tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159280162009-12-09T05:25:17.949ZReflecting the bus industry in a postmodern2.0 worldbusingnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1516125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-3027750686880994952009-12-08T06:59:00.005Z2009-12-08T06:59:00.411Z

It’s official. Research by consultancy Réseaulutions shows that towns & cities with monopoly bus services perform better than networks subject to competition. OFT, put that in your pipe and smoke it!Réseaulutions has undertaken a comparison of urban bus systems in 131 centres in England. Its findings are available on the web, for the OFT to see.This, then, is an important study that aims to

busingnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-89406171294267854452009-12-07T06:59:00.002Z2009-12-07T07:19:54.651Z

One of the industry’s leading and most experienced grandees and First UK Bus director, Leon Daniels shares some views on Barbie, Blue Birds, bendies (including ftr), brands, bus wars, backwaters… and biscuits. Leon also keeps a blog. See also previous Omnibuses interviews, here and hereOB: Your Barbie livery remains unpopular among the enthusiast community. How accepted do you feel is this livery

busingnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-21793448906608991382009-12-06T06:59:00.004Z2009-12-06T11:46:28.568Z

Whether you feel you wish to print this off for the office or garage Christmas party is up to you. See how many of these 20 questions you can answer. Readers are welcome to offer their suggestions via the Comments facility. Unless all are guessed correctly, we will give answers in a couple of days. Send an email if you wish us to reveal sooner. Which transport magazine celebrated its 60th

busingnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-29743643121985048762009-12-05T06:59:00.007Z2009-12-05T08:42:22.307Z

We’re used to inflation (except we have very little now). When we talk of inflation, we mean someone putting up the cost of living. But there’s inflation elsewhere. What about academic inflation? You need a degree to do a job once given to an A-level student. GCSE grades have been rising for years. And professional inflation? Dentists are no longer plain mister, but doctor.And bus operators

busingnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-12490531493827879792009-12-04T06:59:00.010Z2009-12-05T08:42:13.828Z

What do we know about the government’s Green Bus Fund winning bids, announced yesterday? Well, let’s start with what we don’t know. Though ADL, Optare, Volvo, Wrightbus and MCV are all suppliers, we don’t know specifically which manufacturers will benefit most, though we do know the DfT claims the fund will secure 1,000 manufacturing jobs (and just when the industry needs it most).We also don’t

busingnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-86389921038181959992009-12-03T06:59:00.004Z2009-12-05T08:41:42.861Z

A very interesting graph appeared in a recent edition of routeONE magazine. It shows bus sales over the period 1975-2008. Although the Gen1 minibus is missing, it nevertheless offers quite an incite into our industry and how manufacturing output mirrors on-the-ground operations (quite logically, of course). We do what routeONE did not—take a canter through the years. The period 1975 to 1977 saw a

busingnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-66158306702681038992009-12-02T06:59:00.005Z2009-12-05T08:41:31.333Z

Outlasting the NBC created at the same time but now a very different organisation, one-post-only contributor Gerry Marshden (sic) writes an off-beat (excuse the pun) account of Merseytravel, the Merseyside PTE, and sends some celebratory pictures, too Rain did not stop play on the celebratory day. MPTE inherited this former Liverpool AEC Regent V/MCW upon formation till withdrawal in 1976. Buses

busingnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-68327325364495091692009-12-01T06:59:00.006Z2009-12-05T08:41:10.239Z

We reported yesterday evening at 1912 that Plymouth Citybus has new owners—Go Ahead. It was no doubt a long afternoon in Plymouth’s council chamber. Only time will tell whether this is good or bad for Plymothians. If the discerning audience at Omnibuses is anything to go by, if Citybus had to sell, readers preferred Go Ahead. I wonder what First Group thinks.What we can now expect is rapid change

busingnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-90092270325879917582009-11-30T06:55:00.000Z2009-11-30T06:55:00.170Z

With a decision on the sale of Plymouth Citybus expected today and a government seeking to reduce debt by realising £16bil in asset sales, what future is there for the remaining municipal arm-length companies?Local government owns about two-thirds of this £16bil-worth of assets. The suggestion seems to be that councils consider what they can release. Councils will obviously be expected to realise

busingnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-30257126518548317642009-11-29T06:59:00.004Z2009-11-29T14:48:30.702Z

Tomorrow’s Plymouth council meeting considers Plymouth’s children & young people’s plan, a three year review of the Gambling Act 2005 statement of principles and amendments to scrutiny committees’ terms of reference. But by far the most important item of business will be the sale to Go Ahead of Plymouth Citybus.Yesterday saw what some describe as a last gasp attempt at influencing Plymouth

busingnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-38460289359478630572009-11-28T06:59:00.013Z2009-11-28T07:37:39.148Z

The imminent arrival of Dorset’s first & solitary ex-London Mercedes Citaro articulated bus for use in the Poole-Bournemouth conurbation is provoking the selfish, uninformed and intolerant reaction you’d expect. Very few seem in favour. Very many don’t comprehend bus operations. At all. At the W&D Citaro artic trial of September 2009 The bendy bus will from 11 January be introduced by the company

busingnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-89187993747477967902009-11-27T06:59:00.006Z2009-11-27T08:02:21.066Z

Wilts & Dorset will be using an articulated bus on one of its Bournemouth university contracts from January 2010. This may prove an interesting diversion but it isn’t anticipated to be the norm in the Poole-Bournemouth conurbation.Not that double decks will be, either. Yet, double decks have been with us in Britain since the dawn of the motor omnibus. They’ve taken something of a battering in the

busingnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-65688668732062459802009-11-26T06:59:00.002Z2009-11-26T06:59:00.428Z

