Stagecoach in Coventry & Warwickshire

[Mayfield]

And 244 ordered from ADL as well, building their stock up ready for when they take over West Midlands franchises 

[RobertJ21a]

And 244 ordered from ADL as well, building their stock up ready for when they take over West Midlands franchises

Which franchises have they got ?

[Stevo]

West Midlands franchising has yet to start but I'm sure Stagecoach intends to bid, and the group must be gaining considerable experience with their TfGM wins. 

[don]

And 244 ordered from ADL as well, building their stock up ready for when they take over West Midlands franchises

Surely that's countrywide - I can't imagine more than a fraction operating in the West Midlands of Coventry. All buses operating in Coventry by end of 2025 have to be electric. 

Do we really think Stagecoach is going to win that many franchises, as and when they might happen? They know Manchester very well but have actually lost their monopoly in South Manchester. 

I don't see two or three tendered routes operating in the outer suburbs of S Birmingham and through Solihull as being more than a drop in the ocean tbh. 

[RobertJ21a]

Surely that's countrywide - I can't imagine more than a fraction operating in the West Midlands of Coventry. All buses operating in Coventry by end of 2025 have to be electric.

Do we really think Stagecoach is going to win that many franchises, as and when they might happen? They know Manchester very well but have actually lost their monopoly in South Manchester.

I don't see two or three tendered routes operating in the outer suburbs of S Birmingham and through Solihull as being more than a drop in the ocean tbh.

Yes, that's why I was a bit surprised at the suggestion that Stagecoach was building up for WM franchises. I don't know of a date for franchises to be announced/released - what are they? 
Surely, Stagecoach just order a large quantity of new buses for the whole of the UK and then later allocate as necessary ?

[AlexS]

Yes, that's why I was a bit surprised at the suggestion that Stagecoach was building up for WM franchises. I don't know of a date for franchises to be announced/released - what are they?
Surely, Stagecoach just order a large quantity of new buses for the whole of the UK and then later allocate as necessary ?

I suspect there's a bit more to it than just plucking a number out of thin air and waiting until they arrive before deciding where to allocate them but yes I can't imagine the allocations are 100% fixed at this stage (although for the electrics they may well be more fixed to depots than historically due to the high proportion of buses receiving funding from various schemes that dictate where they'll operate).

[the trainbasher]

I suspect there's a bit more to it than just plucking a number out of thin air and waiting until they arrive before deciding where to allocate them but yes I can't imagine the allocations are 100% fixed at this stage (although for the electrics they may well be more fixed to depots than historically due to the high proportion of buses receiving funding from various schemes that dictate where they'll operate).

Don't OpCos put business cases foward for why they need new buses for certain routes/depots?

[ellspurs]

The article describing the "landmark" new buses had about 7 or 8 depots listed on it.

[Tony]

I suspect there's a bit more to it than just plucking a number out of thin air and waiting until they arrive before deciding where to allocate them but yes I can't imagine the allocations are 100% fixed at this stage (although for the electrics they may well be more fixed to depots than historically due to the high proportion of buses receiving funding from various schemes that dictate where they'll operate).

They'll definitely already be decided by which depots have put a business case forward for the infrastructure to run them 

[don]

I thought 44 had been announced for Warwickshire (new Zebra funding). Presumably these would include Leamington and Nuneaton and permit running into Coventry. 

Presumably Arriva would be using electrics from their Leicester fleet for any vehicles running into Coventry, and NXWM would order electric single deckers to replace the 29 diesel single deckers there (cascading the diesels elsewhere in the West Midlands). 

[Justin Tyme]

The Warwickshire ZEBRA 2 funding will provide 27 electric buses for services within Warwickshire.  The Coventry scheme is separate to this.  I haven't tried to calculate how many buses Stagecoach run into Coventry, but I think it is more than 17.

Most Stagecoach services in Coventry are single deck, but the X18 and part of the X17 are double deck so it will be interesting to see if Stagecoach get any electric double deckers for Leamington depot and its Stratford outstation.

The Stagecoach Midlands fleet in Warwickshire is set to change alot in the next 18 months.  Maybe that's why alot of the fleet - notably nearly all double deckers - is still in the old beachball livery.

[Sandy Lane]

Most Stagecoach services in Coventry are single deck, but the X18 and part of the X17 are double deck so it will be interesting to see if Stagecoach get any electric double deckers for Leamington depot and its Stratford outstation.

The Coventry 60 is mainly singe deck but still also part decker.

[Rachvince53]

Yes, that's why I was a bit surprised at the suggestion that Stagecoach was building up for WM franchises. I don't know of a date for franchises to be announced/released - what are they?
Surely, Stagecoach just order a large quantity of new buses for the whole of the UK and then later allocate as necessary ?

The new mayor told WMCA that he wants them to begin the process of deciding on packages (ie blocks of routes) by the end of the year or shortly afterwards with franchises to begin as soon afterwards as possible, probably late 2025 but more likely 2026/27. 

[markcf83]

Yes, that's why I was a bit surprised at the suggestion that Stagecoach was building up for WM franchises. I don't know of a date for franchises to be announced/released - what are they?
Surely, Stagecoach just order a large quantity of new buses for the whole of the UK and then later allocate as necessary ?

Believe a number of Yutongs are on order for the Midlands fleet. 

[RobertJ21a]

I thought 44 had been announced for Warwickshire (new Zebra funding). Presumably these would include Leamington and Nuneaton and permit running into Coventry.

Presumably Arriva would be using electrics from their Leicester fleet for any vehicles running into Coventry, and NXWM would order electric single deckers to replace the 29 diesel single deckers there (cascading the diesels elsewhere in the West Midlands).

The Arriva X6 to Leicester is, presumably, excluded all the time that it uses coaches ?