First Greater Glasgow

[JumpinTrainz]

I have heard from multiple people now that we are getting roughly 25 Enviro400EVs for Caledonia next year, so it makes sense that this one has come back. Might even stay permanently

I’m hopeful this is the case. Glasgow is already home to a predominant ADL fleet so it makes sense.

I remember hearing rumours pre-Covid that the one was to be re-routed and was getting deckers but I’m not sure how true that was. I can’t see it happening now either tbh. Certainly if the rumours about new buses next year comes true - it usually means modern stock gets cascaded elsewhere.

 

[Metal Mickey]

I have heard from multiple people now that we are getting roughly 25 Enviro400EVs for Caledonia next year, so it makes sense that this one has come back. Might even stay permanently

They must’ve been successful with some forthcoming ScotZeb funding.

 

[Volvodart]

They must’ve been successful with some forthcoming ScotZeb funding.

It could be like last time and not all applicants receive funding, there is another 2 months to apply.

 

[Scott mac]

Heard these rumours as well but did hear it was more than 25 being honest the e400ev are lovely buses so hopefully true

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Dec 2025 ==

Well they are for Caledonia as I said but I know that the Scotstoun MMCs are being freed up from all the NewPowers that have arrived there. That's a potential opportunity for Dumbarton to get some deckers.

The caly repowers are meant to be going to Scotstoun

 

[camro]

The caly repowers are meant to be going to Scotstoun

That's right. Once the new E400EVs arrive they will replace both Geminis and NewPowers with all NewPowers going to Scotstoun, freeing up their MMCs to further replace Geminis.

The latest figure I heard was 25, the first I heard was 30.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

It would have been nice to get some new E400EVs on the 2 to run alongside the E200EVs. The E300s are well past their best.

 

[Scott mac]

From what a have heard they want to make caly depot all adl with Scotstoun being single deck adl and double decks the repowers

 

[92002]

That's right. Once the new E400EVs arrive they will replace both Geminis and NewPowers with all NewPowers going to Scotstoun, freeing up their MMCs to further replace Geminis.

The latest figure I heard was 25, the first I heard was 30.

So basically what your saying is Caledonian gets all the new EVs and everybody else will gets hand me downs.

Sounds very elite and equal to me.

 

[Volvodart]

So basically what your saying is Caledonian gets all the new EVs and everybody else will gets hand me downs.

Sounds very elite and equal to me.

You would have thought to that if the Scottish Government is paying for the electrification of Blantyre it would get new buses.

 

[JumpinTrainz]

So basically what your saying is Caledonian gets all the new EVs and everybody else will gets hand me downs.

Sounds very elite and equal to me.

That’s always been the case even as far back as the Larkfield days. Larky saw all the new deckers and Parkhead saw all the new singles.

I’d have thought Blantyre would be a contender for new buses but they might move some of the current E400EVs from Caledonia over there or perhaps they’ll get some repowers too. They did trial an E400EV on one of the Lanarkshire local services a few months back.

 

[EMU303]

You would have thought to that if the Scottish Government is paying for the electrification of Blantyre it would get new buses.

Is there a timescale for Blantyre depot electrification?

 

[317 forever]

I have heard from multiple people now that we are getting roughly 25 Enviro400EVs for Caledonia next year, so it makes sense that this one has come back. Might even stay permanently

Is the intention that these are in service in time for the Commonwealth Games?

 

[92002]

That’s always been the case even as far back as the Larkfield days. Larky saw all the new deckers and Parkhead saw all the new singles.

I’d have thought Blantyre would be a contender for new buses but they might move some of the current E400EVs from Caledonia over there or perhaps they’ll get some repowers too. They did trial an E400EV on one of the Lanarkshire local services a few months back.

Perhaps not true in recent times. When the E200ev arrived recently around half of the batch went to Scotstoun.
If new E400evs were to appear in numbers they would be more useful being split between Scotstoun and Blantyre. For use on the 2 and Lanarkshire services.

Perhaps all the re-powers should go to Caledonian and release more E400ev for Scotstoun and Blantyre. Perhaps some even too for Dumbarton to relieve the very overcrowded 1 services. People actually pay to travel on these services.

 

[voidwxrranty]

Perhaps not true in recent times. When the E200ev arrived recently around half of the batch went to Scotstoun

Except they didn’t as Scotstouns batch was a separate order.

 

[92002]

Except they didn’t as Scotstouns batch was a separate order.

They were brand new of course. So did not touch Caledonian.

 

[route101]

It would have been nice to get some new E400EVs on the 2 to run alongside the E200EVs. The E300s are well past their best.

Should of ordered E400evs in the first place rather than the E200evs. Glasgow seems to have a habit of ordering singles for busy routes.

