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Post by sharksmith on Jul 29, 2013 19:39:42 GMT 1
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Post by sharksmith on Jun 27, 2013 20:56:08 GMT 1
Ref Shipley: it is neither, essentially we had about half an hour to kill at Greengates and following evaluation of all the options Shipley was the only destination of any worth you could reach and get back from in that time from Greengates I've a feeling that the timings between Thackley & Shipley may be a little optimistic in the peaks, First allow 21 minutes on the 612 from Thackley Corner to departure from Shipley Market Square and even then this occasionally arrives after departure time, whereas the 62 gives only 11 minutes to get to Shipley and out again. Most of the day this will be ok, but Leeds Road is a nightmare to predict, some days you can sail all the way to the bottom of Wrose Brow Road before hitting the queue for Carnegie traffic lights and the times will be fine, the next day however you can be queuing past West Royd Road and sometimes as far as Cote Farm and then you might take the full spare half hour just to get from Greengates to Shipley. Fortunately the first 62 arrives in Shipley at 9.43 so will probably miss the worst of the morning traffic but I fear for the 16.38 and 17.54 arrivals. Having said all that I hope this is a success as it gives me a fourth option to get home from Shipley using four separate operators.
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Post by sharksmith on Apr 7, 2013 18:16:59 GMT 1
I would be very surprised if Bradford's former 'Blue Line' route 607 doesn't receive some of these B7RLE's, in fact Bradford stopped repainting their B10BLE's below 60843 and some of those earlier numbers have taken on a decidedly patched up look over recent weeks/months. Having said that it would need 21 vehicles to replace these and Bramley do have older buses to displace so my head says that it may just be 6 for the 607 which has seen a lot of demonstrators over the last few years and must be the high frequency route in the First West Yorkshire area which has the oldest branded buses.
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Post by sharksmith on Mar 30, 2013 19:52:25 GMT 1
What's the point of running a 617 from Bradford to the hospital with no other routes, are the folks of Buttershaw, Holme Wood, Shipley etc supposed to walk into the city centre to catch this? With the 363 withdrawn even West Bowling and Wibsey residents who might have walked to Odsal or Manchester Road will no longer be able to connect.
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Post by sharksmith on Mar 21, 2013 20:39:44 GMT 1
PB1011774/241 - GELDARDS COACHES LTD, UNIT 16C, ASHFIELD WAY, WHITEHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE,, WHITEHALL ROAD, LEEDS, LS12 5JB Registration Accepted Starting Point: PUDSEY CHAPLETOWN Finish Point: LEEDS VICAR LANE Via: Service Number: X11 Service Type: Limited Stop Effective Date: 03-MAY-2013 Other Details: Monday to Saturday
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Post by sharksmith on Mar 21, 2013 20:29:39 GMT 1
Does anyone know what Happened with Pulsar 1464? Last i heard it was at the Wrightbus factory for assessment. The Arriva Fleet News Group on Yahoo says 1464 arrived at a DAF Trucks dealership in Northern Ireland last week for repair of VDL parts before going back to Wrightbus for the body to be repaired.
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Post by sharksmith on Mar 17, 2013 17:45:53 GMT 1
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Post by sharksmith on Feb 18, 2013 17:03:30 GMT 1
2008 OPTARE VERSAS BEING WITHDRAWN ? sconehead85 They are actually stored awaiting re-use within the group. I've been to Burnley today and all three 252, 263 & 265 were actually in service today.
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Post by sharksmith on Jan 15, 2013 21:39:49 GMT 1
Arriva North West Day Saver last Saturday
352 St Helens to Wigan - VDL SB200 2694 360 Wigan to Warrington - VDL SB120 2489 110 Warrington to Runcorn - VDL SB120 2548 110 Runcorn to Widnes - VDL SB200 2951 33 Widnes to St Helens - Optare Solo SR 725
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Post by sharksmith on Jan 15, 2013 20:46:57 GMT 1
First Bradford 37365 on the 72 this lunchtime, is this a transfer to Bramley or just an emergency replacement?
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Post by sharksmith on Jan 11, 2013 20:58:12 GMT 1
It's another Irisbus Agoraline which came via Ensign recently.
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Post by sharksmith on Dec 13, 2012 8:57:11 GMT 1
Arriva have produced the song Jingle Bells made out of bus noises and are also running a competition for folk to make their own bus noise songs with £500 shopping vouchers up for grabs. If you send them an email they will even send you a selection of bus noises to use. www.arrivabus.co.uk/jinglebus/
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Post by sharksmith on Nov 14, 2012 21:45:10 GMT 1
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Post by sharksmith on Nov 7, 2012 22:01:54 GMT 1
Bluebird certainly are on the website Clifton linked, they're right at the top of the Large Independents tab under Manchester Independents. I've just checked myself and it's still there.
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Post by sharksmith on Nov 2, 2012 16:15:21 GMT 1
If this was the real reason for the bus terminating at Bramley then surely the bus should have turned into the depot and onwards taxi's arranged at First's expense for the remaining passengers. I hope you share any reply you get to your complaints with us.
Having said that I am in the minority and like the arrival of these buses on the 72, I think they look really smart and the two rides I had on them yesterday has not changed this opinion. I travelled on 19010 from Bradford to Thornbury and it coped with the Leeds Road climb much better than any Gemini I have ever been on. The dwell times at bus stops was reduced to next to nothing thanks to the conductor and I didn't see any bunching all day.
As for the comments regarding short working to Bramley/Pudsey, it has already been pointed out that the route is not aimed at end to end travel so I wouldn't imagine this is much of a problem. The timetable is clear on this, the front of the bus and the side of the bus both show the final destination and I assume the bus stops which show real time information should also say this. How can someone blindly get on a bus without checking one of these pieces of information and then grumble when the bus correctly stops short. It's a good job the bus is blue because otherwise this is the kind of person that could easily find themselves in Huddersfield on an X6 before they final come out of their daydreams.
