First Greater Glasgow

[smtglasgow]

The 18 really needs a shake up, both fleet wise and branding wise. It's an absolute shambles.

Agree about the 18 – one of the few Glasgow routes that is busy all day long. I’ve thought for a while that there might be scope to think again about a faster bus into Glasgow from the bits of EK that are too far from the station. Might only work at peaks (and the traffic isn’t great), but an X18 using the new Cathkin ByPass and into the city via Shawfield would take the pressure off the 18 – I used to work with someone who lived in Dalmarnock and often couldn’t get on the 18 in the morning.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Agree about the 18 – one of the few Glasgow routes that is busy all day long. I’ve thought for a while that there might be scope to think again about a faster bus into Glasgow from the bits of EK that are too far from the station. Might only work at peaks (and the traffic isn’t great), but an X18 using the new Cathkin ByPass and into the city via Shawfield would take the pressure off the 18 – I used to work with someone who lived in Dalmarnock and often couldn’t get on the 18 in the morning.

Is the 18 nowadays just as busy? I drove that route some 8 years ago and it was busy then, albeit at that same time the 88 bus to Kirkintilloch <> Glasgow was fairly kept on its toes as well, but I have to say I noticed recently the 88s are using 200MMCs now, where as before they used tridents and were mobbed in the morning, people using buses in and around glasgow these days seems to have nose dived over the last 6 - 10 years.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Credit where credit is due(to volvo anyways), I usually give B7TL’s a bad review, particularly if im the driver as they pull away very sluggishly, But after the 89 this morning from kilsyth they still ride really well considering there 10 to 15 year old age, particularly the 2006 and the few 2007 plate ones.

For the 2006/2007 plate ones they could go for another 5 to 7 years with a heavy refurb, pitty first has let the interiors go, there dank and filthy!

 

[GaryMcEwan]

The 18 is constantly busy, in the evening when Caley do the peaks by the time you get to Glasgow Cross heading towards EK, the driver can't let any one on.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

The 18 is constantly busy, in the evening when Caley do the peaks by the time you get to Glasgow Cross heading towards EK, the driver can't let any one on.

What other glasgow routes exist that still have a busy flow?

 

[GaryMcEwan]

What other glasgow routes exist that still have a busy flow?

2, 6, 7/A, 18, 60/A, 61. Anything really that fell under Simplicity with high frequency routes into the city centre are always busy.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

2, 6, 7/A, 18, 60/A, 61. Anything really that fell under Simplicity with high frequency routes into the city centre are always busy.

Thanks

 

[route101]

What other glasgow routes exist that still have a busy flow?

The 5 and 75 are routes that are busy quite often . A lot up Castlemilk use the bus .

 

[route101]

Sometime Less is More, all branding does is impinge on pvr allocations etc.

Branding simply looks tacky!

All that effort to ensure the same buses are on the same route , look at the E400S that were on the 6 seems half of them are not while the 6 gets more singles .

 

[route101]

The 18 is constantly busy, in the evening when Caley do the peaks by the time you get to Glasgow Cross heading towards EK, the driver can't let any one on.

Yeah , i thinks its fast bus up to Cathkin and EK , between town and Rutherglen only really bridgeton is area where loads of people live . Compare that to the 6 for example. The one thing about 18 is its usually a double decker .

 

[route101]

Credit where credit is due(to volvo anyways), I usually give B7TL’s a bad review, particularly if im the driver as they pull away very sluggishly, But after the 89 this morning from kilsyth they still ride really well considering there 10 to 15 year old age, particularly the 2006 and the few 2007 plate ones.

For the 2006/2007 plate ones they could go for another 5 to 7 years with a heavy refurb, pitty first has let the interiors go, there dank and filthy!

Yeah some the seats are manky and sunken . Nothing wrong with them , far more comfortable than a trident .

 

[route101]

Is the 18 nowadays just as busy? I drove that route some 8 years ago and it was busy then, albeit at that same time the 88 bus to Kirkintilloch <> Glasgow was fairly kept on its toes as well, but I have to say I noticed recently the 88s are using 200MMCs now, where as before they used tridents and were mobbed in the morning, people using buses in and around glasgow these days seems to have nose dived over the last 6 - 10 years.

