September 21st 2020 @ 14:30: Fleet Ramblings

21/9/2020

Stagecoach South East
We have previously mentioned that when we receive images some really stand out and we tray and use them, especially where there is a newsworthy angle. Over the weekend we received the image of Scania/Enviro 400 15181 working a 16 service through Denton on its journey from Canterbury-Folkestone. The newsworthy-angle is that this was the first vehicle locally to gain the new Stagecoach ‘Local’ livery and has retained the yellow area on the front.
A single deck here, Enviro 200 36856, has been completely destroyed by fire. It happened on the

afternoon of September 18thin the Sheperdswell area near Dover. Media reports suggest that it was started deliberately by school children..
Enviro 400 19051, which had been used as a paint float vehicle at Folkestone has been reported in use from Herne Bay whilst Optare Solo 47119 from Eastbourne has been operating from Hastings.
Recent repaints here into the Stagecoach ‘Local’ livery have been Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 59617, Dart SLF 34730, Enviro 200s 36497 and 36873, Enviro 300 27578, Scania/Enviro 400MMC 15289 and Enviro 400MMCs 10709/13.

East Yorkshire
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 401 arrived at Hull depot, following refurbishment at Hants & Dorset Trim on September 11th. Following preparation work it will be allocated to Elloughton where it will replace similar 971, which is on loan here from Oxford Bus Company.
Volvo B7RLE/Wright 342 is relicensed here and

allocated to Hull, whilst Volvo B9TL 770 is currently in the paint shop with Enviro 200 360 being prepared for repaint.
Volvo B9R 77 has been relicensed and is being used as a staff rest area at Hull Interchange whilst Volvo B7TL 679 has also been relicensed and is allocated to Scarborough.

Stagecoach Yorkshire
A change of plan here initially saw on loan Volvo B7TLs 20794-97 remain at Holbrook for Supertram BL3 replacement service whilst 20798-20800 moved to Ecclesfield for ‘closed’ schools services with Enviro 400s 19032/37 and Scania/Enviro 400 15711 moving from Ecclesfield to Holbrook on loan.
However, we now understand that 20800 along with one other example has moved to Stagecoach Midlands.

Stagecoach South
Enviro 400 19161 has been severely damaged in a low-bridge collision on September 10th 2020 and is expected to be written off.
Relicensed and back in service at Guildford are Tridents 18184/85/87 and 18376 along with Scania/Enviro 400 15982.

Stagecoach East
By September 11th Volvo B8RLEs 21301/05/10 had returned from Bedford, where they had been on loan, to Fenstanton. Volvo B11R/Plaxton elite 54315 was back in service at Bedford on the same date leaving just 54312 there to be returned to service.
Volvo B9R/Plaxton Panther coaches 53162/15 have been transferred to Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire for schools duplicate work at Birkenhead. Can anyone confirm if any others from the batch are also now with the Merseyside fleet?
Enviro 200 training vehicle 36013 has been transferred to Peterborough, where it is being prepared for use.
Another Enviro 200 to be allocated to Fenstanton is 37231, whilst Volvo B8R/MCV eVoRa 21366 has returned to Fenstanton from Bedford.
Reports reach us that Bedford depot is removing the `Peterborough Citi’ branding from the ADL Enviro 400MMCs received recently from Peterborough. The strapline remains but has had the word ‘Citi’ removed to simply read ‘travel made easy’, with 10876 being observed so treated.
With only the 12 Enviro 400XLBs forming the double deck Busway allocation at Fenstanton the use of Volvo B7RLEs and Volvo B8RLEs on the B Cambridge-Huntingdon service is taking place with increasing regularity.

Stagecoach Cumbria
& North Lancashire
Now for disposal here are Optare Solos 47056/59/60 and 47884. 47884 joined the Stagecoach fleet with the Norfolk Green takeover and passed to this fleet from Stagecoach East.

