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I remember reading something that there was a possibility that the 148 could get electrics when it got retendered. Probably was just some stupid rumour.

The reason that those rumours started was that a few years ago RATP stated that Shepherds Bush Garage would become an all electric garage. Whether this is still RATP's plan, who knows?

Currently S operates the following routes 70 72 94 148 C1 with only the 72 and 148 not being electric buses.

The 72 is a problem because of the long term closure of Hammersmith Bridge.

Now that the 148 has been announced to be continuing with LTs, S will not become all electric unless RATP move the 148 to Stamford Brook (to be with their other 2 LT routes 9 & 211) and something is done with the 72?

I have heard it called the Great British Railspin:
https://busandtrainuser.com/2021/05/20/great-british-railspin/

Reading through the White Paper, that is a pretty good assessment of it, considering that most of the things that they are trying to fix are the direct results of government policy over the last 20 years.

Here is the DfT press release:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/great-british-railways-for-the-passenger
and actual report:


Lets hope the implementation actually improves the railways?

Tony,

350237 is at Crewe:
http://www.wmbusphotos.com/Trains/class350/350237.html

Now operational, but currently in test mode is another tracker, a regional version of London Vehicle finder.

If you click on the link, then put in for example        WM 2001-29

It will show you what routes each bus of that batch is on and which stop they are currently at

https://rvf.test.lvf.io/?fbclid=IwAR1ER6NMr0fYa7wDS7UZz3-DCYJEzfH9K5I8VtQ02yPj_vKQYJ4zS4hZj2A#RVF

If you click on the vehicle reg it shows you the next few stops that the vehicle is due to stop at.

If you then replace ETA with HISTORY (e.g. HISTORY LF20XOA) the site will show which route that bus operated on for the previous 3 months and the times it was operating on that route.

If you enter e.g. "wm-6" the site will show you which buses are currently on the route, their destination and which stop they are currently at. It also which buses that have operated on that route today and what hours it did. So it is really useful to be able to discover that the bus you want to see is at the other end of the route to where you are currently standing and you have an hour's wait in the rain until it appears:-)

I would recommend it, also they have a site London Vehicle Finder https://lvf.io/ which covers London, Lothian, Reading, Ensignbus & Metrobus, to change mode the command is "mode" followed by either "LDN", "LRT", "RGB", "ENS" or "MET" for London, Lothian, Reading, Ensignbus or Metrobus respectively. When the mode command is executed the banner header and help page will change.

I have had a new computer which is causing problems as it wants to update all 200,000 files when I try to do updates, so updates will be at a minimum for a few days.

Arriva & Rotala April fleetchanges should go on at some point tonight

Good luck with your new computer, you will need it:-)

But so far none of the demand responsive bus "services" have lasted very long before the startup funding has run out as they have not been very well used so have never covered their costs let alone made a profit.

E.g. The Pick Me Up service on the east side of Oxford operated by the Oxford Bus Company only lasted 2 years:
    PickMeUp service withdrawal after 20th June 2020

We withdrew our PickMeUp service after operation on Saturday 20th June 2020. The decision was not taken lightly and comes at the end of a two-year pilot scheme of the innovative ride-sharing service. We worked hard to establish the service and have exhausted all external funding avenues to make it viable.

https://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/oxford-bus-company/pressreleases/oxford-bus-company-to-withdraw-pickmeup-service-following-two-year-pilot-scheme-2997978

If it won't work in a city like Oxford with lots of tech savvy students, what hope is there elsewhere?

Does anyone know when Travel Merry Hill moved from the Merry Hill Shopping Centre to Pensnett depot and was there an intermediate depot on ten Pensnett estate? I have heard 1999 and August 2000 mentioned but have been unable to find accurate dates.

According to The Omnibus Society's Midland MOG (published by the late David Domin) the Merry Hill Shopping Centre operating centre was closed on 28/08/1993 and the new Pensnett depot opened on the following day (29/08/1993) which was the same day that the ex Midland Red Birmingham Road Dudley depot closed. Hartshill depot closed then about a month later on 26/09/1993.

