Step entrance buses that remain in use.

[Dart34518]

Hi All,

With the deadline for operators using step entrance double deckers only 6weeks away how many are still using them?

Thanks in advance

Ant

 

[overthewater]

Hi All,

With the deadline for operators using step entrance double deckers only 6weeks away how many are still using them?

Thanks in advance

Ant

This only apply to normal routes, Close contracts for schools and work are not effective.

 

[martinsh]

I saw Select Travel Olympian J722GAP in service in Stafford today

 

[Martin1988]

South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach regularly use step enterance deckers on their 462 service

Guessing they'll either have to purchase some new low floor deckers or only allocate coaches to the route. However whichever option, they'll have to ensure that accessible vehicles are used on anything which the 462 is worked off the back of.

In addition, Eurotaxis have for the past couple of months seemingly been using a step entrance merc benz vario on their 680 service from Filton to Yate having previously used a full size coach or minicoach. Not sure if the vario is technically classified as a bus or as a coach.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I know of lots of step-entrance-operated school services which are registered local bus services so BSOG can be claimed (nobody in their right mind would use them as an actual local bus service - they are in terms of route and time simply not useful for this purpose, not to mention having to spend half an hour with 80 loud, riotous kids - so this is borderline fraudulent anyway).

I wonder what will happen with them? Changed to low floor, or deregistered?

 

[Robertj21a]

I know of lots of step-entrance-operated school services which are registered local bus services so BSOG can be claimed (nobody in their right mind would use them as an actual local bus service - they are in terms of route and time simply not useful for this purpose, not to mention having to spend half an hour with 80 loud, riotous kids - so this is borderline fraudulent anyway).

I wonder what will happen with them? Changed to low floor, or deregistered?

Surely, they've passed the deadline for de-registration (56 days) already ?

 

[Busaholic]

First Kernow's last Olympian was still in main-line service last week.

 

[Ant158]

Pilkingtons of Accrington are still using some Olympians on local services in the town and on services to Clitheroe

 

[Volvodart]

Stagecoach Bluebird still have 2 in the Aberdeen area. At least one of them is still in daily public service.

 

[mark-h]

The deadline is a few weeks later than January 1st

Provided the bus is older than 20 years then it can still be used for 20 days next year as there is an exemption in the legislation for

a vehicle in respect of which twenty years have elapsed since the date of its first use on a road and which is not used to provide a local service or a scheduled service for more than 20 days in any calendar year.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Pilkingtons of Accrington are still using some Olympians on local services in the town and on services to Clitheroe

Would that be the ex-EYMS stock?

#

I happened to asked Stagecoach East Mids about this the other week at one of those "Meet The Staff" sessions and asked what were their operational Volvo Olympians. They couldn't tell me off hand, but I got a nice email a few days ago saying that only Scunthorpe is running Olympians in the East Mids area with Scunny getting Lincoln's allocation in order to concentrate the fleet. As I understand it from some discussions with their twitter team, and those that know my twitter handle will know we talk often, they will try to run as normal a service with them as possible - with a possible "all hands on deck" running on December 31st.

One of my favourite shots...

https://flic.kr/p/qXJpzV

 

[the101]

Alternatively, some operators may choose to do the same as has happened before and ignore the deadline entirely, despite knowing about it for many years.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Morebus haven't had any buses with steps in on normal passenger routes for probably at least 5 years, think that probably also holds true for Yellow Buses. Don't know about Damory

 

[Bod]

Stagecoach Bluebird still have 2 in the Aberdeen area. At least one of them is still in daily public service.

Does the one at Insch regularly do the 301 service from Huntly in the morning or appear in Aberdeen for the 1740 X18 is it? Not sure on route number for the latter.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Would that be the ex-EYMS stock?

#

I happened to asked Stagecoach East Mids about this the other week at one of those "Meet The Staff" sessions and asked what were their operational Volvo Olympians. They couldn't tell me off hand, but I got a nice email a few days ago saying that only Scunthorpe is running Olympians in the East Mids area with Scunny getting Lincoln's allocation in order to concentrate the fleet. As I understand it from some discussions with their twitter team, and those that know my twitter handle will know we talk often, they will try to run as normal a service with them as possible - with a possible "all hands on deck" running on December 31st.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I was under the impression the Scunthorpe olys were sent to Gainsborough and now all of them have been withdrawn therefore ending any oly interest in the East Midlands is that not the case?

 

[Boothby97]

I was under the impression the Scunthorpe olys were sent to Gainsborough and now all of them have been withdrawn therefore ending any oly interest in the East Midlands is that not the case?

That is correct, Scunthorpe received two B7TLs from Grimsby and three E300s from Hull to replace their remaining examples. Some of those transferred to Gainsborough, as part of them picking up some extra school workings.

In the past few weeks Gainsborough have received a set of Tridents from Lincoln and Hull replacing all their Olympians.

 

[TAS]

Hedingham's website (https://assets.goaheadbus.com/media/cms_page_media/848/Hedingham fleetlist.pdf) lists 11 Volvo Olympians still in service as of 16/11/2016, with a further 8 withdrawn. All apparently at Kelvedon depot (apart from 1 withdrawn bus with no location given).

Their Twitter account announced yesterday that "We have a selection of Volvo Olympians for sale at the end of this year. Anyone interested should email services@hedingham.co.uk by 01-Dec." (https://twitter.com/i/web/status/801144719669686273)

I've not found any evidence of them having been used on public service work since the end of September (and the services they were used on are now Essex CC contracts, so I'd assume they're banned from using them on those). These duties now appear to have been taken over by B7TLs.

