|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 20, 2010 14:34:02 GMT 1
Don't know if this is connected but according to fleet news in Buses magazine for March Proctors have just taken on a new VDL SB200/Wright Pulsar 2.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 20, 2010 14:23:26 GMT 1
The March edition of Buses magazine shows Olympians 702 to 706 being transferred to Centrebus in Leicester. Bus Fayre's March/April edition disagrees and says only three of these will be transferred but goes further to say that 925 will also be leaving. They also go on to say that three former London Scania deckers have been purchased for HBC and that these are currently being rebuilt to single door layout.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 12, 2010 8:50:44 GMT 1
The West Yorkshire Buses Website fleetlists have shown this bus as withdrawn since they were updated on 29/11/2009 but I took a photo of it in service on 5 December and posted this information back then on the Remaining roller blinds thread.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 12, 2010 8:27:21 GMT 1
Is this route branding? There doesn't seem to be any reference to 760 or the route on the artists impression? I'm taking this from the original post which states that these are the new 760 colours Maybe they will spread the livery to the whole fleet but Harrogate & District have started their new livery on just the Route 1 buses and only state on the website that "The new look could well be extended to other buses in our fleet" I assume Keighley & District will be using the same strategy.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 11, 2010 21:57:19 GMT 1
Interesting news that Keighley & District appear to be going to try route branding on the 760 again, remember Airelink!
I think I'm right in saying the PVR for the 760 is 8 in which case this throws up some interesting questions such as which other buses will be route branded. If 451 & 452 are to be first I would presume that 453, 454 & 455 would follow. 2701 & 2703 are almost always used on this route too so maybe a revised version for the deckers.
This would leave the route one bus short though. The rumour last year was that 2704 & 2706 were earmarked for transfer from Harrogate & District. Certainly 2702, 2705 & 2707 have gone to Blackburn so you would have maybe expected 2704 to maybe go there as well but the fourth bus to be used there is 2716.
So if Transdev are investing in the 760, could it be that the President rebuilding project with 2706, has always been with this route in mind?
I wonder....?
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 6, 2010 22:11:09 GMT 1
Preston
Have been to Preston today and can recommend the Walton-Le-Dale park and ride site. Easy access from M65/M6/M61, free parking, £1.20 return fare into Preston after 9.30 or all day weekends and only about a ten minutes journey.
It is operated by the ex Preston Bus, currently Stagecoach, leather seated Optare Solo SR's, (1-8 now 47701 to 47708).
Cheap and easy and with the recent ruling against Stagecoach in Preston the future could provide a few interesting visits over the coming months.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 5, 2010 20:47:15 GMT 1
When in Halifax I usually park for free in the streets around the bus depot and walk back past the Shay into town.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 4, 2010 11:06:17 GMT 1
KX57FMG is back in service on the 629 today and has had a fleet number added, not completely sure through the fog but think is was number 364.
Seems to be a strange numbering system at HJC, you'd have thought if these fleet numbers are allocated completely at random they might have used 629 & 630 for these vehicles.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 4, 2010 10:58:28 GMT 1
30817 is now with First Bradford as I took photo's of it on 28 January 2009 operating the staff shuttle, complete with Holmfirth Connection branding and rear end advert.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 3, 2010 22:37:51 GMT 1
With family commitments it is sometimes hard to travel any great distance from home by bus/coach/train etc. At best I can only get half a day here and there to visit a new city or town. This means I need to use the car to reach anywhere more than an hour or so away.
I'm sure all drivers on here all know the best places to dump our cars in West Yorkshire so we can get straight down to what we like doing best.
I thought I would start a thread where we can note down our favorite low cost, safe and long stay car parking spots. I can think of three criteria for the perfect car parking.
1. Cheap, free is perfect!!
2. Secure, you want to come back to a car with all it's windows and wheels in tact.
3. Long stay, nothing worse than finding the perfect spot to take photo's of buses just before your parking time is up!! Obviously cost also comes into this.
To kick off I have the following tips.
