comment in an earlier post this week!)

The biggest thanks though to everyone who has ever contributed in some way to the blog either through the many Flickr photos people have given permission for me to use, or even emailing me photos to use, along with the many readers who email me with sightings or snippets of information which I might otherwise miss.

Going Forward

The more observant of you may just notice the red GooglePlus on the right hand side bar, or indeed the one below. This is the link to the Plymothian Transit page on Google Plus. I have never been a fan of Facebook so have really taken to Google+ which is now beginning to take off properly. If you are already on G+ please visit the page and add me to your circles. If that does not mean anything to you I am sure it will do soon. As with anything new there is not much to see yet but it will fill up with lots of interesting stuff!

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Larry Speare

Another of the London PVLs is now out and about and attracting attention to itself in this bright yellow and blue advertising livery for Larry Speare.

Rabbie Found

As the most recent Omnibuses blog post shows the papers love a good negative story about their local bus company. If a passengers tells them they have been wronged its straight into the paper, with often little or no checking of the facts first. Occasionally though you do get good news stories into the press:

A FOUR-year-old girl was reunited with her most prized possession after a plea appeared on a Facebook page. Little Madison Fyatt was travelling on a bus with her mother Ashleigh, between Plymouth city centre and their home in St Budeaux, when she lost her toy rabbit 'Rabbie'.

Ashleigh's partner, Alan James, immediately turned to the Plymouth Citybus Facebook page to put out a message for passengers or bus staff to look out for Rabbie.  Brian George, operations manager at Plymouth Citybus, was monitoring the web page from home that evening and spotted the request for help. He called the depot to alert the bus cleaners to look out for Rabbie.

Citybus later invited Madison to look around their depot, where she was presented with a Dennis Dart book and T-shirt.

 

All in all a good story for Citybus and also a nice promotion of their Facebook page and also Dennis Dart. Click the link below to get the full story and also see a nice photo of Brian George. (I thought Halloween was last week?)

This is Plymouth

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168 Special Tour

If you are out and about on Sunday morning you might just see Citybus Atlantean TTT168X. Owner Michael Headlights Hudson is taking her out to get some photographs and generally have a play with. She has had some major work done to get her back on the road…

“Nigel the o/v shop foreman has worked like a Trojan to get 168 back on the road. When we had a look at her on Tuesday, the seals inside 3rd and 4th gears had split again so it was decided to bypass the valves and connect direct and it seems to have done the job”

Michael, along with the rest of the PCTPG would like to thank Citybus Engineering for all the support they give the group to keep / get their fleet on the road. They do a brilliant job!

168 should be out and about from about 10AM so could appear just about anywhere in Plymouth after that.

I cant join them this time but we should get some photos later in the week.

Photo © Paul Burch.

For more info on the PCTPG: Plymouth City Transport Preservation Group

Open

From Tuesday 1 November there is a completely new way of travelling through and around the East End of Plymouth, as the new Embankment Lane link road and the new outbound lane on Gdynia Way open to traffic. This marks the completion of the main elements of the East End Transport Scheme and 18 months of construction.

At the heart of the scheme is the creation of a new public transport corridor along Embankment Road which will improve the reliability of bus services. New facilities have been developed for buses, cyclists and pedestrians throughout the East End, promoting more sustainable and healthy ways to travel.

Embankment Lane will provide a new route for traffic travelling from Plympton to Plymstock and for local traffic accessing the East End Community.

Gdynia Way’s new outbound lane will provide a new route for traffic heading to Plympton and the A38. The changes will significantly reduce congestion and improve traffic flow in the East End, particularly on Embankment Road and Heles Terrace where traffic is expected to reduce by half.

Overall the scheme will enhance the local environment and increase the quality of life for the community. It is the largest highways project to be undertaken in Plymouth in over 25 years and will provide new infrastructure that will allow Plymouth to grow and prosper into the future.

The attached newsletter explains how to get around the East End on the new road layout, as well as highlighting the key improvement works that have taken place over the last 18 months.

  

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Recommended Links

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Now and Then R401FFC

24 July 2011

Creative Commons licensed flickr photo shared by Steven Hughes
22 May 2004

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Recommended Links

• Under the enthusiastic oversight of its dynamic President, Boris (The Blue) Johnson, the "nutters" have made considerable gains in their avowed aim to remove all bus timetable information from the public. Public Transport Experience
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The last one standing

It seems that N283PDV is the last remaining Mercedes 709 left with Plymouth Citybus.

Three have been sold on to Girlings Coaches, possibly for onward sale. All the others have now left the fleet.

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Recommended Links

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