Nottingham City Transport

[Andy Pacer]

Full details of the end of the months service changes now on the website

Service Change from 30th March 2025

Summary of service changes from Sunday 30th March 2025.

www.nctx.co.uk

"We regularly review our network and will be making changes from Sunday 30th March 2025, including:

Brand new electric buses introduced for The Meadows and Clifton on Navy 48
More frequent buses to Clifton with Navy 48 now up to every 15 minutes
New 5A serving Buckfast Way in Abbey Park
Minor timetable changes to Green Line services to fine tune the timetables after our September changes
Renumbering Red Line 50 to the 45 so consecutive numbers serve common areas
Reinstating the weekend holiday service between University Park Campus, QMC and Broadmarsh"

 

[edwin_m]

New 5A serving Buckfast Way in Abbey Park

This one is a little weird. Looking at the map on the link, it is just alternate off-peak journeys going one stop off route to a turning circle and coming back - thus destroying the regular 30min interval.

 

[Andy Pacer]

This one is a little weird. Looking at the map on the link, it is just alternate off-peak journeys going one stop off route to a turning circle and coming back - thus destroying the regular 30min interval.

I think you're spot on, gets to Edwalton 1 minute later than it otherwise would.

 

[Deerfold]

This one is a little weird. Looking at the map on the link, it is just alternate off-peak journeys going one stop off route to a turning circle and coming back - thus destroying the regular 30min interval.

Plus the Sunday daytime service.

 

[MCR247]

This one is a little weird. Looking at the map on the link, it is just alternate off-peak journeys going one stop off route to a turning circle and coming back - thus destroying the regular 30min interval.

I imagine the timings on the 5 are tight enough that this extra minute each way (if all off peak journeys served it) would start to affect reliability/recovery time/the frequency on the ‘core’ Central Ave - City Loop section

 

[edwin_m]

I imagine the timings on the 5 are tight enough that this extra minute each way (if all off peak journeys served it) would start to affect reliability/recovery time/the frequency on the ‘core’ Central Ave - City Loop section

I think it has a bit of slack compared with its predecessor the 7, as Edwalton Village is a slightly shorter journey than Gamston.

 

[kevjs]

Yes, fairly certain they have trialled all electric deckers available in the UK including the new E400EV and are still saying that they have not found a suitable one

It’s not necessarily that, NCT have notoriously always kept a relatively young and well maintained fleet, the E400s some of are clocking up higher mileage than the older 61 plate omnidekkas, and theres been a lot of chatter about route numbers changing (some already happened) which will accommodate new routes potentially. The omnidekkas being withdrawn will essentially leave NCT 6 double deckers down at a time where there seems to have been a “vehicle shortage” and issues with the fleet are only likely to increase with age and mileage. There was a previous comment about life expectancy of the biogas bus tanks being 10 years which means the oldest ones only have nearly 2 years left before potentially being EOL if true.

When you look at that perspective is it likely that a new electric DD will come available in the next 12-18 months? The new E400EV seems to offer good range but that still isnt enough and theres not much likeliness battery technology will improve significantly more yet

Likeliness is that at some point they will have to buy some diesel deckers unless they can somehow pull some more biogas deckers out of the bag (maybe ADL/Scania will fulfil a decent order much like Optare with the Solo SR). It wouldn’t be the end of the world other than breaking their commitment to cleaner/alternative fuels which was made at the time that the biogas e400s were still available

It’ll be an interesting couple of years to say the least

On the buses they are advertising they will be "diesel free by 2030" so new ones seem very unlikely!

 

[liamf656]

On the buses they are advertising they will be "diesel free by 2030" so new ones seem very unlikely!

It's either that or keep the E400s going for however long, until electric deckers can be bought

 

[MCR247]

It's either that or keep the E400s going for however long, until electric deckers can be bought

To be fair the only place that really seems to be a problem is in this thread!

 

[Brightsidio]

Another thought I have is that the Red Line 50 might be renumbered to the 45 to keep it with the other Red Line services, the 43 and 44. Numbering it the 50 was probably a bit of an afterthought due to the 4X series being totally occupied, and the 50 originally being part of the Grey Line which also includes the 53/54 rather than the Red Line.

It is, from March 30, 2025. Your prediction was absolutely correct!

 

[NNN_062]

A bit of a stupid question, but why are NCT always reluctant to run branded buses for the routes they are made for on Sundays?? As some routes are either half branded / half spare or none branded at all or E400s on one route shared over the whole line (E.g Uni 34s also operating on 35/36 and the 78/79 also put on the 77). For example, there were no Yellow branded buses on the 68/69 today and it was all spares, or like the 28 when only 2 of them were the branded buses and the others were spares. My guess is to save gas on bio-gas buses but I could be wrong

 

[Omnidekkalover]

Might be last week of omnidekkas in Nottingham

 

[TR673]

Might be last week of omnidekkas in Nottingham

Hopefully they last until at least the summer. 4x Enviro 400s freed up from the 48 to replace nine Omnis is a bit of a stretch, and I don't think it's something they'd want to rush into

If 637/8/9 are staying navy with the intention of becoming 4s, in that case I wouldn't be surprised if the branding was changed to common 4/48/49 temporarily, and then launched onto the 4 with more examples painted into navy (with pink rear swoops) in September. Like what happened with the orange line ones a couple of years back.

