Stagecoach West Scotland

[ClydeCoaster]

Apologies if there's already a thread for this operator but I can't find one on any search. I'm sure admin will merge if so!

Four brand new Yutong E12s were on the road today on the 4 (Ayr - Glasgow) service today. They are 73053-6 (YK74PMV/X/Y and YK74PNE).

Does anyone know how many are due? Looks like the 4 is being electrified anyway!

 

[cnjb8]

Apologies if there's already a thread for this operator but I can't find one on any search. I'm sure admin will merge if so!

Four brand new Yutong E12s were on the road today on the 4 (Ayr - Glasgow) service today. They are 73053-6 (YK74PMV/X/Y and YK74PNE).

Does anyone know how many are due? Looks like the 4 is being electrified anyway!

They're on loan from Stagecoach Midlands as Rugby depot hasn't had electric chargers installed yet I believe

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Apologies if there's already a thread for this operator but I can't find one on any search. I'm sure admin will merge if so!

Four brand new Yutong E12s were on the road today on the 4 (Ayr - Glasgow) service today. They are 73053-6 (YK74PMV/X/Y and YK74PNE).

Does anyone know how many are due? Looks like the 4 is being electrified anyway!

They'll be away in January

 

[aswilliamsuk]

It appears that their arrival in Kilmarnock is also to free up a similar number of E200 MMCs to go to East Kent (to deputise for electric BZLs that won't arrive until next summer at Dover).

 

[Scotrail314209]

Emergency crews remain at the scene of bus fire in Stevenston

Emergency crews are currently at the scene of a bus fire in Stevenston.

www.ardrossanherald.com

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that they were called to reports of the incident on the town's Hayocks Road at around 4.34pm on Thursday, November 7.

Two appliances were sent to the blaze, which appears to be aboard a Stagecoach bus, and they remain on site at present.

The service say there are currently no reports of any casualties and that passengers were evacuated from the bus before their arrival.


Bus operators Stagecoach have also reported disruptions to their service 18 as a result of an "ongoing incident".

A spokesperson said: "Due to an ongoing incident service 18 is currently being disrupted and Hayocks is currently not being served, apologies for any disruption caused."

A Police Scotland spokesperson added: “Around 4.35pm on Thursday, November 7, 2024, we received a report of a bus on fire on Hayocks Road, Stevenston.

Looks like it was 10925 (SN67 XAT) involved. Thankfully nobody was hurt.

 

[ClydeCoaster]

In the "Stagecoach orders 402 electrics.." thread, a post by @citybus2500 details the breakdown of the orders, and 26 ADL Enviro400EVs are due for Kilmarnock/Ayr. I'm assuming that's for service 11 Kilmarnock - Ardrossan, given it's the main (only) double deck route. If so, will Ardrossan depot be set up for EV charging for an allocation of this batch, or will the entire batch be based at Kilmarnock?

 

[scotrail170434]

In the "Stagecoach orders 402 electrics.." thread, a post by @citybus2500 details the breakdown of the orders, and 26 ADL Enviro400EVs are due for Kilmarnock/Ayr. I'm assuming that's for service 11 Kilmarnock - Ardrossan, given it's the main (only) double deck route. If so, will Ardrossan depot be set up for EV charging for an allocation of this batch, or will the entire batch be based at Kilmarnock?

Ardrossan is getting 12 electric buses for the eleven route. Management said January for them arriving. That however will not be the case as the infrastructure will take longer to install so they are saying march before we see them. Also led to believe they will have pantograph chargers but not certain. If that is case I wonder if they expect to charge them whilst in Kilmarnock stances. The plan currently is to get rid of some of the Scania's. This would go inline with them pulling the x36 in may/June From the rumours I have heard.

 

[Scotrail88]

Ardrossan is getting 12 electric buses for the eleven route. Management said January for them arriving. That however will not be the case as the infrastructure will take longer to install so they are saying march before we see them. Also led to believe they will have pantograph chargers but not certain. If that is case I wonder if they expect to charge them whilst in Kilmarnock stances. The plan currently is to get rid of some of the Scania's. This would go inline with them pulling the x36 in may/June From the rumours I have heard.

