Go South Coast

[Gloster]

Coming up from Sandown on a 3 today I saw that train departures from Brading and later Ryde St John’s Road stations both appeared on the saloon screen for a while. Why anyone would leave a quarter-hourly frequency bus service to walk to a station to catch a forty-minute frequency train I do not know. I have a suspicion that is is a tick-box measure and that nobody has bothered to consider that it is utterly pointless.

 

[Russel]

I think they'd look better with a green moquette on the seats to go with the livery...

I know what you mean, I mentioned it previously, I get why they use blue though as it's standard GSC interior, but it does feel odd seeing a bright green bus with a totally different interior to what you'd expect.

 

[pepperpot80]

Coming up from Sandown on a 3 today I saw that train departures from Brading and later Ryde St John’s Road stations both appeared on the saloon screen for a while. Why anyone would leave a quarter-hourly frequency bus service to walk to a station to catch a forty-minute frequency train I do not know. I have a suspicion that is is a tick-box measure and that nobody has bothered to consider that it is utterly pointless.

Having had to do the trip on a few occasions, it's helpful to know if I've got time in Ryde before catching the train to Pier Head, or needing to leave time to walk up the Pier.

 

[Gloster]

Having had to do the trip on a few occasions, it's helpful to know if I've got time in Ryde before catching the train to Pier Head, or needing to leave time to walk up the Pier.

Trains from Ryde Esplanade along the pier might be reasonable, but Brading and St John’s Road seem pointless. For that matter, at Ryde you come off the bus and now walk past the rolling destination board for the station on the way to the pier walkway.

 

[Goldfish62]

Looking at photos of the interiors of the new buses I'm somewhat surprised at the lack of vertical grab poles on the top deck. It's possible not to have them with high back seats because there are vertical grab handles attached to the side of the headrests.

The seat-back grab handles on the low back seats are only any good for getting up out of the seat, but useless for holding onto when walking down the aisle, especially when seats are occupied.

I'm surprised the buses got certified in this state.

 

[Mark L]

Looking at photos of the interiors of the new buses I'm somewhat surprised at the lack of vertical grab poles on the top deck. It's possible not to have them with high back seats because there are vertical grab handles attached to the side of the headrests.

The seat-back grab handles on the low back seats are only any good for getting up out of the seat, but useless for holding onto when walking down the aisle, especially when seats are occupied.

I'm surprised the buses got certified in this state.

I’ve heard two possible reasons for the lack of grab poles on the top deck…either as a weight saving measure or to discourage passengers from standing on the top deck. I’m not claiming that either is correct.

 

[Goldfish62]

I’ve heard two possible reasons for the lack of grab poles on the top deck…either as a weight saving measure or to discourage passengers from standing on the top deck. I’m not claiming that either is correct.

I've heard a 3rd: to allow better views.

I can think of a 4th: to save money.

Whatever the reason I think it will come back to bite them.

 

[Gloster]

Looking at photos of the interiors of the new buses I'm somewhat surprised at the lack of vertical grab poles on the top deck. It's possible not to have them with high back seats because there are vertical grab handles attached to the side of the headrests.

The seat-back grab handles on the low back seats are only any good for getting up out of the seat, but useless for holding onto when walking down the aisle, especially when seats are occupied.

I'm surprised the buses got certified in this state.

I commented on this back in #381, but it seems that it is now the new standard. Similarity the bell push in the back of the seats struck and strikes me as bound to be a problem. As someone who has difficulty with bus stairs, the reduction in seats downstairs does not meet with my approval.

 

[Andyh82]

I commented on this back in #381, but it seems that it is now the new standard. Similarity the bell push in the back of the seats struck and strikes me as bound to be a problem. As someone who has difficulty with bus stairs, the reduction in seats downstairs does not meet with my approval.

This is now standard in a lot of places not just Go South Coast. All the buses in Manchester of all operators now have two wheelchair/buggy bays and hence hardly any seats.

 

[buslad1988]

This is now standard in a lot of places not just Go South Coast. All the buses in Manchester of all operators now have two wheelchair/buggy bays and hence hardly any seats.

It’s also part of the zebra funding criteria that 2 wheelchair bays are specified. In shorter wheelbase deckers it’s diminishing the amount of seats downstairs.

 

[Goldfish62]

It’s also part of the zebra funding criteria that 2 wheelchair bays are specified. In shorter wheelbase deckers it’s diminishing the amount of seats downstairs.

It's an impossible situation to reconcile on the short double deck buses we have in the UK.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Trains from Ryde Esplanade along the pier might be reasonable, but Brading and St John’s Road seem pointless. For that matter, at Ryde you come off the bus and now walk past the rolling destination board for the station on the way to the pier walkway.

It comes from the railway Darwin feed, so that won't be able to distinguish what a bus is doing - it is either nothing or everything. I'd rather it be everything if I needed to connect for Pier Head or Havenstreet (which can only be accessed by train).

 

[Kite159]

I see there is at least 2 brand new electric buses for Salisbury (passed a single decker & a double decker on driver training on my way into work).

