Leyland Olympians/Volvo Citybuses

[sconehead85]

Why are First hanging on to these buses long after they should have retired?  The sad fact is the youngest of these is now 20 years old and surely with the Scottish reductions there must be enough spare Volvo Olympians around to take over those duties which dont yet merit a LF decker.

The Volvo Citybuses have THREE STEPS and First have only six left (as well as open toppers). These really should go now. (  Im not against their preservation BTW.)

While there are 200 double deckers due to leave London after the Olympic Games there is no guarantee they will directly or indirectly oust the oldest buses First have.

First still have some G-XRE reg Leyland Olympians , now 23 years old and its time they were retired (or preserved).

sconehead85

[sconehead85]

The Volvo Citybus fleet is down to 38000-2/4-6/15, which are open toppers in the West Country, and ENCLOSED 38098, 38121-3/5/6. 

However the UK Buses fleet list has 38098, 38121/2 in reserve, 38123/6 at Northampton and 38125 at Newcastle-under-Lyme.  I dont know why First dont get rid of these horrible three-step buses, they are old and inconvenient for passengers, even though I suspect they only carry schoolchildren now.

Hopefully one could be preserved, for comparison with the BMMO D10, but these screechy beasties should retire.

sconehead85

[jc]

38123 and 38126 are in regular service at Redditch, 38126 breaking down on the 143 today.

The Northampton ones also see regular service.

They may be hard to enter buses but as there are no replacements due then we may have to stick with them till at least September or whenever someone takes over ...

[sconehead85]

jc-  Volvo Olympians will have been made redundant from East Scotland ( alas along with drivers) and six of these could oust the Citybuses surely.  First NEED a blitz on 20 plus year old deckers.

sconehead85

[Tony]

The Volvo Citybus fleet is down to 38000-2/4-6/15, which are open toppers in the West Country, and ENCLOSED 38098, 38121-3/5/6. 

However the UK Buses fleet list has 38098, 38121/2 in reserve, 38123/6 at Northampton and 38125 at Newcastle-under-Lyme.  I dont know why First dont get rid of these horrible three-step buses, they are old and inconvenient for passengers, even though I suspect they only carry schoolchildren now.

Hopefully one could be preserved, for comparison with the BMMO D10, but these screechy beasties should retire.

sconehead85

38121 is not in reserve. Photographed it yesterday in normal service
http://wmbusphotos.com/FirstNorthampton/38121.html
First Northampton's fleet is a disgrace. The newest single deck in normal use is a V-reg Scania 65587
http://wmbusphotos.com/FirstNorthampton/65587.html
These Scanias that have come over from Norwich are in a disgusting state with permanently frosted up windows, bent panels and generally very tatty. The only two decent buses in the fleet are 32629 & 32630, 8 year old Geminis which are due to leave in September!

[arrifirststage]

Not worth the hoped for £95-100,00 per bus then

[PM]

The Volvo Citybus fleet is down to 38000-2/4-6/15, which are open toppers in the West Country, and ENCLOSED 38098, 38121-3/5/6. 

However the UK Buses fleet list has 38098, 38121/2 in reserve, 38123/6 at Northampton and 38125 at Newcastle-under-Lyme.  I dont know why First dont get rid of these horrible three-step buses, they are old and inconvenient for passengers, even though I suspect they only carry schoolchildren now.

Hopefully one could be preserved, for comparison with the BMMO D10, but these screechy beasties should retire.

sconehead85

38121 is not in reserve. Photographed it yesterday in normal service
http://wmbusphotos.com/FirstNorthampton/38121.html
First Northampton's fleet is a disgrace. The newest single deck in normal use is a V-reg Scania 65587
http://wmbusphotos.com/FirstNorthampton/65587.html
These Scanias that have come over from Norwich are in a disgusting state with permanently frosted up windows, bent panels and generally very tatty. The only two decent buses in the fleet are 32629 & 32630, 8 year old Geminis which are due to leave in September!

I totally agree. Looked at the excellent photos that you took there-their fleet is shameful. Whilst V reg isnt that old, its not young either, NXWM's P reg liberators are in better nick than those sheds. Do they simply not bother to maintain the fleet-and then you see a smart stagecoach dart

[Justin Tyme]

Hmm - looks like Northampton is being prepared for a sale then.  The acid test for this may be whether or not Northampton and Redditch get any newer stock cascaded to them after the Olympics.

[Tony]

The Volvo Citybus fleet is down to 38000-2/4-6/15, which are open toppers in the West Country, and ENCLOSED 38098, 38121-3/5/6. 

