Stagecoach in Bedford happenings 2018

[al_557]

Is Cambridge management the kiss of death?

At least Bedford hasn’t suffered Norfolk’s fate.

That's because Bedford has the cash cow that is the X5 and the main town services are well used

[Julia_Hayward]

The X5s certainly seem less well used since the recent timetable change, and they will be one more down next week as I'm cancelling my season and going back to the trains.

[MIB]

Well it finally happened, after sailing close to the wind all week, that I was late for work. The 0911 6 with 35104 arrived at 0919 with 35103 but that old chestnut resurfaced of one parking outside Iceland and the other going into the bay to pick up. Sure enough 35103 that parked in the bay formed the 0923 6 whilst 35104 drove off as the 0911 to pick up from Union St onwards thereby condemning me to another 4 minutes of sitting around. It always aggravates me that the earlier service avoids picking up leaving it to the later service just to make the passengers even later to where they are going. Just to make absolutely sure I was late today the 0915 51 was like a breath of fresh air as no vehicle appeared thereby reducing the carbon emissions. An advance on yesterday when it was the driver who went missing...

Meanwhile the other 0915 departures left on time as 18419 did the 73 and 19892 the 81. Other piffle noted in my extended wait were 18416 on the 0905 72, 15455 on the 0932 50, 34882 on the 6, 19698 on the 9 and 18418, 18424 and 19701 on the 1.

Looking back to 16 March 2011 I had an appointment in South Wing Hospital so I did 16230 on the V1 and returned on 33183 on the 2. My bus to the office on the 6 was 16677 but I went the long way round via Brickhill and got off on the way back. After work 16226 returned me to town on the 6 but I remained on board to do an out and back to Norse Road on the 5 with it. 

[TCD813]

Hi, MIB.

You've been doing stirling work logging the failures of Cambus trading as Stagecoach in Bedford.

It might be worth registering formal complaints.

Here's some potentially useful information.

From:
Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain, Complaints procedure

Complain about bus punctuality and reliability
You should contact one of the following organisations to report a bus service that is not running to the Senior Traffic Commissioner’s punctuality and reliability standards:
DVSA
Bus Users UK

As you are Bedford-based, it would be sensible to join BABUS (Bedford Area Bus Users’ Society) (if you haven't already) and seek to pursue the complaints through them.

Your posts are easily accessed for compiling a diary of poor punctuality and reliability here: Show Posts – MIB.

[al_557]

Loans in from Fenstanton and Peterborough are MAN 22333 (AE51RZM) which was on the 53 today and Darts 34534/37 (GX04EYH/L) which were on the 51 and 71 today and 34882 (AE06HAO) which was on the 53 yesterday.
These are needed to cover the Enviro 400's being used on the X5 becuase of lack of serviceable Volvo B11RT Elites

[Coast_Hopper]

The X5s certainly seem less well used since the recent timetable change, and they will be one more down next week as I'm cancelling my season and going back to the trains.

What journey do you make that's compatible with the X5 bus and train

[Julia_Hayward]

What journey do you make that's compatible with the X5 bus and train

Eaton Socon - Cambridge Business Park and back. Which is either X5 from the end of my road to Parkside, then busway A / Citi 2 / 9 / Milton P&R (provided I guess which will come first and head to the right stop), or bus 63 to St Neots station, then train via Hitchin to Cambridge North and a short walk. It's staggering that the X5 has deteriorated to the point where the latter is preferable. Partly because Bedford seem not to be able to keep a full fleet on the road - not only subbing Enviros for coaches but cancelling some at short notice - and partly because the A428, Madingley Hill and Milton Road are all completely jammed up every single morning.

[MIB]

The sharks have now dispersed and let me back into the site after I was kept at bay by a warning message, complete with shark fins, denying me any access so I missed out on the gen that Bedford has received some loanees which explains why I scooped three winners yesterday. Hopefully this will at least mean services will run but it won't address the late running unless road rats get culled like badgers.