Take it you were a ex Cumbernauld driver . At that time i think the 16 ran along the route and the service was very frequent , im sure 4 depots done the 18 too. Do you do any FIG no 1 routes ?

 

[route101]

Agree about the 18 – one of the few Glasgow routes that is busy all day long. I’ve thought for a while that there might be scope to think again about a faster bus into Glasgow from the bits of EK that are too far from the station. Might only work at peaks (and the traffic isn’t great), but an X18 using the new Cathkin ByPass and into the city via Shawfield would take the pressure off the 18 – I used to work with someone who lived in Dalmarnock and often couldn’t get on the 18 in the morning.

Used to an express bus by stagecoach x4 or something . Surprised there has not been efforts from EK for express buses ,think they dont work in Glasgow like they do in Edinburgh . Thats the problem in EK , you can be far from a station and the frequent bus routes run in the older part of town mostly . If your in calderwood an 18 or 21 would be quicker to town , westwood a 6 . Greenhills or Gardenhall is long run into town . Not much effort to connect to train stations .

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Take it you were a ex Cumbernauld driver . At that time i think the 16 ran along the route and the service was very frequent , im sure 4 depots done the 18 too. Do you do any FIG no 1 routes ?

Yeah thats wright, it was a great little depot, I no longer work for first though, I think the 1 is run mostly by scotstoun, by far my favourite route was the x85, simply because they had the B9TLs on them! Just before it closed they did get newer tridents from london at one point which were good for 88 but they had a bitch of a startin procedure!

 

[route101]

Yeah thats wright, it was a great little depot, I no longer work for first though, I think the 1 is run mostly by scotstoun, by far my favourite route was the x85, simply because they had the B9TLs on them! Just before it closed they did get newer tridents from london at one point which were good for 88 but they had a bitch of a startin procedure!

Ive got this image of caley having 3 separate drivers canteens , ex Cumby ,ex Parkhead and ex Larky . Did you ever work other depots routes?

 

[overthewater]

Have there moved all the drivers on to the same payrate yet?

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Ive got this image of caley having 3 separate drivers canteens , ex Cumby ,ex Parkhead and ex Larky . Did you ever work other depots routes?

It wouldn't surprize me if drivers don’t mingle in the canteen, the 36 to Chryston before the 38C replaced it was a route I drove, I dont think it was a sole cumby route.

Have there moved all the drivers on to the same payrate yet?

I think First Glasgow No’1 and 2 still exists so they may not have, ex cumby drivers to this day are still kept on the x85/x87/88s etc!

 

[route101]

It wouldn't surprize me if drivers don’t mingle in the canteen, the 36 to Chryston before the 38C replaced it was a route I drove, I dont think it was a sole cumby route.

I think First Glasgow No’1 and 2 still exists so they may not have, ex cumby drivers to this day are still kept on the x85/x87/88s etc!

I remember the 36 and cumby done the 55 to !

I believe they can sell of no 2 if they want maybe thats why its somewhat separate .

 

[smtglasgow]

FG (No. 2) makes too much money for them to think about selling it off – or at least until someone makes them an offer they can’t refuse. But the two bits of First Glasgow are so closely linked that buying one without the other wouldn’t make sense. The No.1/No.2 split will be down to historical differences in terms and conditions/pay rates from when it was Strathclyde Buses and Kelvin Central.

It would be fascinating to know how First got Cumbernauld so wrong – they were losing serious money despite running the successful Kirkie services from there. For a while some of the 18 was run out of Cumbernauld – surely they weren’t running dead up to EK?

 

[Gingerbus1991]

FG (No. 2) makes too much money for them to think about selling it off – or at least until someone makes them an offer they can’t refuse. But the two bits of First Glasgow are so closely linked that buying one without the other wouldn’t make sense. The No.1/No.2 split will be down to historical differences in terms and conditions/pay rates from when it was Strathclyde Buses and Kelvin Central.

It would be fascinating to know how First got Cumbernauld so wrong – they were losing serious money despite running the successful Kirkie services from there. For a while some of the 18 was run out of Cumbernauld – surely they weren’t running dead up to EK?

