June 25th 2019 @ 12:35: New buses arrive with Stagecoach Wales, East Midlands and South East; Volvo B9TLs sold from Stagecoach Merseyside; Enviro 200MMCs and 400MMCs for East Yorkshire fleet and open top Routemaster tours in Llangollen

25/6/2019

Stagecoach South East
New ADL 11.8m Enviro 200MMCs are now being delivered here and are for Thanet for the Thanet loop service. Delivered have been 26231-42 with 26243-54 to follow.
Back in service at Herne Bay following repairs is Scania/Enviro 400 15775 with Reserve Fleet Enviro 300 27579 now back on the books at Thanet. Currently delicenced and out of use is Volvo B10M training coach 52644 at Dover.

Stagecoach East Midlands
Now delivered here and entering service at Hull are new ADL Enviro 400MMCs from ADL’s Scarborough facility, 11193/94/95/96/98. Several of the new vehicles were on display at a launch event in Hull on June 20th.
At Hull Trident 17709 is now in the reserve fleet whilst 17723 is delicenced for repairs. Now back in service at Hull following repairs are MAN/ALX300 22379 and MAN/Enviro 300 22789.
Following completion of the work to convert Dart SLF 34703 to a training bus it has been allocated to the training school Worksop where it has displaced Volvo B10M 52630 which is now for disposal. The training fleet here now comprises eight Dart SLFs nominally allocated to:
Hull: 34461/75
Mansfield: 34457
Lincoln: 34459/73/74
Worksop: 34703
Grimsby: 34464
The other two Mercedes-Benz Sprinters transferred here from Stagecoach South East are 44029 and 44030.

Stagecoach West Scotland
Trident 18008 is on loan here from the Rennies fleet at Stagecoach East Scotland. Allocated to Ayr it has replaced 18003 which is currently delicenced for repairs.
Sales are in progress for the disposal of Optare Versas 25235 and 25236 along with Van Hool Astromega 50241.

Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire
A further former Stagecoach Midlands Scania/Enviro 400 to enter service at Birkenhead is 15745. MAN/Enviro 300s 24155/58/59 are now at Gilmoss ousting Enviro 300s 27289/90/91 to Preston. Optare Solos 47620 and 47622 are now at Preston with 47624 having replaced 47620 at Chester.
Away for repairs is Enviro 400MMC 10827 whilst reported as sold are Volvo B9TLs 16951/52. We understand that the Volvo B9TLs are with Vision of Blackrod and that they have also taken 16953/56/59.
Reserve Fleet Trident 18156 is now at Chester with Reserve Fleet Dart SLF 34808 back on the allocation at Gilmoss.
On loan here from Ferrymill motors is fm36 (MX14FUP), an ADL Enviro 200 which is currently at Gilmoss.

Stagecoach South Wales
Now in course of delivery here are 12 Volvo B8RLE/MCV saloons for TrawsCymru services, 21351-62. They will be allocated to Merthyr and are due to enter service from July 4th. The Optare Tempos currently here will return to Powys County Council whilst the plan is also that MAN/Enviro 300s (22780/81/85/91) will be cascaded within Stagecoach UK Bus.
Dart SLF 34676 has been scrapped whilst there have been numerous vehicle transfers in the last month. All the vehicles which were transferred into the Reserve Fleet are for repairs. In summary these changes are:
Porth-Aberdare: Optare Solo SR 47863
Reserve-Aberdare: Dart SLFs 34502/55 and Optare Solo 47380
Aberdare-Reserve: Scania/Enviro 300 28639 and Optare Solos 47205 and 47907
Reserve-Porth: Optare Solo 47346
Reserve-Blackwood: Optare Solo SRs 47950/51/52/61
Blackwood-Merthyr: Optare Solo 47201
Reserve-Merthyr: Optare Solos 47236 and 47349
Caerphilly-Cwmbran: Optare Solo 47628
Blackwood-Cwmbran: Optare Solo 47534
Cwmbran-Reserve: Optare Solos 47352 and 47628, Optare Solo SR 47975 and Volvo B10M 52632
Reserve-Cwmbran: Optare Solo 47384 and Volvo B10M 52403
Blackwood-Caerphilly: Optare Solo 47197
Blackwood-Reserve: Enviro 200MMC 11.8m 26189
Merthyr-Reserve: Wright StreetLite 43009 and Dart SLF 35199
Optare Solo 47074 was transferred from the Reserve Fleet to Blackwood but then was subsequently transferred from Blackwood to Merthyr.
Dart SLF 35208 has been taken out of service at Blackwood and is now for disposal.
Currently on loan at Caerphilly is B29D-seated Optare Metrocity EV demonstrator YJ65EOV. This is here for evaluation prior to delivery of 12 examples of the type due for delivery early next year which will carry fleet numbers 25401-12. Four Optare Solo EVs with 9.2m bodywork are also on order for allocation to Caerphilly.

