West Country Independents

[83G/84D]

SK63 KOA & SK63 KOB both seen in full Wessex colours in service in Redditch earlier today.

 

[freetoview33]

So apparently Edwards Coches are coming to Bristol, and taking over SGBC national express work.

Is it a buy out?
SGBC just lost out when the services were retendered?
SGBC have quit and downsizing again?

When is this happening? What is happening to coaches and drivers SGBC have now? Talk of an Edwards Avonmouth Depot?

 

[father_jack]

http://m.bristolpost.co.uk/who-s-to...t-in-bristol/story-30100434-detail/story.html

Not the best publicity for Wessex, collision at junction of Wells Road and St John's Lane in Bristol, location locally called "The Bush".

IMHO they were going too fast and not using the mirror although the artic shouldn't have been parked where it was. Tesco lorries are often parked in that place so "route knowledge" should have helped.

 

[carlberry]

So apparently Edwards Coches are coming to Bristol, and taking over SGBC national express work.

Is it a buy out?
SGBC just lost out when the services were retendered?
SGBC have quit and downsizing again?

When is this happening? What is happening to coaches and drivers SGBC have now? Talk of an Edwards Avonmouth Depot?

All Natex services are contracted out so they often change. Most of the questions would be best targeted at wherever you got this news from. Most of the drivers would transfer across with the service.

 

[winston270twm]

So apparently Edwards Coches are coming to Bristol, and taking over SGBC national express work.

Is it a buy out?
SGBC just lost out when the services were retendered?
SGBC have quit and downsizing again?

When is this happening? What is happening to coaches and drivers SGBC have now? Talk of an Edwards Avonmouth Depot?

I've asked the question on the NX Coaches Yahoo Group re: SGBC & Edwards

Courtesy of Simon Nicholas, can confirm as follows:

It is understoof that Roger Durbin is retiring & SGBC will continue on a smaller scale but without NX work.

Edwards Coaches are taking over SGBC NX work from May 2017

It suggest the Edwards Coaches Avonmouth depot may well be correct,

Hope this helps.

 

[winston270twm]

I've asked the question on the NX Coaches Yahoo Group re: SGBC & Edwards

Courtesy of Simon Nicholas, can confirm as follows:

It is understoof that Roger Durbin is retiring & SGBC will continue on a smaller scale but without NX work.

Edwards Coaches are taking over SGBC NX work from May 2017

It suggest the Edwards Coaches Avonmouth depot may well be correct,

Hope this helps.

In addition, just found this:

PH2001471 SI EDWARDS COACHES LTD
Director(s): MICHAEL CLIFFORD EDWARDS, JASON MICHAEL EDWARDS, SHAUN MATTHEW EDWARDS, KELLY LOUISA EDWARDS, JESSICA RACHAEL EDWARDS
EDWARDS TRAVEL COMPANY, NEWTOWN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE,
LLANTWIT FARDRE, CF38 2EE

Operating Centre: UNIT 7, I O CENTRE, MOOREND FARM AVENUE,
BRISTOL, BS11 0QL
Authorisation: 52 vehicle(s)
Transport Manager(s): STEWART ISAAC
New Undertaking: Vehicles with eight passenger seats or less will not be operated
under the licence without the prior written agreement of the Traffic Commissio
ner
who may require you to agree to certain undertakings Attached to Licence.
New Undertaking: Limousines and novelty type vehicles are not to be operated
under this operator's licence Attached to Licence.

 

[freetoview33]

Thanks for that, that was what I was thinking! Does mean Edwards are operating a lot of routes now! I do wonder if the 216 Cardiff - Bristol Airport service, might transfer over??

 

[Martin1988]

I'm interested to see if the additional weekend workings on the 040 Bristol to London route and the 318 Bristol to Birmingham route will also transfer to Edwards.

Been noticing a lot more instances recently of Applegates providing dupes on the 040 route but SGBC always seem to provide dupes on the Bristol to Birmingham route when they're required.

 

[freetoview33]

I'm interested to see if the additional weekend workings on the 040 Bristol to London route and the 318 Bristol to Birmingham route will also transfer to Edwards.

Been noticing a lot more instances recently of Applegates providing dupes on the 040 route but SGBC always seem to provide dupes on the Bristol to Birmingham route when they're required.

Has it been Applegates Levante?

 

[DaveHarries]

Approval has been given for the sale of Swindon-based Thamesdown Transport.
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/15065285.Bus_company_sale_given_the_go_ahead/

Dave

 

[carlberry]

Approval has been given for the sale of Swindon-based Thamesdown Transport.
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/15065285.Bus_company_sale_given_the_go_ahead/

Dave

Classic newspaper pun in the storey headline!

Stagecoach and Thamesdown have managed to (mostly!) coexist in Swindon for many years and the experiance in Plymouth suggests much the same could happen here. A possibility is that Thamesdown is absorbed into the monster Go South Coast company which is already running into Swindon from the South.

 

[diffywood]

breaking news for Swindon - Scale of financial crisis that forced Thamesdown sale revealed

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/..._crisis_that_forced_Thamesdown_sale_revealed/

 

[Martin1988]

Has it been Applegates Levante?

It will either be the levante or an Applegates liveried vehicle from the main fleet.

Interestingly back on 23rd December Applegates were doing a number of dupes- mainly on the Bristol to London route but the levante wasn't amongst the vehicles used.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Twice I've seen a Applegates Neoplan on the M4 with a NatEx sticker in the window with '040 - London' on it.

