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TfGM Bee Network - fleet discussion
- Thread starter Leyland Bus
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Class 466
Established Member
That’ll be because it’s still being repainted…
mayneway
Member
First doesn’t use any of the B9’s on Bee Network services.
At the start of Tranche 2 TFGM were short of vehicles because First we’re taking all their deckers with them. The Oxford B5’s were no longer required in Oxford due to new vehicles being delivered to a deal was brokered between Go ahead and TFGM and the vehicles became part of the vehicle pool.
The original plan was to have all the B5’s together at Oldham but a handful went to Queens road although maybe not for much longer.
xitz2012@gmail
Member
I’d imagine those 6 B5LHs at Queens Road will move over and join the rest at Oldham once the free bus becomes full a BZL operation, but who knows!
mayneway
Member
That was always the plan to have the full batch at Oldham but like you say who knows.
Class 466
Established Member
Do you mean 48101-103? They were at Queens Road (with 48104) until the Mellor Strata’s arrived and then went to South Wales I believe.
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A quick search on this thread found it.
mattyharding
On Moderation
I'm not too keen on the B5LHs as I find them very uncomfortable on long journeys and also they are very unreliable plus the seating layout is odd
Something I have recently noticed is that quite a few of Stagecoach's older vehicles in Stockport are now only showing destinations on the front and not the points on the way, that used to scroll (and still do on the new buses.) not every bus but seems a strange move. Even if I do strongly dislike that scrolling text!
48801-3 were 2011/2 TfGM-owned Optare Solos, new to First Manchester (59009/12/3 - YJ61JDO/JDZ/JEO) but transferred to Stagecoach 2015. With Stagecoach, they initially ran from Stockport depot. The UKbuses fleet list shows 48802/3 as having transferred to Middleton, but I haven't found any photographic evidence of them doing Middleton work.
I have now found a 2020 photo of YJ61JEO with Manchester Community Transport, still doing TfGM work. So it would seem that the UKbuses fleet list is well out of date.
None of the registrations are now tracking, so the three have presumably all been scrapped or moved on to non-tracking work.
cnjb8
Established Member
AFAIK they are long gone, the UK Buses fleet lists tend to be scattered with errors unfortunately
mayneway
Member
They all ended up with MCT and were eventually scrapped when MCT ceased trading, however I suspect he is asking about 48101/2/3 which as @Class 466 has mentioned were at Queens road for the launch of tranche 2 but moved on once the Mellors arrived.
But well worth having available, all the same.
Not to sure how long Solo SRs have got left at Oldham Depot as I'm led to believe driver familiarisation has started on their new MMC100s with some drivers being impressed with them and how quick they are.
As for the B5LHs all I'll say is that some seem to be better than others, some really struggle and are really sluggish and others seem to be fairly rapid, also this has probably been answered before why are the Queens Road ones restricted to Freebus duties and very rarely find their way onto normal service work?
In other news from what I noticed yesterday it seems a start has been made on refitting destination displays and next stop displays to the older MMC400s at Oldham Depot with 10601 one of the ones already done, not to surer how the new Mobitech system works as I don't think the driver could get the next stop announcements working as the interior displays were just blank but just showing Bus Stopping every time the bell was pushed.
As for the B5LHs all I'll say is that some seem to be better than others, some really struggle and are really sluggish and others seem to be fairly rapid, also this has probably been answered before why are the Queens Road ones restricted to Freebus duties and very rarely find their way onto normal service work?
In other news from what I noticed yesterday it seems a start has been made on refitting destination displays and next stop displays to the older MMC400s at Oldham Depot with 10601 one of the ones already done, not to surer how the new Mobitech system works as I don't think the driver could get the next stop announcements working as the interior displays were just blank but just showing Bus Stopping every time the bell was pushed.
toms
Member
which vehicles are you talking about, if your talking about the 16 and 17 plates it’s because they’ve had mobitec AVAs and controllers retrofitted to their Hanover blinds, mobitec can’t do super-x on Hanover equipment so can’t scroll. There is also a problem with a few vehicles where it is only showing the final destination with no via points
To be honest, no idea what vehicles. Just noticed it when out and about in Stockport.
You suspect who is asking about 48101/2/3?
Class 466
Established Member
Paged via points are due soon.
mayneway
Member
The post further up asking about 48801/2/3 being part of the 2024/25 order.
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Reliability. There was a couple of instances where the B5’s were on Warringtons or 41’s at sale and would develop faults which cause a loss of mileage so the decision was made to keep them local - the free bus the most obvious place.
Having said that at least 4 more of the electric single deckers have turned up at Queens road so this should potentially free up B5’s for other work.
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I can assure you it was 48801-3 I was referring to, but I referred to whether or not they were current (i.e. still on Stagecoach's fleet strength) in 2025, not to them being new. They were new in 2011/2.
mayneway
Member
Arh I apologise then.
They passed from Stagecoach to MCT before 2018 and were at MCT until they closed and were then scrapped by TFGM.
toms
Member
On all Stagecoach vehicles?
mattyharding
On Moderation
I noticed this yesterday on 10610 (Oldham Depot) this may confuse passengers as say if they wanna go to Manchester from Ashton and they wanna go to Openshaw they may end up on a 216 or vice versa
py_megapixel
Established Member
Realistically the via points are more useful as a confirmation that you're on the right route - I don't expect anybody is using them to plan their journey. They were in quite small scrolling text, you only got a few seconds to read them as the bus approached anyway, and your particular destination might well not have been scrolling past during that time.
The worst thing about via points though is that they all stay on the display for the entire route, which is dreadfully confusing if you're unfamiliar with the area and trying to catch a bus partway along the route. Especially on the cross-city routes. Is this 41 going to Manchester, or has it just been there?
Also I believe all Ashton-Manchester routes are operated by Metroline now.
toms
Member
Tbf I like the scrolling via points but with Stagecoach having their via point list so long it takes about 40 seconds to scroll back to a via point you might of missed and by time you see it again the bus has departed
MCRTransitYT
Member
Although it's not via points, Transdev do this well. On the 1, when the bus is going to Bolton, it displays Darwen then Bolton, and then when it gets to Darwen it switches to Bolton only, and it does this on the way back, but instead Astley Bridge then Blackburn.
mayneway
Member
I’ve said it before but in my opinion Go North West have always had the best style destination displays. It’s clear and simple.
But as I am a driver in Manchester let me say that the majority of people only look at the service number and pay no notice to the actual destination.
And if anyone doesn't believe me, jump on a 52 terminating at Salford shopping centre and watch all the people kick off because they want Eccles.
But as I am a driver in Manchester let me say that the majority of people only look at the service number and pay no notice to the actual destination.
And if anyone doesn't believe me, jump on a 52 terminating at Salford shopping centre and watch all the people kick off because they want Eccles.
toms
Member
Very true, some people even try to board school services and don’t read the display at all
Totally believe this. Some years ago I was on a special outing of a 1938 train on the London Underground. We had to stop at stations although the doors weren't open. Despite the train looking nothing like a modern tube train, the number of people who came up to it and tried to board was amazing!
This is also why I chuckle a bit at the idea that fancy liveries and swanky new vehicles get people on buses! There are many who simply pay no attention at all!