However the UK Buses fleet list has 38098, 38121/2 in reserve, 38123/6 at Northampton and 38125 at Newcastle-under-Lyme.  I dont know why First dont get rid of these horrible three-step buses, they are old and inconvenient for passengers, even though I suspect they only carry schoolchildren now.

Hopefully one could be preserved, for comparison with the BMMO D10, but these screechy beasties should retire.

sconehead85

38121 is not in reserve. Photographed it yesterday in normal service
http://wmbusphotos.com/FirstNorthampton/38121.html
First Northampton's fleet is a disgrace. The newest single deck in normal use is a V-reg Scania 65587
http://wmbusphotos.com/FirstNorthampton/65587.html
These Scanias that have come over from Norwich are in a disgusting state with permanently frosted up windows, bent panels and generally very tatty. The only two decent buses in the fleet are 32629 & 32630, 8 year old Geminis which are due to leave in September!

I totally agree. Looked at the excellent photos that you took there-their fleet is shameful. Whilst V reg isnt that old, its not young either, NXWM's P reg liberators are in better nick than those sheds. Do they simply not bother to maintain the fleet-and then you see a smart stagecoach dart

V reg may not be that old, but that is their newest bus and the only have one V-reg!

[Tony]

Hmm - looks like Northampton is being prepared for a sale then.  The acid test for this may be whether or not Northampton and Redditch get any newer stock cascaded to them after the Olympics.

The supervisor I was talking to on Thursday seemed to think even the ex London stock currently on Olympic duty was better and newer than anything they could expect. He said the two 54 plate Geminis were being transferred to Newcastle (Potteries) in September and thought the most likely replacement would be the ex Northampton citybus currently at Potteries!

[PM]

It must be so depressing working for a business that is underperforming, watch it fail with bad vehicles and high fares whereas if you were allowed to innovate, it could be improved. TBH id hate to work for first-rotalas my first pick

[Tony]

I get the impression Northampton Transport was a company First bought 'because they could' when all the big groups were buying as many operators as they could. Once they bought it they didn't know what to do with it. Venture outside the town boundaries and Stagecoach would swamp you town routes, do nothing and you are stuck in a downward spiral. I think any buyer they manage to get will probably be after that nice big garage for redevelopment, certainly not a fleet of tired 15 year old Scanias.

[PM]

Hasnt that fleet of scanias only just been cascaded from somewhere else?? The problem with first is theyre trying to sell no hopers which is good on one hand but bad on another as no one will buy them. Wigan is where the smart buyers will be looking and possibly Chester

[j789]

I work for First in the Wyvern area and there are still older vehicles in the fleet such as the Lances (excellent vehicles that could go on for years but sadly cant) and pathfinders (terrible) but the fleet is well maintained with little graffetti or interior damage on buses. Just because the buses arent brand new does not mean the service given to passengers is not up to standard. I don't know about Northampton but in Worcester I think the bus service provided is good. Currently in the Wyvern area, child and family day tickets are half price  for the school hols showing that First is trying to promote bus travel and attract new customers. A family of five can travel to Brum and back for £6.25, which is far cheaper than the train or car.
As for the suggestion Rotala could register all First services in Redditch this would be somewhat risky as it wouldn't take much for an area such as Preston to be targeted in the future when First is in better shape. Stagecoach in the Devon situation is different because of its size.

[Justin Tyme]

I get the impression Northampton Transport was a company First bought 'because they could' when all the big groups were buying as many operators as they could. Once they bought it they didn't know what to do with it. Venture outside the town boundaries and Stagecoach would swamp you town routes, do nothing and you are stuck in a downward spiral. I think any buyer they manage to get will probably be after that nice big garage for redevelopment, certainly not a fleet of tired 15 year old Scanias.

I think you're right.  Northampton Transport was actually purchased by Grampian (which later merged with Badgerline to form First).  Grampian also purchased Leicester Citybus soon afterwards, and as both firms had been profitable Grampian no doubt felt they could get economies of scale by running the two as one unit.

However, as soon as Northampton Transport was put up for sale, Stagecoach started a couple of competing services to put off purchasers, and they maintained an increased presence in the town after the sale.  With Stagecoach maintaining a good rural network (largely thanks to several towns in all directions just a few miles away), all Grampian / First could hope for in terms of expansion was to gain the few County Council contracts available.  They had some success - they reached Banbury and Rugby for a while - but that has now gone.