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First Group: General Discussion

Bungle965

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I see in the latest edition of Bus and Coach Professional that First is working with a developer called Future Platforms to improve its apps


Hopefully this spells the end of the abysmal mTicket app with something usable and reliable! Future Platforms seems to have developed apps for Dominos and the Premier League in the past so I'll be quietly optimistic for now.
I had not actually come across a good M-Ticket app for buses until Transdev Go came along, others vary from being shocking to just about acceptable.
Sam
 
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TheGrandWazoo

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Apologies if I've missed them, but have First Manchester's figures been posted on here yet? Also, more generally, is there a breakdown of operational profits for individual services publicly available?

Revenue dropped from £88m to £85m. However, because of the one off costs associated primarily with the closure of Bury depot (and I'd guess there was some in connection with Dukinfield), they recorded a £5m loss.
 

overthewater

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You’re not paranoid but you’re aware of the conspiracy against you.

Perhaps they had to create space etc? I’m sure that it’s a lot more prosaic than the Securitate “hiding” info :lol:
How odd that the url is now excluded. The archive content is hosted by Wayback Machine so it wouldn’t be affected by First creating space.

From Wayback Machine. ‘
How can I have my site's pages excluded from the Wayback Machine?

You can send an email request for us to review to info@archive.org with the URL (web address) in the text of your message.

Maybe there didn't want to highlight there past glory or failures? I believe the tory party has done the same.
 

DragonEast

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Maybe there didn't want to highlight there past glory or failures? I believe the tory party has done the same.
ho! ho! "It'll help the punters not to confuse themselves with out of date timetables", of course! It only needs one ambitious individual with a bright idea (and a small brain) and happens even in the best run organisations - thinks Tory Party (sic). The need to know industry is the second oldest to prostitution. (Couldn't resist the old joke: caveman went to have a bonk; on his return mrs. caveman asked "Where have you been?". mr. caveman "you don't need to know" - mrs. "you'll pay for this, i'm off to see . . ." and hence how lawyers and accountants came into the world. What has that all got to do with First and their passengers, well . . . see the rest of this thread [that's the one about the mushroom farmer, I'd suggest, if we still aren't sure])
 
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Volvodart

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I see from a note on Flickr that ADL Falkirk has a new Enviro400MMC for First South Yorkshire (Sheffield).
 

tbtc

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I see from a note on Flickr that ADL Falkirk has a new Enviro400MMC for First South Yorkshire (Sheffield).

I wasn't aware, but presumably this'll be for the 1a (High Green - Herdings).

The plan was for First and Stagecoach to get new buses for the (ten mile plus) cross-city route, with Stagecoach supposedly getting Streetlites for their 1 (High Green - Batemoor) and First getting double deckers (plus presumably a few more due to it interworking with the 56 (Herdings - Wybourn) - one of these PTE funded initiatives IIRC but I forget the name.

That should free up a number of 07/57/08 reg Geminis (many of which are ex-West Yorkshire).
 

Dentonian

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I would have suggested Glasgow as a good bet but I doubt these will past LEZ.
There are plenty of elderly buses much closer to Sheffield needing replacement: That location itself still has a number of ex London Volvos; West Yorkshire has a number of plastic-seated B7TL/ALX400s and Manchester has over 30 of the two types combined, plus around 10 Citaroes and two B10BLEs - all of which are too old to run on TFGM contracts.
 

baza585

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There are plenty of elderly buses much closer to Sheffield needing replacement: That location itself still has a number of ex London Volvos; West Yorkshire has a number of plastic-seated B7TL/ALX400s and Manchester has over 30 of the two types combined, plus around 10 Citaroes and two B10BLEs - all of which are too old to run on TFGM contracts.

Not to mention Donny's remaining Tridents (if they last that long......................)
 

Volvodart

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Usually, but not always, the region gets first chance to receive cascades, so they could well stay in "the Firstbus north of England".
 

mic

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i think some old buses at Manchester are due to be taken out of service this weekend with service changes happening
 

TheGrandWazoo

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There are plenty of elderly buses much closer to Sheffield needing replacement: That location itself still has a number of ex London Volvos; West Yorkshire has a number of plastic-seated B7TL/ALX400s and Manchester has over 30 of the two types combined, plus around 10 Citaroes and two B10BLEs - all of which are too old to run on TFGM contracts.

Not to mention Donny's remaining Tridents (if they last that long......................)

There are plenty of candidates to receive cascades! Understand (Baza can confirm) that three 63 plate B7RLEs are heading from Hampshire to Bolton. There are plenty of vehicles coming spare from around the country though it's always a complex picture (and the delays with Bristol's Metrobus are an added complication).
 

Bungle965

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I wasn't aware, but presumably this'll be for the 1a (High Green - Herdings).