 

[Gloster]

Southern Vectis’s vehicles are out on the road: I saw one on the 9’s route with Driver Training on the screen this morning. I wonder if the fact that I have seen Son of Vlad about in the last few days is connected.

 

[adc82140]

Quick question on behalf of my bus enthusiast son (he's 11, I'll let him join the forum when he's a bit older):

The last couple of mornings the 07:05 Morebus X3 off Ringwood towards Salisbury has been a single decker. This is unusual for this route. Is it a long term operational decision, as this is a quiet service, or is it down to a shortage of the normal vehicles?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Quick question on behalf of my bus enthusiast son (he's 11, I'll let him join the forum when he's a bit older):

The last couple of mornings the 07:05 Morebus X3 off Ringwood towards Salisbury has been a single decker. This is unusual for this route. Is it a long term operational decision, as this is a quiet service, or is it down to a shortage of the normal vehicles?

I'd imagine it's a vehicle shortage. Would seem strange to have one 65 plate SD in a sea of 24 plate DDs on a trunk route, especially with no interworking.

The only scheduled working that I can see is the 0811 ex Ringwood to Salisbury and that's working off a Fordingbridge schools job.

 

[adc82140]

Thanks, will pass this on to him

 

[Kite159]

I'd imagine it's a vehicle shortage. Would seem strange to have one 65 plate SD in a sea of 24 plate DDs on a trunk route, especially with no interworking.

The only scheduled working that I can see is the 0811 ex Ringwood to Salisbury and that's working off a Fordingbridge schools job.

And that's usually a Salisbury Reds branded bus with a More branded double decker popping up from somewhere empty (not sure if they do a school run)

 

[heart-of-wessex]

I see there is at least 2 brand new electric buses for Salisbury (passed a single decker & a double decker on driver training on my way into work).

Appears to be two Wright's Electroliners though I only saw one in their today, yhe other one someone else seen at the back was a purple liveried one allegedly for Stonehenge tour

 

[WibbleWobble]

And that's usually a Salisbury Reds branded bus with a More branded double decker popping up from somewhere empty (not sure if they do a school run)

The More decker does an X7 short working instead.

 

[Chris125]

Yet more electric double deckers for Southern Vectis, 23 more covers most of the main routes and includes the Needles Breezer.

Isle of Wight to get 23 more electric double decker buses with £3.6m government funding

Southern Vectis and Isle of Wight Council secure another multi-million pound grant to expand electric bus fleet

onthewight.com

The latest move, which also sees a further investment of £8.1m from Southern Vectis, will bring the total number of electric vehicles on the Island to 54 – which is most of the main network bus fleet.

Routes 2, 3 and 38
The new buses will serve routes 2, 3 and 38 – with the order also including three open top electric double deckers to operate the Needles Breezer.

Southern Vectis managing director, Ed Wills,

 

[Towers]

Yet more electric double deckers for Southern Vectis, 23 more covers most of the main routes and includes the Needles Breezer.

Isle of Wight to get 23 more electric double decker buses with £3.6m government funding

Southern Vectis and Isle of Wight Council secure another multi-million pound grant to expand electric bus fleet

onthewight.com

One would assume we’ll be seeing the back of More’s still sizeable fleet of Omnicity deckers, then? Hopefully the 12 plate Volvos remain, I rather like those!

 

[Russel]

Where did the Isle Of Wight Scania deckers go, the island's fleet was almost fully Scania at one point a few years ago, now it's all ADL...

 

[Gloster]

I saw a couple of empty Southern Vectis double-deckers, one in green and one in blue, heading along the road that could be taking them to the Fishbourne Wightlink terminal this morning; they do sometimes come this way if they have to swap a bus out of service at Ryde, but two together is very rare. I wonder if they have started to send them to the mainland as the electrics start on Sunday.

 

[Surreyman]

I assume the 3 open toppers mentioned will be convertibles, so a manufacturer is now prepared to build convertibles, likely in this case to be Wrights?
(Past posts have indicated that ADL/Wrights weren't interested in building convertibles in recent years).

 

[Mark L]

I assume the 3 open toppers mentioned will be convertibles, so a manufacturer is now prepared to build convertibles, likely in this case to be Wrights?
(Past posts have indicated that ADL/Wrights weren't interested in building convertibles in recent years).

At a guess they’ll be permanent open toppers as per the Oxford sightseeing fleet.

 

[TFT YouTube]

Views From Salisbury Reds 3832 (2014 Optare Solo) On The R12.

 

[37114]

I am sure I read when ADL announced the E400ev they said they would do an open top version of it. Wrights have provided open top buses (pre Bamford days) to Stagecoach and Lothian I recall

 

[Mark L]

I am sure I read when ADL announced the E400ev they said they would do an open top version of it. Wrights have provided open top buses (pre Bamford days) to Stagecoach and Lothian I recall

Wrightbus has provided open top Electroliners for Oxford and West Coast Motors (for Glasgow).

 

[adc82140]

And that's usually a Salisbury Reds branded bus with a More branded double decker popping up from somewhere empty (not sure if they do a school run)

That one, unusually, starts at Fordingbridge, rather than Ringwood, as it's a Burgate school B4 route on the way in.