First West Yorkshire & York discussion

[Ken H]

Sharing the link directly is fine, provided the photo is in the public domain already.

Edit - I couldn't resist having a look myself. To save anyone else the bother of searching for it, here's the link:

First York Streetdeck

Explore James' Bus Photos' 8738 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

Looks like a Transdev bus. Deliberate?

 

[Scotrail88]

Do these buses have stop start feature like ADLs products?

 

[GoneSouth]

Sharing the link directly is fine, provided the photo is in the public domain already.

Edit - I couldn't resist having a look myself. To save anyone else the bother of searching for it, here's the link:

First York Streetdeck

Explore James' Bus Photos' 8738 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

Please go tell the people at Bradford that colour is allowed, these look fantastic compared with the insipid blue they chose. In fact, all the liveries with bright colours look better than theirs. I like this and the Leeds very much.

 

[noddingdonkey]

Yes, the Bradford fleet looked dull and uninspired in that blue as Bradford Traveller 20+ years ago.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Looks like a Transdev bus. Deliberate?

It's the standard First Group template - don't think it looks especially Transdev-ish

Please go tell the people at Bradford that colour is allowed, these look fantastic compared with the insipid blue they chose. In fact, all the liveries with bright colours look better than theirs. I like this and the Leeds very much.

Yes, the Bradford fleet looked dull and uninspired in that blue as Bradford Traveller 20+ years ago.

Whilst I don't like the insipid (and that is deffo the word) blue in Bradford, I'm not overly sold on this one either. Dark blue with a mid blue goes, dark blue with orange or yellow goes. Dark blue with red? - not for me on that one. Might look a bit better with vinyls on.

Had to trawl through his tweets but Ray Stenning said of the Bradford livery "It's an insensitive and badly executed interpretation of our design" and that's the point. You can have a template but that doesn't mean just any old colour combos will suit.

 

[Deerfold]

It's the standard First Group template - don't think it looks especially Transdev-ish

I immediately thought of the 36 when I saw it (though a below-par version).

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I immediately thought of the 36 when I saw it (though a below-par version).

I see where you're coming from with the red slash at the front.

I guess it's reminiscent of the former Red Express livery from Lancashire (Transdev) and the More (Go South Coast) liveries. Mind you, I wasn't keen on those either

 

[dodecahedron67]

New streetdecks to be out from Monday on 66/67. Unsure if full “at once” introduction or phased, but all are parked up front in James St yard and very visible from James St itself

 

[Seehof]

Thank you.
That York city Knights double deck EV had escaped from the 9s onto the 1 today!

 

[Whiteway215]

I see there is a news item in ‘Buses’ magazine for November that twelve York Versas are to be re powered.
Is this a surprise only I thought there was a strong opinion they were not likely to see further service.

 

[dodecahedron67]

I see there is a news item in ‘Buses’ magazine for November that twelve York Versas are to be re powered.
Is this a surprise only I thought there was a strong opinion they were not likely to see further service.

Versa 12 got sent off as a trial re-fit in Feb. If it went well, they were being kept, if it went badly they were gone was what I heard. Supposedly gone well

 

[Whiteway215]

Versa 12 got sent off as a trial re-fit in Feb. If it went well, they were being kept, if it went badly they were gone was what I heard. Supposedly gone well

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[GusB]

Last week there were a couple of articles published about the Versa re-power. The work is being carried out by Equipmake.

Equipmake to repower 12 First York Optare Versa EVs - routeone

Equipmake is to convert 12 battery-electric Optare Versa EVs in the First York fleet with its own Zero Emission Drivetrain.

www.route-one.net

Equipmake will repower 12 Optare Versa EVs in the First York fleet via the removal of their original battery-electric driveline and installation of its own Zero Emission Drivetrain (ZED).

Work on the first of those buses is underway and it is expected to return to service in November. Equipmake says the upgraded Optare Versa EVs will deliver a “guaranteed range of 150 miles in all UK weather conditions” thanks to higher energy capacity and a patented heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.

The supplier adds that its ZED retrofit suits single- and double-deckers. It debuted in a formerly diesel-electric hybrid Volvo B5LH earlier in 2022. The repower work costs less than half the price of a new battery-electric bus, Equipmake continues, and it is tailored to the customer’s needs.

Once the initial repowered Versa has completed a successful trial, work on the remaining 11 will begin. The 12 buses were registered in 2014 and 2015 for use on York’s park-and-ride network, but it is understood that some have been out of use for many months.

If it costs less than half the price of a new vehicle, it seems like a no-brainer, provided that the rest of the bus remains sound!

 

[Cesarcollie]

Last week there were a couple of articles published about the Versa re-power. The work is being carried out by Equipmake.

Equipmake to repower 12 First York Optare Versa EVs - routeone

Equipmake is to convert 12 battery-electric Optare Versa EVs in the First York fleet with its own Zero Emission Drivetrain.

www.route-one.net

If it costs less than half the price of a new vehicle, it seems like a no-brainer, provided that the rest of the bus remains sound!