I went into town on 22317 and the 1132 50 was 39682, whatever alien that is, so it was scratched to Sainsburys and back into town with 34834 on the 6, I went home on 19700 on the 9. I realised later I had forgotten to do something in town and the 81 to the bus station was 34882 which parked alongside a third winner 17484, on the 1523 6 so this was reeled in so a very productive day without trying.

Other piffle noted was 18057 on the 73, 19892 on a 41, 19888 on a 71, 19702 on a 53, 19890 on the 1126 X5 to Cambridge, 19704 arrived from Cambridge and was ripped to work the late 1215 81 and later 19893 was on the 1526 X5 to Cambridge.

This morning winner 22333 was on the 9's so hopefully I can rake it in on my way home from work.

[al_557]

The sharks have now dispersed and let me back into the site after I was kept at bay by a warning message, complete with shark fins, denying me any access so I missed out on the gen that Bedford has received some loanees which explains why I scooped three winners yesterday. Hopefully this will at least mean services will run but it won't address the late running unless road rats get culled like badgers.

I went into town on 22317 and the 1132 50 was 39682, whatever alien that is, so it was scratched to Sainsburys and back into town with 34834 on the 6, I went home on 19700 on the 9. I realised later I had forgotten to do something in town and the 81 to the bus station was 34882 which parked alongside a third winner 17484, on the 1523 6 so this was reeled in so a very productive day without trying.

Other piffle noted was 18057 on the 73, 19892 on a 41, 19888 on a 71, 19702 on a 53, 19890 on the 1126 X5 to Cambridge, 19704 arrived from Cambridge and was ripped to work the late 1215 81 and later 19893 was on the 1526 X5 to Cambridge.

This morning winner 22333 was on the 9's so hopefully I can rake it in on my way home from work.

I hope Bedford remember 17484 (LX51FMC) is a highbridge decker and don't send it out on the 51 or it will end up an open topper. Not seen it myself yet but I hope it strays onto the 1 or 53 tomorrow to increase my chances of a ride on it

[RM471]

Here's some potentially useful information.

From:
Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain, Complaints procedure

Complain about bus punctuality and reliability
You should contact one of the following organisations to report a bus service that is not running to the Senior Traffic Commissioner’s punctuality and reliability standards:
DVSA
Bus Users UK

"potentially" is right.
In fact there is no clear guidance on how to complain or who to complain to. For instance XL services showing on the display at a stop as being due in reducing number of minutes, then due, then no bus arrives and "due" is replaced by 30 minutes. A common occurrence according to an IT literate East of England commuter who asked me how to complain. I had suggested Traffic Commisioners and DVSA but no complaints procedure can be discovered on either of their websites.

An email address, an on-line form or even a downloadable ,pdf form and a postal address would be useful.

[MIB]

I had planned to do winner 22333 home on the 9 yesterday but as alternative winner 34534 appeared on the 1729 9 I went home on that instead. I still haven't had 19699. How long has that been here now? An E400 was on the 1726 X5 to Cambridge but I didn't see which one. 18057 was on the 6, 15607 did the late 1712 50 and 34882 the 1715 51.

A bit of a contrast to 21 March 2012 with 14000 on the 1740 5A into town, 16113 on the 1752 50, 16230 on the 1815 51 and 16209 on the 1830 81 that particular evening.

Back to today's reality, 17484 was again on the 5 and 6 circuit along with 18057. 19700 did the 0905 72 and 19698 the 0915 81. Amazingly the 0911 6 was more or less on time for the second day running but 34828 is not anything to write home about.

[MIB]

When I did 34534 home on the 1729 9 on Wednesday it was absolutely heaving but yesterday on 22318 it was just me and a couple of flies on the same service wherever all the people had gone. We didn't pick anyone up at St Pauls which is highly unusual. I was a bit narked when required 22333 passed me on a 9 going the other way. Oh well, never mind, I was at home in time for Fiona Bruce on the news but alas the story of her stolen mango was not a news item!

I needn't have worried as 22333 produced on the 9 again this morning to take me into town for the 0911 6 so job done but what a bone shaking crate it is. The timer counted the 0911 6 down in the bus station and then it just disappeared and then commenced counting down for the 0923. I had no choice but to do 35104 on the 0915 51 and on arriving at the office the 0911 still hadn't passed so I guess another no show.

