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Hotspur (Centrebus)
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Is this Centrebus being rebranded or splitting D&G off, does anyone know?New thread for Hotspur (part of D&G/ Centrebus)
Current timetables on bustimes.org
Hotspur
bustimes.org
Contains Nuts
Member
- Joined
- 16 Jul 2019
- Messages
- 126
This is a new trading name for services running in Shrewsbury and Market Drayton from September.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Isn't this just another branch of D&G Bus, similar in concept to Chaserider but adopting another 1980s era name?
Justin Tyme
Member
It is indeed. It's a new operation as the Centrebus group has won Shropshire tenders from 1 September, to be followed by the Shrewsbury Park & Ride contracts a little later in the year.
A depot is being opened in Shrewsbury and services have been registered by D&G Bus. So far they comprise some Shrewsbury locals, 64 Shrewsbury - Market Drayton - Hanley, 558 Shrewsbury - Montgomery, and a Market Drayton town service.
Does anyone know where in Shrewsbury this depot will be?
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samashtonpalla
New Member
Shrewsbury I believe...
I mean in shrewsbury obviously shouldve made that clearer
capitalpotter
Member
I thought the same about the 340.New timetables for route 20 (Shrewsbury - Radbrook Green) and 301 (Market Drayton Circular) now on Bus Times
Hotspur
Will be interesting if the 340 Whitchurch - Wellington moves over to Hotspur
Even the 41 could run from Shrewsbury with a similar dead mileage
If Hotspur ever won the 511 they could probably interwork
64 Hanley - Market Drayton - Shrewsbury
We are pleased to announce, Shropshire Council have awarded us the contract to operate the 64 service, from 1st September 2026.
The service will operate Monday to Saturday, and the route is as per the current Arriva route but we will no longer serve Blackbrook between Baldwins Gate and Ashley.
Timetable can be found HERE
markymark2000
On Moderation
Are you sure?
The 41 works with 3 buses. Of which
1 starts in Whitchurch and finishes in Chester
1 starts in Tattenhall and finishes in Tattenhall
1 starts in Chester and finishes in No Mans Heath
Bar the 1 bus which starts in Whitchurch, every single dead run is 10+ miles extra dead running each way from Shrewsbury the 41 start/end point, versus Crewe to 41 start/end point.
Sure. If you want a stupidly unreliable bus, or very inefficient one. The 41 serves chester which has unpredictable heavy traffic. And the 41 timetable is built somewhat around some school transportation. The 511 serving Shrewsbury which somehow has even worse, unpredictable traffic. Especially from Harlescott into Shrewsbury near the train station.
You'd be completely and utterly barmy to interwork the two services. That's before you look as the fact 1 driver couldn't do a round trip within the 5h30 stint, so you would have to timetable and guarantee a 30 minute break in Chester (if running from the Shrewsbury end), which while doable, makes things a lot less flexible and means the smallest thing goes wrong and you end up delaying the rest of the trips.
capitalpotter
Member
The new livery has been revealed too. Red and blue with the stripe being teal
SalopBuses
Member
I know I'm talking about a D&G bus service here (though Hotspur is a subsidiary) however I think for the 340 I always wondered why it does not seve Tilstock after going through Press Heath with a stop at Alderford Lake which is a popular summer tourist spot, would bring more people using the service if they stopped there.
Has the address of the new depot in Shrewsbury been released yet?
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Old Bowdens building yard , Harlescott Lane, near Arriva Shrewsbury garage
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Replying to my question, finally found out .
Old Bowdens building yard , Harlescott Lane, near Arriva Shrewsbury garage
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theshillito
Member
crossposting from the D&G thread
Hotspur to take on 3 Park & Ride Services in Shrewsbury from 1 November 2026 (timetables on BusTimes.org):
HPR - Harlescott Park & Ride to Shrewsbury (Monday-Saturday up to every 12 minutes)
OPR - Oxon Park & Ride to Shrewsbury (Monday-Saturday up to every 12 minutes)
RSH - Oxon Park & Ride to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (Monday-Friday up to every 15 minutes)
On VOSA, routes 23 and 26 are to be varied from 1 November 2026 - no details on the change as yet.
Additionally, it is strange that 301 Market Drayton Circular timetable is not loaded on Hotspur Bus' website.