Be interesting to see the maths. I guess the challenge is that unless 12-15 years old, the bus will still have a commercial and book Value. So you need to add that onto the conversion cost. Then in reality you’d probably need a body refurbishment- both interior and exterior - which done properly could easily be £20k. Then you still have some original components (axles, electrics, air systems etc) which remain ‘old’. And then you have to factor in the lifespan before chassis rot sets in - which is pretty much terminal.

 

[Andyh82]

They are from 2014 and have been laid up since the first lockdown, so if it wasn’t for the electric battery, they’d still be practically brand new!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

They are from 2014 and have been laid up since the first lockdown, so if it wasn’t for the electric battery, they’d still be practically brand new!

Not quite brand new - they've not been overly worked but are still 7/8 years old but if the sums stack up, then it makes sense rather than hiding them in Halifax (?) depot and running the depreciation down.

 

[dodecahedron67]

Not quite brand new - they've not been overly worked but are still 7/8 years old but if the sums stack up, then it makes sense rather than hiding them in Halifax (?) depot and running the depreciation down.

Some were indeed kept in Halifax. Though they’re all completely dead now. Look at the allocations of the 68/UB1 campus shuttle since term restarted - about 80% it’s been a streetlite as they can’t turn out a Versa because they supposedly aren’t charging properly!

 

[Jordan Adam]

No, the ones ordered for FSE are the new ones in Leeds. These were always intended for York. Those for FSE, Ipswich and Potteries were required as lower height, so presumably cheaper to order all the batch with the same spec.

This would add up as First Scotland East were due 9 Streetdecks for West Lothian to displace the E400MMCs to Midland.

Despite the 359xx fleetnumbers they're full height rather than low height. My guess would be that when the order was diverted they were in the early stages of build so First was able to alter the order to full height, however the fleetnumbers had already been allocated internally.

First West Yorkshire 35907 ML22XLA

Wright StreetDeck Ultroliner. Promenade, Blackpool

www.flickr.com

 

[dodecahedron67]

Apart from the low height, they’re actually pretty nice buses - 3 out today for the Uni pseudo-open day doing shuttles from Grimston Bar to West Campus

 

[Seehof]

Thanks, I saw one.
When are they going to be allowed out on “normal” Uni routes?!
I saw an EV Versa at the Sports Village. No 11 I think it was.

 

[dodecahedron67]

Thanks, I saw one.
When are they going to be allowed out on “normal” Uni routes?!
I saw an EV Versa at the Sports Village. No 11 I think it was.

Supposed to have be from Monday just been. “Next week” all I’m hearing - think it’s a bit of a believe it when you see it

Versas 9 and 11 are charging enough to do single 3h stints on UB1/68, but only if driven *very* conservatively

 

[Seehof]

Thank you. Never ceases to amaze me how much of a town in itself, York Uni is and how busy the 66/67 bus routes are. A very easy short walk to the bus terminus at the Uni Sports Village through two little woods from Grimston Bar P&R.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Sharing the link directly is fine, provided the photo is in the public domain already.

Edit - I couldn't resist having a look myself. To save anyone else the bother of searching for it, here's the link:

First York Streetdeck

Explore James' Bus Photos' 8738 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

Unusual that they're low height, First tend to order full height Streetdecks.

 

[43055]

Unusual that they're low height, First tend to order full height Streetdecks.

I'm guessing as it is part of the same order as the Ipswich and Potteries ones which require low night vehicles.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

I'm guessing as it is part of the same order as the Ipswich and Potteries ones which require low night vehicles.

I've heard that Ipswich's depot being of a restricted height is why they had to order low height Streetdecks for Ipswich

 

[Simon75]

I'm guessing as it is part of the same order as the Ipswich and Potteries ones which require low night vehicles.

Also Stoke-on-Trent have a few low bridges

 

[cnjb8]

I'm guessing as it is part of the same order as the Ipswich and Potteries ones which require low night vehicles.

Also Stoke-on-Trent have a few low bridges

I believe it was said that Potteries were getting the ex-London E400s that were on Excel routes in West of England, but they had to be diverted to Somerset as they were too tall for the bridges on the 25.

 

[Ken H]

Maybe someone at a national level has thought that getting some 'go anywhere' buses will make the fleet a little more flexible.

 

[Ant158]

Interesting observation in York (Saturday). Having not visited York for a while it was interesting to note how few buses there appeared to be bussing around compared to recent years.

Looking at some of the bus stops seeing services are now every 12 mins etc that were for years every 10 is poor. For example waited nearly 20 mins for a 7 on the Park & Ride.

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

Interesting observation in York (Saturday). Having not visited York for a while it was interesting to note how few buses there appeared to be bussing around compared to recent years.

Looking at some of the bus stops seeing services are now every 12 mins etc that were for years every 10 is poor. For example waited nearly 20 mins for a 7 on the Park & Ride.

Every 10 minutes to every 12 is not poor at all... if they can operate all journeys that it.

In Leeds some of our core routes have gone from every 7/8 or every 10 minutes to every 15 minutes or worse in some circumstances.

Some areas that uses to have a great frequency (Ilkley to Otley for example) were going to lose their service entirely until the bus grant was extended.