Surprised X36 survived as long.

I presume the whole network needs some tidy up - is there any other rumours?

 

[ClydeCoaster]

Ardrossan is getting 12 electric buses for the eleven route. Management said January for them arriving. That however will not be the case as the infrastructure will take longer to install so they are saying march before we see them. Also led to believe they will have pantograph chargers but not certain. If that is case I wonder if they expect to charge them whilst in Kilmarnock stances. The plan currently is to get rid of some of the Scania's. This would go inline with them pulling the x36 in may/June From the rumours I have heard.

Reassuring. I did fear that the entire batch would go to Kilmarnock rather than install the infrastructure in Ardrossan. If that was the case then there'd be no future for the depot given the 585 could shift to Ayr, the 25 to Kilmarnock, axe the X36 (which sounds like it's happening) and hand the Three Town Locals to Shuttle Buses.

I pass Kilmarnock bus station regularly, which has just been heavily refurbished. I must say I've not noticed if they've installed any additional pantographs though.

 

[scotrail170434]

Surprised X36 survived as long.

I presume the whole network needs some tidy up - is there any other rumours?

They asked drivers what needed changed. Most drivers from the depot said the 25. Going up the Fudstone twice and the schemes being difficult at times to get through. No annoucements have been made officially yet. Its too late to axe the 36 now. So the latest rumour is may, they have enough money to keep it till then. The x36 would be feasible if the bus went to kilwinning i would say. But it seems they just don’t want to make it feasible and infact make it the complete opposite. With a driver having to get the train up to collect their bus and another driver getting the train home. This costs about £17 return. I can assure you that the route rarely covers drivers wages letalone fuel and vehicle maintenance. This coupled with one driver getting a 3 hour lunch break in Glasgow (paid 2) just seems like holiday camp for the drivers. I haven’t heard anything more myself. And surprised because usually they like to do new timetable in January.

Reassuring. I did fear that the entire batch would go to Kilmarnock rather than install the infrastructure in Ardrossan. If that was the case then there'd be no future for the depot given the 585 could shift to Ayr, the 25 to Kilmarnock, axe the X36 (which sounds like it's happening) and hand the Three Town Locals to Shuttle Buses.

I pass Kilmarnock bus station regularly, which has just been heavily refurbished. I must say I've not noticed if they've installed any additional pantographs though.

In my eyes it would make sense for pantograph chargers cause i highly doubt a full charge would make a full service considering how long the buses are out for. You are right no extra chargers installed at Kilmarnock just yet. The loan for Ardrossan has been extended to 2040 with a new bus wash and chassis wash on procurement.

For reference an e200ev for a total 80 miles takes the battery from 100 to 65-70

 

[route101]

Wouldn't it be better to run the X36 from Cumbernauld depot?

 

[scotrail170434]

Wouldn't it be better to run the X36 from Cumbernauld depot?

Yes and they use to run one run of the x34 in the afternoon peak at one point. They just don't care is the truth they have no interest in making it viable and want to make it as less viable as possible which is why it is the way it is. So that when the time does come they can show the evidence that it is not making anywhere near the money needed.

 

[Christmas]

The run down of the North Ayrshire express services is a disgrace. The rot set in when coaches were replaced by low floor buses with bus seats and then double decker service buses capable of about 50mph.

The axing of the X34 reduced the express to hourly from Ardrossan to Glasgow, except some 25s changed to an X3#? after arrival at Beith but passengers weren't aware of this. It was too confusing.

They messed around with the 25 again and as mentioned it goes to the Fudstone Estate twice, but this is essential as stagecoach axed the 32 local service so something has to serve the Kilbirnie estates. The 25 takes forever to get from Beith to Irvine and I'm not sure what the loadings are like but I wouldn't want to endure that.

Finally, last bus leaving Glasgow is 17.10 which is almost useless. I agree that Stagecoach seems to want to see it fail, hopefully McGill's can step in and provide something better and running into the evening again.

 

[scotrail170434]

The run down of the North Ayrshire express services is a disgrace. The rot set in when coaches were replaced by low floor buses with bus seats and then double decker service buses capable of about 50mph.

