Dennis Trident / Alexander ALX400
17002 S802BWC17005 S805BWC
17006 S806BWC
17010 S810BWC
17011 S811BWC
17038 S838BWC
17051 T651KPU
17055 T655KPU
17056 T656KPU
17066 T699KVX
17289 X289NNO
17290 X379NNO
17294 X294NNO
17295 X295NNO
17297 X297NNO
17299 X299NNO
17330 X393NNO
17337 X337NNO
17670 V170DFT
Transbus Trident / Transbus ALX400
18004 SF53BYWDennis Trident / East Lancs
18531 WA54OLP (corrected!)18532 WA54OLR
18533 WJ55CRX
18534 WJ55CRZ
18535 LR02LYP
Alexander Dennis Trident Alexander Enviro 400
19707 WA08MVE
19708 WA08MVF
19709 WA08MVG
Volvo B7L Wright
21096 YJ51RFE21097 YJ51RFK
21098 YG02DKV
21099 YG02DLJ
Dennis Dart SLF Pointer
33865 AJ54AMJ
34607 NK04NPN
34609 NK04NPU
34612 NK04NPY
34613 NK04NPZ
34614 NK04NRE
34684 PX05EKT
34686 PX05EKV
34689 PX05EKZ
Alexander Dennis Dart Alexander Enviro 200
37113 YY14WFD
37114 YY14WFE
37115 YY14WFF
37116 YY14WFG
37117 YY14WFH
37118 YY14WFJ
37119 YY14WFK
37120 YY14WFL
Optare Solo
47084 WA04TWX47086 WA04TWZ
47087 WA04TXB
47088 WA04TXC
47089 WA04TXD
47090 WA04TXE
47093 WA04TXH
There are two Enviros in Stagecoach Gold currently 15924 15925 but these apparently will change quite often so I have not included them, here yet. I am sure there will be others that I have missed so feel free to let me know of any omissions or errors in this list. Thanks as always to the photographers who have sent in photos which are used above, especially as mine appear to have disappeared of my hard drive completely! (Richard Smith, Lauren Seras Victoria King, Ian Harris and David Jenkins). As always my full stagecoach Devon fleet listing can be found HERE which is being updated on a daily basis at the moment.
34610 is also here
ReplyDeleteAnd the four ex Hong Kong Darts loaned from First.
ReplyDeletethe bus fleet is just has old has first bus lots off s reg double deacker buses and few x and t reg buses and a few 04 and 54 and 05 plate but least the inside be a dam lot better no riped seats
ReplyDeleteif u go Exeter most there buses are not older then 10 years old ,bet Exeter get all new buses and Plymouth get there rubbish
Plymouth was ment to have 57 reg buses to but Exeter took them and swoop for 54 plate darts
to be fair to Stagecoach, they have had just a couple of months to get together a whole fleet of buses from across the country to set up the operation here in Plymouth. They have had years to build up the Exeter fleet to what it is now. There are decent numbers of new buses on order which should be for Plymouth fleet which will make a big difference. Dont forget they also have a fleet of 14 reg buses in the city - they are a lot newer than anything else First had. Give SC 6 months - the fleet will look a lot different then
DeleteWell said Graham. People do seem to have unreasonable expectations! Besides the timescale, the fact that First hadn't invested and wanted out is an indication that Plymouth isn't in the same league as Bristol where a large number of StreetDecks are currently being delivered to First. OK, perhaps First's situation was partly self inflicted in Plymouth, but with the best will in the world did anyone expect Stagecoach to turn it round overnight? However good they are (and I'm confident they are good) how can anyone expect instant results? Even if Stagecoach could have had new vehicles built in time do they really know yet what they want where? Suppose they buy Enviro 200s but then find loadings aren't what they expect and Solos would be better, or conversely they are so successful the Enviro 200s really need to be double decks. I'll know that they will have a very good idea of what they have registered, in terms of routes, but 6 months of actual experience will make all the difference to plans, be that confirming them or altering them.
DeleteBut apart from bus spotters who looks at the registration plate? From the photos here the fleet looks good and very consistent in terms of presentation. I'm sure the interiors are up to scratch too. No faded, long obsolete branding, no faded driver recruitment adverts (two mention just 2 examples from the photos of last Saturday) on the Stagecoach vehicles. Come to that, no confusing London red or Brighton red and cream.
There is a fascinating story unfolding here. I for one don't know how it will end, nor what twists and turns the plot will take along the way, but I'm pleased Graham is willing to share it on the web for those of us watching from a distance, especially for me with both family and work connections to the city.
