Wellglade Group

[Aethonatic]

3210 has just tracked on route 9, that just leaves 3207 and 3209 left to roll out.

 

[StavBered]

I've just seen a new post on "Bus Nuts UK" and they're just falsely accusing trentbarton of "bad maintenance" about 770 not passing its MOT, even though it passed hours later... like why are we just putting down months of hard effort from trents engineers/mechanics just for a "laugh"?

Bus Nuts Uk

Trentbartonland Volvo 770 fails mot after less that 500 000 kms. This proves how **** Trent barton maintenance is.........

www.facebook.com

 

[BULLSAREMAGIC]

I've just seen a new post on "Bus Nuts UK" and they're just falsely accusing trentbarton of "bad maintenance" about 770 not passing its MOT, even though it passed hours later... like why are we just putting down months of hard effort from trents engineers/mechanics just for a "laugh"?

Bus Nuts Uk

Trentbartonland Volvo 770 fails mot after less that 500 000 kms. This proves how **** Trent barton maintenance is.........

www.facebook.com

There seems to be a undercurrent on this site of seeking to criticise Trentbarton. There is no doubt that the company has struggled in the last years to maintain its previously high standards but this does not recognise the hard work and long hours many are putting in daily to keep things going. As enthusiasts we have opinions on how things should be done and maybe how we would prefer them to be done but at the end of the day the staff have to work with what they have be it MMC solos volvos or versas. At the end of the day it is not our money invested in the company which, like many operators, operates in an uncertain environment.

 

[JJM22]

I've just seen a new post on "Bus Nuts UK" and they're just falsely accusing trentbarton of "bad maintenance" about 770 not passing its MOT, even though it passed hours later... like why are we just putting down months of hard effort from trents engineers/mechanics just for a "laugh"?

Bus Nuts Uk

Trentbartonland Volvo 770 fails mot after less that 500 000 kms. This proves how **** Trent barton maintenance is.........

www.facebook.com

The person who runs that page has a long term dislike/hatred of anything trentbarton related, for well over a decade now.

They were a hugely loyal supporter of trentbarton rival Premiere Travel, and to a smaller extent yourbus. Essentially anything anti-trentbarton is their ‘thing’.

 

[StavBered]

There seems to be a undercurrent on this site of seeking to criticise Trentbarton. There is no doubt that the company has struggled in the last years to maintain its previously high standards but this does not recognise the hard work and long hours many are putting in daily to keep things going. As enthusiasts we have opinions on how things should be done and maybe how we would prefer them to be done but at the end of the day the staff have to work with what they have be it MMC solos volvos or versas. At the end of the day it is not our money invested in the company which, like many operators, operates in an uncertain environment.

I understand where you're coming at, even I have somewhat noticed the "negative emotions" towards criticism at trent but it's just silly to make a post about a bus failing its MOT and then said bus passes it moments later

 

[Trainman40083]

The person who runs that page has a long term dislike/hatred of anything trentbarton related, for well over a decade now.

They were a hugely loyal supporter of trentbarton rival Premiere Travel, and to a smaller extent yourbus. Essentially anything anti-trentbarton is their ‘thing’.

Yet the owner of the site claims to be their number one fan ... It doesn't convey that.

 

[joieman]

3210 has just tracked on route 9, that just leaves 3207 and 3209 left to roll out.

And 3205

 

[derbyveg]

845 is due to be scrapped after the collision in Kilburn, Kinch 2 & 663 are also next for scrap.

 

[Trainman40083]

845 is due to be scrapped after the collision in Kilburn, Kinch 2 & 663 are also next for scrap.

No real surprises there

 

[BusLink61]

845 is due to be scrapped after the collision in Kilburn, Kinch 2 & 663 are also next for scrap.

Shame about 663, was the corrosion on it getting too bad? (Saw it on its very recent MOT advisories)

No real surprises there

663 I was surprised about at first given it had a new MOT at the very end of January but with its advisories I guess it wasn’t going to last very long sadly…

 

[Trainman40083]

Shame about 663, was the corrosion on it getting too bad? (Saw it on its very recent MOT advisories)


663 I was surprised about at first given it had a new MOT at the very end of January but with its advisories I guess it wasn’t going to last very long sadly…

I imagine buses released from Kinchbus means it isn't really needed. Spares for the Scania driver trainers, until they took are replaced?

 

[49er]

I'm guessing the 1.30pm is meant to read 11.30pm

Interesting that the 2 & 3 won't interwork which means a PVR increase by 1 bus as two buses will be required to maintain the hourly timetable on the 2.

I am struggling to understand the logic behind this. At face value one bus on 2 will sat in town doing nothing every hour from --35 to --15 mins past east hour; and the bus on 3 will similarly be stuck in town from --05 to --35.
My best guess - a bit of a long shot, admittedly - is that Kinch might use them as to supplement routes 11/12 as and when. Route 12, in particular tends to suffer extensive delays, which trash the published timetable. Kinch's current 'solution' tends to involve cancelling journeys, enabling the bus to catch up. So, instead of running a Thorpe Acre loop after a Shelthorpe loop, say, a late running bus is turned round in town to repeat the Shelthorpe loop. This is often left until the buses are running in tandem, but which time the service has effectively not been running much better than hourly for a little while, anyway. It would be far better if Kinch could intervene once they become aware a 'situation' is developing, and so avoid any cancellations, of double running happening at all.
I think this could work, but do Kinch have the means, and the will, to manage this effectively? The downside is that on days when all runs perfectly, the 'extra' buses would spend all day doing nothing ... Or perhaps someone has a better suggestion - or, indeed, knowledge of what the thinking is?

