Recent content by David Verity

Yesterday's news: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-59591111 Bit light on details

As has often been reported, the Dominator was a product of Geoffrey Hilditch's dissatisfaction with Leyland's refusal to offer Gardner engines in the Atlantean. He was at the time Engineering Director at West Yorks PTE and much of the development work which led to the Dominator took place in the...

Of more recent times (and I apologize if it's already been picked up on) I'd rate the First acquisition of Finglands as a howler - and it happened on Giles Fearnley's watch. If the plan was to give Stagecoach a bloody nose by moving in on their South Manchester patch it misfired badly -...

1628772914 They didn't give a specific reason - just seemed rather intimidating whatever the motives. 1628772991 Yes a test three days before admission and a further one on arrival - can't fault their thoroughness.

My wife has been attending Huddersfield Royal Infirmary day surgery unit this week. The service was superb and she received prior to attending a long list of helpful information and do's and don'ts headed by "DO NOT ARRIVE BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT" Now I can understand what the author's concerns...

Four "Pride of the North" Volvo Wrights saloons been drafted into Team Pennine from Rochdale. One out this morning on Holmfirth-Wakefield.

If it goes the same way as MyTicket and ENCTS the proportion of riders paying full fares goes down and the operator has to make a judgment as to whether the service is still viable when the majority load is pass holders. What wins votes for the politicos doesn't necessarily protect the bus services.

One suspects that this "revelation" has been fed into the public domain by those who would wish things to be how they were pre 1986. Anyone think of any names?

Double deckers appear only on journeys which convey pupils to and from Hexham schools. The brandings have been removed so I am informed. Stagecoach had two liveried E300s on the service before double decks were needed. Both Arriva and Stagecoach appear to have lost interest in pushing the brand.

It was part of the "Express City Connect" brand and it's here on the service from St Andrews to Glasgow Airport. Most of them have had the branding removed and many are now in the yellow "school bus" livery

It's been reported often that the city centre flat is all very well for young singles or couples - but many of the have their sights set on moving further out to larger properties when families come along - buses need to be attractive to complement their changing lifestyle.

Seems Arriva no longer consider the Scanias reliable enough to be trusted with several round trips to Carlisle - and Stagecoach have debranded their Enviro MMCs. Looks as though the brand isn't worth fighting for any more.

According to a piece in Buses magazine, Torbay Council plan to withhold concessionary reimbursement from Stagecoach amounting to £950k because "so few pass holders travelled during the lockdown" Anybody out there know if this is legal and if it might set a trend please?

Tiger had a real go at the Wakefield Road corridor out of Huddersfield with the Denby Dale services, and First responded with "HD Connect" Then Tiger lost interest and HD Connect branded buses can turn up just about anywhere. Maybe another chapter in that particular skirmish is about to begin.

East Scotland have been disposing of some recently. Formerly they moved them on to Cumbria and North Lancashire, who in turn shunted some of them off to Merseyside and South Lancs. Clearly not anybody's favourite bus. The latest lot have gone for scrap, including one which self combusted in...