The age of the buses is not that relevant, it's the condition that they are in that's much more important. Look at the pictures above, okay 17055 looks a little battered around the skirt area but all the other elderly Tridents and Darts look very straight and well-presented indeed.
DeleteThe 57-plate MCV Darts ex-Bluebird didn't have the best of reputations for reliability in Manchester, so it's not really surprising that Stagecoach has decided not to run them in Plymouth just now. Far better to use slightly older buses (probably with more reliable histories) than risk the new Plymouth operation gaining a reputation for poor reliability from the outset. It's *exactly* the right thing to do.
I completely agree with Graham and CBO! In the time frame they could not have ordered brand new buses and have all of them ready for Plymouth use and it wouldn't really make much sense since stagecoach was taking over a company which wasn't doing well on the financial side, the newest buses Plymouth had at the time of sale were 08 plate Enviro 400's which they still have, the newest single deckers were the 56 and 05 plate darts and the 02 plate Volvo's which equal up to about 10 buses, where stagecoach have managed to source 14 plate Enviros and more darts with 2004 and 2005 reg, it also wouldn't be fair to take just new buses away from other Stagecoach Companies.
DeleteWith the Tridents, some of them are much more comfortable to ride in but I do have to say that the 4-speed gearbox's are very violent at some gear changes!
Overall Stagecoach have done a fantastic job with the time scale that they had to work with!
The Exeter Darts are 56 plate, the 54 plate darts have come from elsewhere. I'm guessing they are keeping the 57 plate MANs at Exeter where there are also MANs on the Park and Ride and so the workshop knows their foibles.
DeleteThere are new vehicles due to Exmouth and Exeter later this year from an order announced in March, expect some of the 59/10 plate E400s released to head for Plymouth to replace the oldest Tridents (original plan was to replace 04 plate tridents at Exeter/Torquay)
The 57-plates are Dennis Darts, not MANs.
DeleteI just think that it is nice to see the colourful liveried Stagecoach buses brightening up the streets of Plymouth, it seems that whatever First did to there liveries they were always dull and unimaginative..
DeleteWe also need to realise that this operation is being repeated in about six other places in the country, i.e. Hereford, Bracknel, etc. This fleet represents a fair mix of old and new, with possibly brand new vehicles to come for Park &cRide services in the new year.
ReplyDeleteThat's not a horrendous age profile and if there's new or newer stuff due for park n ride next year it will bring down the average a fair bit. Also those early Tridents ain't gonna last forever and probably have a DDA death sentence hanging over them twelve months from now?
ReplyDeleteI suspect that Stagecoach would be the first to admit that the age profile of the fleet isn't where they'd ideally want it to be, but given they've just taken on a 'struggling' operation their approach of using tried and tested vehicles sourced from their existing operations is entirely sensible. It allows them to properly understand the business before committing to new purchases.
ReplyDeleteYou can make comparisons between First's outgoing fleet and Stagecoach's replacement and say "it's just as old as First Bus's", but is it not very telling that Stagecoach's hastily assembled 'reserve' fleet is more than a match for First's frontline Plymouth fleet?!
Ultimately don't judge Stagecoach on their fleet after a couple of days, nor even a couple of weeks. Let us see where Stagecoach's fleet is in a couple of year's time - then we can make a true judgement on Stagecoach's performance.
To be fair Stagecoach have managed to get some services up and running and has tried to keep the continuity of service where it can, so all credit to them for that. Hopefully we shall see some new Leather seated buses for the Park & Ride next year, with some proper branding this time! Lets hope that Stagecoach can start to look at building a better network, My guess is give it a few months and they will try to pick up some DCC tenders for the current Citybus 46 and its 79/79A service.
ReplyDeleteLet's face facts - the other posts are well written, balanced and cogent (and literate) expressions that reflect the realities of setting up an operation almost from scratch.
ReplyDeleteThe only dissenting voice is the person who seemingly has issues spelling/writing understandable sentences. Poor grammar is annoying but I can forgive it. The utter rubbish that gets posted is what gets me.
