It’s always good to see brand new buses on the road, especially so in a town that in the recent past has relied upon so many second hand buses. Not that we should criticise used purchases as a quick win to modernise the Transdev Yellow Buses’ fleet.
Even with leather and wood effect, the more conventional-looking if upright Tempo will not have the same impact as the quirkier Versas before it. And at R-reg, they could even pass as from 1997...
The weekend saw service for six of TYB’s 11 new Tempos (or should the plural be Tempi?). As expected, they featured on the 1a Bournemouth-Boscombe-Christchurch-Somerford via Barrack Road, which operates as did the 1 of old.
Except that the 1a now requires PVR 13 and will still require two of the 11 Versas. Call me a purist who hates the idea of a mix & match approach but it seems odd that TYB didn’t order another two Tempos for consistency. Then again, there weren’t plans to increase the 1a’s frequency at the autumn 2008 order. And the key Christchurch corridor is already inharmonious, with the 1b and 1c seeing double decks.
Apart from the very obvious fact that the Tempos are longer, they feature just about all the accoutrements with which passengers have become accustomed on the Versa.
This is all part of TYB’s goal to seize back the Christchurch and Charminster Roads, post Wilts & Dorset Morebus. There are now as many leather seated TYBs between Bournemouth and Boscombe as there are 2+1 seated W&D Morebus buses. You take your choice: leather or individual seating. Add TYB’s non-leather 1b and 1c and TYB is almost double W&D’s number per hour.
And with the bulk of the Versas now cleverly cascading to the Charminster Road, passengers have the same dilemma—though here, Morebus wins on frequency (every 7½ minutes to TYB’s every 10).
As for Bournemouth-Christchurch, W&D’s potentially already lost that market, first with the withdrawal of the m2 east of Boscombe from every 10 to the X12 at every 15. And, from later this month, the X12 goes to half-hourly. Mind you, the X12 remains the most direct bus to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and the only bus via Fairmile.
TYB trumpets the 1a change in particular as providing extra seating capacity. It’s true that an increased frequency from six to eight an hour plus extra capacity on the buses themselves will assist at peak (when the Versas found themselves stretched, given the English distaste for standing). TYB should take a look back 30 years ago when the Christchurch Road had 888 seats per hour as opposed to TYB’s current 792 plus Morebus’ 296. Ish.
Footnote: TYB is now advertising as easy access all routes bar the hourly 38 and 39 and schooldays only 49. Good on ’em.
6 comments:
" . . . take a look back 30 years ago when the Christchurch Road had 888 seats per hour . . ." and most of 'em were on our much missed trolleybuses!
THey should take a leaf out of the best operator in Velmores aproach, and run a National!
I can't believe they've put even more useless number plates on them.
Hope TYB don't regret these purchases. Will they be the 21st century Roadliners perhaps?
To "National Lover", BCT did in fact operate 2nd hand Nationals. They were not liked let alone loved.
Shame almost all of them have broken down during their first two days in service
Shame the GSC trolls don't recall 2004 and their much hyped 'more' buses which might have had teething troubles too?
I seem to recall being turfed off a defective one in its first week on the road..!
Post a Comment