Happy Christmas everyone!
As always at this time of the year it gets increasingly difficult to fit blogging in and around the family time so its time to take a break.
I hope you all enjoy the time of work, if you are getting any, and get all you want in your Christmas stockings!I will be back after Christmas, although as always, blogging takes a back seat till the start of the New Year. I will still be reading emails so if you wish to leave any comments then feel free, they will still appear as normal. Be good everyone!
Merry Christmas Graham to you and your family,all best wishes for the New Year.Keep up the good work on the blog,mind you if all the bus staff looked like the girl in your picture then record profits in Plymouth would follow!!.
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas to you Graham from Kieran at www.norwichbusesblog.blogspot.com - May you blog go from strength to strength throughout 2015! :)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you Graham and to your family and dog. i hope you enjoy your new year.
ReplyDeletedoes anyone know if its true that its saturday timetable all this week. asfor the bus 50 coming up the hill when its due on saturday.
ReplyDeleteSaturday timetable on Wednesday with last services around 8 pm (check Citybus website for exact times). No service on Thursday (new years day), then weekday service (school holidays) on Friday. Saturday service on Saturday!
DeleteInteresting entries on VOSA today : Western Greyhound cancelling service 510 Wadebridge Camelford Launceston Exeter route from 21st Feb 15 but registering new 15,S1 & S2 in Southampton area from 12th Jan which appear to follow cancellations by Black Velvet Travel Ltd.
ReplyDeleteThe latter is something no one would have forecast at the start of the year - any background to what is happening ?
A friend at stagecoach said he thought they were taking on the 510, don't know if it's true
DeleteBlack Velvet Travel and Western Greyhound have both been purchased by the same people over the last 6 months under both strained financial and personal conditions. Combining the businesses not only will simplify the admin, but allows the assets and debts of the two to be combined, which presumably is an advantage. It is however of interest as none of the blogs seem to have suggested it.
DeleteThe 510 cancellation is again logical. Firstly it is a significant operation a long way from support in Summercourt. The Launceston and Liskeard bases are no longer available. Stagecoach have also registered a duplicate of one bus worth of work via the villages (X10 from 5 Jan), giving Stagecoach an almost hourly service from Exeter to Okehampton. The Devon contract for the early bus from Okehampton to Exeter and return will no doubt be taken up by someone, plus some alterations to the villages services (X10). The Cornwall side may well revert to the historic norm of not much, but the 510 may have grown the market to allow something a bit better. We wait and see.
I know Stagecoach where planning an X10 route from Exeter to Launceston, combining the timetable with the X9 to give a hourly frequency between Exeter & Okehampton, Since Stagecoach have already taken on part of the 599 between Exeter & Okehampton. However I would expect the Wadebridge to Launceston part to be run by another firm possibly Greyhound on the basis the Stagecoach don't operate into Wadebridge yet, since First Kernow are looking into that area, I doubt Stagecoach would want to put themselves there with First gaining momentum.
DeleteUnless of course, they are about to put Black velvet into administration.....
DeleteA completely sensible and logical thing to do. Why have two licences in the WTA if you don't need to?
DeleteHowever, given the recent problems at Western Greyhound and their inability to operate services as registered or reliably, there must be a significant likelihood of VOSA sniffing around (some would say VOSA should already be sniffing around) and if so, potential sanctions could undermine or bring down the Southampton operation as a direct result. VOSA had already summoned the Cornwall Busways operation to a hearing for similar failings, although they've now thrown in the towel and packed up instead.