Transdev Blazefield

[RustySpoons]

In other BLAZEfield news (heh), the timetable for the god awfully named Pendle Wizz is now online.

https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/...ownloads/Pendle Wizz Web TT 19-Apr-2020_2.pdf

Not sure how it compares with the current X43 times without looking it up.

Also gives a slight hint towards the colours that are going to be used for the branding.

 

[Alexbus12]

Also gives a slight hint towards the colours that are going to be used for the branding.

I wonder if the livery will be of the same two tone diagonal style used on most bus company in the UK, since Ray Stennings seems to have run out of ideas.

 

[SCH117X]

3615 was the one named after the former Harrogate bus station supervisor, Peter Melville-Smith.

 

[RustySpoons]

I wonder if the livery will be of the same two tone diagonal style used on most bus company in the UK, since Ray Stennings seems to have run out of ideas.

I'm sure it will! Slightly disappointing when they've clearly got the talent to come up with something fresh and original in house (as proven by the Transdev Art in the the lastest advertising campaigns).

 

[Andyh82]

I wonder if the livery will be of the same two tone diagonal style used on most bus company in the UK, since Ray Stennings seems to have run out of ideas.

Are you ever not moaning?

Yes the livery will be two tone diagonal as that is the livery style that Transdev use. The livery that other operators are irrelevant.

You’d presumably prefer dealer stock white, or maybe something washed out like First, very boring like Arriva, or completely bizarre like Stagecoach.

 

[RustySpoons]

Are you ever not moaning?

Yes the livery will be two tone diagonal as that is the livery style that Transdev use. The livery that other operators are irrelevant.

You’d presumably prefer dealer stock white, or maybe something washed out like First, very boring like Arriva, or completely bizarre like Stagecoach.

I'm in the minority that actually quite like the new Stagecoach livery Although only when it's been applied correctly...

 

[Jordan Adam]

You’d presumably prefer dealer stock white, or maybe something washed out like First, very boring like Arriva, or completely bizarre like Stagecoach.

Both of First's two corporate schemes were more inventive and unique imo, really don't understand the hate for Barbie (besides the Fade variant). Arriva have never had a nice livery, Stagecoach Stripes and Beachball are icons of the bus industry - albeit with Stagecoach i do tend to prefer the specialist liveries (Buchan Xpress, The Lakes, Gold etc).

Transdev liveries are nice, but i understand the moaning about them as they have became repetitive and it is quite a boring design anyway especially with other operators "borrowing" it. Albeit arguably NX were the first to use it, that said some would say NX's current schemes are just copy+past version of Lothian's Madder & White but with the colours changed!

I'm in the minority that actually quite like the new Stagecoach livery Although only when it's been applied correctly...

Difficult when ever opco is painting vehicles different.

 

[Alexbus12]

You’d presumably prefer dealer stock white, or maybe something washed out like First, very boring like Arriva, or completely bizarre like Stagecoach.

I quite like First Olympia and the new Stagecoach livery. They're also original and unique. For the prices that Best Impressions charges for the same design, a 3 year old could draw, you'd expect something different. Look at Witch Way, if Best Impressions designed that then hats of to them it's a fab livery, it shows that a nice design can be done.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Also gives a slight hint towards the colours that are going to be used for the branding.

I was hoping Pendle Wazz would have been gold. Ah well!

 

[RustySpoons]

I quite like First Olympia and the new Stagecoach livery. They're also original and unique. For the prices that Best Impressions charges for the same design, a 3 year old could draw, you'd expect something different. Look at Witch Way, if Best Impressions designed that then hats of to them it's a fab livery, it shows that a nice design can be done.

The original Witch Way (the black and red livery) was a mostly in house design I believe, although with some input from someone whose name escapes me.

The current grey and grey is a Best Impressions design. It came along during Ray Stennings 'curvy' stage before he turned to straight lines. What still makes me laugh is that when it was launched there was some minor uproar by the people who like to shout and complain about anything and everything, saying it was over-sexualising bus travel and there's no need for a 'slutty witch'. One of the local MPs even had meetings about it.

I was hoping Pendle Wazz would have been gold. Ah well!

 

[Alexbus12]

The current grey and grey is a Best Impressions design. It came along during Ray Stennings 'curvy' stage before he turned to straight lines. What still makes me laugh is that when it was launched there was some minor uproar by the people who like to shout and complain about anything and everything, saying it was over-sexualising bus travel and there's no need for a 'slutty witch'. One of the local MPs even had meetings about it.

Haha, I didn't know that

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

For the prices that Best Impressions charges

How much do they charge?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Both of First's two corporate schemes were more inventive and unique imo, really don't understand the hate for Barbie (besides the Fade variant). Arriva have never had a nice livery, Stagecoach Stripes and Beachball are icons of the bus industry - albeit with Stagecoach i do tend to prefer the specialist liveries (Buchan Xpress, The Lakes, Gold etc).

Don't know about Arriva not having a nice livery. Got to remember that when the first one came in, it replaced a rag tag bunch of pretty average ones.

Agree about the First fades, and quite liked the original willowleaf. However, the First urban is too much faff so replacement panels etc are a nightmare. Not practical and it's not very bright - on a dark day in Bolton, buses just merge into the murk rather than stand out.

Transdev liveries are nice, but i understand the moaning about them as they have became repetitive and it is quite a boring design anyway especially with other operators "borrowing" it.

