Park & Ride
The three Enviro 400s in the pink front livery have finally been finished off with Park & Ride lettering. Well, I guess they have been finished, as although its very eye-catching it all somehow feels incomplete. There is nothing there which really sells you the idea of Park & Ride. Nothing there which tells you where the Park & Ride runs from. Hopefully more detail will be added at some point... 
Thanks to Richard Smith for the photos
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How incredibly disappointing.
ReplyDeleteHow very under-whelming! Of course, the same valid charge of lack of promotional info can just as equally be levelled at the same operator's Taunton park & ride, so maybe it's not a surprise. It does seem a missed opportunity, though.
ReplyDeleteI saw one of these yesterday evening in Keyham on the 4 service - so First have still not got over their difficulty in keeping route-branded buses where they belong.
DeleteQuite an interesting Thursday for buses - starting in Truro with WG short on destination displays there, too. I went back into Plymouth via Liskeard and Torpoint - I hate driving along the A38 between Trerulefoot and Saltash - and shared the ferry with three buses. The 32A bus from Liskeard had missed the 6.30 ferry and had to wait for the 6.45 one - which it shared with another Citybus d/d going back into town ‘dead’ and an MPD of First in service on the 81. The Citybus I saw driving off the ferry - at low tide - grounded, which dislodged the back corner. Then, later, driving back just past St. Levan Gate, the pink-fronted bus already mentioned.
WG have had a capacity problem on the 574 from Callington to Liakeard - again caused by the popularity of Callington School in that, although pupils from Pensilva get free transport (Down’s), those from Darite and St. Cleer can have free transport to Liskeard, but not to Callington. To their credit, WG have met this by using a Solo on that journey - which still had a standing load this afternoon.
Also this afternoon I saw First’s 79 - rather to my surprise a fairly elderly double-decker. The destination display, though, read ‘School bus’, which is odd on a journey which is registered as a service open to the public which appears on Traveline, although not on First’s own web-site. It is hardly going to attract much business with ‘School bus’ on the front - and there didn’t seem much point at waiting at the New Road stop in Callington. When it did leave, with a reasonable load, the WG 574 was behind it completely empty.
Except that the Taunton Park and Ride is a contract not a commercial service, so promotion is controlled and managed by Somerset County Council. Still, why let the facts get in the way of a good dose of First bashing xxx
DeleteVery cheap and tacky so much for a 'revamp' of Plymouth services, seems to be going down hill, losing our newer buses to Cornwall of all places! This is very disappointing, why can't First try to work along side Go Ahead like Bluestar in Southampton! If anything im sure the people of Plymouth would rather have two bus operators with quality services, than one pushing the other out of town forcing older stock have to be brought in to reduce costs!
ReplyDeleteYes but Taunton P&R is a short term contract with promotion managed by the Council, this is a commercial operation....
ReplyDeleteI quite like it.
ReplyDeleteI quite like it. Far more colourful than the Red Flash and Blue Flash Enviros
DeleteIt does hide the fact that older buses have replaced the 12 plate Enviros now in Cornwall.Perhaps no route branding because they could alternate between both Park and Ride routes?.
ReplyDeleteI actually think they look really fresh and smart! I'm pleased to see that First are now taking steps to smarten up their fleet and I think these look really good and eye catching riding round the streets of Plymouth.... And the point is that they are branded loud and proud 'Plymouth' Park & Ride!
ReplyDeleteThey look very nice dont care what other people say
ReplyDeleteStill demonstrate's First's lack of enthusiasm for Plymouth quite adequately!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's the inside of the bus that's more important. A vast improvement.
ReplyDelete32762 also carrying pink front for PR1. They also have the white Park and Ride writing on the back
ReplyDeleteHopefully First may add adverts for the service between the decks, like the Torpoint tridents have.
ReplyDeleteEven though the Plymouth P+R is commercial they should still make it more attractive for customers to use the service and therefore gain more money, its all swings and roundabouts, one/two services of the 4 where interlocked with the Park + Ride, it is all to do with which bus is best to maximise profitability, but sometimes they can't manage to do that, 30 minutes turn around on few services on the 15 at Woolwell, although popular with drivers, not for a business where making a profit is crucial for survival, especially in Plymouth, First do have the resources and the power, but chooses to use it in the midlands, hence the fact they have pulled out of London.
ReplyDelete"First do have the resources and the power, but chooses to use it in the midlands, hence the fact they have pulled out of London."
ReplyDeleteWhat a load of tosh! Show me where in the "Midlands" First have used these "resources and power"!