Stagecoach East Scotland

[overthewater]

Thanks. My interest in visiting Fife now is determined by the Tridents due to enter service and the cheap ticket offers on East Coast Trains for travel in January and February to Edinburgh. The downside of that is standing around in Leven, Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline etc for several hours hoping an olympian or a B10 will work in service possibly at the coldest period of the year in Scotland. The time for hanging around patiently for the right type of bus to arrive is really a summer pastime when warmer and longer hours of daylight for photography!

I very much doubt Stagecoach East would tell me as an individual I would probably need to be in a Focus Group for that info to be divulged. The two people I know who work at Stagecoach have eluded me for the past month. Until I get to see one of them I can't ask the relevant questions.

There was a rumour in the summer that Fenstanton MAN's could be transferred over but that has not materialised as yet if there was any truth in it.

Olympian you'll need to be pretty fast with them, I still see them on normal service, 18, 43/44, Still turn up on 32/33/34 if every so often, Dunfermline town service 75a/c, since there short. Strathtay Olympain some times appears on the Tesco car part shuttle in D/line. No19 still get one every so often, There was one on the X59 Last week doing a dup for Edinburgh. It pure pot luck

PS? your best bet is at Glenrothes around 11am, I do know PS still does a 36 most days. PS also turn up on Kirkcaldy either on the X58/X60 and Town services. There got more chance of still being around until the same since No Man or E300 are coming any time soon,

 

[MIB]

Olympian you'll need to be pretty fast with them, I still see them on normal service, 18, 43/44, Still turn up on 32/33/34 if every so often, Dunfermline town service 75a/c, since there short. Strathtay Olympain some times appears on the Tesco car part shuttle in D/line. No19 still get one every so often, There was one on the X59 Last week doing a dup for Edinburgh. It pure pot luck

PS? your best bet is at Glenrothes around 11am, I do know PS still does a 36 most days. PS also turn up on Kirkcaldy either on the X58/X60 and Town services. There got more chance of still being around until the same since No Man or E300 are coming any time soon,

Fantastic thanks for the detailed reply. I will pay a visit for a few days in early February so hopefully there will still be a few ollys out. I can always head for Perth, Blairgowrie and Arbroath if I'm out of luck.

 

[overthewater]

Fantastic thanks for the detailed reply. I will pay a visit for a few days in early February so hopefully there will still be a few ollys out. I can always head for Perth, Blairgowrie and Arbroath if I'm out of luck.

If you need to travel to Perth get the No36 at 11.15 From Glenrothes it should STILL be a PS.

 

[robertclark125]

Another thing to do, some of the timetable have journeys highlighted in a different colour, and these are those which are not operated by a low floor bus. But be warned, if a spare LF becomes available, that can change things!

 

[MIB]

Thanks for the further info gents much appreciated. I know from experience in Canterbury that services marked as non floor often produce low floor vehicles. This has come about by new buses delivered since the start of the timetables so I won't be surprised if Fife is the same.

 

[tbtc]

Thanks for the further info gents much appreciated. I know from experience in Canterbury that services marked as non floor often produce low floor vehicles. This has come about by new buses delivered since the start of the timetables so I won't be surprised if Fife is the same.

The need to divert vehicles to Stagecoach's new operations (Wigan etc) may mean more chance of existing fleets retaining their high floor buses a bit longer though

 

[overthewater]

Its being reported that a loan/courtesy vehicles at Ferrymill, Fm33, which is a MAN/Wright Meridian SJ09GDV, is coming to fife to help out, It should be on the No19, which should replace the PS that been on it for a while.

 

[robertclark125]

Actually on loan to cover for a trident, whose rear end was damaged by a car!

 

[overthewater]

The PS AND that Loan bus were both out in use today on the No19.

 

[Jamester]

Thanks for the further info gents much appreciated. I know from experience in Canterbury that services marked as non floor often produce low floor vehicles. This has come about by new buses delivered since the start of the timetables so I won't be surprised if Fife is the same.

Not much chance of seeing any B10s in Fife as almost all will be going in January. 20149 may stay as I'm not sure when that was registered in 1998. It is currently at St.Andrews.

You should definitely see some Olys though. All the R 1?? HHK ones are good until June. The R 1?? EVX ones have another few months in them, too. If you're going to Leven, look out for them on the 48/49 and 8 services. It all depends on how the tridents are allocated, though.