It's only repetitive if you're some gricer. If you're an average punter in Transdev world, it's because they have a house style.

If you see something similar elsewhere, how will the average punter know? I've travelled on Buses of Somerset and other passengers are always saying how reminiscent it is of the park and ride livery in Norwich - NOT!





Who'd have thought so many eminent graphic designers would inhabit this forum.....

 

[SCH117X]

Been looking at 3615s last journeys on bus times https://bustimes.org/vehicles/115380#journeys/12331245

The southbound journey was from Ripon at 1448 (1 min late) and it seems to have left Harrogate on time (or near enough) at 1530 but it then spent the best part of an hour at Harewood (1551-1647) and tracking is lost into Leeds at Aldwoodly Gates at 1653 and picked up again northbound at 1718 which would imply it terminated short inbound and started its return northbound somewhere en route returning through Harewood at 1723 and the GPS tracking stops on Swindon Bank presumably at the location of the fire at 1729. Presumably the number of passengers on board was very low or nil.

The bus behind the HGVs in the photo (3624 if the bustimes log is right) that I previously described as being the 1630 Park Row-Ripon was based on the bustimes log starting at 1638 but looking at it again that was the arrival at Park Row and it was in fact the 1650 Park Row-Ripon which passed through Harewood 5 minutes after 3615 and came to a halt beind the HGVs at 1738. It finally returned south to run via Pool at 1822. Its tracking stops at Huby on the A658 at 1839 by which time it should have been nearing the end of its journey at Ripon. Presuambly the driver put it to Out of Service.
https://bustimes.org/vehicles/115489?date=2020-03-19#journeys/12363122

 

[SCH117X]

Transdev have issued new timetables for the alteration to a Saturday service Mon-Fri.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Don't know about Arriva not having a nice livery.

The current one is *terrible*. I did like the older version with the smaller "cowhorns" and the darker skirt.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The current one is *terrible*. I did like the older version with the smaller "cowhorns" and the darker skirt.

Agree with that. New one is terribly bland

 

[Andyh82]

In my earlier post I was clearly only talking about the current liveries, so not barbie, not stripes or beachball and not Arriva original, interurban, max or sapphire.

 

[RustySpoons]

Bit of fleet news, the 3 ex-280 B7RLEs that have been parked up for the best part of 4 years have finally found new homes!

All three have gone to Sanders Coaches, down in Norfolk.

Here's FJ57CZN, ex 1841

 

[JetBlast]

Bit of fleet news, the 3 ex-280 B7RLEs that have been parked up for the best part of 4 years have finally found new homes!

All three have gone to Sanders Coaches, down in Norfolk.

Here's FJ57CZN, ex 1841

Why were they parked up for so long and not used by the company? Seems a little strange as they have older busses still in service.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Why were they parked up for so long and not used by the company? Seems a little strange as they have older busses still in service.

Agree seems strange and a bit stupid if true, they would've only been 8 years old at the time!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Why were they parked up for so long and not used by the company? Seems a little strange as they have older busses still in service.

Were they off lease?

 

[SCH117X]

Were they off lease?

WYIS had them down as going off lease IIRC and then at other times implied they would be reused

 

[JetBlast]

Were they off lease?

It did cross my mind. But If they were leased they would have been returned to the leasing company and not sat in Transdevs yard. If they were leased I wouldn't have thought the leasing company would take so long to find new homes for them.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It did cross my mind. But If they were leased they would have been returned to the leasing company and not sat in Transdevs yard. If they were leased I wouldn't have thought the leasing company would take so long to find new homes for them.

Hmmm.... unless there is something we don’t know about? Some dispute?

 

[SCH117X]

Could their mileage have been on the excessive side so siting around doing nothing for four years brings them down to low mileage for their age and suddenly a more attractive package for a new operator.

 

[RustySpoons]

Could their mileage have been on the excessive side so siting around doing nothing for four years brings them down to low mileage for their age and suddenly a more attractive package for a new operator.

That was one of the reasons floating around, but it seems odd to me. Paying out for four years on buses that aren't being used is a waste of money. Yet if they'd bought them off lease why not do something with them?

Coastliners will be racking up similar mileages and they go back off lease with no issues.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Could their mileage have been on the excessive side so siting around doing nothing for four years brings them down to low mileage for their age and suddenly a more attractive package for a new operator.

That was one of the reasons floating around, but it seems odd to me. Paying out for four years on buses that aren't being used is a waste of money. Yet if they'd bought them off lease why not do something with them?

Coastliners will be racking up similar mileages and they go back off lease with no issues.

Which is why I’ve suggested that there may be some contractual issue - some sort of odd balloon payment or liability though for it to last as long as it has seems curious

 

[RustySpoons]

Which is why I’ve suggested that there may be some contractual issue - some sort of odd balloon payment or liability though for it to last as long as it has seems curious

That is possible, bearing in mind they only ended up with Lancashire United was because Transdev bought out Northern Blue - the sale all went through around the time they were supposed to operate the 280 after winning the tender from Tyrer Bus. Although you'd think there'd have been some sort of renegotiation somewhere along the lines, especially when Northern Blue was officially closed down and merged with Lancs United/B&P.

 

[SCH117X]

Latest WYIS list notes a number (unspecified) Harrogate and Coastliner vehicles as being stored at the York depot.