 

[Trainman40083]

I am struggling to understand the logic behind this. At face value one bus on 2 will sat in town doing nothing every hour from --35 to --15 mins past east hour; and the bus on 3 will similarly be stuck in town from --05 to --35.
My best guess - a bit of a long shot, admittedly - is that Kinch might use them as to supplement routes 11/12 as and when. Route 12, in particular tends to suffer extensive delays, which trash the published timetable. Kinch's current 'solution' tends to involve cancelling journeys, enabling the bus to catch up. So, instead of running a Thorpe Acre loop after a Shelthorpe loop, say, a late running bus is turned round in town to repeat the Shelthorpe loop. This is often left until the buses are running in tandem, but which time the service has effectively not been running much better than hourly for a little while, anyway. It would be far better if Kinch could intervene once they become aware a 'situation' is developing, and so avoid any cancellations, of double running happening at all.
I think this could work, but do Kinch have the means, and the will, to manage this effectively? The downside is that on days when all runs perfectly, the 'extra' buses would spend all day doing nothing ... Or perhaps someone has a better suggestion - or, indeed, knowledge of what the thinking is?

I think you will find there is interworking between the 9 and the 2 / 3 services.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Mar 2026 ==

I think you will find there is interworking between the 9 and the 2 / 3 services.

Something like working 2 route 9s, a 2 and a 3 in a 5 hour cycle. Will give a mix of fast and slow running.

 

[liamf656]

I think you will find there is interworking between the 9 and the 2 / 3 services.

The 9 doesn't interwork with the 2/3 does it?

 

[Trainman40083]

The 9 doesn't interwork with the 2/3 does it?

Not at the moment. Thought it was being changed to improve the timetables?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Mar 2026 ==

Not at the moment. Thought it was being changed to improve the timetables?

One of the reasons the E12s were not branded. Maybe I dreamt it. But it made a lot of sense.

 

[Lyle_Lanley]

Is there a plan for Kinchbus to replace the DRT Sprinters? From personal experience as a regular user, along with comments that I’ve seen on social media, it often seems that at least one vehicle is out of service, presumably due to technical issues, resulting in either a reduced fleet or the use of a remaining Solo.

I’ve also seen that Kinchbus may have been bidding for potential expansion of the FoxConnect service to link Loughborough with villages that currently have limited or no bus provision. Is there any update on this?

 

[Dwarfer1979]

I’ve also seen that Kinchbus may have been bidding for potential expansion of the FoxConnect service to link Loughborough with villages that currently have limited or no bus provision. Is there any update on this?

I don't believe there is a tender currently out for one, I certainly haven't seen one recently. There was a proposal for a FoxConnect around Loughborough last year but it was never awarded as the full LC5 timetable was awarded instead and from the area covered by that tender it appeared to be an either or option. There may be a proposal somewhere for another FoxConnect covering some area of Charnwood with poor service but it is unlikely to be a firm enough concept for Kinch to currently be bidding for it.

 

[joieman]

3205 entered service for the first time yesterday evening. All of Kinchbus's Yutong E12s have now entered service.

 

[StavBered]

Looks like trent have started work on bring the next stop announcements on their pre-2015 model buses as 848 now has working audio + visual announcements

 

[YX73OUB]

Looks like trent have started work on bring the next stop announcements on their pre-2015 model buses as 848 now has working audio + visual announcements

848, 850 & 851 have all been done

 

[swinny1990]

Any pics

 

[m79900]

Am I misremembering or did some Scanias have next stop announcements years ago?

 

[liamf656]

Am I misremembering or did some Scanias have next stop announcements years ago?

Yes, the Rainbow 4 had announcements using Anne Davies at least 16 years ago. Volvos and Versas had them too in previous years

 

[YX73OUB]

Yes, the Rainbow 4 had announcements using Anne Davies at least 16 years ago. Volvos and Versas had them too in previous years

Yes back when they were all linked to tje init machines.

prior to this it was a former East Midlands today presenter Lisa Dransfield used on the rainbow 5 scanias back in the day

And who could forget when Peter Dickson mr X factor himself was used on the rainbow one Versas... oh Mr Hornby!

 

[liamf656]

Yes back when they were all linked to tje init machines.

prior to this it was a former East Midlands today presenter Lisa Dransfield used on the rainbow 5 scanias back in the day

And who could forget when Peter Dickson mr X factor himself was used on the rainbow one Versas... oh Mr Hornby!

How could I forget!!

 

[YX73OUB]

How could I forget!!

It was certainly an experience at 3am doing the rainbow one night bus with that screaming down your ears... THIS IS THE RAINBOW ONE NIGHT BUS TO EASTWOOOOOOD!

 

[Trainman40083]

It was certainly an experience at 3am doing the rainbow one night bus with that screaming down your ears... THIS IS THE RAINBOW ONE NIGHT BUS TO EASTWOOOOOOD!

I remember the days when the conductor sometimes shouted your stop. Back then we had pea soup smog and many passengers were a little worse for wear. Whose daft idea was it to start the Christmas drinks at 09.00?

 

[derbybusdepot]

Ex kinchbus mango liveried Volvo's 714/6 are now back with Barton at Nottingham, covering for 111 and 138 which are off the road with accident damage. Both were on indigo when new.

 

[callum3490]

Ex kinchbus mango liveried Volvo's 714/6 are now back with Trent at Nottingham, covering for 111 and 138 which are off the road with accident damage.

I can only imagine that 715 and 740 wont be too far behind although Derby may be in a more desperate need

 

[StavBered]

Ex kinchbus mango liveried Volvo's 714/6 are now back with Barton at Nottingham, covering for 111 and 138 which are off the road with accident damage. Both were on indigo when new.

According to bustimes, 111 was apparently on indigo, finished its diagram and then it stopped tracking at priory island