 

[callum3490]

A bit of a stupid question, but why are NCT always reluctant to run branded buses for the routes they are made for on Sundays?? As some routes are either half branded / half spare or none branded at all or E400s on one route shared over the whole line (E.g Uni 34s also operating on 35/36 and the 78/79 also put on the 77). For example, there were no Yellow branded buses on the 68/69 today and it was all spares, or like the 28 when only 2 of them were the branded buses and the others were spares. My guess is to save gas on bio-gas buses but I could be wrong

Apparently the cost of biogas has increased significantly at the moment and it is cheaper to run the diesels, so at weekends particularly sundays where pvr is much lower that is where they are running the diesels

 

[MCR247]

Might be last week of omnidekkas in Nottingham

What makes you say that?

 

[tram21]

What makes you say that?

That was the plan- the Enviro400s on the 48 will be cascaded onto the Navy 4, withdrawing the Omnidekkas. I don't know if that is still the plan though

 

[Andyh82]

That was the plan- the Enviro400s on the 48 will be cascaded onto the Navy 4, withdrawing the Omnidekkas. I don't know if that is still the plan though

How can 4 Enviro 400s replace 9 Omnidekkas?

 

[tram21]

How can 4 Enviro 400s replace 9 Omnidekkas?

Well quite, I don't know what the plan is now. The Omnidekkas may even stay longer...

 

[MCR247]

How can 4 Enviro 400s replace 9 Omnidekkas?

That’s what I was thinking. All the silver E400s seem to be used pretty intensely so I can’t see 5 of those being free to make up the numbers

 

[edwin_m]

A bus bay was put in on Boundary Road just east of the Rushcliffe School turning circle. In the last few days it has acquired a shelter and a stop flag, with no route tiles as yet but named "Selby Road" and curiously one of the older smaller flags unlike all the other stops nearby. I assume this is intended to replace the stop for the 8 and 9 on the turning circle, which is already marked out as an extra bay for school buses.

Still no sign of bus stops being built on Rose Way beyond the current terminus of the 7, but today they were laying kerbs near where it will join Musters Road, so the expected through routeing may not be too far away.

 

[callum3490]

How can 4 Enviro 400s replace 9 Omnidekkas?

Also the point I raised earlier in this thread - Theres also 2 spare omnidekkas so getting rid would essentially leave them 7 deckers down at a time that there seems to be a “vehicle shortage” and with no viable electric deckers on the horizon for them it could get very interesting if they really are eager to get rid of the omnidekkas

 

[Trainman40083]

Reports on Nottinghamshire Live that a car drive at speed into a Nottingham bus today. Yutong 274 could be the bus involved.

 

[tram21]

Reports on Nottinghamshire Live that a car drive at speed into a Nottingham bus today. Yutong 274 could be the bus involved.

It drove back though so can't have been badly damaged.

 

[Deerfold]

Reports on Nottinghamshire Live that a car drive at speed into a Nottingham bus today. Yutong 274 could be the bus involved.

Severe traffic delays as car driven 'full pelt' into bus on main road

The road was closed in both directions by police

www.nottinghampost.com

A car was driven 'full pelt' into a bus in Bulwell town centre on Wednesday afternoon (March 26), causing traffic disruption. Emergency services were called to the crash in Main Street at around 1.52pm and closed off the road in both directions.

Nottinghamshire Police said the collision involved a car and a Nottingham City Transport (NCT) bus and caused minor injuries. One witness who works nearby said: "The car went full pelt and it made a right bang. It would wake you up."

NCT said the closure was causing "severe delays" on its routes before the road was reopened at 2.50pm. The operator said: "There has been an incident in Bulwell near to Riverside.

 

[MCR247]

Bulwell 2 - Yutong 0

 

[317 forever]

Apparently the cost of biogas has increased significantly at the moment and it is cheaper to run the diesels, so at weekends particularly sundays where pvr is much lower that is where they are running the diesels

Thank you for this insight.

I was wondering whether to come to Nottingham on the August Bank Holiday to ride these as well as the Yutongs.

Now I know to avoid Sundays or Bank Holidays.

 

[MCR247]

Thank you for this insight.

I was wondering whether to come to Nottingham on the August Bank Holiday to ride these as well as the Yutongs.

Now I know to avoid Sundays or Bank Holidays.

Definitely Monday - Friday are your best bet for the biogas deckers. You might increase your chances a bit by not doing it in August too - NCT usually reduce their frequencies of major routes over the holidays

 

[317 forever]

Definitely Monday - Friday are your best bet for the biogas deckers. You might increase your chances a bit by not doing it in August too - NCT usually reduce their frequencies of major routes over the holidays

OK I shall bear that in mind. Ironically my previous visit was an August Saturday, in 2018.

I currently reckon on a Saturday in May/June or a weekday as part of a wider holiday in September.

 

[MCR247]

OK I shall bear that in mind. Ironically my previous visit was an August Saturday, in 2018.

I currently reckon on a Saturday in May/June or a weekday as part of a wider holiday in September.

To be fair, at most they reduce the PVRs by one so it shouldn’t make too much difference in theory, but that and the lack of university/school buses does give them more slack in the fleet if they do wish to minimise reliance on the biogas fleet

 

[adrianjohnson]

I've noticed again this evening that one of the Yutongs had a white stripe on the front destination screen. Does anyone know why? Next time I'm in Nottingham and see it, I'll try and get a picture if other haven't seen it.