The plan was for First and Stagecoach to get new buses for the (ten mile plus) cross-city route, with Stagecoach supposedly getting Streetlites for their 1 (High Green - Batemoor) and First getting double deckers (plus presumably a few more due to it interworking with the 56 (Herdings - Wybourn) - one of these PTE funded initiatives IIRC but I forget the name.

That should free up a number of 07/57/08 reg Geminis (many of which are ex-West Yorkshire).
Stagecoach ordering Streetlites?
Would have thought they would have gone down their usual route of ADL.
Sam
 

baza585

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There are plenty of candidates to receive cascades! Understand (Baza can confirm) that three 63 plate B7RLEs are heading from Hampshire to Bolton. There are plenty of vehicles coming spare from around the country though it's always a complex picture (and the delays with Bristol's Metrobus are an added complication).

First Manchester for definite; didn't know which depot. Any chance of those 07/57/08 B9 Geminis down here in Hampshire & Dorset before all of our Tridents expire................
 

Dentonian

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i think some old buses at Manchester are due to be taken out of service this weekend with service changes happening
The PVR savings apparently equate to the last four(?) B10BLEs being withdrawn from Bolton, with two already out of service. The savings are at Rusholme, and it was originally assumed that four buses would transfer from there to Bolton. However, the three B7RLEs would make more sense being single deckers, and it is believed some earlier examples of the type returned to First Manchester are yet to see service as well. There will probably be another five or so buses made redundant when the 42 is (roughly) halved in March. Logically, that would see the end of the remaining Presidents. However, that would still leave the far less comfortable ALX400s and Citaroes (about 32 buses) still running. Of course, it will be at least a couple of weeks before we know of any commercial changes from the official 8th April change date, which may affect things.
 

Kahuna47

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anyone know when Manchester get the contactless ticket machines

A Union source told me yesterday that Rusholme will get them first with the other depots getting them next month.

We'll see what happens though...
 

Baxenden Bank

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Ticketer machines have been rolled out at First in The Potteries. Forgot to ask if I could pay contactless. There was no info on the website when I last looked.
 

Jordan Adam

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Ticketer machines have been rolled out at First in The Potteries. Forgot to ask if I could pay contactless. There was no info on the website when I last looked.

From what's been happening so far the Contactless/Apple/Android pay functions have been turned on a few weeks after the machines are rolled out.
 

vicbury

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From what's been happening so far the Contactless/Apple/Android pay functions have been turned on a few weeks after the machines are rolled out.
Here in the West of England contactless was available immediately (or near enough) but wasn't publicised until a few months later. Annoyingly, the machines have a £30 limit for Android Pay, which is not needed because the banks have no limit for it!
 

Baxenden Bank

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Almex machines still on the 3 this morning
Perhaps rolled so far then got stuck in the mud then. :lol:
I did wonder how much work would be required to make the buses fit the ticket machines, in terms of the anti-vandal screen and the very small hole some of them have to present your ticket / pass into for scanning.

Seem to be issues of people presenting tickets on their mobile phones with a bar-code rather than a QR code. In the absence of any info about the introduction of new ticket machines on the First in The Potteries website I know no more.
 

F Great Eastern

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First Aircoach in Ireland are now looking for a new MD after Allen Parker after 12 years has resigned to take up the Chief Customer Officer position in state owned Bus Eireann.
 

Baxenden Bank

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Perhaps rolled so far then got stuck in the mud then. :lol:
I did wonder how much work would be required to make the buses fit the ticket machines, in terms of the anti-vandal screen and the very small hole some of them have to present your ticket / pass into for scanning.

Seem to be issues of people presenting tickets on their mobile phones with a bar-code rather than a QR code. In the absence of any info about the introduction of new ticket machines on the First in The Potteries website I know no more.
Talking to my own point, someone has been busy with a hacksaw, cutting larger apertures into the anti-vandal screens. Reasonable job done but clearly visible.
 

Bungle965

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Here in the West of England contactless was available immediately (or near enough) but wasn't publicised until a few months later. Annoyingly, the machines have a £30 limit for Android Pay, which is not needed because the banks have no limit for it!
I believe it is the same for Apple pay also.
Sam
 

route101

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Perhaps rolled so far then got stuck in the mud then. :lol:
I did wonder how much work would be required to make the buses fit the ticket machines, in terms of the anti-vandal screen and the very small hole some of them have to present your ticket / pass into for scanning.

Seem to be issues of people presenting tickets on their mobile phones with a bar-code rather than a QR code. In the absence of any info about the introduction of new ticket machines on the First in The Potteries website I know no more.

Maybe they need to update the app .
 

Volvodart

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Depending when the ticket was bought. Only tickets bought after a certain date will have the QR codes.
 

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