Citybus have already published the new timetable for their new Ivybridge service 45:
Its a nice simple timetable which should be easy for passengers to remember. It also looks to be a quick run so I can see it being popular. Citybus have said that details of fares will follow nearer the time, expect some nice introductory promotional fares to begin with.
There are rumours that the buses will be route branded in some way, but nothing has been confirmed. It seems that this route needs three buses to run the timetable. It will be interesting to see what buses are used on the service. The 08 reg Enviros would seem to be ideal for the route as they are nice and comfortable. Citybus are expecting “new” buses fairly soon once everything settles down after the Olympics. Rumours / suggestions seen so far include ex London Darts, more ex London PVL Plaxton Volvo DDs, or even some almost brand new double deckers! Whatever eventually turns up its going to make the Plymouth bus scene more interesting!
Bloggers
- Clearly whoever (or whatever) compiled the ATOC "station" map has never been to Sheffield. The mistakes are so obvious as to lead an informed observer to question the sanity of those who created it Public Transport Experience
- Meanwhile, in Sheffield, there appears little sign of the changes to come, as First has reduced its day, weekly and certain singles on selected corridors. Which? You guessed it. Those in competition with Stagecoach. Omnibuses
If we're getting some ex-London Darts, then this is what I'd do:
ReplyDeleteEnviros 133,134,135 onto the 45. 74,75,76 onto the 29/43B (replacing the 3 56 Enviros, with 2 08 Enviros still on the route), 3 ex-London Darts onto the 5/A to replace 74/5/6.
Whatever Citybus get I think some Enviros would be great on this service.
I reckon if Citybus are going to get rid of the yellow B10M Schoolbus deckers then some more ex London deckers would seem the most likely option. Had a quick 'peek over the wall' today, 429 is in plain red, so should be out and about soon, I saw 4 yellow B10Ms (182,184,185,187) plus the two H-reg ones used on the MX1 (177/8).
It certainly seems like we've got an interesting few weeks and months ahead, what with more secondhand buses and maybe a few more of the proposed routes being a reality. Citybus posted on their Facebook page thismorning 'We have something very exciting coming your way next week! We'll keep you posted...' - my bet is another of the proposed routes being finalised.
Tom, you can't allocate vehicles to a route.
ReplyDeleteA bus is allocated to a running card. That running card dictates the bus type, so for example, SPD, Trans Bus, Citaro, Enviro etc on the top of the card.
The running card is then assigned to a duty then contains the routes and times. The reason you see all Citaro's on the 21 for example is because the running card dictates it as a Citaro.
Something promising......... Tavistock, perhaps? ;)
^Forgot about that! That explains why on the 28/A/35,23/24 and 5/A we see N,R & 54 darts! I always used to think it was strange how they used the Ns & Rs, missed out all the SPDs and used the 54s; these services are down as 'SLF'. In recent weeks it hasn't been unusual to have at least one B7RLE on the 21, though the sheet still says 'Merc Citaro' as the vehicle type so it isn't 'official'.
ReplyDeleteKeep an eye on VOSA is what I'd say. Surely it can't be long before we see some more registrations. Citybus did run services to Tavistock/Milton Combe/Yelverton (and still do as school contracts), though these I believe were tendered by Devon County Council (forgive me if I'm wrong!) and were scrapped many years ago.
The B7 is on the 21 because of a lack of Citaro's, I know the type isn't official.
ReplyDeleteIf the vehicle type on the running card isn't available, it will switch to the next vehicle in class.
A good example are the 152 and 43A. The later has B7RLE on the running card. When one isn't available, it will default to Citaro, no Citaro, then Enviro, no Enviro then an SPD.
On the other hand, the 152 is the only route that doesn't has a specific type assigned. Just has low floor, the same applies which is why 427 was on there today.
Generally a bus 'type' will be allocated to a duty which could well cover several different routes over the course off the working day. This is why generally you get the same type of bus on your normal daily run. However, buses do get changed around during the day, covering for breakdowns etc which means the 'wrong type' of bus could appear on pretty much any route. There are probably a few routes which really are restricted to certain types but I cant think there are many like this. My own morning run is down as a low floor Dart (no ramp) but we have had the odd DD recently and a Citaro a while back. Pleased to see the DD - less so the Citaro - never liked these!
ReplyDeleteI saw at least 2 SPDs on the 43A today, one of them being 29 and the other one I can't remember. I spotted 86 at Milehouse today with Saltash 152 on the display, aswell as seeing 427 on the 152. 410 and 422 were on the 50/61/62s. 422 was on the 1325 50 from Royal Parade then 1359 62 etc, the sheet showed 'SPD Ramp'. 410 did the 1310 50 from Royal Parade though was running late so we (on 422) pretty much followed it all the way to Derriford! In June/July it wasn't unusual for deckers to appear on the 21/22; 428 even appeared on the 20 a few weeks ago!