At a guess, will the SGBC Levantes move over to Edwards (private plate ones maybe being re-registered, Lx00 SGB batch for instance?)

If so maybe they will all have NX livery than just all over white!

 

[swifty]

Apparently, of all operators, Eurotaxis have picked up some NX work. Let's see how long that lasts....

 

[Marcus Fryer]

Apparently, of all operators, Eurotaxis have picked up some NX work. Let's see how long that lasts....

They've picked up a portfolio of school runs and some rail replacement work, so I don't see why they shouldn't do OK with NX work.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

They've picked up a portfolio of school runs and some rail replacement work, so I don't see why they shouldn't do OK with NX work.

I guess that Swifty, likes me, remembers the days of Eurotaxis operating various SGC tenders (or not operating them as the case was on many occasions)

 

[Marc]

I guess that Swifty, likes me, remembers the days of Eurotaxis operating various SGC tenders (or not operating them as the case was on many occasions)

i lived in easton when they took over 585 and 586 as was then -now 506. they were the pits. unreliable. unsuitable van vario vehicles. just gave up on it after a while and walked out to stapleton road. they took over evenings on 52 and 18 then too. the 18 evnings an sundays were usually 8 seater taxi transits.

 

[Marcus Fryer]

i lived in easton when they took over 585 and 586 as was then -now 506. they were the pits. unreliable. unsuitable van vario vehicles. just gave up on it after a while and walked out to stapleton road. they took over evenings on 52 and 18 then too. the 18 evnings an sundays were usually 8 seater taxi transits.

Despite having lived in Stoke Gifford for nearly 18 years, I don't remember seeing them on the 18 at all; perhaps that shows how unreliable they were!
When did they have those contacts?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Despite having lived in Stoke Gifford for nearly 18 years, I don't remember seeing them on the 18 at all; perhaps that shows how unreliable they were!
When did they have those contacts?

C.2006 - I lived in Hanham and they did the evening 4 via Kingswood and Frenchay into town

 

[Colly405]

Despite having lived in Stoke Gifford for nearly 18 years, I don't remember seeing them on the 18 at all; perhaps that shows how unreliable they were!
When did they have those contacts?

I think the 18 was around the same time as they did the 73 to the Airport. I left Stoke Gifford in 2005 and can remember them before I left...

 

[freetoview33]

They did Sundays on the 20 too!

 

[Marc]

I think the 18 was around the same time as they did the 73 to the Airport. I left Stoke Gifford in 2005 and can remember them before I left...

i think sundays on 573 and 583 -effectively sunday 73s- was a few years before that -99? 00?- when they were still trading as swiftlink and had the red merc minis. they also did the 570 -70- sunday as well for a time.

the red mercs were proper bus spec ones and would have been much better on the 585 and 586!!

 

[THarris123]

Wells route 67 has been saved now - Mendip Community transport are running it. Some of it without funding from SCC.

 

[freetoview33]

Wells route 67 has been saved now - Mendip Community transport are running it. Some of it without funding from SCC.

It's good to see all the routes that Webber operated have now been taken over! Although now seeing how hard some of the routes were I can understand why Webber went bust!

 

[THarris123]

It's good to see all the routes that Webber operated have now been taken over! Although now seeing how hard some of the routes were I can understand why Webber went bust!

Webberbus went bust due to poor management. There would have been some viability in 14, 10, 101 and 67 if Webberbus didn't operate it.

The new 67 looks a very poorly timetable too.

 

[winston270twm]

Wessex service changes:

PH1066711/129 Cancelled

WESSEX BUS LTD
Route: Haviland Park, Weston to Dorchester Street, Bath via Royal Hospital
Service number: 14
Service type: Hail & Ride, Normal Stopping
Effective date: 21 Apr 2017

PH1066711/50 Registered

WESSEX BUS LTD
Route: University of Bath to University of Bath via Royal United Hospital
Service number: 20A (20C)
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 01 May 2017

 

[ooo]

Wessex service changes:

PH1066711/129 Cancelled

WESSEX BUS LTD
Route: Haviland Park, Weston to Dorchester Street, Bath via Royal Hospital
Service number: 14
Service type: Hail & Ride, Normal Stopping
Effective date: 21 Apr 2017

PH1066711/50 Registered

WESSEX BUS LTD
Route: University of Bath to University of Bath via Royal United Hospital
Service number: 20A (20C)
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 01 May 2017

Looks as if First has won on the 14 then.

 

[vicbury]

Looks as if First has won on the 14 then.

Won by doing not a lot apart from duplicating buses during the daytime now and then.

Even though Wessex were cheaper, and timed exactly one minute ahead of First, they didn't win.

There are many reasons which I would attribute to this:

1. Non-existent service after 8pm
2. No service on Sundays
3. Simply not enough passengers on this corridor for two operators
4. Idiotic moves such as not accepting First's tickets the day their buses were stuck in the depot
5. Unprofessional drivers who use their phone whilst driving (!) / drive as if they are in a go-kart
6. The lack of a wider network to use day / week / month tickets on.

Not necessarily in that order.

 

[Whiteway215]

Wessex service changes:

PH1066711/129 Cancelled

WESSEX BUS LTD
Route: Haviland Park, Weston to Dorchester Street, Bath via Royal Hospital
Service number: 14
Service type: Hail & Ride, Normal Stopping
Effective date: 21 Apr 2017

PH1066711/50 Registered

WESSEX BUS LTD
Route: University of Bath to University of Bath via Royal United Hospital
Service number: 20A (20C)
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 01 May 2017

Do we know what is happening on the 20A /20C