East Yorkshire
Due for delivery imminently to Scarborough are eight ADL Enviro 200MMCs from dealer stock. They are for services 7 and 7A and have been allocated fleet numbers 276-83 with the registrations YW19VOA/B/C/D/F/G/H/J. It is expected that registrations will be in fleet number order but that has not been confirmed.
The order for new ADL Enviro 400MMCs has been increased to 19 with 11 due this year and the balance of eight in early 2020. There is no confirmation yet on fleet numbers but it has been suggested that they would be numbered from 911 -29.
A further Volvo B9TL back from refurbishment is 782, which has also gained ‘Coaster’ branding.
The company has confirmed that the final four open top Volvo B7TL conversions due here will not carry ‘Beachcomber’ branding. That will enable one to be allocated to Bridlington and two to be used on the Scarborough Skipper service with the fourth vehicle being an engineering spare.

Go North East
Recent repaints include Scania CN230UB/Scania Omnicitys 5250/54 and Mercedes Citaro 0530N/Mercedes Citaro 5286 into the 2019 fleet livery. Open Top Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President 3998 has also been repainted, into the Toon Tour yellow and blue base livery. Optare Solo M880/Optare 698 is a further repaint into “Little Coasters” livery.
Another Scania L94UB/Wright Solar sold to ConnexionsBuses, Harrogate is 5204.
East Yorkshire’s open-top Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President 883 has been acquired and numbered 3997 within the Go North East fleet.

Stagecoach East
Back in service at Peterborough following major accident repairs at ADL Anston is Enviro 400MMC 10871.
There is a suggestion that the three Mercedes-Benz Sprinters here, 44005/06/09, could remain after their intended use on the Citi 2 shuttle service in Cambridge during bridge works on the route. They could be used on innovative feeder services into main Citi routes.

Stagecoach South West
Open top Scania/Enviro 400 15665 still awaits branding to be applied but has been working on the 95 Route, Exmouth to Sandy Bay, since June 10th.
Optare Solo 47084 is also currently working out of Exeter.
Dart SLF 34725 has had a repaint and whilst it is expected to operate out of Exeter in the short term, there is suggestion it could transfer to Barnstaple.

Stagecoach North East
Sunday 23rd June 2019 saw South Tyneside services E1, E2, E6, 30, X20, and X34 transfer from South Shields' Chichester depot to Sunderland's Wheatsheaf depot. We understand, subject to company confirmation that transfer of services included:
Enviro 400s 19641-44, Enviro 300s 27726-40 and four MAN/Enviro 200s 39715-18.
South Shields depot retains services 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 ,8 , 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 575.
Stagecoach North East recently announced a new partnership with Sunderland AFC, as it has become SAFC’s Official Bus Partner, and will work with the club throughout the 2019-20 season. A event at the Stadium of Light will showcase a Hall of Fame and honour the greatest names in the club's rich history for their outstanding achievements, and three buses in Sunderland will feature their images. MAN/Enviro 300 36975 is the first vehicle to have vinyls applied.

Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 44007 has transferred from the Reserve Fleet and is now allocated to Carlisle. Reserve Fleet MAN/Enviro 300 22878 is now part of the Carlisle allocation displacing 24120 to the Reserve Fleet.

Go North West
The new name for the former First Manchester operations from Queens Road depot. Now under Go Ahead ownership the first vehicle to carry Go North West livery is Enviro 400 33841 (SN14TTE).

Routemaster 4 Hire
This North Wales-based operator is currently operating two sightseeing tours from Llangollen. One takes in the steeply-graded Horseshoe Pass whilst the other take in thePontcysyllte Aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal 126ft over the River Dee. A 30 minute break is planned on each tour.
Operating the tour is open top Routemaster RM1783 (783DYE) and further details of the tours and to hire the bus can be found on the operators website.https://www.routemaster4hire.co.uk/llangollen-sightseeing
RM1783 has also been fitted with a more powerful AEC690 engine
Routemaster 4 Hire also has two closed top Routemasters RMs in its fleet - RM548, which now carries registration mark SVS618 and was originally WLT548 - along with RM765 (WLT765). as well as a longer RML - RML2213 (CUV213C) which was recently acquired from Peterborough-based A1Bus and a former London Transport Bristol LH, BL88 (OJD88R).

Stagecoach Manchester
Further to our recent report that withdrawn Trident 17612 had been allocated to the training school at Hyde Road, we understand that it has also benefitted from a recent repaint.
The last Volvo B10M training vehicle here, 20982, has now been stood down and is awaiting disposal.