York. The park and rides have to be the way to visit York by car, free parking, choice of Volvo B7RLE's or Citaro's depending on the site. £2.30 day return, all the time you need.
Sheffield I've been twice recently, first time got ripped off by the city centre NCP's. Second time I got some sense and parked for free at Meadowhall, Supertram then into the centre for the price of a £3 day ticket which also covers Stagecoach buses within Sheffield.
Manchester This also seems to be a horrendous place to park cheaply. Not tried this one yet but in the same vein as the above I thought maybe park at the Trafford Centre for free. Stagecoach day ticket for £3.50 and use the X50 to the centre within 25 minutes.
Please, please let's have some more ideas.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 1, 2010 22:06:05 GMT 1
Yes I know that, but not 37043-37047 and 37060 -37062 and I thought I saw two of these, maybe I was mistaken, I suppose 37062 could have been 37052 as I was driving up the other side of Stanningley Road at the time.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Feb 1, 2010 21:10:20 GMT 1
I can't absolutely swear to this as they were all ex First Bradford B7TL's and I couldn't remember which was where, but I'm sure at least some of the 508's I saw today were Leeds based buses.
Thought I saw 37062 for one and some other 3704x's. One I think was 37048 which was at Halifax last time I looked but thought I saw a lower numbered 3704x as well which would be Leeds. Has the 508 switched to First Leeds or joint operation?
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jan 29, 2010 18:59:06 GMT 1
MetroConnect liveried long wheelbase Solo 53301 was on the 846 this morning. It was still on it this lunchtime in Shipley while 50290 was working the Free City Bus in Bradford. Looks like the damage to 50287 is going to prove a little tricky for First Bradford. Maybe they could do with one of those withdrawn Merc's from Calderdale on a short term basis.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jan 28, 2010 8:49:21 GMT 1
First Bradford 69477 is now back on the roads, was operating on the 612 yesterday lunchtime. It was assumed last August that this was the bus involved in the Sunbridge Road crash and it had been missing since then.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jan 24, 2010 15:34:50 GMT 1
First up on the 629 service is KX57FMG, at least it is unless they are both being tried out today, saw it today on Valley Rd operating the 13.20 departure from Shipley to Crag Road.
It was already three minutes late for Poplar Rd when I saw it although the timings through this loop look daft anyway. It's supposed to take two minutes to Poplar Rd and then another eleven back to Shipley Market place. I would have thought maybe five minutes to Poplar and then eight back to Shipley would be about right. Longer coming back because of the number of traffic lights, and queues on the return journey.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jan 21, 2010 10:54:44 GMT 1
A very interesting article on Arriva Yorkshire and in particular on the new Gemini 2's at Selby is in issue 317 of RouteOne Magazine, available to read online now at www.route-one.net/. The article can be found on pages 32 to 34.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jan 9, 2010 22:17:07 GMT 1
I think it is almost certain that Hall Ings will be used for all North/Eastbound services.
Between the entrance to the NCP car park and the pelican crossing I can only imagine there would be room for one westbound bus stop on Hall Ings so I can't imagine this would solve all of the problems. The other side of the NCP is the Hilton hotel and a layby but this is quite often used by visiting coaches for loading/unloading so don't know if that is an option.
The reported new bus stop and changes to the road permissions from Broadway would not be explained either, unless it is to enable the Free bus to do a loop closer to the new shopping centre, if it ever gets built!!!
It's also occured to me that the left turn from Bridge Street into Hall Ings doesn't seem to have a reason either.
Thanks for explaining the Sunbridge Road change, nice to see First Halifax buses right in the city centre, better photo opportunities for me.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jan 9, 2010 16:48:44 GMT 1
A previous article in the T&A mentioned new bus stops on Hall Ings, Bridge Street & Broadway but I really can't see how the change to the Broadway/Bridge Street junction will help unless one route is going to do a full circle from Bridge Street into Hall Ings onto Broadway and then back to Bridge Street for a right turn to carry on it's route via Hall Ings.