ReplyDeleteWill these secondhand buses see off older ones? This is just a completely unofficial prediction as I've literally just thought of it, maybe secondhand Darts will see off some N-Reg SLFs and some secondhand deckers to see off some of the older Step-Entrance deckers?
I did like the Citaros back in their day when they were new, as they were a completely different type of bus, now they're pretty worn out and thrashed. Speaking of which 88 was on the 28/A/35s today, it certainly has some power for the 28A route though!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really keen on the Citaro. Infact, all of them are quite dirting, especially in the corners of the light coloured plastic floors.
ReplyDeleteInfact, all Citybus vehicles are dirty in the corners, behind the doors andwindows. They could do with a good clean, not a quick hoovering every night and picking up the litter.
33 was your other 43A Dart.
ReplyDeleteI notice the outgoing buses to Ivybridge on the new No. 45 stop at Marsh Mills. Is this correct? The existing X80 and X38 that use the direct A38 route to Ivybridge do not stop at Marsh Mills because of lane problems. Does anyone know the route of the new 45?
ReplyDeleteit does appear they are are using that stop according to the timetable. Although the other direct services dont use this stop I cant see that the lanes issue is that big a deal. We used to live at Crabtree and joined the traffic just after the bus stop - it wasnt ever a problem to get out into the right hand lanes. Most people do still let buses pull out!
DeleteYep it will stop at the Marsh Mills/Crabtree stops. Here's a route map I made from the information in the timetable.
ReplyDeletehttp://goo.gl/maps/az57P
Sorry was meant to post this one with the return journey added!
ReplyDeletehttp://goo.gl/maps/jzrEJ
I've had to end it at the new Heles Terrace/Gdynia Way etc junction as it obviously wouldn't let me go through Hele's Terrace.
Keep your eyes peeled for enviro 138, she is the all over red livery
ReplyDeleteIt does seem like Citybus are just picking buses at random to paint in allover red, I mean 69 wasn't in an allover ad, and now it's in plain red, as is decker 429 so should be in service soon.
ReplyDeleteSeems very strange. I have just this second seen 136 now out of the Stenning livery and in all over red ?
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves me correctly the reg i saw was LDF
ReplyDelete136 wasn't in the Ray Stenning livery, that was 142, reg WA08LDV. I saw an 08 Enviro at Milehouse yesterday in plain red though couldn't see the fleet number. I did see an Enviro in the paint shop with 3 men stood around having a chat(!), looking like it was about to be painted, so this could be 136 or an Enviro from elsewhere in the Go-Ahead group that's been sent down for repainting.
ReplyDeleteCan't understand the methology behind repainting them all over red.
ReplyDeleteUnderstand that these where probably part of the paint schedule - strange indeed.
Atleast you nolonger have to enter a captcha to comment on here, that was so frustrating when on a mobile! lol
The lack of captcha is an unintended consequence of the new design! I ahd tried to turn it off on the old template but Google seemed to keep turning it back on - but not all the time. As long as commenters are fairly well behaved I will keep them open.
DeleteAs for the repaints, dont forget they have been very slow over the last year or so, so must have a backlog. The new plain red is quick and easy so they can churn them out at the moment and then finish them into the final livery. When all the new routes start up I am sure there will be a big publicty push so I am sure the new livery will be in place before that happens - so wont be long now!
^That is probably most definitely the reason why we're seeing so many at the moment. The 54-plate Alexander Dennis SLFs (apart from 74 and 76) are all well overdue repaints. Having said that so are quite a few of the N&R reg SLFs though they probably don't have that long left in service so probably isn't worth doing.
DeleteI can't see any route branding for any of the routes, because say if they apply some route branding to 3 Enviros for the Ivybridge service, although they'd do their best to keep them on the 45, there's no guarantee. Same goes for if they go through with the new 42. Presuming they'll continue using the 52/03-plate SPDs, if they brand them up for the 42, the Darts from the 22 go onto the 43 in the evenings, and go onto the 28B/29/34 rotations and the 40/41 & 44/A on Sundays, so there would have to be a massive re-allocation of vehicles in the evenings and Sundays which they may not feel is worth doing.
I'm sure we will see a big publicity push with the new routes (I'm hoping for the 42&20 idea!) and so hopefully it won't be long before the new livery, routes and secondhand buses start appearing. Seems like an interesting time is ahead!
We discussed that a few weeks ago, I think it was something to do with the cost/licensing problems, off the top of my head something like whenever they painted a bus they had to pay Ray Stenning a load of money aswell so that (as one person brilliantly put it) he can cover his house in gold leaves! On a more serious note though, this is apparently only temporary. Buses due for a repaint will be painted in plain red until a new livery is finalised. Perhaps revert back to the 'black band Citybus' with the new logo or plain red with the new logo nice and big on the sides if they'd be allowed to? Will be interesting to see what they come up with.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I'm definitely used to the new look site and not having to enter a captcha is a big improvement especially as you say on a phone!