The eight joint CPT/PTE Group voluntary partnership position statements published yesterday reveal the closest potential co-operation yet between PTEs and their city region bus operators. Hitherto, the two sides tended to be slightly antagonistic towards each other—witness Brian Souter’s ptegasaurus stunt, aimed squarely at P.T.E.G., the PTE Group. It would seem that there may now be some common

busingnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-34405692974770594582009-11-25T06:59:00.006Z2009-11-26T06:36:33.148Z

Visitors arrive here often having typed “Optare rumours” into a search engine. This time last year, Optare had relaunched itself. It also was licking its wounds after the Solo+’s NEC debut. The much trumpeted unveiling resulted in something of a shock: an upright design that, although recognisably Solo along its flank, caught the opposite of the industry’s imagination. It proved to be a talking

busingnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-84215161367982826412009-11-24T06:59:00.007Z2009-11-24T06:59:00.174Z

One of the most intersting references within the now closed OFT consultation on the market study of the bus industry was paragraph 4.32. Here, and I paraphrase, the OFT remarked that smaller operators:Preferred competition *for* the market (for tenders) rather than *in* the market (on-street competition). Were effectively scared of registering competitive routes against bigger operators for fear

busingnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-86907397210346395082009-11-23T06:59:00.003Z2009-11-23T06:59:00.178Z

Omnibuses concludes its interview with Velvet’s Phil Stockley, by looking at Go South Coast and the OFT... and the most important question of all. See Part One here...OB: You are on record as saying you’d buy your former employers at Go South Coast a pint but your departure though amicable was decisive. Would you say that GSC management would buy *you* a pint?PS: A few wouldn’t, most would and

busingnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-48733148950596100392009-11-22T06:59:00.004Z2009-11-22T09:14:02.529Z

As the Plymouth Citybus sale deal draws closer—and details begin to emerge—we consider Plymouth in the context of recent developments in Blackburn, where Transdev Blazefield bought the former council owned Blackburn Transport nearly three years ago.First, though, here’s the latest from Plymouth. If Go Ahead buys Citybus, Go Ahead promises that it will: Offer £20.2mil for Plymouth CitybusMaintain

busingnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-59473849958338837232009-11-21T06:59:00.003Z2009-11-21T06:59:00.089Z

My late mother was the most organised person I have ever known. She completed her Christmas shopping by the end of the July sales (perhaps not such a good strategy these days, in the light of autumnal & last minute bargains). She had all her cards written, addressed and stamped the day after Christmas stamps went on sale. They’d be dispatched to ensure arrival on 1st December or, for commonwealth

busingnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-61209849117893623932009-11-20T06:59:00.008Z2009-11-20T07:59:59.264Z

The gradual scrapping of London’s bendy buses is becoming less & less remarkable and newsworthy. So why is it that the media continue to bang on about it so much?This time last week, the third route, no. 38, saw the last of its Citaro bendies, converted the day after to standard TfL double deck operation. Whether you think replacing 47 articulated Mercedes Citaros with 68 double deck VDL or ADLs

busingnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-14582196245139030962009-11-19T06:59:00.004Z2009-11-19T06:59:00.638Z

Tomorrow, the West Yorkshire integrated transport authority discusses quality contracts. It’s clear WYITA is keen to adopt the powers under the Local Transport Act 2008 that afford a greater opportunity for QCs. WYITA feels that in spite of operator and Metro PTE investment, bus patronage is still declining, even while the economy was growing. Result: fares increases above inflation and

busingnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-39805948893425244572009-11-18T06:59:00.007Z2009-11-18T06:59:00.215Z

Will Plymouth Citybus be better off under Go Ahead ownership?There are strong reasons why it might be, although Plymouth will lose the social dividend that comes with municipally-owned operations.There will be safeguards and promises of investment & innovation that generally come with the securing of preferred bidder status. Promises are all part of the mix and post-Bournemouth privatisation Go

busingnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-7148149796712974422009-11-17T06:59:00.009Z2009-11-17T19:39:45.278Z

Our Mystery Contributor follows up yesterday’s Phil Stockley Velvet interview...After nine months of conflict between Go Ahead’s Bluestar & Phil Stockley’s Velvet, bus services in Eastleigh have settled down to what appears to be a stable level. Velvet now reaches as far as Winchester, having taken over E2 from Stagecoach. Notice the poppy on the nearside mirror. Photo: Stephen Hooper (used with

busingnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-34611488579890068922009-11-16T06:59:00.006Z2009-11-16T06:59:00.459Z

A graduate in transport management, Phil Stockley joined Southern Vectis in 1995 as a management trainee. Leaving in 1998 while traffic manager, Stockley moved to Stagecoach West, later West & Wales, as a director. Following a short stint at Stagecoach Devon, he moved back to Southern Vectis in 2004 to run Solent Blue Line and later under Go Ahead was responsible for operations at SBL & SVOC.

busingnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-56500687755547846752009-11-15T06:59:00.004Z2009-11-15T06:59:00.351Z

Unless the government announces it is re-nationalising the entire bus industry, we publish tomorrow a fairly candid interview with one of the bus industry’s well-known managers. You may recall last week that we spoke to Jenni Wilkinson at Transdev Yellow Buses. If you work in the bus industry (at whatever level) and feel we could meet for a chat and interview for publication here, get in touch by

busingnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15928016.post-286922726774117512009-11-14T06:59:00.006Z2009-11-14T06:59:00.796Z

You occasionally hear of mothers naming their children after someone special who’s helped bring their child into this world. But after a bus?Last month on Hackney Community Transport’s TfL 394, Emiloju Fatimah Lawal gave birth somewhat earlier than predicted, with the help of the driver and one fellow passenger. Mum of four Emiloju, upon hearing that the bus was a Dennis Dart, chose “Dennis” as

busingnoreply@blogger.com3