The rollout
of the three-door two-staircase hybrid buses called New Routemasters continues. However, route 21’s conversion is slow,
but according to London Vehicle Finder
there is usually one New Routemaster in service. Route 21 is operated from New
Cross (NX) garage and is contracted to Go Ahead London.
The past week has been one of the slowest
for some months for new buses into service In London, still with several of
Go-Ahead’s MHVs, WHVs and EHs plus Metroline’s VWHs parked up. However, two
months after the contract date, just two LTs have now entered service on
Go-Ahead route 21.
Keep an eye
on route 21 at the London Vehicle Finder website
to see when a New Routemaster enters service, the fleet code starts with ‘LT’.
The last
routes to convert to New Routemasters will be routes 48, 76, 254 and East
London Transit routes EL1, EL2 and EL3.
In other
news, Leeds has lost its battle with trying to introduce a trolleybus system;
they have instead committed to a mass transit service.
From Bus and Coach
Despite losing its battle to introduce a
trolleybus system, Leeds remains committed to a ‘mass transit service’,
according to its council leader Judith Blake who has unveiled plans to invest £270million in public transport
in the city over the next four years as part of the Leeds Transport Strategy.
Enhancing bus and park-and-ride provision is
a key element of the strategy, with more
than £110million is to be invested in a range of infrastructure improvements, supported by £71million from First West
Yorkshire for at least 284 new ‘low-emissions buses’ by the end of 2021.
The council leader points out that currently 250,000 bus journeys are made
every day in Leeds, and the measures outlined are part of an aim to double the
numbers of bus passengers in the next 10 years.
The report identifies plans for bus priority
measures on the A61 south and north, A660 and A647 and also suggests a city
centre Ultra Low Emission Bus Zone.
The £270million
total investment includes £173.5million of Department for Transport funding
secured following the decision not to proceed with the New Generation Transport trolleybus, with this funding needing
to be invested in public transport before the end of 2021. The additional
funding comes from First West Yorkshire,
West Yorkshire Combined Authority and private developer contributions.
“The investment now is a response to the
action people told us they wanted to see delivered as soon as possible, but as
a city and for the regional economy we continue to need a viable mass transit
system which benefits all communities in Leeds and will boost growth and onward
connectivity,” says Blake. “Mass transit systems can cost around £80million per kilometre and take a long time to plan and
deliver, so such a scheme was not possible with the current level of
funding available and also the timescale the government set us.
“To bring about such a scheme must remain
the ambition so we are calling on all key partners and everyone in the city to
work together to secure the very significant amount of funding we need.”
Does this
mean that First West Yorkshire is committed to rolling out the three-door two-staircase New
Routemaster buses they proposed back in 2014? There’s still no update from them
though. As the two-door one-staircase New Routemaster exists and is known as the SRM - this gives
First West Yorkshire the option to purchase them.
Next up we
have the news that Stagecoach has
invested £5.3 million for 25 brand new double deck buses.
Stagecoach customers along the Kent and East
Sussex coast can now enjoy an even more comfortable bus ride as the company launch a brand-new fleet of buses.
£5.3
million worth of ultramodern
double deckers will be out on the roads from Monday (5 December). Most of the
new buses will operate on the popular ‘Wave’ routes between Dover and Hastings.
The 25 new state-of-the-art vehicles
are designed to accommodate passengers in comfort and convenience. As well as
being more environmentally friendly, the buses feature free Wi-Fi and USB charging points for customers to keep
connected and fully charged whilst on the move. Each bus is equipped with air-chill technology that maintains a
comfortable interior temperature
whatever the season.
The new buses are the latest instalment in a
£11 million investment in 55 brand new
vehicles this year. The company’s managing director, Philip Norwell, said:
“This is exciting news for our customers and for people thinking of choosing to
use the bus. The Wave maintains important links between coastal towns and with
these new buses we hope to tempt even more people to try the service.”
Stagecoach says that the Wave routes carried
2.7 million passengers in the year up to April 2016, saving vast numbers of car
journeys.
Mr Norwell added “We know that providing a
quality bus service doesn’t just mean comfortable seats. People want to use
their travel time to catch-up and stay connected. Our free Wi-Fi and USB
charging will allow them to do this, contributing to our customers’ overall
journey experience whilst reducing our impact on the environment.”
The British built Alexander Dennis buses have ‘Euro 6’ specification low-noise engines
which represent the very latest in clean
engine technology. Cummins, the engine manufacturer, have developed an
after-treatment system which filters out
particle emissions by 98% compared to the previous design standard.
For comfort the buses come with high-back
faux-leather seats and tinted windows to reduce the build-up of heat inside. On
the outside the buses sport a new and refreshed ‘Wave’ livery featuring a
montage inspired by the seaside route. Stagecoach will be running a Twitter
competition asking customers to guess how many starfish are featured in the
design. The winner, who will be announced on Twitter on Monday 19 December,
will receive a month’s free bus travel
on Stagecoach buses in the south east worth £84.50. You can follow
Stagecoach on Twitter @StagecoachSE
The new buses coincide with the company’s
investment in digital technology which is transforming the journey experience
for its customers.
This investment has included the
introduction of real-time tracking technology on all Stagecoach buses and the
launch of mobile tickets earlier in November. Stagecoach also recently
announced plans to deliver contactless
payments on all of its vehicles in the south east by the end of 2017.
On Mondays to Saturdays Wave route 100, 101 and 102 buses run up to every 15 minutes between Dover
and New Romney and every 30 minutes on to Hastings. On Sundays, the routes
operate every 30 minutes between Dover and New Romney and hourly on to
Hastings.
I found it
interesting that 55% of Alexander Dennis shareholding is owned by Brian Souter and his sister, Ann Gloag. Both
are founders of Stagecoach. It’s interesting how they own Stagecoach, a
transport company, as well as a bus manufacturing industry.
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