Stagecoach have done very well to get such a fleet into position so quickly. Yes, it could be a bit newer but these are the facts:
a) It is better than First turned out - 14 plate e200s are one thing but even 54 plate Darts are better than the motley collection of B6s that First used
b) The MCV Darts weren't taken off Plymouth in so far as they never used them. The older Pointer Darts are much more reliable and the MCV ones have been in reserve for a while (tells a story) so best they went to Exeter to solve their problems
c) Exeter may have better machines but that's a reflection on the market in Plymouth and the bus war which has hurt both GA and First - now peace has largely broken out, that will undoubtedly allow fleet replacement and that will have to happen (short term - return the First loanees) and (long term - the DDA regs for deckers will apply and that will cover many of the older Tridents
yes the 14 plate buses are nice ride on been on it but went on a s reg deacker least no dirty seat,s or riped ones
Deletemust say stage coach look after there buses in side and out side
Well said I dont know where people were expecting Stagecoach to get new buses from.Bus manufacturers are given orders in advance so they will be fulfiling orders already in.Its not like a car showroom where you walk in and leave with your car. They will need to assess whats suitable for which route as has been highlighted by one of the earlier posts .After that new buses can be ordered like they did in Wigan.
DeleteStagecoach have placed notices at bus stops and in vehicles with details of fares. Unfortunately they differ! An A4 size notice states that the Megarider Plus (to include Tavistock) costs £18 for a 7 day adult ticket. However at the foot of the timetable notice at the bus stop and on the pocket timetable recently issued from a display in Plymouth City Centre, the price is shown as £20. Perhaps both are wrong but, assuming one is correct, which one? All other fares quoted agree.
ReplyDeleteFLEET LIST UPDATE
ReplyDelete104, 105 and 106 - all now in BlueFlash (106 out in service today on 42)
Quick question Graham; do you know if Stagecoach is planning to install AV next-stop announcement equipment in its Plymouth fleet ?
ReplyDeleteThe RIB have an interesting campaign on AV info in buses and I must say that I agree with it. In big cities AV is standard now but it's still patchy elsewhere and I honestly think that it makes a considerable difference to the journey experience.
PS Excellent blog.
Does anyone know if the Yorkshire B7 Deckers have Transferred down to Cornwall yet please,I see the Manchester ones are down in Camborne,I presume the Jersey Darts will also be down soon.
ReplyDeleteNo not yet. First 6 Jersey Darts probably this week coming.
DeleteI seen a old torpoint bus 54 plate doing the x1 route
ReplyDeleteand citybus are gone tavistock still and to mount batten two seen this today
thought city bus put in to vosa to cancel the tavistock and mount batten routes
so hell the carry on run routes
they have to carry on running the routes until the 20th which is when they are cancelled.
Deletecitybus torpoint cancelation would be nice,the service 32 is discusting and inadequate according my parents live in torpoint and are in there late 60s!! they have been already been left behind once, rudely spoken too by a driver, apparently never had any issues with the First drivers? also according to them nobody is happy with the service! I use the same 32 to commute from my home to work and the buses are now always late and always full so can see why people are not happy with the service should that be the case.
DeleteMark
Anon 20:51, I agree, i actually live in Torpoint now having recently moved from Bristol and the service is unexceptable. The buses indeed are always late,and i now have to drive to work, due to there being only 1 bus an hour weekdays around the main housing estate, and no buses on a Sunday!- both of which days I work. Twice I have caught the bus and now been late for work - a fairly new job due to it running approx 20 mins late,The service overall is poor and i have heard from a few people that many people would like to see the 81 make a comeback
DeleteMark
DeleteA full bus is a good thing. That will only help the service to self sustain. PCB are in the process of re writing the Torpoint timetable to make it more comprehensive they have said that they are committed to providing a good quality service in Torpoint. They have been talking to the Mayor of Torpoint as well as CCC and RPTUG to get it working how the passengers want. Although this wont be an overnight fix it will be put into place asap. Also people must remember its First who are the bad guys for leaving. PCB are just trying to pick up the pieces. There are also new buses on the way and word on the street is some of these may be used in Torpoint.
Accept your comments however why couldn't pcb use the old firstbus timetable at least there would of been a smooth handover without having upset customers.
DeleteAnon 06:50 if citybus had rewritten the timetable up properly in the first place none of this hassle would be happening now In all fairness Stagecoach bought First and they are responsible for the 81s removal! Citybus have always provided a dreadful service so they are only picking up their own pieces but as for the words "being committed to providing a good quality service" that sounds more like First bus to me! As an example - At least First bus actually helped their customers. They ran Sunday's only to Milbrook. If they had not have- Milbrook wouldn't have had a bus service on a Sunday!
DeleteMark
I think they were caught out a bit as no one was expecting first to go. I agree that would have been best but at least they are trying to fix it now.
