First Wells Depot

[THarris123]

Looks like 2 B7RLEs in the other depot and definitely 2 B7Ls and the solo there too. 60912 is definitely one of them.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I think its going to be a long time, if ever, Somerset County Council reinstate funding for evening and Sunday buses. :cry:

I can't see it happening unfortunately. Of course, in the last year they've also had to find money to replace the 184 and now the 375.

To be honest, Somerset never had many evening services anyway around Bridgwater Yeovil and Taunton and the way pubs have gone shows how the evening trade is. Sunday services are worse than they were 10 years ago but much better than 20 years ago.

First did run the 377 on a Sunday for a time commercially and we've had short tries at the 375 and 54 but it's thin bus territory.

 

[CD]

To be honest, Somerset never had many evening services anyway around Bridgwater Yeovil and Taunton and the way pubs have gone shows how the evening trade is. Sunday services are worse than they were 10 years ago but much better than 20 years ago.

First did run the 377 on a Sunday for a time commercially and we've had short tries at the 375 and 54 but it's thin bus territory.

Prior to the 2012 cuts the last bus Taunton to Yeovil was 2240 (1714 now).
Bristol to Yeovil 2015 (1605 now) Yeovil to Sherborne/Wincanton 2210 (1755 now).
I used to visit The Halfway House Pitney and The Digby Tap Sherborne before the cuts as did several friends so loss of trade there.

Half the journeys on the 54 are through passengers Yeovil to Taunton, so when BoS ran commercially an hourly Sunday service Somerton to Taunton it was doomed to failure. Instead if they had used the same two vehicles on a one and a half hourly interval to Yeovil, things may have been different.

 

[THarris123]

Timetables are updated in Wells bus station - if you look at buses going to Glastonbury, it shows that Webberbus are running 55 and 77.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Prior to the 2012 cuts the last bus Taunton to Yeovil was 2240 (1714 now).
Bristol to Yeovil 2015 (1605 now) Yeovil to Sherborne/Wincanton 2210 (1755 now).
I used to visit The Halfway House Pitney and The Digby Tap Sherborne before the cuts as did several friends so loss of trade there.

Half the journeys on the 54 are through passengers Yeovil to Taunton, so when BoS ran commercially an hourly Sunday service Somerton to Taunton it was doomed to failure. Instead if they had used the same two vehicles on a one and a half hourly interval to Yeovil, things may have been different.

To be honest, I didn't think the 54 would succeed on a Sunday, and still doubt it if it went to Yeovil. Without council support, I can't see anything in South Somerset on Sun/Eve

 

[henairs]

Timetables are updated in Wells bus station - if you look at buses going to Glastonbury, it shows that Webberbus are running 55 and 77.

Same problem at Street as well Tom. Years ago printers had an employee known as a proof reader to notice and point out mistakes.
Nowadays we get Mistakes.
Cheers, Mike R

 

[THarris123]

Main depot this evening:
69437/9/40/1/3/4/7/53401
Other depot:
60912 and another Barbie B7RLE - not the Barbie B7L I saw this morning has gone

I assume 69445 is still about from this morning and there is something else out on 126 waiting to come in.

So in theory, we should have enough B7RLEs for 126/173/174/161

Don't know if it is the full 69437-47 though

I've cheered up a bit this morning now after seeing a few more B7RLEs around and less B7Ls

Also, supposedly some of Wells' buses are due a refurbishment soon - I assume that means the B7RLEs are going to be leatherised then.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Prior to the 2012 cuts the last bus Taunton to Yeovil was 2240 (1714 now).
Bristol to Yeovil 2015 (1605 now) Yeovil to Sherborne/Wincanton 2210 (1755 now).
I used to visit The Halfway House Pitney and The Digby Tap Sherborne before the cuts as did several friends so loss of trade there.

Half the journeys on the 54 are through passengers Yeovil to Taunton, so when BoS ran commercially an hourly Sunday service Somerton to Taunton it was doomed to failure. Instead if they had used the same two vehicles on a one and a half hourly interval to Yeovil, things may have been different.

RBC money did help with later services on the 54. Before that, there were none there. The 58 had two hourly services as did 21, 22 with a one bus Taunton local service.

 

[CD]

To be honest, I didn't think the 54 would succeed on a Sunday, and still doubt it if it went to Yeovil. Without council support, I can't see anything in South Somerset on Sun/Eve

Thats why I and most other people drive everywhere. For those without their own transport its stay at home.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Thats why I and most other people drive everywhere. For those without their own transport its stay at home.

Sadly the case in other places with the council cuts and it will only get worse. Wiltshire who were one of the best councils are now cutting back and evening and Sunday services will be greatly affected.