I saw a 51 plate trident at Kirkcaldy depot on Wednesday, looking pretty good post single door conversion and painted into swoops.

 

[mbonwick]

BLOTW has 20149, R649LSO registered 12/1997, so that won't be staying long.....

 

[overthewater]

some rather interesting stuff has appeared with the new 2013 tenders, but more about that in 2013 :P

 

[Jamester]

18092 has been repainted back into Stagecoach swoops.
17383 & 17393 will enter service at Aberhill depot in the new year. It seems the R reg Olys and PS are staying in service right up until the very last day before they reach 15 years old.

 

[robertclark125]

Sad to see 18092 is back in swoops, but it served it purpose.

Not sure what's gonig to replace the PS's, but could well be transfers from elsewhere. Just have to wait and see.

Happy new year everyone!

 

[mbonwick]

Plenty of V reg ALX300s sat broke around East Scotland to replace the PSs, if they get their fingers out and fix them....

 

[overthewater]

Plenty of V reg ALX300s sat broke around East Scotland to replace the PSs, if they get their fingers out and fix them....

Please NO!, there bad enough as it is, I will say I enjoy the traveling on them but there utterly useless for operating No36 route. The other routes are not any better. I just get the feeling those PS may will end up staying until end of next year. none actually operate school work, so could be kept.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
As is now 2013, WHO WANT To hear about the new tenders for the Fife area?

 

[mbonwick]

We could of course see new Scania E300s for the 36 if Fife sell it to HO the right way and have the figures to back themselves up.....

Do tell what's happening tender wise!

 

[Blindtraveler]

though the 36 was mostly deckers? yes be v keen to know tender news

 

[overthewater]

Option one, EVERYTHING is the same.

Option two a number of changes are brought in:

Route: No32;

* Service revised to operate every 75 mins, via the current route, With ALL evening buses to operate via Glen Bruar Place. There is also an idea where its only operate in the evenings this route,

* Service is replace by this new route: Cardenden - Auchterderran - Kinglassie - Glenrothes - Markinch, Star of Markinch

School bus 232 is NOT interlinked with this contract.
School Bus ??? Glenwood HS - Kinglassie, IS NOT INTERLINKED with this contract
School Bus ???? Lochgelly/Cardenden - St Andrews HS IS NOT INTERLINKED with this contract

==============
School buses.

There is ALOT of routes which need 85 seats, There isnt any low floor deckers which has this many seats so how on earth is this going to work?

=======
New Service running every 60 - 120 mins: Glenrothes - Markinch - Star of Markinch - Coaltown of Burnturk -Kettlebridge- Pitlessie- Cuparmuir - Cupar Timing Guide , which would replace 67.

======
No13 Overhauled:

see it cut back to operate: West Wemyss - Kirkcaldy only, with the rest of the route pulled. but a new short hopper service: Methilhaven Road – Bird Scheme – Muiredge introduced to provide concretion.

=================
Changes to the Evening/Sunday:

37/40 reserved to operate once an hour one way with the spare 30mins now covering for Tanshall and whitehill ind estate, to replace part of the old 43a and 44a which would be replaced by Leven Bus Station, Letham Ave, Robertson Rd, Casan, Kennoway, Windygates, Milton of Balgonie. Markinch, Coaltown of Balgonie, Glenrothes

Which seems rather stupid to me, but would only save one bus

========================

What could be rather strange, is if M&W wins the no32, or the school work that operates around 32 route, it could be stagecoach having to either operate new service?

 

[Liam]

The 13 really should be split into a Kirkcaldy town service Retail Park-Dunvegan Ave-Bus Station-Hospital-Pathhead-Dysart, Kirkcaldy-West Wemyss-Leven and Buckhaven-Methil-Leven-Turpie Road.

The 32 is another that only really covers already covered ground from Cardenden to Kirkcaldy. Would these new Star services replace the 46? 46 is pretty well used from Kennoway to Glenrothes.

 

[overthewater]

The 13 really should be split into a Kirkcaldy town service Retail Park-Dunvegan Ave-Bus Station-Hospital-Pathhead-Dysart, Kirkcaldy-West Wemyss-Leven and Buckhaven-Methil-Leven-Turpie Road.

The 32 is another that only really covers already covered ground from Cardenden to Kirkcaldy. Would these new Star services replace the 46? 46 is pretty well used from Kennoway to Glenrothes.