DeleteFirst ran the services on Sundays because they had the Cornwall CC tender to do so. It wasnt down to First generosity or anything like that. The tender is now with Citybus. Its the council who decide on the level of service they are prepared to pay for.
DeleteJust a quick comment for this post. For the Enviro 400s there is two 19709's one should be 19708 and the other 19709 shouldn't it?
ReplyDeletegood spot! didnt notice that thanks
DeleteSC if it reading please bring back 3a and 81 asap
ReplyDeleteif the 3a and 81 was making money, scsw would have registered it. they havent so the chances of bringing it back are nil.
DeleteBoth the 3 and 81 routes made good revenue but not substantial enough to keep the routes going, this is why the decision was taken to withdraw them, I do happen to know that stagecoach are keen to expand so they maybe alternatives in the future when they are more established
DeleteAgreed. The 3 was making a profit..even with the much cheaper Fares compared to Citybus First offered. SC only have a limited resource (Buses) to start but have made it clear they will be expanding in the city soon. I would be pretty confident of some kind of 3/3a service from SC in 2016..just wait and see!!
DeleteSC could have run more of they wanted. They reduced the number of buses hired from First during the run up to the takeover and they could have hired in from Dawson or Mistral. They have the staff. They are running what they want to.
DeleteFirst of all Anonymous 14 Sept. 06:50 Citybus did not come in to Torpoint to pick up the pieces. Their only motivation was to force First out which they have done. Now that First / Stagecoach are no longer there the prices will go up and the service will go down. It's the people of Torpoint I feel sorry for because their regular local friendly drivers have been replaced by outsiders who don't know the population at all and will naturally come across as being rude and arrogant.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, someone said back along that Citybus are better at keeping route branded vehicles on their respective routes. Well I've seen a Cornwall Go Bus Solo on the Mount Battens 4 times in the last week. For your info Citybus, Mount Batten is very much in Devon!
WA54OLO mentioned above should actually read WA54OLP f/no.18531.
ReplyDeleteCheers - corrected now!
DeleteRed Flash services are struggling as well as they're having to pick up 90% more passengers than before, therefore the buses are running late, the sooner Stagecoach re-launch the 3 as a cross city service to compete with the Red Flash, the better
ReplyDeleteOr simply wait until next week when the frequency of the buses on the routes is increased to up to every 7 mins.
Delete104 and 106 now both in Blue Flash, seen them today
ReplyDelete90% more passengers? Don't make me laugh! First were carrying around buses of air
ReplyDeletebuses full of air? You clearly have no idea! My local stop is Cumberland gardens and can assure you Firsts buses always nearly turned up busy and never late,
DeleteNow we have the "red trash" service which is busy and always late! A PCB driver told me the other day they are having iss
Very true, First always carried more passengers than PCB & First pulling out has left PCB to struggle to deal with it, good move by First because PCB were all ready totally unreliable prior to First pulling out & are now steadily getting worse
DeleteWhat a load of rubbish!! If the first service was that busy then why did stagecoach choose not to run it?
DeleteThis blog has changed so much it used to be fun and informative now it's just "bus spotter keyboard warriors" informing US drivers how things are!
I drive full time for the last 20 years I know which services are busy and which are not, I know how the industry works and I know someone's perspective stood at A bus stop or a bus spotter stood at one point in royal parade is not right of the overall route!
First's days were numbered when they gave up (yes gave up) on the ugobus network, there recent 6,3a,81d were only launched because they knew they were on the way out and it was a little dig in citybuses side, cheap fares do not make profits! Which is why stagecoach have not run them
This argument is getting boring now. Unless someone has something new and interesting to say on the subject it wont be published.
DeleteWell they need to alter the way they do things with the 10, 12 and 79. Having all the routes and drivers interlinked is stupid. They need to allow more time for the drivers to get from Plymouth to Callington. For the 3rd time in the space of a few days a bus was late from Plymouth with that driver due to take over the 79 duty. So not only was the 12 disrupted for a long time, the 79 is cocked up for the rest of the day. The drivers are getting fed up with it. Management pay no attention to them. The driver even told all the passenger to complain like hell.
ReplyDeleteMaybe those 50 people on the blinds team, could head over to timetable planning and give them a hand. The people currently there are not up to the job. The saddest part is people blame the drivers when there is nothing they can do.
has I said before stage coach can not get hold off any more buses that's why there using first buses has well
ReplyDeleteI seen a stage coach bus in torpoint on weasday doing the old white ross route
ReplyDeleteAll busses 37113-37120 are in 2/2a livery as well as 37139-37142.
ReplyDelete