The RBC funding did lead to many new Sunday services and some have survived commercially but that was probably the high water point.

 

[THarris123]

Mr White has updated his page:
69448/57/8 have gone to MH
42895-9 have gone to Bath - should be for 10

So I wonder where 60912-4 will go and where the solos on 10 will go?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
43822 is back on the road - on the dead run coming into Wells for 8.19 55

I'm hoping they won't sit in the bus station and screw up 376 times

Seems a bit daft too having it run dead from Taunton
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
60912 on 126 coming in just now with a Wells driver

Does this mean that Wells now have all 3 126 boards?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
8.19 55 is off to a great start - earned just as much money on the dead run.

 

[matt_splat]

Mr White has updated his page:
69448/57/8 have gone to MH
42895-9 have gone to Bath - should be for 10

So I wonder where 60912-4 will go and where the solos on 10 will go?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
43822 is back on the road - on the dead run coming into Wells for 8.19 55

I'm hoping they won't sit in the bus station and screw up 376 times

Seems a bit daft too having it run dead from Taunton
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
60912 on 126 coming in just now with a Wells driver

Does this mean that Wells now have all 3 126 boards?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
8.19 55 is off to a great start - earned just as much money on the dead run.

remember wells drivers are on loan in bath and weston now so could be easier to put them on the 126

 

[THarris123]

remember wells drivers are on loan in bath and weston now so could be easier to put them on the 126

I did think of that, but 60912 was in Wells yesterday at 20.00 ish, so unless it transferred this morning, it's potentially a Wells board now.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
69443 on 376

48271 on 8.45 77 with 2 passengers

Looks like the BoS buses are waiting 25 mins in bay 2 too. That screws up 376 to Bristol and means that Wells-Street now leave from 2 different bays again.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just saw drivers changing over on 60912 on the 17.30 126 - that means Wells now have all of 126.

That also means there is a B7l left in Wells

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I did think of that, but 60912 was in Wells yesterday at 20.00 ish, so unless it transferred this morning, it's potentially a Wells board now.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
69443 on 376

48271 on 8.45 77 with 2 passengers

Looks like the BoS buses are waiting 25 mins in bay 2 too. That screws up 376 to Bristol and means that Wells-Street now leave from 2 different bays again.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just saw drivers changing over on 60912 on the 17.30 126 - that means Wells now have all of 126.

That also means there is a B7l left in Wells

Nice! Perhaps the B7L might be staying temporarily allowing 66354 to go back, assuming a Streetdeck is VOR still

I had suggested they might get the last 126 board.

 

[THarris123]

Nice! Perhaps the B7L might be staying temporarily allowing 66354 to go back, assuming a Streetdeck is VOR still

I had suggested they might get the last 126 board.

66354 hasn't been seen in Wells for a while.

In theory, we shouldn't have any B7ls, but I suppose if 53401 is still not working (wasn't on 161 today), an extra spare is needed.

 

[matt_splat]

did not see 54301 in wells today when i past wells depot twice

noticed webberbus using solos on the 37 carrying 4 or 5 people so not really that busy

 

[THarris123]

did not see 54301 in wells today when i past wells depot twice

noticed webberbus using solos on the 37 carrying 4 or 5 people so not really that busy

Maybe its gone!

Could be in the other depot, or could be on a Bath.

On 126 - 69445, 69438 and 60912. 161 this morning was a B7 (can't remember which though).

Isn't that good figures for Webberbus?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Maybe its gone!

Could be in the other depot, or could be on a Bath.

Isn't that good figures for Webberbus?

The normal rules of economics don't apply to WB, remember

 

[Micro22]

53401 was on 174 today
60912 was due to go to WM but has stayed in WS covering the WM based 126
60913 went to WM 60914 went to BH

 

[THarris123]

53401 was on 174 today
60912 was due to go to WM but has stayed in WS covering the WM based 126
60913 went to WM 60914 went to BH

Thanks for that Micro22.

Great to see a solo on 174 - certainly well worth it

Thanks for confirming where the B7Ls are. I knew 60914 would go, but wasn't too sure about 60913.

 

[Private Baxter]

So, this has all been a bit confusing, but are we saying that Wells now fully run the 126? That wasn't expected, so maybe it was a recent change of plan. Good that the drop in vehicles has been minimal, though a shame to see 69448 go. Think they may still have one surplus vehicle though.