If so, the way things appear to be shaping up is that the 645 may stay where it's going to be for the next three months at the top of Hall Ings, creating two spaces in the new longer bus stop on Hall Ings. This would leave room for the 640/1, 636 & 610-614 there.
In the other direction, one service, say the 636 could use the new stop on Bridge Street, another say 610-614 could use the new stop on Broadway. That would still leave the third service, 640/641, without a city centre home. One option could be a second new stop on Broadway, although this would be tight with the 607 already in residence there, another option is the stop at the top of Hall Ings but this would mean stopping the 268 and 363 calling there.
This then will only leave the 846 and rerouting of other routes to sort out.
I agree with 142071 re the 662 and think that the Free City Bus could also make this turn and then a right into Hall Ings back to it's normal route.
The 570/571, 576 & 616 can left turn from Nelson Street into Hall Ings and then onto Princes Way to get back to their normal routes.
The interesting part of the above road changes is the Sunbridge Road/Godwin Street change although this maybe just for normal city centre traffic flow rather than a bus necessary change.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jan 8, 2010 23:13:59 GMT 1
That's the same one, when the 640/641 turns left from Croft Street it will pass the entrance to the Interchange and arrive at that stop.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jan 8, 2010 11:30:20 GMT 1
With the future closure of Norfolk Gardens, Channing Way & The Tyrls to make way for the City Park project in Bradford, many bus routes will need to be rerouted through the city.
Routes such as the 610-614 cluster, 636/7, 640/641 Buttershaw bound all use these roads as city centre stops. Other buses to pass through are the Free City Bus, 570/1, 576, 616, 662, 846 and I'm sure others I've forgotten. these will all need to find alternative routes.
I've noticed one early change in Bradford, other than the obvious demolition of the old footbridge from Hall Ings to the Interchange. A new layby and bus stop have appeared outside The Lord Clarke pub on Bridge Street.
I'm not sure how this will fit in to the future scheme of things unless buses will be allowed to make a right turn from Bridge Street into Hall Ings in the future.
If this is the case then it may be the new home to Red Line, Orange Line or 610-614. I think the latter is unlikely as this route often see's more than one bus waiting on Channing Way and the layby does not look big enough to accomodate this.
We won't have the full picture until much later in the year as the works on Princes Way will not be complete until October 2010. These works are reported to improve pedestrian crossing across this busy road so that Channing Way can then be closed.
Whatever happens an awful lot of bus routes will be moving around soon.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Jan 2, 2010 10:27:06 GMT 1
The following two posts have been added to one of the photo's in my First West Yorkshire group on Flickr. '22 London Citaro bendybuses are due for route 1 in Leeds shortly.'
'Just to add to what I said above, the following B10LAs were essentially withdrawn on the 23rd Dec, 10018,10019 both of which had recently been repainted! plus 10025,10026 and one other, they are being sent to Bramley for storage and wont work in Leeds again.
The Citaro`s are due anytime, the last attempt at using bendies ended in disaster with the poor bus grounded at Boddington Hall. The Citaro with its shorter rear section may prove more successful in Leeds.' I can't comment on the reliability of this original source but the details provided seem to be believable enough so we'll soon know. The other guy who has commented has posted all kinds of things which haven't come true so I would ignore those comments. www.flickr.com/photos/42560378@N02/4168034099/
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Dec 29, 2009 21:13:33 GMT 1
Hopefully if Wrightbus are concentrating on this, First may need to shop around a bit for their next order. I've nothing against their products but would be nice to have some variety, especially around Leeds and Bradford.
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Dec 9, 2009 23:04:14 GMT 1
Shouldn't we be seeing a large exodous of buses from Halifax considering how much work they are losing at the end of January. What's the point of transferring all of these buses in for a month and a half and then transferring or scrapping a load of others? Are the losses of these services not as bad as they appear?
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Dec 5, 2009 21:50:16 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by sharksmith on Dec 5, 2009 21:47:37 GMT 1
|
|