The axing of the X34 reduced the express to hourly from Ardrossan to Glasgow, except some 25s changed to an X3#? after arrival at Beith but passengers weren't aware of this. It was too confusing.

They messed around with the 25 again and as mentioned it goes to the Fudstone Estate twice, but this is essential as stagecoach axed the 32 local service so something has to serve the Kilbirnie estates. The 25 takes forever to get from Beith to Irvine and I'm not sure what the loadings are like but I wouldn't want to endure that.

Finally, last bus leaving Glasgow is 17.10 which is almost useless. I agree that Stagecoach seems to want to see it fail, hopefully McGill's can step in and provide something better and running into the evening again.

I agree, That Due to the DDA, Stagecoach bringing in low floor buses to make it more streamline and move buses about caused the decline of the NAX. Watch this space, The current Scanias are capable of 56mph. The mmc's which will be replacing them are designed for stop/start not been floored along the motorways. Having driving the mmc's along the motorways, They have a tendency to bring up Red warning lights for overheating constantly. They are now limited to 50mph as of very recently.

The 25 is a hassle for drivers in the current state, The school kids in glengarnock some get off in the first trip up the fudstone and some sit on the bus and get off as it heads for Dalry, This causing the bus being 20-30 mins at times. There is no need for both buses to do the fudstone twice. The route takes an hour and a half for what could be a 20-30 min car journey. The people that tend to use it are the older generation for shopping so they are not exactly time strapped But still not acceptable. Personally I think the 25a Route should be observed on the 25s at all times. With drivers getting abuse in Meadowside because they don't like the buses coming past.

I thought they could terminate the 16:10 x36 in Kilwinning and run it back up to Glasgow for a later departure as not a lot of passengers get on in the three towns. But its clear when looking at They are advertising that they do not care whatsoever. It would make sense for McGill's to run it as they can swap drivers at Milliken park But i feel McGill's would run it through paisley instead of up the m8 which would just make it a 904 at that rate.

 

[sannox]

I agree, That Due to the DDA, Stagecoach bringing in low floor buses to make it more streamline and move buses about caused the decline of the NAX. Watch this space, The current Scanias are capable of 56mph. The mmc's which will be replacing them are designed for stop/start not been floored along the motorways. Having driving the mmc's along the motorways, They have a tendency to bring up Red warning lights for overheating constantly. They are now limited to 50mph as of very recently.

The 25 is a hassle for drivers in the current state, The school kids in glengarnock some get off in the first trip up the fudstone and some sit on the bus and get off as it heads for Dalry, This causing the bus being 20-30 mins at times. There is no need for both buses to do the fudstone twice. The route takes an hour and a half for what could be a 20-30 min car journey. The people that tend to use it are the older generation for shopping so they are not exactly time strapped But still not acceptable. Personally I think the 25a Route should be observed on the 25s at all times. With drivers getting abuse in Meadowside because they don't like the buses coming past.

I thought they could terminate the 16:10 x36 in Kilwinning and run it back up to Glasgow for a later departure as not a lot of passengers get on in the three towns. But its clear when looking at They are advertising that they do not care whatsoever. It would make sense for McGill's to run it as they can swap drivers at Milliken park But i feel McGill's would run it through paisley instead of up the m8 which would just make it a 904 at that rate.

I wouldn't think it would go via Paisley if they wanted to make the route viable. Largs bus goes in to Paisley as that is what it's always done.

Arguably McGill's could be a better fit for North Ayrshire express services given depot location and vehicles.

 

[Christmas]

The 25 must be running late as it is being used as a school bus. This in turn is because of North Ayrshire Council's terrible decision not only to build a new high school at Glengarnock, but to also expect kids to walk up to 3 miles to get there.

As for McGill's, I'd rather they ran a North Ayrshire express to and from Largs. At the moment the Stagecoach X36 is virtually empty leaving Kilbirnie heading to Dalry, so I'm sure most traffic for Glasgow is generated in Kilbirnie and Beith. Running through Kilbirnie town would generate more should McGill's replace the X36 with Largs variant.

