the timings on the V1 are too tight, I do feel for the drivers they are a nice bunch on the route but they have to drive like a bat out of hell to try and keep to time and then they're often caught up by the next one in Burton. add in the roadworks and the recent change to the timetables for the north staffs line reshaking when the barriers fall at Hatton buses are getting caught out.
You've reminded me. I really must remember the timetable for the trains through Hatton. I commited that line for over 20 years and have been travelling to Crewe since about 1975, and the timetable hardly changed. Now you say the timings for the Villager are too tight. Is that too tight for an Enviro 200MMC, or all buses? Maybe the Volvos and the Scanias were better. That said, one night I followed one of the Plaxton Darts back towards Derby on the A516. It left me for dead. Like it had turbo boost
The villager is very tightly timed but it can depend on the roads and loadings if you will be on time or running late for example getting up to the Hospital from Derby can be ok one day but a slog the next on the same journey.
about 24 to Lincoln and 39 to Crewe now from Tutbury. It will take me time to get use it it as well. From what I remember the times were tight before the Enviro's were introduced. It doesn't help that half the time you end up stuck behind someone doing 35-40 on the A516.
Strange. When I regularly drive down the A516, I encountered people doing 80mph. Sometimes, they stayed on the road. I remember one very dark morning, a car coming towards me near Burnaston garage flashing it's lights. I hit the brakes and hit water. Water flooding off adjacent fields. Better in daylight. It must be highly stressful for all the drivers if they are up against the clock all the time.
with how tight it is it's a struggle no matter the allocation and if its one of the old solos you got no hope.
Personally I quite like not having to wait around at timing points and over time being late most of the time has become less stressful.
I think the tight timings for the Villager are partly related to the Tutbury Jinny and the diamond bus service 17 which may reduce the passengers catching the Villager at that end of the route, so less stoppage.
Easy to spot the red Versas at Derby. All in "C ex garage" in a row with do not use stickers. I thought the 6.2/6.3 service was 2 hourly today.
838 also had a little time off.
Fairly certain the twos volvos are having quite substantial mechanical work carried out as well as the usual refurb ready for their new role on the sixes
I am sure they will be....the other day, they were just lined up at Langley Mill. Maybe they have all gone
The jinny and Villager often seem to share some dwell on the high street but Villager often comes first so I take that.
Villager needs more layover at each end. They could even reduce the Tutbury to Burton section to hourly, and retain the 30 minute frequency on the busier Tutbury to Derby section.
Probably would be better in the longer term and give it a niche over the arriva service.
Didn't it get a 5th vehicle added to provide the layover needed?
Not necessarily. You can follow the 17 through Stretton and people will let it pass and wait for the villager even though they both do the same route into Burton.
Even the Burton end of the route can be busy like the Derby end.
It has always had 5 vehicles.
Used to be Volvos 701 to 705, only three remain in service.
Likewise with the Jinny, people will go for waits familiar, some still are moaning about the Spondon flyer on Facebook to trent barton even though its been replaced by the Arriva route, although probably less a issue with the fare cap but for the likes of Villager & X38 those with period tickets (week month year mango ect) are tied to one operator.
They are.
Is 9308 still at the Mill?
It was last week
Last time I saw them, they were on loan to Notts and Derby.
According to DVSA tax check website neither have a valid tax both expired on 6th August 2025
All 3 were scrapped in summer.
A shame to hear that, I remember some of the Trent examples on the X38 prior to the Volvos.
At top speed, the X38 Tempos always felt like the rear axle was under strain. Gave a good ride though.
Yes. They vowed never to buy from Optare again which lasted two years, and even bought more Tempos in 2012! One good thing to take away was that we ended up with Volvos and Citaros, which were only ordered because of the '07 Tempo fiasco
Optare heavily incentivised future orders with flexibility of specification, discounted rates and of course working with Wellglade (namely Hornby) on the spec of the SR.
