Bit of a rail theme this week as I attempt to catch up on some of the railway news from the last few weeks
HST 43175, or at least a little bit of it on the back of a truck back in March...
Another HST arrives by truck, only this time there is rather more of it!
July 2014
Meanwhile HST 43163 carries this rather smart Plymouth branding...
Photo credit: Thomas Guppy under Creative Commons Licence.
In The News
- THE GUARDIAN 11 MAY 2011: Operator orders 24 Wrightbus StreetDecks ahead of launch Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company, part of the Go Ahead Group, has ordered 24 Euro 6 Wrightbus StreetDeck integral double deckers ahead of the vehicle's official launch at the Euro Bus Expo show next month (4-6 November, NEC, Birmingham)
Cabs can be removed and rebuilt, or in some cases, swapped between power cars, as they are separate from the main body
ReplyDeleteNot on subject but I see First Kernow buses have announced more expansions to routes into Central Cornwall from January 2015.. more steps to kill off Western Greyhound perhaps ?
ReplyDeleteWestern Greyhound has killed itself off prior to any competition beginning tomorrow. It's been touted around for sale for £1 but still has no takers, journeys are still 'suspended' and a whole load of drivers have had enough and gone to First. This is First making sure no-one else steps in when the inevitable happens.
Delete£1 didn't realise things where that bad!!! Mind you having seen on the WG Optare Solo SRs today at Exeter, it really does show what a mess they are in, having in 2011 a fair brand new or almost new fleet, to having completely second hand buses in less than 6 months since the fire in 2013
DeletePay £1 and the debts are then assumed by a purchaser.
DeleteWGL evidently has cash flow issues, no proper destination equipment fitted to vehicles, no repainting of vehicles, no fixing of defective vehicles, phone line being disconnected (another unpaid bill), the Newquay travel office allegedly shut all day Monday 3rd, daytime buses not running on the 586 on the same day.
Sorry to say it but WGL are the architects of their own downfall. No proper fleet replacement strategy, expansion using non DDA compliant buses, only buying SLFs at the very last possible moment, all these issues combine to give it the problems it faces today.
Accounts for 2012-2013 STILL not filed raise questions as to the going concern status of the business - have the auditors been in and looked at the accounts and concluded that this business has no future and cannot pay its debts as and when they fall due?
If the business cannot settle its liabilities as and when they fall due, then they surely do not have appropriate financial standing, their repute is surely under question through failing to operate services as per the timetable.
So where are VOSA and where is Sarah Bell? She has revoked operator licences for much, much less than WGs issues.
A continued lack of action raises serious questions about those who govern us and the legislation all operators must run in compliance with. Why does the law not apply to Western Greyhound when it applies to all of us reputable operators?
WG must be removed from the industry now by having it's licence revoked, and it's directors and it's CPC holders disqualified from holding an operators licence.
It's all very well First coming along a registering a load of new routes which compete with WG but surely the question is what proportion of the affected WG services is commercial and what proportion is supported? Thus, what is Cornwall County Council going to do with regard to the tendered bits? Or aren't there any? They're not supposed to support services where there is a commercial alternative which is presuamably what First is now offering.
DeleteThe supplementary question, of course, is what happens in the future should First decide that these new services aren't fully commercially viable after all? That will give the Council and enormous headache, especially if there isn't a Western Greyhound around to help keep tender prices down. As always, it's the passengers who will potentially suffer.
Its about time Citybus announced some route changes and service cuts isn't it? Its been at least a fortnight since the last round.
ReplyDeleteNew First timetables available on Travelline. It seems First are continuing on their small scale extensions in Plymouth. As previously stated here service 6 will be extended from City-Efford-Laira along Embankment to Sainsburys Marsh Mills every 15 mins. The surprise to me though is a new half hourly Sunday service on the 6. This route must be doing well I guess. Here's hoping to a Sunday 3a soon too.
ReplyDeleteWell the WG supervisor I know told me yesterday was a complete meltdown caused by another nine drivers starting with First as of yesterday, and a flurry of PG9s being issued to buses at Liskeard first thing in the morning by DVSA vehicle examiners.
ReplyDeletei just got e mail from a liquidator type company seein gif i wanted to show interest in buying this bus company....Independent Bus Company
ReplyDeleteOverview
Well established independent company
Operating routes within Cornwall and into Devon and Plymouth
New four-year Council contracts recently awarded
Extensive bus fleet operating from a freehold and 3 leasehold depots and workshops
Turnover year ended 30th September 2014 c.£7.9m
i wonder what green bus company it could be
This Independent Bus Company is being marked by ES Group with offices in Exeter & 9 other locations across the country.On this face of it anyone looking for an investment may be tempted by the narrative but the majority of the businesses for sale are in Administration - not something we would wish on any local company. Unfortunately the volume of rumours & continuing failure to run all their scheduled services gives one outfit a good chance of joining them.NB anyone with a large wad of reddies has until 5pm next Friday 14th Nov 14 to make their expressions of interest known.What happens after that is anyones guess...
DeleteIt is oft said that there is one sure-fire to make a small fortune running a bus company - and that is to start off with a big fortune.
DeleteQuite a few ready to blame First for Western Dog's decline. How exactly did they manage to do that then ? Of course they are haappy to "cherry-pick" trained drivers from wherever. What sensible Bus Company would do anything else?
ReplyDeleteFirst have nothing to be sorry for in this tale, the blame for the state of WG is down to one person only, and that is the founder of the business himself who has made some appalling decisions.
Delete