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Post by sharksmith on Nov 2, 2012 15:59:04 GMT 1
First Bradford Volvo B7RLE 69273 - 622 to Bradford First Leeds Volvo B7LA 19010 - 72 to Thornbury Geldards Dennis Trident KV02USO - 710 to Pudsey First Leeds Volvo B9TL 37721 - 16 to Stanningley First Leeds Volvo B7LA 19021 - 72 to Bramley Town End First Leeds Volvo B7TL 32472 - 49 to Kirkstall First Leeds Volvo B9TL 36184 - 33A to Leeds First Leeds Volvo B9TL 36235 - 3 to White Rose Centre Arriva Yorkshire B9TL 1814 - 203 to Dewsbury Arriva Yorkshire ADL Enviro 200 1051 - 281 to Batley Arriva Yorkshire VDL SB200 1454 - 221 to Morley First Leeds Volvo B9TL 37695 - 51 to Leeds Transdev in Keighley Volvo B7TL 2711 - 760 to Shipley
Some observations from my day out
Contrary to everyone's opinions I found my two short rides on the former FTR buses just fine, the climb up Leeds Road on 19010 from Bradford to Thornbury seemed to be no problem at all and if anything it was quicker and smoother than on a Gemini. The dwell times at bus stops were very brief thanks to the 'conductor' and during the three hours or so I spent at the top of Eastgate I saw no bunching with only one bus in evidence at any time.
I'm not really surprised that Geldards are chopping the 710 as between Thornbury and Pudsey there were only two other passengers and no-one getting on at Pudsey either. Maybe with a bit of promotion and time it may have grown and been a success, if the speed bumps at Owlcotes hadn't destroyed their buses first. Having said all that the bus itself was one of the best ALX400 rides I've had, the Trident's always seem to be better with this type which is strange since I don't rate the Trident Enviro 400 at all.
Speaking of gutless buses, the Arriva Volvo B9TL appeared to really labour on the uphill stretch from the White Rose to the M62 and I still really dislike the leather seating on these buses, much too slippy compared to the seats on the new First & Hyperlink buses.
The whole point of the 281 run from Dewsbury to Batley was to try out a new VDL SB200 but ended up with the ADL Enviro 200 instead. I have to say I really enjoyed my ride on 1051 though, and having then travelled on 1454 to Morley I can't say I would have enjoyed it any more.
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Post by sharksmith on Oct 28, 2012 15:53:22 GMT 1
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Post by sharksmith on Oct 28, 2012 15:51:12 GMT 1
Sixth departure of the day along the full route from Leeds to Bradford was 19009 seen here arriving in Bradford, did anyone see the very first departures from Bramley at 6.39 and 6.47, looking at the times I think 19009 would have been the 6.47 to Bradford. www.flickr.com/photos/35759580@N03/8131046300/in/photostream
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Post by sharksmith on Oct 27, 2012 11:57:58 GMT 1
Regarding the ex London Dennis Trident/ALX400's which Geldards now have in service.
I know the first two were
356 KV02UST 357 KV02URU
I found this list on another forum.
358 KV02URO 359 KV02USM 360 KV02USN 361 KV02URL 362 KV02USW 363 KV02URN 364 KV02URT 365 KV02URS 366 KV02USP (This reported in buses as KV02URP although I trust the forum info more)
and have taken photo's of
368 T41KLD 370 T76KLD 371 T78KLD
I have photo's of KV02USO which does not carry a fleet number on the front end and understand that T43\79KLD are also with Geldards. Can anyone supply fleet numbers for these three, logic would be 367, 369 & 372 but as the first few aren't numbered in registration order this maybe does not follow.
Also Buses magazine reports T67/69KLD are now also with Geldards so if true any fleet numbers for these two (373 & 374?)
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Post by sharksmith on Oct 26, 2012 17:01:09 GMT 1
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Post by sharksmith on Oct 24, 2012 18:54:15 GMT 1
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Post by sharksmith on Oct 16, 2012 22:12:32 GMT 1
From my photo's in Wakefield yesterday, most of the Wakefield and Castleford ones do.
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Post by sharksmith on Oct 7, 2012 19:26:14 GMT 1
I'm sure First know exactly what routes the new buses are for, it seems to me they have been rushed into service more to release the older buses for their new areas and would expect route branding to be reinstated once everything settles down a little.
I do agree however that it would have made more sense to start the latest branding with the new buses even if it had been agreed that the Gemini's to transfer to Sheffield would be in the new livery.
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Post by sharksmith on Oct 7, 2012 15:26:09 GMT 1
I don't think we can complain too much about lack of investment in Bradford considering we did get 40 new buses in 2009, a few in 2008 and 60+ in 2007 and other than the hybrids there has been nothing in between 2009 and 2012, in fact Bradford still have the last West Yorkshire Gemini 1 (37756) and last Urban (69485) to be delivered.
Just because all of the new Gemini 2's have been delivered to Hunslet Park it doesn't follow that they will all stay there for their lifetime. Considering the expected movement of routes around West Yorkshire's depots I would imagine we will see significant movements at the end of October and I doubt very much that First are planning to buy no more new vehicles over the next couple of years in which case Bradford and Bramley could expect new arrivals then.
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Post by sharksmith on Oct 3, 2012 22:15:15 GMT 1
Been to Leeds for a couple of hours today and these are the one's I photographed although I missed a good few too.
36181,83,84,85,86,88,90,91,93,96,98 36200,01,02,04,06,08,09,10,11,12,16,18,19,22,24,26,32,35,36,60,62 & 73.
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