Stagecoach South West

[Tony]

Tony,

You obviously never saw First's latest offering for Butlins, Minehead, the X28 Limited Stop coach service (Mon & Fri)

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/travel_news/news_initiatives/?item=6591&conf=0

I believe its operated by a 12 year old well worn former NX coach X19?HFB Volvo/Paragon ex Cyrmu

It could be worse, I have just been staying for a few days in 'First' Territory, well it should be, but Webberbus operate much better services with much better buses!

The only service First now run to Minehead is the 28 to Taunton which carries all the Butlins traffic. Normal vehicles used on the 28 are 10 year old B7L/Wright Eclipse 60910-60918 which should be perfectly acceptable vehicles as they have been modified with extra luggage racks for the holiday traffic, but the condition is awful with more mismatched livery panels than the worst NXWM. Branding for when they were new in York still visible on a couple and the interiors looking worse for wares. On Butlins changeover days (Mon & Fri) They are supplemented by a couple of 16 year old Olympians (34063/4) which actually look in better condition and are probably the best vehicles used on the route, remember this route is 90 minutes long collecting people off the train at Taunton and delivering them direct to Butlins so a lot of people are on for the full hour and a half!

First's showed their colours on a couple of days though when I saw a 12 year old ex London Marshall bodied dart which probably have the worst leg room of any bus, and on another were using a T reg ALX300 dart. Now I would not fancy sitting on either of those for 90 minutes.

As a comparison Webberbus also run a Taunton-Minehead service (18). Not as frequent and not allowed into Butlins, and doesn't serve Taunton Station so misses the lucrative traffic, but run by 09 plate Enviro 300s.

The sooner the West Somerset Railway manage to run a Monday & Friday only Taunton to Minehead train, only needs a DMU the better, even I might not have driven down. It was definately the ride on the First Bus that put me off using public transport

Sorry, yes I did see that on Monday, allover white completely anonymous, no destination blind fitted. Runs every 3 hours so most people miss it anyway. looked fairly empty on Monday

[Ashley]

I was on holiday in Somerset in early May. The Volvo Olympian I saw looked better than the B7RLEs, I did also see a B10Ble on the Butlins service. I find it hard to believe that Stagecoach aren't already the UK' biggest bus company

[Discodave]

they soon will be when first screw up the WCML east coast almost killed Nat EX