 

[Scott mac]

Should of ordered E400evs in the first place rather than the E200evs. Glasgow seems to have a habit of ordering singles for busy routes.

First bus has never seen the 2 or the old 62 as a double deck route it has always been a single deck at a higher frequency than most routes

 

[92002]

First bus has never seen the 2 or the old 62 as a double deck route it has always been a single deck at a higher frequency than most routes

Although lower frequency with double decks would mean less drivers needed, with mostly everybody getting a seat.

 

[computerSaysNo]

First bus has never seen the 2 or the old 62 as a double deck route it has always been a single deck at a higher frequency than most routes

I find this an interesting topic and comparison point. Is it known why First prefer to run routes more frequently with smaller vehicles when larger vehicles are able to be used? A bit of the 2 in the east and a bit immediately west of the city centre operates where the 2 is the only route but the rest is shared with the 60/A, 61 and 240 in the east and with the 1, 3, 6 and 77 in the west so even if the 2 was less frequent, most areas would still have a frequent service.
I guess the smaller vehicles/more frequent also applies to the 1 and 240? Or do they both have low bridge sections which absolutely cannot be avoided?

I'm just mentally comparing this to Edinburgh where every route which can possibly be operated with double deckers is so, excepting a few routes which are all secondary services.
(I then got distracted and wrote them all out - off the top of my head, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34, 35, 37, 43, 44, 45, 47, 49, 70, 71, 106, 113, 124, 140, 141, X18, X19, X27, X28, are all operated by deckers when single decks could be used. I would say it probably wouldn't be practically possible to operate the 11, 16, 25, 26 and 100 with single decks due to the high passenger numbers. 30, 38, 46, 48 and X7 physically have to use single decks due to unavoidable low bridges. 2, 12, 36 and X5 use single decks where doubles could physically fit).

 

[scosutsut]

Not knowing the former Strathclyde operation in a high level of detail, I still can't help but feel the operation First bought was absolutely dominated by deckers, and thus it's not been the maintenance of the status quo by First, but a change that started on their watch.

Famous for being run by bean counters over the years, is it as straightforward as straight up penny pinching?

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

77 will be a 24/7 service from the 18th January with the through the night journeys Between Buchanan Bus Station and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital running hourly, This will be quite popular with NHS staff and the West End nightlife I imagine

 

[Metal Mickey]

77 will be a 24/7 service from the 18th January with the through the night journeys Between Buchanan Bus Station and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital running hourly, This will be quite popular with NHS staff and the West End nightlife I imagine

Where have you heard this?

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Where have you heard this?

Timetables are on Traveline if you want to look yourself, on the hour from Buchanan, Half past the hour from QEUH back to the City Centre

 

[Busman84]

First bus has never seen the 2 or the old 62 as a double deck route it has always been a single deck at a higher frequency than most routes

Between 2010 and 2012 the 62 was a large mix double deck/single with only Airdrie journeys left as singles

 

[JumpinTrainz]

The 62 is a high frequency route which has been virtually untouched for decades so it’s always confused me as to why First have been so adamant to run it with singles. It even ran with bendy buses for many years.

My guess is that First don’t want to reduce the frequency and singles are cheaper than deckers so it just works for them. However, over the years deckers have always creeped their way back in like is the story now. For a long while when the E300s were new the 2 became almost exclusively E300s then latterly a mix of E200MMCs when some of Parkheads E300s went to FSE. Now there is a mix of repowers, E400s, E300s and E200EVs.

 

[Joerf21]

Does anybody know how many E300s scotstoun have

 

[92002]

Does anybody know how many E300s scotstoun have

A quick check on bus times suggests 50.

 

[Metal Mickey]

The 62 is a high frequency route which has been virtually untouched for decades so it’s always confused me as to why First have been so adamant to run it with singles. It even ran with bendy buses for many years.

My guess is that First don’t want to reduce the frequency and singles are cheaper than deckers so it just works for them. However, over the years deckers have always creeped their way back in like is the story now. For a long while when the E300s were new the 2 became almost exclusively E300s then latterly a mix of E200MMCs when some of Parkheads E300s went to FSE. Now there is a mix of repowers, E400s, E300s and E200EVs.

When it was up to every 5 minutes with close to 40 vehicles allocated, single deckers were fine but now with it running between every 8 and 14 minutes it really could do with doubles or at least 2/3s of the allocation. I suspect it’s lost the potential to grow passenger numbers as a result of how it’s been operated these days.

 

[Joerf21]

A quick check on bus times suggests 50.

Thank you, just thinking with a huge number of old E300s, its going to be difficult to replace them

 

[JumpinTrainz]

Thank you, just thinking with a huge number of old E300s, its going to be difficult to replace them

I hope when the time comes they wipe out the E300s and current E200EVs with one big order and replace them with newer EVs with better range (preferably deckers).