I believe its run by First Travel Solutions (the former Rail Rep/Olympics unit)

Yes it would be, here is their website;
https://www.firsttravelsolutions.com/

Also First Hants & Dorset has setup a rail replacement unit:
https://www.firstgroup.com/portsmouth-fareham-gosport/news-and-service-updates/news/first-hampshire-dorset-and-berkshire%E2%80%99s-new

And the reason it is called Central Connect is because their main bus service connects Harlow with the London Underground's Central Line at Epping.

The Central Line is a bit of a misnomer as I would hardly call Epping (or Ongar when the line went all the way out there) as being central:-)

Sorry but I forgot include the following in the list which also are reverse out:
Daventry
Exeter (the old one and the new one when it is finished)
Plymouth Coach Station
Southampton Coach Station

P.S. I have visited all but 16 of them.

In Scotland: Edinburgh, Kilmarnock, Dundee & Hamilton also are reverse out and all have banksmen.
Ayr, Cumnock, Dunfermline, Galashields, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, Leven, St Andrews &, Stirling have reverse out but I am not sure whether they have banksmen or not.

In England the following long list have reverse out:
Alnwick
Morpeth
Newcastle - Haymarket, Eldon Square & the Coach Station
South Shields
Consett
Stanley
Durham
Beverley
Kingston upon Hull
Harrogate
Seacroft
Leeds
Bradford
Castleford
Cleckheaton
Dewsbury
Keighley
Skipton
Huddersfield
Wakefield
Barnsley
Lincoln
Grantham
Peterborough
Retford
Newark upon Trent
Mansfield
Nottingham Victoria
Derby
Lancaster
Preston
Chorley
Blackburn
Accrington
Burnley
Nelson
Rawtenstall
Rochdale
Bolton
Wigan
Middleton
Trafford Centre
Warrington
Skelmersdale
Crewe
Newcastle under Lyne
Hanley
Longton
Shrewsbury
Chippenham
Banbury
Oxford
Swindon
Newbury
High Wycombe
Slough
Heathrow CBS
Kingston upon Thames Cromwell Road
Hertford
Cambridge
Northampton
Bletchley
Bedford
Huntingdon
Kings Lynn
Wisbech
Lowestoft
Ipswich Old Cattle Market
Basildon
Stansted Airport
Canterbury
Brighton Pool Valley
Horsham
Andover
Basingtoke
Aldershot
Guildford
Havant
Chichester
Portsmouth The Hard
Fareham
Bournemouth
Poole
Truro
Camborne
Penzance

In Wales:
Newport
Pontypridd
Aberdare
Caerphilly
Cwmbran
Bridgend
Port Talbot (x2)
Neath
Swansea
Carmarthen
Wrexham

I am sure that I have missed some but there are quite a few around the UK, the main areas they don't have them are Merseyside, West Midlands & Greater London.

Hounslow for the 235,Edgware the 125.

RATP have announced to their staff that the 235 is going to be operated from Hounslow Heath (HH) and not Hounslow (AV).

Two McGills branded Levantes, I6008 and I6010 I believe, have arrived in Dundee this afternoon.

They would be I0608 & I0610, as I6008 & I6010 are VDL SB200/ Wright buses that originated with Arriva Scotland West.

More than you think:

In Scotland: Lothian, First Glasgow, NX Dundee, First Aberdeen are still using this system as do some parts of First Scotland East & Stagecoach's Scottish operations.

In Wales: Cardiff City Transport & Newport Bus still do.

In England: Nottingham City Transport, Reading Buses & Rotala's Preston Bus still do

WYPTE in Bradford, Halifax & Huddersfield (but not in Leeds), Plymouth City Transport & Southampton Citybus used to but don't anymore.

London Transport in the 1960's & 70's on the suburban flat fare routes and also on the Red Arrow buses. The Red Arrows still did until the artics were introduced & London's buses went cashless.

They ruined Quality Line. It was a decent small bus company before the takeover.

I think that RATP has been having staffing problems at Epsom pretty much since they it took over. Not sure of the reasons why.