More
investments made by First bus, to
increase the usage for their services.
First up - the
new bus purchases for their West of England services.
From First Group
Bus passengers travelling on the Severn
Express service between Newport,
Chepstow and Bristol city centre will now be travelling in the very latest
environmentally friendly buses after operator First West of England unveiled
three new ‘low-carbon’ vehicles, each costing approximately £250,000.
The buses are fitted with the latest Euro VI engines, which produce 95% less nitrogen
oxide (NOx) emissions compared to buses with Euro V engines, and as a result will help improve air quality along the 18-mile Severn Express route.
The buses also have start-stop technology, which cuts out the engine when a bus
is stationary.
First West of England Managing Director
James Freeman said: “These new buses will make a significant contribution
towards our environmental performance.
Following an ambitious £25
million investment programme which started 2 years ago, almost a quarter of our
West of England fleet now consists of significantly cleaner buses, and the
numbers are increasing steadily.”
The buses have free Wi-Fi, so passengers can
use their mobile smartphones on the 18-mile journey. In the coming months, the
buses will also be fitted with USB
charging points at every seat, so passengers can keep their devices charged
during the journey. Freeman said:
“We decided to install USB charging points on the Severn Express because the
distance covered is more than most of our other services and as a result the
journey takes longer. We hope our
passengers appreciate this added convenience once the charging points are
installed”.
Monmouth MP David Davies said: “Many of my
constituents work in Bristol, so a fast
bus service with state-of-the-art technology is important to provide an
alternative to train and car travel, especially with the increasing levels of
congestion on the major roads across South Wales”.
The three buses will have an extra feature:
Each of the three buses has a different
type of seat made of different materials, which provide slightly different
experiences. The bus company is trialling the new seats and will issue feedback questionnaires on set dates to
find out what passengers think of each type.
Chepstow Mayor Cllr Paul Pavia said:
“Chepstow is the Welsh town nearest to Bristol, with excellent schools,
facilities, and - as the Severn Express service shows – excellent, affordable
connections into Bristol and the West of England”.
He said: “Driving into Bristol for work can be quite expensive. Once you add
cost of a day’s parking, fuel consumption and tolls, it could be
as much as £22. By train it’s more than £10. On the Severn Express, you’re looking
at £5.40 for two single journeys, so
75 per cent cheaper than driving by car
and around 50 per cent cheaper than a return train ticket”.
Mile for mile, the 18-mile Severn Express journey has one of the cheapest fares across
First Bristol’s extensive bus network. A
single journey can be as cheap as £2.70 if bought as mTickets on the company’s
smartphone app (minimum purchase required). All-day tickets for unlimited
use anywhere in First’s West of England network are available for £7.50 or £7
if bought via the First Bus mTicket smartphone app.
According to
Coach and Bus week, First West of England has purchased three new Alexander
Dennis Enviro400 MMC’s with the new Euro 6 engines.
Here’s the
leaflet for the Severn Express services.
Secondly,
First Bus will be increasing their services for the Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit scheme.
From First Group
New Vantage cross-city bus service to launch
this month in Manchester
First Manchester is continuing to increase
the offering of its premium Vantage bus service by adding a new route from 29th
January.
The new V3 Vantage service will launch on
29th January, and will run hourly every
day, to and from Manchester Royal Infirmary. The popular V1 and V2 Vantage
services will continue to operate, but there will be minor changes to the
timetable to allow the services more time to complete their journeys during
peak times.
Numbered V3, services will run from Leigh
along the four and a half mile
traffic-free guided busway. Bus lanes on the East Lancs Road then mean a
fast and comfortable route into the city, with stops including the East Lancs
Road Park & Ride, University of Salford and Salford Crescent Railway
Station. The V1 and V2 routes will continue to serve Piccadilly Gardens and
Stevenson Square, whilst the V3 will travel straight down Princess Street,
Portland Street and Oxford Street before reaching Oxford Road, with services
running as far as the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Ian Humphreys, Head of Commercial at First
Manchester, said: “The V3 service will be run with the same premium Vantage vehicles, which means
you can travel in style with e-leather seating, free Wi-Fi, “next stop”
audio and visual announcements, luxury seats, tables upstairs and USB charging
points.
“The new route will be introduced on 29th
January, and we’d therefore advise customers to check the First Manchester
website for full timetable information, or to contact our customer services
team with any questions.”
The
V1, V2 and V3 services will operate as follows:
V1: Leigh – Tyldesley – Ellenbrook – East Lancs
Road Park & Ride – Manchester
V2: Atherton – Tyldesley – Ellenbrook – East
Lancs Road Park & Ride – Manchester
V3: Leigh – Tyldesley – Ellenbrook – East Lancs
Road Park & Ride – Manchester – Manchester Royal Infirmary
For further information on the Vantage
service please visit https://www.firstgroup.com/greater-manchester/more/vantage/where-can-vantage-take-me
.
Thirdly, the
recent London Bus tender awards.
Notification
of Tender Results:
LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for
the following routes with the operators listed below:
131 from London United to London General, pvr
21 with 2010 Euro V diesel double decks
411 Retained by Quality Line pvr 6 with new Euro VI diesel single decks
465 Retained by Quality Line pvr to come,
and single deck types to come
605 from London Sovereign to Sullivan Buses,
pvr 2 with 2009 Euro V diesel double decks
628/688 retained by Sullivan Buses pvr 6
with 2009 Euro V diesel double decks
632 retained by Metroline pvr 3 with 2009
Euro IV diesel double decks
653/683 retained by Sullivan Buses pvr 5
with 2009 Euro V diesel double deck
Start
dates:
1st July 2017: Route 465.
2nd September 2017: Routes 605, 628/688
& 653/683.
30th September 2017: Routes 131 & 411.
14th October 2017: Route 632.
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