TfGM Bee Network - fleet discussion

[mattyharding]

More cascades coming when the 6 Streetdecks show up at Stockport from Wigan and the Kites at Oldham.

Do we know when these 6 Streetdecks are coming to Stockport

 

[M60lad]

Does anybody know what's the latest regarding the Kites for Oldham? When are they due to be delivered and enter service?

 

[978wta]

There's a chance that Stagecoach could take a few Evosetti's for Queens Road to replace the elderly B5LHs

Why would Stagecoach take GNW Evosetti’s? GNW own them.

 

[mayneway]

Why would Stagecoach take GNW Evosetti’s? GNW own them.

Because let’s say for example a service was moved from GNW to Stagecoach, TFGM would want some vehicles to move over as well.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Tuesday at 23:35 ==

Does anybody know what's the latest regarding the Kites for Oldham? When are they due to be delivered and enter service?

The first two have turned up today so I’d imagine others will follow pretty quickly. Not sure how much they differ from the deckers and wether drivers will need type training but good riddance to the E300’s!

 

[mattyharding]

Because let’s say for example a service was moved from GNW to Stagecoach, TFGM would want some vehicles to move over as well.

Can a service actually move between operator

 

[Leyland Bus]

Can a service actually move between operator

If TfGM decide that is what they want then yes...

 

[M60lad]

To be honest if I'm honest I think once they've gone I'll miss the E300s as a passenger, while my feelings were different when First had them since Stagecoach took them on there's has been a vast improvement in them if I'm honest, the odd ones might still have their unique faults (Are you listening 27947 lol) the rest of the fleet doesn't seem that bad and most of them can cope with whatever route that they put them on these days and they can be quite quick, even when they rarely get allocated to routes like 350 they actually manage the route no problem.

 

[mattyharding]

If TfGM decide that is what they want then yes...

So in theory the 348 could move from Oldham to Ashton

 

[W176 XMA]

To be honest if I'm honest I think once they've gone I'll miss the E300s as a passenger, while my feelings were different when First had them since Stagecoach took them on there's has been a vast improvement in them if I'm honest, the odd ones might still have their unique faults (Are you listening 27947 lol) the rest of the fleet doesn't seem that bad and most of them can cope with whatever route that they put them on these days and they can be quite quick, even when they rarely get allocated to routes like 350 they actually manage the route no problem.

The queens ones are still with us for a while yet

 

[mayneway]

To be honest if I'm honest I think once they've gone I'll miss the E300s as a passenger, while my feelings were different when First had them since Stagecoach took them on there's has been a vast improvement in them if I'm honest, the odd ones might still have their unique faults (Are you listening 27947 lol) the rest of the fleet doesn't seem that bad and most of them can cope with whatever route that they put them on these days and they can be quite quick, even when they rarely get allocated to routes like 350 they actually manage the route no problem.

The B9’s were the last buses First ordered that were actually decent spec. Everything from then has been cheap poverty spec. God awful Streetlites, E400’s and the E300’s. With decent gear boxes and the right set up they would be decent buses.

 

[mattyharding]

To be honest if I'm honest I think once they've gone I'll miss the E300s as a passenger, while my feelings were different when First had them since Stagecoach took them on there's has been a vast improvement in them if I'm honest, the odd ones might still have their unique faults (Are you listening 27947 lol) the rest of the fleet doesn't seem that bad and most of them can cope with whatever route that they put them on these days and they can be quite quick, even when they rarely get allocated to routes like 350 they actually manage the route no problem.

When first had the E300s they always used them on the 348 in rush hour which led to a lot of overcrowding, as the 348 passes 2 secondary schools (Copley, West Hill) and 2 colleges (Ashton Sixth Form and Tameside/Clarendon)

 

[Worm]

One thing I’ve noted with the E300s at Oldham as that they are ridiculously jerky between gear changes, at times you’d think the driver was brake checking the car behind.

They’ve always been jerky but I don’t remember them being quite this bad under First ownership.

 

[M60lad]

Regarding Oldham's E300s as I've mentioned before its only the odd ones that have the jerky gear change between gears and I should know as until recently I had them regularly to/from work on 181/182s so I actually got to know each ones quirks and how they operated, in fact it got to the stage whereby if a certain E300 turned up i knew what kind of trip to/from work I would have.

As for how bad they are under Stagecoach I'd have to say the opposite, I think they were worse under First, Stagecoach seemed to have looked after them and most are running well if not better since Stagecoach took them over, depending on driver you only have to watch them going up Oldham Road from Manchester dead to depot to see how well they run.

 

[Leyland Bus]

So in theory the 348 could move from Oldham to Ashton

If TfGM saw good reason for it then that could happen.

 

[tomoufc]

Yep progress has been slow, we are still seeing the same performance issues we had before the network commenced and if anything TFGM seem to be very slow to make improvements.
If this reshuffle does go ahead in January it will be the first major changes for the network and the depots involved, I know though that some of the drivers are not happy at the news though.

It's interesting timing, coinciding with the £2 fare cap introduction nationally. Since GMCA are funding their own £2 cap already, I would assume this means they would have some extra money to spend on busses from January.