First Bus - Potteries

[Ashley]

66302 66303 66841 66845 all noted in service today, all allocated to Newcastle.
66302 66841 66845 on 20/34/34A, 66303 on 25's)

34158 is still in service to end the mixed stories

Only one noteworthy working today

6500x on an all night 21 board (never seen an OmniCity on there)

Also, I think the evening allocation of the 25 has converted to single deckers, 60189, 66842, 66847, 66852 out on that tonight

[47609FireFly]

Alexander bodied Volvo Olympians P185 TGD, P186 TGD & P188 TGD are all now at PVS for scrap. Sensible painting P186 TGD then!

[Ashley]

Isn't 60176 a bigger waste of paint? One fleetlist has it in reserve, another withdrawn and I've never seen it in service

[Bob]

Are the older Leyland ones still running?

[Tony]

Are the older Leyland ones still running?

No both off the road, and believed both destined for preservation

[Bob]

Low floor deckers used on schools then?

[winston]

Alexander bodied Volvo Olympians P185 TGD, P186 TGD & P188 TGD are all now at PVS for scrap. Sensible painting P186 TGD then!

34285 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/61188429@N06/13915741068/
34286 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/61188429@N06/14104867962/
34288 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/61188429@N06/14104978512/

[Bob]

Any olympians at all left in service?  The L-PWR one? The one remaining M-DUS one which was still listed in fleet lastttime I looked?  The other P reg DP seated one?

[Ashley]

31518 34158 34311 30029 30031 plus the Citybus are currently listed as active but no definate fleetchanges have been posted anywhere since february until I saw some of the Leicester arrivals on saturday with more confirmed in Rotherhams paint shop. However the current situation is you'll be very lucky to get an Olympian out now. It's also almost impossible to get an ALX400 on a public service on the times I go up there but part of me also thinks all the Olly's have gone

[Ashley]

There are stories floating around that Newcastle are to lose their Optare Solo's. Are they being replaced or just released for scrap due to possible upcoming service cuts. Personally I'd assume the latter unless Potteries are getting newer vehicles from elsewhere rather than factory fresh. Does anybody know any more?

[mikestone]

Potteries are said to be getting some new Streetlites diverted from Leicester.
;
Their have been deckers on the 101 recently - I saw 32635 on Wednesday .

[winston]

Potteries are said to be getting some new Streetlites diverted from Leicester.

63171 – 63180            Streetlite Max DF                   for Leicester .

[PM]

Potteries are said to be getting some new Streetlites diverted from Leicester.
;
Their have been deckers on the 101 recently - I saw 32635 on Wednesday .

It really does seem needed up there... I have heard some earlier solos are being withdrawn at another part of First bus presumably as they are not DDA compliant and/or are in poor condition. If solos were going to be withdrawn then the caetano nimbus darts at Worcester would be good buses to transfer in.

Are people not upbeat about the upcoming network review changes then? I would have thought that it was one of the regions that have seen all the thinning out of the network that is going to happen and that there is only scope to expand.

I'd really like to see Potteries start to repaint and refurb the existing fleet at the very least even if new buses are not coming... A bit of paint and new moquette can go a long way to vastly improving an operation...

[PM]

Just came across this on flickr. Anyone know which route this is being painted up for. At first, I thought First were repainting NXWM buses!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidbalme/14174415213/in/photostream/

[John]

Just came across this on flickr. Anyone know which route this is being painted up for. At first, I thought First were repainting NXWM buses!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidbalme/14174415213/in/photostream/

Quote from this pic

"Apparently for new route 3, Crewe-Keele University being an amalgam of present routes 20 and 25"
https://www.flickr.com/photos/34487875@N07/13919272167/