HPR - Harlescott Park & Ride to Shrewsbury (Monday-Saturday up to every 12 minutes)
OPR - Oxon Park & Ride to Shrewsbury (Monday-Saturday up to every 12 minutes)
RSH - Oxon Park & Ride to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (Monday-Friday up to every 15 minutes)
On VOSA, routes 23 and 26 are to be varied from 1 November 2026 - no details on the change as yet.
Additionally, it is strange that 301 Market Drayton Circular timetable is not loaded on Hotspur Bus' website.
theshillito
Member
The "Hotspur Connect ticket" that involved the 301 has also vanished from the fares page.
markymark2000
On Moderation
They are updating the data for Saturdays so that it shows the diversion in Shrewsbury properly (the main road in the town centre closes on Saturday afternoons and has done for a while). Not sure why it's only updating from 1st Nov rather than straight away but least they are sorting it.
capitalpotter
Member
How many buses will be needed to run these
em81
Member
Bustimes is showing MMC 574 as having transferred from D&G to Hotspur - having most recently being used on the Northwich to Crewe routes on 10 Sep
Its going to be repainted for the P&R, likely in the P&R livery, which means some more will have to move for the P&R.
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A guess, but I think 8, 3 for Oxon, 3 for Harlescott and 2 for the Hospital, shame though that the Meole P&R is being axed
Attachments
em81
Member
So far it looks like 68 reg Versas, a 64 reg Enviro and a 66 reg MMC have replaced new and fairly new MMCs at D&G that have moved to Hotspur.
At a quick glance of the D&G fleet list 112, 120, 122, 571 and 785 haven't tracked in a few weeks. Three of them are 11 reg, one's an ex-Cardiff MMC (which are in a poor state internally) and the other is one of the recently transferred Versas. So I doubt any of those have been withdrawn ahead of a transfer to Hotspur. However, if there's 5 vehicles out of service long term, do they have anything spare that can transfer, without first receiving replacement units?
That must be frustrating for D&G having new buses replaced by older buses.
And 3016 which hasn’t tracked since July, but that would probably be inadequate for the P&R, even though I never see it that full. Theoretically the Versa’s couldve been used for the P&R instead, like how Arriva is operating it, but most of them are in a bad state (apart from the ex-Wales 2962/63 Versas which arent too bad) so I wouldn’t recommend them, the best place for them is scrap.
Potentially 571 could move if it gets some sort of refurbishment, but I doubt it.
Looking at Chaserider, they have 162 (58 plate Solo SR) 180 (57 plate Solo), 539 (17 plate E200MMC) 581 (11 plate e200), 5211 (21 plate MMC) not tracking for a few weeks, 5211 I can see being moved to Hotspur, and maybe the other former Travel Telford MMC, 538
SSmith2009
Member
Could they have been operating the depots with more buses than needed?
Leicester depot have recently lost the uni shuttle contract so that could potentially free up some buses to move around, I think the PVR was 5 or 6?
em81
Member
D&G tend to have a history of trying to hang on to unreliable vehicles as long as possible, until they are no longer fixable. Some of the 09 reg Enviros that started life at First London were still being forced out until very recently when they should have been sent for scrap. The ex-Preston Bus Streetlites also probably stayed in the fleet longer than they should have.
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I think the Shrewsbury contracts require vehicles under 5 years old. That also explains why a 66 reg MMC has gone to D&G while a 73 reg D&G MMC has moved to Hotspur.
I wonder how long before D&G decide their costs of running existing contracts and commercial services have increased due to using older less fuel efficient vehicles.
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Yes, thats correct, so that would rule out 538 becoming P&R unless that was given for the 64 which on the contract can have any vehicle, but 5211 may move to Hotspur for the P&R services
120 is actually out just tracking as 5001, 122 is sat in the yard with no front, 571 will be returning to service shortly after crash damage repair (hopefully this week) and 785 is having engine work done. 112 I am unsure of.
em81
Member
I notice 5022 is double tracking, so one of the Macclesfield workings must be something else.
I actually noticed earlier 571 has been updated on bus times to show it's in the new D&G livery, so that presumably means it's very unlikely to transfer elsewhere soon. I actually noticed the other day 572 has had a red replacement panel at the rear, despite being in the new livery.