It's a good job Blackpool are out on rail replacement contracts as the group of drivers who venture out when such work is on, are absolutely great. Really kind and helpful and really good at fixing issues. On the Greek Street blockade too they had full next stop screens and announcements working. Some firms struggled to provide a serviceable vehicle each day, and yet Blackpool Transport were really, really on the ball with it all.
One of the volunteers at Tramtown allegedly claimed the order was cancelled, but the council/BT themselves have said nothing yet.
In terms of electric buses the ADL order is (still
) pending, as per Blackpool Council's FoI reply to me. The ZEBRA grant is also unchanged since the 25-bus (£3,929,779) reduction two years ago.But they have the 15 plate Citaro's and baby 18 plate E200's they should have been well replaced by now so guess that promise has been removed
As mentioned further up this thread, all the citaro’s are for sale.
With this confirmed then, they’re hardly likely to go purchasing more diesel buses meantime as that’s counter productive, whatever (loose) rule they have in place for -5 year old vehicles. Once the mess is sorted out eventually the electrics will replace everything anyway - and they certainly won’t be renewing those every 5 years!!In terms of electric buses the ADL order is (still
Yes. PVR Jan 24 was 75 v 97 in 2018.
www.blackpooltransport.com
I doubt Covid can be blamed. It was completely unrealistic well before that came about!
Be interesting to see the tram passenger figures for the same period, as there's been a much improved timetable in place for most of the year. There seemed to be a fair few schoolchildren changing between bus and tram at North Station when i visited earlier in the year, but I can't imagine the North Station stop would've replaced many bus journeys as such.
Transpora run the bus along the prom now I believe
From experience, it's hardly to be relied upon.
I remember reading they had won a grant and buses were on order
www.blackpooltransport.com
Given the reported recent financial prop of half a million being needed “to pay the bills”, might it might be reasonable to suggest that BT would have problems meeting whatever their side of the bargain was meant to be currently?
Are you able to share a link to that report?
www.blackpooltransport.com
It’s good to see the move back away from the multitude of letter suffixes after customer feedback… it never made sense all the A/B/C’s after so many years of simple numbering!Boost for Blackpool bus routes from next month
Bus passengers in Blackpool and surrounding areas can look forward to further service improvements from next month
Blackpool's Network to change from next month. Highlights include
5 has been extended to Fleetwood from Cleveleys as BT has been awarded a tender from LCC from Cleveleys to Fleetwood replacing Transpora 24
5A/5B will no longer use Lytham Road and go straight down St Annes Road, and at the southern end of the routes
the 5A and 5B will run in a loop around: Highfield Road, Midgeland Road, Progress Way, Common Edge Road, Vickers Way (the new link road between Common Edge Road and the Enterprise Zone), Amy Johnson Way and past Morrisons to Halfway House.
The 5A runs anticlockwise around this loop, the 5B runs Clockwise.
7 been extended back to Lytham replacing the 11A
7A been renumbered the 8
11B renumbered to 10
12 withdrawn and replaced by an extended 18, between Blackpool Victoria Hospital to Bispham and Poulton
18 will now be extended to Poulton from the hospital and cover the withdrawn 12 from Hospital to Bispham to Poulton
It will also run direct down whitegate drive instead of West Park Drive and the 18 will serve Peel Park Monday to Friday
To be fair I doubt Blackpool Transport could lose any more money than they have over the last ten years! They are a financial basket case.
However in this case, it’s the customers themselves (so Blackpool Transport say anyway) that have requested the return to simple numbering.