Yeah I did 18s quite often, I was only there for a year, as the most senior drivers usually got kept on Cumby or x85/x87s routes I usually got assigned to 88s, 18s and 36s, I'm afraid there was a couple running dead in the morning from and to cumbernauld depot as I remember, cumbernauld could be quite busy when the stunting was taking place, if it were up to me the 18s would've never been operated from cumbernauld at all, I wouldve taken the pressure off of Bannockburn and larbert depots and operated the 24 and 27 through kilsyth, it wouldve made sence to have both routes start in kilsyth towards the citys etc, same with the x37 and x39, cumbernauld didn't get the attention it deserved!

If it were possible Id throw it back in stagecoaches face and operate the x5, x80 and x4 again with coaches at a reduced cost lol

I'm still surprised that the x37 and x39 are still kept going tbh, then again these usually are quite busy at peak.

 

[overthewater]

First got it wrong off the bat. It's well known when stagecoach started the express network, saturday dups were common for Cumbernauld. 94/95.. It was clear there was a demand for a faster service. Even when Glasgow bus war started fife kept control over corridor for couple of years. Mind you first did try, faster routes, coaches, but nothing really stuck. First didnt help with the strange changes and there kill off the old x3...

X37 is busy because its the only main bus for certain areas.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

First got it wrong off the bat. It's well known when stagecoach started the express network, saturday dups were common for Cumbernauld. 94/95.. It was clear there was a demand for a faster service. Even when Glasgow bus war started fife kept control over corridor for couple of years. Mind you first did try, faster routes, coaches, but nothing really stuck. First didnt help with the strange changes and there kill off the old x3...

X37 is busy because its the only main bus for certain areas.

I can't vouch for services 10 years ago but nowadays motives have changed I think, people require faster and more importantly it comes down the cost of the bus.
The biggest enemy towards speed has been the train for years.

I quite believe that if FiG had the cash flow, pvr numbers and driver allowances operating at a considerably lower cost with a better ticketing system and vehicles tracking system for passengers so they can see where the bus is on the rd with high specified vehicles they could certainly steal passengers back off stagecoach!

First have done what there known best for I'm afraid, poor management decisions resulting in customer disappointment and therefore no loyalty.

I say this with reference to edinburgh city centre services where the loyalty to LRT is second to none! hence why there profit it high

 

[JumpinTrainz]

Noticed a refurbished B9TL on passing Caledonia today with the new livery but had no colouring at the front it was all just white. Not sure if this is waiting to be route branded or whether they’re keeping it plain.

Also wonder when we’ll be seeing any of the new stock...

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Saw SK57 ADX 69260 on a 7 in Cowcaddens today, ex Livi bus I believe, take it their staying with Cally with them being painted back into the Olympia livery from the two tone blue that First Scotland East has

 

[Volvodart]

2 have been swapped between Glasgow and Livingston, presumably to get ones likely to get the LEZ conversion in Glasgow.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

2 have been swapped between Glasgow and Livingston, presumably to get ones likely to get the LEZ conversion in Glasgow.

Yeah I kind of thought that's maybe why myself, take it 2 06 plates have been sent in return

 

[route101]

Gemini in old colours again ! Kinda looked weird . The 7 route gets any old bus on it .

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Has any buses actually begun conversions yet?

I see things as not moving much in the way of progress, considering the euro5 300s, 400s and B9TLs are the best and prime candidates for prompt conversions!

Its as though First arent giving a toss about lower there footprint!

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Has any buses actually begun conversions yet?

I see things as not moving much in the way of progress, considering the euro5 300s, 400s and B9TLs are the best and prime candidates for prompt conversions!

Its as though First arent giving a toss about lower there footprint!

They Euro 5's aren't prime candidates for conversion, it'll be the Euro 3 B7TL's that'll need to be done and done pronto if they want to continue to run in Glasgow City Centre by the end of year for when the first LEZ comes into play.

 

[JonnyB1984]

People need to remember that not every single FIG bus that operates in the city centre needs to meet euro 6. That deadline is 2022. 75 new buses are due before the end of the year and no doubt any shortfalls of meeting the set target for this year, buses will be drafted in from other area's to make sure it is met.