13 cant worked like that since Chapel - West Wemyss take 56 mins, thus would need more buses to operate your idea.

46 would not be withdrawn, it would be kept along with X4,

I hope someone else get any of the new 32 ideas, then stagecoach would have to introduce a proper replacement.

 

[Liam]

13 cant worked like that since Chapel - West Wemyss take 56 mins, thus would need more buses to operate your idea.

46 would not be withdrawn, it would be kept along with X4,

I hope someone else get any of the new 32 ideas, then stagecoach would have to introduce a proper replacement.

Is the tender for 13 from the retail park or the bus station? bus station to West Wemyss could easily be done in 30 minutes if they took out the daft route through Pathhead Dysart, three point turn and all... They could do it with 1 bus. The rest of the route through Kirkcaldy could be replaced by a route. The busiest part in my experience is Methil-Leven.

The only thing lost from the proposed 32 would be Kinglassie-Kirkcaldy. They could perhaps reintroduce the old 35/G1...

 

[overthewater]

Is the tender for 13 from the retail park or the bus station? bus station to West Wemyss could easily be done in 30 minutes if they took out the daft route through Pathhead Dysart, three point turn and all... They could do it with 1 bus. The rest of the route through Kirkcaldy could be replaced by a route. The busiest part in my experience is Methil-Leven.

The only thing lost from the proposed 32 would be Kinglassie-Kirkcaldy. They could perhaps reintroduce the old 35/G1...

ALL of the No13 in Kirkcaldy is tender, again there are a few people who want pathhead, Far cry from the old K7 and K8.

Is there really much demand for Kinglassie - Kirkcaldy? if there was proper connections are Cardenden store, it would be no real trouble.

Someone has said, there strange how there no tender to try and get some sort of cross town bus back in Kirkcaldy.

 

[Liam]

ALL of the No13 in Kirkcaldy is tender, again there are a few people who want pathhead, Far cry from the old K7 and K8.

Is there really much demand for Kinglassie - Kirkcaldy? if there was proper connections are Cardenden store, it would be no real trouble.

Someone has said, there strange how there no tender to try and get some sort of cross town bus back in Kirkcaldy.

The 18 also serves Pathhead and a number of buses along nearby Nairn Street. People will moan if the 32 is cut short at Cardenden, but most Kinglassie folk I know do there shopping in Glenrothes and doctors/dentist in Cardenden.

Most cross town services in Kirkcaldy have been replaced by other longer services. Only thing missing is the K8/K9 Links/Chapel-ASDA-Dysart. Would be nice to see them reintroduced, but are they really needed with all the other services in the town these days?

 

[tbtc]

Is the 13 really needed between Dysart and Buckhaven? There are already eight other buses an hour on that section - seems a bit of a luxury on that stretch.

 

[overthewater]

Is the 13 really needed between Dysart and Buckhaven? There are already eight other buses an hour on that section - seems a bit of a luxury on that stretch.

13 operates VIA all those tiny tiny side street so the oap dears dont have to walk to the main road and of course West Wemyss....

 

[jamieintercity]

The 73 services were forced to be diverted in carnoustie following a massive fire on the high street last night. They will unable to serve the high street tonight and possibly tomorrow. Hoping the high street reopens on monday as i need to go to college from the council chamber bus stop to arbroath.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The 73 services were forced to be diverted in carnoustie following a massive fire on the high street last night. They will unable to serve the high street tonight and possibly tomorrow. Hoping the high street reopens on monday as i need to go to college from the council chamber bus stop to arbroath.

High street still closed and might not reopen til next week

 

[overthewater]

PS still on active service on k3/6, 19, 36.

 

[robertclark125]

Six Dennis Dart SLFs are due to be transfered from Inverness, Ayr, and Aberdeen (four are already here) to replace some of the remaining PS's in Fife. In addition, the E300 with leather seats that's been out of service with a fault has now arrived at St. Andrews, and so 20149 is finally leaving. This makes St. Andrews the second Fife depot to have a fully accessible single deck allocation.

So if you're a fan of the Volvo B10M-55/Alexander PS, better hurry to Fife, as their days are numbered.

 

[mbonwick]

33438 is the dart heading to St Andrews so 20149s Swansong is over.

Darts involved are [FONT=&quot]33776-8 from Ayr
33479 from Aberdeen
33429/30 from Inverness

Ta Dougie.
[/FONT]