Thanks to everyone who has provided extra information to yesterdays posting on the very short notice VOSA registration by Oakley's running former Beacon Bus services
Anon gives us the details:
They are only with Oakleys for about 6 weeks then Jackett’s take them over. Oakley's have bought a low floor Ex London General Dennis Dart R446LGH which is in their Colebrook yard however it is too big for the route and so I understand the Mercedes Benz Vario Plaxton Beaver (S3HCR) they have is being used instead alongside the now ageing Dennis Dart J910SEH neither of which is low floor.
Jackett’s as you posted yesterday have 2 ex Country Bus Darts and talking with Trev on Sunday they I believe are possibly looking at some Solo's or similar. Thanks to Colin Lang we can bring you a photo of J910SEH at Yelverton yesterday
©Colin Lang
I feel I need to write a quick note about comments being left on posts as there have been a number of complaints about a few posts being nothing less than incoherent bashing of either First Devon or Plymouth Citybus I have actually been holding quite a few back already but I have let a few slip by which I apologise for. I will be a lot more selective in the comments which get published in future.
Comments which just state how one company is always rubbish and the drivers are rubbish etc. will not get through. If you have something interesting to add, even if it is critical then it will get through. I am not a grammar / spelling master myself so I am not worried about poor grammar and spelling left in comments but if its difficult to work out what is being said then again it will be held back in future.
I try to be as unbiased as possible myself. It may not always seem like it when there are more positive posts in favour of one company over the other, but this is all part of the ebb and flow of the competition between Citybus and First. A while back it really did seem to everyone that First didn't want to be here and really didn't care about First Devon at all. Its hard to be positive about a company when the group themselves seemed so negative. There does however now seem to be a more positive feel around First as the MD is now permanent and despite there clearly not being a lot of cash to spend does seem to be keen to fight their corner.
On the other hand I do like what Go Ahead are doing at Citybus and the new buses are great but I will complain when they stick great big banners over the front windows!
Please keep the comments coming. The majority are great and really do add to the blog and do get read and enjoyed by most readers. I will try hard to keep to keep the dodgy comments out in future - although when mixed in the the 30 - 50 spam comments I get every day there may be one or two that get through!Thanks again for your continued support everyone.
Will catch up with the links to other blogs in the next post as time is short!
Well said, Graham. It did seem as though some of the recent coments were lacking in news or interesting contributions, but were either bashing bile against one or other of our two main operators and/or very hard to read and understand.
ReplyDeleteYour intervention is very timely.
Re your comment about quality of comments. I feel that all enthusiasts need to be reminded (constantly) that bus companies are in business to make profits for their owners. They are not there to "provide a service". Obviously, if what they provide is of poor quality they deserve to lose customers and go out of business. In my mind I always compare the activities of any bus operator to that of Tesco. Almost invariably the bus company is poor in comparison whatever its size. First Bus will succeed in Plymouth if it can provide products that the public wish to buy. Ditto GoAhead. It is almost certain that there isn't room for two big companies on the streets of Plymouth (or anywhere else) in the same way that Tesco would be unlikely to have ASDA next door. Whether that results in one of the two disappearing city-wide or by route, the end is inevitable. Unless (as in Sheffield and Oxford) a partnership can be brokered.
ReplyDeleteThey may not be there 'to provide a service' - but the successful bus companies realise that providing a good service is the way to improving profits. I think the reason First lost so much ground in recent years was that, despite excellent staff, the management was weak and distant and they came to be rather unreliable, as well as operating a tatty fleet.
DeleteYears back, Western National and Plymouth City Transport operated a joint network - “Get on any bus, red or green” was the slogan - and this was to the benefit of the city and the surrounding area. Towards the end of that era, Western National buses even had a ‘Plymouth Citybus’ fleetname. The name of the game now is competition, which can be very wasteful - witness Barne Barton having a double-decker every 4½ minutes, which was enough to empty the whole estate in half a morning - and joint operation is virtually outlawed. What is the system in Oxford? Is it a level of co-operation which could work in Plymouth?
Keith
Thank you for the note about comments, your action is most welcome.
ReplyDeleteHowever, on a similar theme, comments keep appearing under Recent Comments which when you click on them, you just go to the top of the Fleetlists page. I don't know where the comments are. Is it just me? I've tried it in Internet Explorer and in Chrome and the same thing happens.
No it's not just you....I can't find them either, I'm sure Graham will put us right.
DeleteI thought it was just me! So no, it's not just you. :-)
DeleteI will have a look into it - but when I click on them they do show up! I will have a closer look behind the coding tonight
Delete