With 22333 seemingly sectorised on the 9, it seems to be the same for 17484 on the 5/6 routes. However, it arrived on a 6 but then got parked up and bouncy 34882 became the next 5 so it is possible the trident is now off those routes. 19891 did the 0905 72 and 19705 the 0915 81 but as yet I have still not witnessed the presence of 34537 or seen 19699 this week.

18190 appeared for the 0932 50 complete with warning sticker in the front window about fare rises in Kettering from 25 March. I assume if I do the 50 to Sainsburys that I won't get charged more for it than on the 51.

Talking of the 50, this coming week in 2014 saw me have the following after work into town on the 1611 from Kettering, gold 15746 (24th), gold 15743 (25th), 19020 (26th), 15606 (27th) and gold 15741 (28th). Rarely see the gold jobs in Bedford now but my records show I had all the X4 branded 15739-751 to and from the bus station...

[SteveHFC]

X5 coach 54316 spotted broken down at MK Rail Station this lunchtime - coach running 30 minutes behind it was loading up the displaced passengers as I walked past.

[Coast_Hopper]

Eaton Socon - Cambridge Business Park and back. Which is either X5 from the end of my road to Parkside, then busway A / Citi 2 / 9 / Milton P&R (provided I guess which will come first and head to the right stop), or bus 63 to St Neots station, then train via Hitchin to Cambridge North and a short walk. It's staggering that the X5 has deteriorated to the point where the latter is preferable. Partly because Bedford seem not to be able to keep a full fleet on the road - not only subbing Enviros for coaches but cancelling some at short notice - and partly because the A428, Madingley Hill and Milton Road are all completely jammed up every single morning.

Why not the train to Huntingdon then bus B down the guided bus way

[Julia_Hayward]

Why not the train to Huntingdon then bus B down the guided bus way

When I tried it the connections at Huntingdon were poor, and the B at that time in the morning takes a very long time touring the Oxmoor picking up at every stop - and I still have to change to an A at the end so it would have been slower than the train (on the day the A was badly delayed). If I got my bike sorted out to cut down the time from home to St Neots station, that would help, but not sure if folding bikes are welcome on the busway?

[al_557]

Don't know how I missed this but just been told by my friend within Stagecoach in Bedford that Kings Lynn Solo sr 48032 (YJ66ASO) was on trial last week and driven not in service around current solo routes

[Coast_Hopper]

Don't know how I missed this but just been told by my friend within Stagecoach in Bedford that Kings Lynn Solo sr 48032 (YJ66ASO) was on trial last week and driven not in service around current solo routes

Oh they do trial new buses on routes then lol,

[al_557]

Oh they do trial new buses on routes then lol,

I did read that the Solo sr's were ordered for Coast hopper as the Enviro 200 MMC's were found to be too long for some of the routes

[Coast_Hopper]

I did read that the Solo sr's were ordered for Coast hopper as the Enviro 200 MMC's were found to be too long for some of the routes

Just the one section between Wells and Sheringham, big problem in Stiffkey and through Cley

[HughT]

I was passed by a double decker of some sort (Enviro presumably) on the 1710 X5 from Cambridge yesterday (Good Friday). So Bedford doesn't have enough working Volvos to run even a Sunday service?

[al_557]

I was passed by a double decker of some sort (Enviro presumably) on the 1710 X5 from Cambridge yesterday (Good Friday). So Bedford doesn't have enough working Volvos to run even a Sunday service?

The drivers are fed up with the Volvos constantly breaking down.
Bedford has had to get extra buses from other depot's to cover the failing Volvos
There are rumours of them getting replaced already at just 4 years old

The 99 should've had new coaches on the 2017/18 order but they got cancelled

We'll see what the 2018/19 Stagecoach order has on it when it's announced next month

[Julia_Hayward]

Does anyone know why so many of the Volvos have kitchen roll stuffed in the overhead air vents?

[al_557]

Does anyone know why so many of the Volvos have kitchen roll stuffed in the overhead air vents?