The repainted one in all red is definately 136 (WA08 LDF).
ReplyDelete133, 134, 135 and 142 are in the two-tone red livery.
There is another in the spray shop about to be done in red.
You can follow the paint jobs on Grahams Fleetlist (see the tab at the top of the page).
It is likely the 08's will be repainted along side a batch of darts over the next few months i reckon. 140 could do with a repaint, its got a black corner on the back, from a bump!
Maybe the 03 darts, as 67 and 69 are done, prehaps 68, 70 and 71 will follow suit.
There is definately a simpler livery on the way and the red will be updated in due course.
Fares for the 45 now online at the bottom of the timetable. For the first week a flat fare of £1 single and £2 return will cover the whole route, and a return from Ivybridge to Plymouth and vice versa is £3 single and £4 return for an adult, £2.60 and £3.40 for child/'young people' respectively. How much do First charge for an adult return from Ivybridge?
ReplyDeleteIts 4.40 for dayticket on first
ReplyDeleteNever mind the vehicle types chaps, what about the route and timetable? - that's what buses are about. It's all well and good increasing the service level compared with the existing X80 (which is admittedly poorish), but the new 45 does nothing for those people who have to put up with an inadequate service on the 180 (parts of Ivybridge away from the main road such as Langham Levels, St Peter's Way and Cole Lane, and the Plympton-Ivybridge link, which people have been complaining about). So all it will do is put a dent in the viability of the X80, which could end up being cut back. And Devon County Council won't stump up for any replacement. It may even put pressure on the 180, which is already DCC-supported. So, a typical deregulation story - if you're lucky enough to live on a profitable corridor, great. Otherwise you can go hang.
ReplyDeleteI think they should put double deckers on the 40/41 to Southway and 44/44A to Whitleigh as these buses are always full with people standing, yet Citybus always put double deckers on the 26 route to Barne Barton, which is nearly always empty! Why is this?
ReplyDeleteDckers shouldn't be on public services full stop, they are the sole cause for delays. Thats why the 26 is always late!
ReplyDelete''Dckers shouldn't be on public services full stop, they are the sole cause for delays. Thats why the 26 is always late!''
ReplyDeleteSole cause yeah?
IF double deckers are the cause of delays to route 26, why are they used up and down the country without problems??? Ridiculous comment!! I think you will find it is due to the new traffic lights at the Mecca bingo hall, Devonport and the awful sequence that has been set by our illustrious city traffic managers.
ReplyDeleteCitybus manage to be late on whatever route they are on... They should be concentrating on getting their own routes correct before even thinking about expanding out of the city to Ivybridge... They won't last long there anyway!!
ReplyDeleteCity Bus are already doing that with their timetable and route revisions next month, so keep up with the info. We will see how it works out in Ivybridge over the coming months, friends who live out there have no intention of supporting First as they have never bothered with providing a proper service in Ivybridge. Now they have some competition they have suddenly decided to run their own service five minutes before City Bus. How conceited is that?
DeleteThats called competition. Citybus service 61 was appaling for years..they then suddenly found extrra resources for the route when First introduced their UGO 11 a few years ago...so don;t think Citybus are any better at that. They will still be poor after the review I guarantee it!!!
ReplyDeleteThe lack of 61s and 62s to Derriford/Crownhill, as mentioned many times, I think is a really bad move. The 50/61/62 are often late because of the 'through-working', for example Service 61 reaching Derriford Hospital becomes the 50, the XX55 50 from Royal Parade on reaching Derriford becomes a 61, the XX25 50 from Royal Parade upon reaching Derriford becomes a 62, the XX33 62 from Transit Way becomes the XX10 50 and so on. The XX41 50 from Derriford is an almost guaranteed late service, as it comes from the 'xx10' 50 from Royal Parade, and reaches Derriford Hospial at XX40. It then has only one minute to make it's way through Derriford, while picking up and dropping off passengers! I know there's no quick fix for that though I'm surprised it hasn't been picked up and retimed! That delay is then passed onto the XX25 50, then the XX59 62 from Derriford and so on.
ReplyDeleteGood to see the 50 will stay as a 50 though. A slightly off topic comment now about the mobile ticketing app, it's a fantastic idea, plus there's the chance to win an iPhone 4S. Downside is it appears to be incompatible with my phone (Galaxy Y/Android 2.3 Gingerbread). Good thing is though is that dayriders are valid for 24 hours, not just until midnight - fantastic idea, and I'm sure this will prove useful for many.
It says on their facebook pafe that Citybus fares are to rise from Sept 9th, ny truth to this do we know ??? How much etc ???
ReplyDeleteDoubt it. If there was then it'd be very short notice! Almost certainly a rumour.
ReplyDeleteThe comment never said the fares would take affect on the 9th - just announced - it's true.
ReplyDelete