Year of the Bus News: March 2014

Re-capping the latest news and giving out new news is what we do on the Bus News section of the blog. Sit back and enjoy our quality service that we provide on a monthly basis.

Abellio London:
- Route S4 has been gained with new single deck hybrids on the 15th November 2014. This route is currently with Quality Line. Rumours are this route may be operated out of Fulwell (TF) garage, despite it's long dead run.


Arriva London:
- All the Volvo B5L Hybrids for Brixton (HV) have entered service on routes 59 and 319. This has allowed some DLAs to be cascaded to other destinations.

- Route 159 was cut back to Marble Arch on Saturday 29th March 2014.

- Route 38 has been confirmed to be fully Borismaster operation on the 10th May 2014, thus allowing DWs to be moving about the garages. 


- There has been a huge re-shuffle in garages, due to the closure of Lea Valley (LV) garage as National Grid required the site from the 1st March 2014. The changes were as followed:

LF52 URJ is seen on route 34 towards Walthamstow Central.
©LondonBusBreh
Route 34 transferred to Palmers Green (AD) on all days of the week, along with it's vehicles. The route is now allocated DLAs and DLPs
Route 125 transferred from Palmers Green (AD) to Edmonton (EC) Monday-Saturdays, and is now allocated DLAs with the occasional VLA. Although will continue to use on a Sunday, DLPs and Ts.
Route 184 transferred from Wood Green (WN) to Edmonton (EC), except the double decker school journey which remains at Wood Green (WN) and now ENS type vehicles have been spotted.
Route 382 transferred from Wood Green (WN) to Edmonton (EC) and is still allocated the 8.9m Dennis Darts. However, the first ever bus to not be a Dart ever on route 382 did come out as EN17 (GN57BPK) which is allocated to route 318 who transferred here to Edmonton.
Route 123 has transferred from Tottenham (AR) to Edmonton (EC) with it's VLAs, although still runs out of Tottenham on Sundays with DWs. 
Route 341 transferred to Tottenham (AR) from Lea Valley (LV) with it's Ts, which some have been spotted on the 149.
Route W6 transferred here with it's Pointer Darts which are 9.3m of length, not 8.9m like the examples on route 382 which none of have been intermixed.
Routes 397 and W11 transferred here too, both with their ENS type Enviro 200s, of 9.6m. Some have already made it onto 184, without blinds, but with 'Proper destination and information display, just not in the correct place'. 
Route 444, well known for it's unreliable and unhealthy Wright Cadets and poor service, has transferred to Edmonton, still using the Wright Cadets (DWL).
School routes 629 and 657 have transferred to Edmonton too, but with DLAs.
Route W3 transferred to Wood Green (WN) garage from Lea Valley (LV) with it's 61' reg Ts.


Transdev:
- RATP Group has bought out London Sorveign. A date shall be confirmed soon but operations should be bought out later this year. All vehicles will be strickered up with logos and most will not require new fleetnumbers. However, the 10.2m Enviro 200 Darts (DE) at Edgware (BT) and Harrow (SO) that are 11' plated will be renumbered DE129-171 to incorporate into the system. The new 10.8m E200 for route H13 later this year will be then numbered as DLE26.

London United RATP Group:
- London Sorveign has been acquired by this company, and now remains for the date of transfer. 

- Four Optare Metrocities which are electric are to operate out of Hounslow (AV) on route H98, to help with capacity reasons too. These have already been delivered to the garage itself via Hounslow Heath (HH) for driver training purposes and engineering training.

- The Metrocity for the 391 has once more been delayed.

Stagecoach London:
- The introduction of the Enviro 400 hybrids at Catford (TL) has been extremely slow, only two buses 12268 SN14 TWE entered on April Fools, and today 12266 SN14 TWC.

- The Wright Gemini's are starting to be delivered, with some registered as 'BU14 EFW/X/Y/X/Z, and the fleetnumbers 13001-31. These will be of the Wright Gemini 3 type, as if I am correct, the Gemini 2 is possibly no longer in production. Please correct this statement if this is incorrect.

Metrobus:
- It has been confirmed the Scania Olympuses on route 54 and 75 will flee off to Blue Triangles' Rainham (BE) depot, for use on routes 498, and all other school routes.

Metroline Travel:
- Routes 79 and 297 have both been confirmed to convert to fully Scania Olympus (SEL) operation in June. These will let out some 11' reg VWs and the 61reg VWs from route 79 go to Holloway (HT) for route 43. Note the 297 is already allocated four of these SEL-type vehicles. However, route 105 is to retain it's VWs. The night service of route 297 is still to be allocated purely VWs like it is now, due to residential complaints around the Neasden, South Pitshanger and Perivale areas about the noise the SELs do produce (Especially when idle!) and so Metroline and TfL have been keeping it VW since. 

 - The Gemini 3 (BF63 HDE) hasn't arrived yet, highly speculated for use on route 7 or 79. 
LK03 CFL/ TP415 on route E2 to Brentford, Commerce Road. With wrong
destination displays, at Greenford Broadway.
©LondonBuses72

- Only three TPs remain at Brentford (AH), which are TP411 (LK03 CFE), TP413 (LK03 CFG) and TP415 (LK03 CFL) which can be found on E-Line routes E2 and E8, although more common to see on the E2. As they are now just operational spares, they are usually in service on weekdays now, and are harder to catch on weekends, especially Simdays.

- There has been another VPL shuffle within Harrow Weald, Willesden and Edgware garages. The numbers of VPLs have decreased from 8 to 3. The only ones that remain at Edgware are LK51 XGG (VPL213), LK51 XGM (VPL217) and LK51 XGN (VPL218). Harrow Weald has received LK51 XGH (VPL214 and LK51 XGD (VPL205). Willesden have received Y203 NLK (VPL203) and Y143 NLK (VPL210) and LK51 XGR (VPL221), who though may have possibly been withdrawn.
Metroline TE720 on the 'Bright 5' as this shot is entitled, as opposed to 'Night 5'.
©Lewis JN

- The late journeys on N5, known as 'N5U' which run on Sunday Mornings until 1015 have been withdrawn since the 9th March, this date 2 weeks earlier than the scheduled one, 23rd March.

Quality Line:
- Route S4 has been lost to Abellio London.


Information correct to 03/04/2013, at 20:54.

2 comments:

  1. The fleet numbers for the Stagecoach London Gemini 3s are 13001-32 not 31.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice post, as always! Although I believe that only 27 buses are required for routes 297 and 79 (29 if you count spares) meaning that four SELs will probably going for scrap. So sad! Also, the S4 is going to be run out of Walworth. :) LBOTG

    ReplyDelete