The 904 could still run to Paisley slow, with an X904 going via the M8 to Glasgow. Even a late Glasgow to Largs could then run up to Greenock to finish.

One thing is obvious, Stagecoach has little interest in regeneration of the X36

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

10913 SN67 XAE off the road now as well, deroofed by the MacPhail Drive Railway bridge in New Farm on the 6, Silly silly guy

 

[scotrail170434]

10913 SN67 XAE off the road now as well, deroofed by the MacPhail Drive Railway bridge in New Farm on the 6, Silly silly guy

Cannot understand why the driver would take that route considering no services go under that bridge mainly because they can't, An optare or the e100 would not fit under that bridge. The cabs are fitted with alert systems to prevent this but it causes a tendency to be ignored because it goes off for bridges your are not even near.

 

[ClydeCoaster]

100% took a wrong turn as the bus was in service and as has been pointed out, no bus serves that road (or indeed could fit through that gap!)

 

[westcoaster]

Looked on bus times.org.

On the maps is it correct the bus takes a right turn right before the bridge.

 

[Steve440]

Cannot understand why the driver would take that route considering no services go under that bridge mainly because they can't, An optare or the e100 would not fit under that bridge. The cabs are fitted with alert systems to prevent this but it causes a tendency to be ignored because it goes off for bridges your are not even near.

What the hell is wrong with these drivers? They should be banned from driving anything for life.

 

[Sealink]

With the images of the bus on one side of the bridge and the roof on the other, what speed was the bus doing?

 

[Edsmith]

What the hell is wrong with these drivers? They should be banned from driving anything for life.

That would case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. I'm not making excuses for them but hitting a low bridge is likely to be such a traumatic experience for the driver that you can almost guarantee they'll never make the same mistake again.

 

[trei2k]

A BBC News article covering the incident: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20e3z7vg07o

Four people have been hurt after a double decker bus crashed into a railway bridge tearing its roof off in Kilmarnock.

Emergency services were called to the collision on Macphail Drive, near Culzean Crescent, in Kilmarnock at about 14:00 and have sealed off the area.

Footage of the scene posted on social media shows people standing on top of the roofless bus near the bridge, which is marked for vehicles below a certain height.

It comes just days after another double decker bus crashed into a railway bridge in Glasgow, leaving one man critical in hospital.

 

[Rick1984]

In the video on BBC a train can be seen passing over, though it looks like at reduced speed.

This bridge is planned to be closed to motor traffic as part of the infinity cycle loop in Kilmarnock

 

[Steve440]

That would case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. I'm not making excuses for them but hitting a low bridge is likely to be such a traumatic experience for the driver that you can almost guarantee they'll never make the same mistake again.

There are no excuses.

 

[Edsmith]

There are no excuses.

That's what I said.

 

[davido39]

I worked for Stagecoach in Kilmarnock. Not even a single-decker can fit through that bridge so why the driver (presumably a new driver) thought he could fit a decker through that bridge I have no idea. We were warned of two bridges that needed to be avoided with deckers, This one and Bonnyton Bridge. Bonnyton had previously been struck with a decker.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

I worked for Stagecoach in Kilmarnock. Not even a single-decker can fit through that bridge so why the driver (presumably a new driver) thought he could fit a decker through that bridge I have no idea. We were warned of two bridges that needed to be avoided with deckers, This one and Bonnyton Bridge. Bonnyton had previously been struck with a decker.

There's low bridge warning detectors fitted to all the Deckers too that must have been making some racket they go off even when you're about 700/800 yards away, Just sheer stupidy if you ask me how many times is it going to happen, the fact he kept going too is baffling.

 

[Temple Meads]

There's low bridge warning detectors fitted to all the Deckers too that must have been making some racket they go off even when you're about 700/800 yards away, Just sheer stupidy if you ask me how many times is it going to happen, the fact he kept going too is baffling.

I think you've hit the nub of the issue there - the warnings go off in the proximity zone of low bridges, and for this bridge it probably goes off on the normal route so drivers become used to it, and then get complacent.

Looking at the bridge on Streetview though, this one is a bit more than a slight misjudgement!