 

[Ant158]

Would that be the ex-EYMS stock?]

Here is one of those Pilkington Olympians. Not sure about where they came from originally.

http://https://www.flickr.com/photos/ac-transport-pics/30395415093/in/datetaken-public/

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

I was under the impression the Scunthorpe olys were sent to Gainsborough and now all of them have been withdrawn therefore ending any oly interest in the East Midlands is that not the case?

Either they are lying to me, or something is going on as an Olympians was spotted in Scunny working on the service to Lincoln only this week
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Here is one of those Pilkington Olympians. Not sure about where they came from originally.

http://https://www.flickr.com/photos/ac-transport-pics/30395415093/in/datetaken-public/

Not sure where that came from - but G306 UYK was still going strong and was spotted today according to flickr... That one has a special place in my heart

 

[Ant158]

Not sure where that came from - but G306 UYK was still going strong and was spotted today according to flickr... That one has a special place in my heart

[url]https://www.flickr.com/photos/ac-transport-pics/31055767012/in/datetaken-public*********[/url][IMG]

Here's the picture I took today. This bus is still in regular use on local services and on schools. :-) I've been out snapping these double deckers today whilst they are still there.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

[url]https://www.flickr.com/photos/ac-transport-pics/31055767012/in/datetaken-public*********[/url][IMG]

Here's the picture I took today. This bus is still in regular use on local services and on schools. :-) I've been out snapping these double deckers today whilst they are still there.[/QUOTE]

Oh, thats your picture... I was just looking at that one!

Here she is in the better of the two liveries

[url=https://flic.kr/p/fwgGK4][img]https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3786/9531553369_17d047c77b_c.jpg[/url]EYMS 652 - Leyland Olympian by N7242C, on Flickr

 

[Robertj21a]

[url]https://www.flickr.com/photos/ac-transport-pics/31055767012/in/datetaken-public*********[/url][IMG]

Here's the picture I took today. This bus is still in regular use on local services and on schools. :-) I've been out snapping these double deckers today whilst they are still there.[/QUOTE]

That was new to London United but was with EYMS for some years. There's no reason why it can't run in 2017 as long as it's not in public service. Many step entrance deckers will still be seen on school runs etc.

 

[TAS]

Hedingham have announced a farewell event for their Olympians. One will be running as a duplicate on service 87 Colchester - Brightlingsea on 23rd December.

Details at https://www.hedingham.co.uk/news/olympianfarewell/.

An interesting choice, bearing in mind that I don't think Hedingham have ever routinely used Olympians on this service, although both First and Cedric's used Olympians on this corridor extensively.

 

[Robertj21a]

Delaine have a last day - on 31st December.

 

[D60]

South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach regularly use step enterance deckers on their 462 service

Guessing they'll either have to purchase some new low floor deckers or only allocate coaches to the route. However whichever option, they'll have to ensure that accessible vehicles are used on anything which the 462 is worked off the back of.

In addition, Eurotaxis have for the past couple of months seemingly been using a step entrance merc benz vario on their 680 service from Filton to Yate having previously used a full size coach or minicoach. Not sure if the vario is technically classified as a bus or as a coach.

An ex-Whippet (ex-London) Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President has recently arrived in the SGBC fleet, presumably for this reason... From a WxxxBCW sequence, still in Whippet blue, still with a running whippet logo..

 

[0B00]

Former Stagecoach Manchester 20812 N812DNE was in stage service use yesterday on Express Motors route 1 at 0950 from Porthmadog to Caernarfon.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Hedingham have announced a farewell event for their Olympians. One will be running as a duplicate on service 87 Colchester - Brightlingsea on 23rd December.

Details at https://www.hedingham.co.uk/news/olympianfarewell/.

An interesting choice, bearing in mind that I don't think Hedingham have ever routinely used Olympians on this service, although both First and Cedric's used Olympians on this corridor extensively.

There can't be many bus companies still using Olympians. I think Morebus has retired their 1st gen low floor double deckers (Spectras) already. I think at least some of them got moved over to Damory

 

[Sankey Wire]

Pilkingtons of Accrington are still using some Olympians on local services in the town and on services to Clitheroe

I'd like to try and catch a ride on this before Christmas; do you know the timings at all?

 

[richw]

Several Mercedes Varios can still be seen in operation in Cornwall from Summercourt Travel and also Group Travel. They are the versions with a rear wheelchair, or are registered as coaches so have another 3 years!

Another unnamed operator has some Varios with the rear most seats removed, assumingly to make it under the minimum seat requirement for DDA to be applicable.

 

[TUC]

There are all too often examples of rail replacement (and bus replacement, where the normal service is unable to access a road due to roadworks) vehicles being inaccessible. Regardless of whether such services are formally covered by the accessibility requirements, TOCs (and local authorities in the case of bus replacement services) should set such requirements as part of their contracts for such services.

 

[Robertj21a]

There are all too often examples of rail replacement (and bus replacement, where the normal service is unable to access a road due to roadworks) vehicles being inaccessible. Regardless of whether such services are formally covered by the accessibility requirements, TOCs (and local authorities in the case of bus replacement services) should set such requirements as part of their contracts for such services.

Not sure that I totally follow what you're saying. For rail replacement work, coaches are often specified (due to luggage etc) and these do not have to meet any disability regulations for use on public services until 2020.
Bus replacement services arranged by local authorities can only be covered by DDA-compliant buses - which is already all single-deck buses and, in 3 weeks time, all double deckers too.