Stagecoach Merseyside
& South Lancashire
Now here from Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire are Trident 18382 (allocated to Chester) along with Optare Versas 25218/20/21, which are at Preston.
Additional Optare Solos on the books at Gilmoss are 47620/22/56/73 from Preston.
Reserve Fleet Dart SLFs relicensed and returned to service at Gilmoss are 34793 along with 34808/9/10 whilst already at Gilmoss 34811/12 are also relicensed and back in service. Reserve Fleet Tridents 18326/72 and 18442 have also been relicensed and allocated to Gilmoss.

Stagecoach West Scotland
Dumfries and Galloway Council-owned Optare Solo M880SL (YJ12GTU) and Optare Solo M890 (YJ12HKH) are now here and have been given fleet numbers 47877 and 47878.
Ardrossan depot has now returned to operational status with the allocation comprising:
ADL Enviro 400MMC 10922-31
Scania/Enviro 400s 15815-17, 15944-49/94-96
Scania/Enviro 300s 28652-58/60
Enviro 200s 36146/49-51
Optare Solo 47496
Optare Solo SR 47822/23
Now relicensed are Optare Solo 47388, used as a staff shuttle vehicle at Ardrossan and MAN/ALX300 training bus 22388 at Kilmarnock.
Optare Solo 48022 has returned to service at Ayr but 47838 there is now delicensed.

Plymouth Citybus (Go Ahead)
Enviro 400MMC 5016 (WA70DZR) was on test from ADL Scarborough on September 16th on a route which took it along Scarborough sea front. Unlike most vehicles which are registered by the vehicle builders and receive local registrations from the manufacturers area, these buses have South West registration marks.

Stagecoach South West
Trident 18393 has been relicensed and transferred from Plymouth to Exeter, whilst further Dart SLFs relicensed and transferred from Plymouth to Barnstaple are 34849 and 35134.
Dart SLF 35166 is a recipient of the new Stagecoach ‘Local’ livery with 34872 now in for paint. Former Plymouth Park & Ride-liveried 11.8m Enviro 200MMC 26035 now also carries the new ‘Local’ livery although we are not convinced with the white panel on the front, which differs from other Enviro 200MMC repaints elsewhere within Stagecoach UK. Next in line to lose its Plymouth Park & Ride livery is Enviro 200MMC 26034.

Stagecoach Oxfordshire
The planned transfer of Dart SLF 34471 from Witney to Banbury has yet to take place and we understand the vehicle may be at Oxford for MOT preparation work.
The two Dart SLFs received here from Stagecoach East, 34832 and 34882, have been allocated to Oxford as spare vehicles. ADL Enviro 400MMCs 10438/39 have transferred (on loan) from Oxford to Witney, whilst also back at Witney after repairs is 11235.
Gold-spec Scania/Enviro 400 15533 is currently allocated to Oxford.

Stagecoach East Midlands
Tridents 18431-33 and Dart SLF 34426 have been transferred from the Reserve Fleet at Lincoln to the main fleet there whilst Dart SLFs 35135 and 35136 have transferred from Worksop and are now in the Reserve Fleet at Lincoln. Former Stagecoach Manchester Enviro 400 19183 has been relicensed and is now allocated to Hull.
We understand that Enviro 400MMcs 10740/41/43 are now back at Hull after a short loan period to Gainsborough (10740/41) and Scunthorpe (10743) with 10742 remaining at Scunthorpe on loan. We also understand that Enviro 400 19061 returned to Grimsby last week after being on loan at Lincoln.
Latest Stagecoach ‘Local’ repaints here include Enviro 300 27791 and Enviro 400 10666, the latter being repainted at Stagecoach Yorkshire’s Chesterfield depot.
Trident 18040 has returned to active service at Gainsborough depot after almost 11 months out of use.

Transdev (Coastliner)
Whilst most of the Coastliner services are in the hands of the Malton-allocated Volvo B5TL/Wrightbus Eclipse Gemini 3 vehicles there can still be occasional variety on the routes. On the afternoon of September 16th we were surprised at the appearance in Goathland of ‘Pride of the North’-liveried Volvo B7RLE/Wrightbus Eclipse Urban 1867 (FJ09KNV) which was operating the last departure of the day to Whitby.