More than likely to stop water leaking from them. A common air con fault

[TCD813]

Does anyone know why so many of the Volvos have kitchen roll stuffed in the overhead air vents?

‪

More than likely to stop water leaking from them. A common air con fault

Does anybody know if this happens on the coaches which Whippet uses on National Express work?

[Steves]

‪

Does anybody know if this happens on the coaches which Whippet uses on National Express work?

I have travelled on several of them and not noticed it.  They seem well maintained (but they are mostly quite new).

[Habbinman]

Does anyone know why so many of the Volvos have kitchen roll stuffed in the overhead air vents?

Years ago, when I worked for Premier Travel, we used to get a lot of that happening !! It was where some numpty didn't know how to close the air vent off, so filled it with tissue paper to stop the draught on their neck !! OR, they couldn't bother to ask the driver to turn off the rack fans, please ? The only trouble was, it was bloody annoying to pick it all out, as in those days we were allocated our own coach which we kept & looked after ourselves. The other thing was ramming half-eaten sandwiches down between the seat & wall of the coach........and the fact we each had a waste bin which they never used !!??

[linkyyork]

Just the one section between Wells and Sheringham, big problem in Stiffkey and through Cley

A Coasthopper Enviro 200 MMC was operating east of Wells today - seen east of Cley Next The Sea

[MIB]

Nice to see Coasthopper's mentioned on this thread which reminds me I have not seen or heard any grasshoppers for years. Are they becoming endangered?

I have been busy and on my travels a lot recently so not been in a position to comment on here. I did head north on Saturday 24 March after having 19893 on the 0626 to Cambridge X5 for the train from St Neots but was back on the Sunday to score 34537 on the 1533 5. 19703 was on the 1554 2 and 19892 arrived on the 1410 X5 from Cambridge and was ripped. I believe my winner 19699 was meant to do the 1612 7 but I have no evidence it did it.

I was going to ask if the Elite junk had been sorted in my absence as both 19888 and 19889 were on the 9 this morning with 18418. 19702 was out on the 5 and 6 and 19704 on the 2. Hope they have enough E400's to cover the X5. As usual 17484 was still going strong on the 5 and 6 whilst 18417 was on the 51. Unfortunately 22333 embarrassed itself at the traffic lights at Union St and Bromham Road by bursting on an inbound 6 blocking the straight ahead lane whilst awaiting fitter's attendance.

On this date in 2013 I did the 1753 50 all the way to Kettering with 16683 which was a year after doing 16500 on the 1753 50 on 2 April 2012. In those days there was always something to do after work unlike now.
 

[Julia_Hayward]

Noticed on Twitter that due to "mechanical problems" two X5 diagrams (0611 eastbound from Bedford, and 0730 eastbound from MK) are not running. Not even an Enviro to spare any more?

Edit: more later in the day on the Twitter feed, including the evening Bedford-Cambridge-Bedford short.

[MIB]

Noticed on Twitter that due to "mechanical problems" two X5 diagrams (0611 eastbound from Bedford, and 0730 eastbound from MK) are not running. Not even an Enviro to spare any more?

This is why I asked the question yesterday if the Elites had been sorted as it is unusual for the older vehicle dumping ground that is route 9 to actually have two diagrams with E400's on 19888/889. In addition there were two out on the 2 as well 19704 and 19891 and that too isn't the norm for that route. It gave me the impression the tri-axles were behaving although that particular thought disappeared on viewing 19890 on the 1745 X5 to MK yesterday on my way home. For the record 34427 was on the 3 and 34825 on the 1 so possibly an E400 was nicked off the 1 for the X5.

This morning 18424 and 19706 were on the 9 with 36042 on the 0915 51 and 19704 on the 5/6 circuit. My 0911 to work unusually was 19705 on the 6 so perhaps the thought process is to keep them on town services rather than rural routes so they can be snatched for an X5 if need be.

On this date in 2011 after work I did a return journey to Kempston on a 1 with 16221 and exactly a year later on this date I did 16221 on the 0650 to Biggleswade 73 for 21165 back to Bedford before heading off to Canterbury.