With the alleged working of 178/379 from September, I don't reckon it's possible that they will interwork with Bath services. There may be some dead running involved, and a few placement services to Norton maybe. Just some ideas anyway. I don't envisage streetlites transferring down though!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

So, this has all been a bit confusing, but are we saying that Wells now fully run the 126? That wasn't expected, so maybe it was a recent change of plan. Good that the drop in vehicles has been minimal, though a shame to see 69448 go. Think they may still have one surplus vehicle though.

With the alleged working of 178/379 from September, I don't reckon it's possible that they will interwork with Bath services. There may be some dead running involved, and a few placement services to Norton maybe. Just some ideas anyway. I don't envisage streetlites transferring down though!

The transfer of the 126 board, if it has happened, wasn't stated by anyone but I did suggest it might be a decent idea, if only because WS would have spare drivers and WM has a fair increase with X2/X3/20.

If Wells do take one or both of the 178/379 services, there are a number of ways in which they could be operated but who knows what may happen. I share your questioning as to interworking with the 173/4 but in truth, we just don't know

I did wonder if they were so short of drivers at Bath, would it make sense for the 179 to work from Wells and just have placement journeys to/from Wells to Writhlington which is no worse than Bath to Writhlington!

 

[THarris123]

Yes Wells do have full control of 126 now.

Yes Wells will be getting 178/379 (that is unless something changes). Dread to think how it will work. Heard a couple of things - one - they will get a company car and change at Norton Tesco - and the other that journey time will be 5.5 hours - not sure what that means, but when Wells worked 379 before (on the hourly basis), 376/9 were 5.5 hour trip.
Don't know if Matt knows anymore?

Wells working 179 would have made more sense really than 178/379, but of what i've heard Banes may be looking at changing 179 again in September, so maybe best not to give to Wells for the moment.

In theory, to maintain the level of demand on 178/379, it should be kept as is - hourly between Bath and Bristol, without any splitting at Norton or something similar. In order to keep costs down, it would have been better running as it is at the moment (we could potentially see 2 extra buses on Bath-Norton services, along with a company car and expenses for drivers to go to Norton to change over and the extra cost of recruiting drivers).

In order to improve reliability, however, 173 and 174 would be better interworking, then 379 working on its own and 178 interworking with 37. All that would mean at least a 15-20 break in Bath, Bristol or Wells, but with the extra cost of 2 vehicles and more drivers and would also mean 174 has enough time to go to Norton and improve demand. Of course it's unlikely to happen though.

Whatever happens, the cost of operating the Bath-Norton services will be higher and the design of the interworking may result in a drop in demand, but it should in theory improve reliability of 178/379 and fill in for the ever short driver pool in Bath.

 

[matt_splat]

from what i have heard it will go to wells but no real plans have been made up yet other then services are likely to change and so are timetables.

a 173 - 178 - 379 - 174 cycle with a break somewhere might work in some strange way but i guess we need to wait until september to find out, i would expect Sundays will stay with Bath 178 wise

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

from what i have heard it will go to wells but no real plans have been made up yet other then services are likely to change and so are timetables.

a 173 - 178 - 379 - 174 cycle with a break somewhere might work in some strange way but i guess we need to wait until september to find out, i would expect Sundays will stay with Bath 178 wise

Of course, it could be that the vehicles work a 5.5 cycle but the drivers do a 6.5 hour with a break? We'll just have 4 months of speculation before we find out

 

[matt_splat]

Of course, it could be that the vehicles work a 5.5 cycle but the drivers do a 6.5 hour with a break? We'll just have 4 months of speculation before we find out

that's part of what i was thinking the drivers don't need to break in wells as you see with a lot of westbury drivers some break in westbury some break in bath

 

[THarris123]

Of course, it could be that the vehicles work a 5.5 cycle but the drivers do a 6.5 hour with a break? We'll just have 4 months of speculation before we find out

And i'll happily provide you with 4 months of speculation too

 

[swifty]

53401 was on 174 today
60912 was due to go to WM but has stayed in WS covering the WM based 126
60913 went to WM 60914 went to BH

69457 was on The Horsefair this morning out of service.

 

[matt_splat]

i must say any changes made to the september timetables really need to retain the PSJ - Norton Radstock early morning trips, these busses carry a few people into Norton Radstock in the morning.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
i believe wells have been struggling to cover the extra 126 duty they have taken due to the number of drivers else where.

i beleve that 9 drivers are in weston, 10 are in bath and 1 in bristol, i wonder if the dead run on the 126 to start and finish in the morning and evening is used to take drivers to and from wells to weston

 

[THarris123]

Think that 53401 may be a regular thing on 174 now.

Wells only have 2 spares. A Streetdeck seems to be off 376 each day, so technically they only have 1 spare.

Bit surprised they moved 69448, as that could've been another spare - and very useful if the rumour about the B7s being refurbished.