Messages

The ex Wessex buses are probably being repainted at wherever Stagecoach West do their repainting work.

I've seen it reported that they are "auditing" the vehicles, probably deciding whether on not they need scrapping - the answer to that should be yes...
It'll probably be a case of getting them up to a better standard mechanically, then a repaint as you've said, then the grand return.

No sign of any ex-Wessex Bus vehicles over the last few days. Various vehicles appear to have been drafted in to cover including 18313 which was broken down at Bristol Parkway, 27778 on the 3B and a surprise spot of ex-Midlands 36175 at Cribbs Causeway on the 625.

I'm assuming it's the Badgers seeing as you mentioned Weston?
A few photos of them here http://www.swhite.org.uk/steve/08.htm

A Stagecoach 48 from Coventry to Leicester arrived at the end of the route (forget the year now), driver spotted someone he thought was asleep, went to go wake him up and found out that he wasn't actually asleep, he was dead!
I believe the same happened on the Outer Circle before too?

Stagecoach double decker bus crash Basingstoke, Hampshire:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-44970753

Ouch, that's nasty!!
It also has a Midlands connection too as it's an ex-Nuneaton bus.

First Bristol 37616 gave up on the last 82 of the day last night. It was completely abandoned on a semi-rural road not far from Bristol Parkway Station, should have been due at 2120, I arrived at 2330 to find it there. The tracker must have been left running on it too as it was still showing as being 1 minute away at the next stop along.
Quite surprised nobody had bricked or torched it to be fair :o

Photo (hopefully it works): http://i66.tinypic.com/kex55t.jpg

At the time Stagecoach (Midland Red South, Vanguard and G&G) were expanding in Coventry, and the 3, 4 and 44 extensions might have been a bit of retaliation on the part of WMT.  Both Stagecoach and WMT scaled back the competition after a little while.

I have little doubt that Stagecoach would have fought back very hard in Coventry if WMT had extended the 20 to Nuneaton - and that they would do now.

I was told by somebody (forget who now and whether true or not, I don't know) that they intended to delve into Nuneaton a little more at one point but they both came to some sort of an informal agreement to stay out of each other's way.
That was in reply to me asking why "Nuneaton, Camp Hill", "Nuneaton, Grove Farm" and "Bedworth, Smorrall Lane" appeared on WMT WT's blinds at the time. Rugby also appears on them but I suspect that was probably for Rail Replacements etc.

I do have a few photos of 3053 displaying the above blinds with SMR routes as a poke at the situation!

The tracking on them is horrendous too, I travelled from just after Staple Hill to Emersons Green on the 49, the m3 said it was 17 minutes away, by the time I arrived at Emersons Green it had apparently reversed back down the M32 as it was showing as 21 minutes away with another one being 23 minutes away. 10 minutes later 2 turned up together. I had exactly the same problem yesterday too! "The future of transport" is looking very bleak!
Think I'll stick to walking to the 19/19A and catching that to work!
I won't hold any hope of getting earlier/later/Sunday journeys beyond the City-UWE Frenchay section when the new timetable comes in in September either.

The first Bristol Metrobus route (m3) started yesterday.  Travel is free until 9 June.  I tried it out today but wasn't very impressed as it suffered the same levels of traffic congestion as normal routes.  In fact, the ride back from Emersons Green on a normal 49 bus was as quick as the journey out on the m3.

A few NXWM vehicles and at least 1 WMT Scania featured on Britain's Most Evil Killers tonight, about Tracie Andrews murdering WMT driver Lee Harvey in 1996.

The former Union Rep at Nuneaton, will always remember a poster up in the garage about speed limit signs having the 30 changed with pen to show "36" with "Dicko" written next to it in a banterous jab at him being flashed by the Old Hinckley Road speed camera with former 34398!
There's a bench next to the bus stops in Bedworth Town Centre dedicated to him also.

Received report of 67 plate Nuneaton bus on 48. Fleet Number is 26202 named Paul Dickson!!!!

The 3/4 and 5 seemed to have a bit of a swap around today as a 5 branded Dart made its way out to Cribbs Causeway on the 3 whilst B7TL 32011 was spotted in Downend on the 5.

At least the Lenton's Lane circular wasn't 37A/37C - denoting anticlockwise and clockwise - we could have ended up with C37C etc. I seem to recall a 48 starting at Ernesford Grange heading to the Walsgrave area and possibly further on - but that probably goes back almost 30 years.

New Year's Day gave us the C32C!
Ah yes Ernesford Grange is the one sorry! Courthouse was the 44 which also served Ernesford.

Didn't Stagecoach display the C on a couple of tendered routes they operated about 10 years ago.

One operator definitely did.

With duplicate service numbers I mean where Coventry one duplicated Birmingham ones, that is why the C was used

They would be:
C37/C47 Lentons Lane Circulars
C54 City - Finham
C64 City - Hexworthy Drive (to avoid the political argument over the spelling of the estate)

The services Stagecoach operated on New Year's Day all used the C prefix for the first 2 or 3 years, I have some photos on my external HDD somewhere.

As for the previous second 48 route in Coventry, that I believe was Courthouse Green - Walsgrave Hospital, with similarities to the current 26 route.

There's another photo of a Midland Red National on MidlandRed.net (I believe NHA284M) which shows C49 on the blind, I imagine the old Rail Station - Coundon via City route.

Sampling the delights of Bristol using day ticket where you place the ticket QR code through the assault screen on to the validator face up without placing your finger on it at the same time and wait for the green lights to flash.
The first I knew of this was when the driver of the second bus banged on the assault screen! Would have have been nice to have been warned!
Ticket on phone is cheaper but also has to be placed tbrough the assault screen onto reader. Great fun with students!

https://www.flickr.com/gp/92409298@N06/HaHyhW

The positive is I can use my Warwickshire issued pass on their machines now, at last, I was fed up with explaining multiple times a day to the drivers as to why my pass wasn't scanning through!
Each bus seems to have them in slightly different places, I've had B9TLs where you can reach it easily and then some where you have to reach quite far to do so

Still waiting on this one...
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/new-sprint-bus-vital-link-3125669