Electric Versa appears on route 85

[JoNi]

An electric versa YJ12GWY formerly used on Park & Ride appeared on route 85 this morning.
It still has it's Sshh branding but all reference to Park & Ride removed.

[Valandil]

One was also on the 703 the other day.
I wonder if they could get charging points at University Hospital ...  ???

[Stu]

The last I heard (when the announcement was made that PRS was ending) was that Centro wanted to work with DeCourcey to find a way to keep the electric buses in service in Coventry, though I haven't seen any more about this recently.

[JoNi]

I only found about this about the electric buses being used on the 85 from an NXC driver in passing who had heard from a friend and thought no more about it until I saw one this morning.
The bus I saw this morning was still running on the 85 this afternoon but I don't know if had been recharged in the day.

[lauren1993]

I wonder if any will appear on the 360?
There's a rumour that they are to be transferred to Leicester though I read it in an article.

[Eric Shaw]

I have visited Coventry twice, in the last few weeks and found the electric buses working the 85 route all day. If anyone wants to travel on these interesting buses they leave the Station at 20 and 50 mins past the hour. I think it was short sighted of the council to take them off PRS, but it is good to see them working, apparently successfully on an ordinary route.

[Ben]

I have visited Coventry twice, in the last few weeks and found the electric buses working the 85 route all day. If anyone wants to travel on these interesting buses they leave the Station at 20 and 50 mins past the hour. I think it was short sighted of the council to take them off PRS, but it is good to see them working, apparently successfully on an ordinary route.

If I recall correctly, the decision was Centro removing subsidy for the Park and ride, De Courcey deciding it was no longer feasible to operate and Centro basically saying 'ok' we'll just give Stagecoach the chance to make more money from a 2 minute detour on the X17.

It would be interesting to figure out how Centro came to the decision to alter the X17 (Stagecoach) and not the 18A (National Express) which both go passed the Memorial Park.
Unless the 18A is already centro subsidised (it seems like the sort of service that might be) and Centro thought it would have been hypocritical to replace a subsidised service with another? If that makes sense- Only a theory.


Please do correct me if I'm wrong on any of this.

[JoNi]

From assorted sources I have been told the Park + Ride had been loosing ridership in part due to cuts in council staff who parked at P & R site and used the PRS to travel to work at the Council House.

The U17 also goes via the Park & Ride site on Sundays and apparently the reason why the X17 does a loop around the City Centre is to compensate for loss of PRS, you would have thought they would have gone the other way round the "city" loop!

Electric buses used on the 85 run up empty to the Park & Ride site to recharge during the day.

Apparently the council would like them used on a shopping service around the city centre, but that's been tried before and failed!

[Justin Tyme]

It was simply the case that Stagecoach were prepared to provide the Park & Ride service commercially.  This meant that there was no contract to award.

See http://www.centro.org.uk/about-us/news/2014/extra-buses-and-new-sunday-service-for-coventry-park-and-ride-south/

[JPC]

From assorted sources I have been told the Park + Ride had been loosing ridership in part due to cuts in council staff who parked at P & R site and used the PRS to travel to work at the Council House.

The U17 also goes via the Park & Ride site on Sundays and apparently the reason why the X17 does a loop around the City Centre is to compensate for loss of PRS, you would have thought they would have gone the other way round the "city" loop!

Electric buses used on the 85 run up empty to the Park & Ride site to recharge during the day.

Apparently the council would like them used on a shopping service around the city centre, but that's been tried before and failed!

The X17 city loop matches the access between City Centre and Warwick Road - Clockwise carriageway, but I agree and will hope X17 changes to Anti-clockwise once Warwick Road across the Ring Road reopens - as long as they don't jam up all the service 2/3 bus stops.;)  Passengers have been seen darting across the road in Corporation St just so they catch whatever Stagecoach comes first.

[Sandy Lane]

There was an electric Versa stationary on Sky Blue Way roundabout at Gosford St Jn with hazards on this afternoon. Run out of juice maybe??? Not sure what service it was on (not the 85 as its gone now).

[JoNi]

I've seen electric Versa operating a service from Coventry Station to Whitley during morning peak. Assume it is a "closed" service.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/92409298@N06/WVi4x1