MidlandRed.net

Normally a rare sight. Not this week. Yeomans Solo SR YJ68FVC in a very empty Great Malvern Station....

lrew120585 wrote: ↑

06:44 Monday 6th April 2020

4B1BF16C-1097-4921-BDBD-8BAA6E6D3257.jpeg

Normally a rare sight. Not this week. Yeomans Solo SR YJ68FVC in a very empty Great Malvern Station....

Thanks for the photo, I was surprised that a Solo SR is being used, assumed that your coaches would be operated. I can understand that a low-floor bus is more convenient for passenger loading, but have reservations with Solos operating up and down the Malverns; from a passenger's point of view the modern ones don't change down quickly enough on uphill gradients and struggle at low revs and crawl ever slower with speed dropping off too soon . When they eventually change down it seems to go into one gear too high. The First Midland Red West Solos at Worcester I drove in 2003/4 (5304x series) had a gear selector and you could drop a gear and keep the revs up, also use the gears when travelling downhill in treacherous wet/icy conditions - a facility no longer available to the driver of modern automatics which have to rely on ABS. The Diamond Streetlites at Redditch are also very bad at hill-climbing!

Also, given the 2m rule, that makes for a max capacity of around five passengers....

Julie wrote: ↑

15:17 Monday 6th April 2020

Also, given the 2m rule, that makes for a max capacity of around five passengers....

That’s probably about 5 more than he’s carried!

I think Yeomans are like most coach operators at them moment, and they have taken most of their large vehicles off the road to save money.

AdamH wrote: ↑

16:25 Monday 6th April 2020

Julie wrote: ↑

15:17 Monday 6th April 2020

Also, given the 2m rule, that makes for a max capacity of around five passengers....

That’s probably about 5 more than he’s carried!

I think Yeomans are like most coach operators at them moment, and they have taken most of their large vehicles off the road to save money.

Close..... I had 4 passengers from signing on at 0310 and finishing at 1315. Nobody up til 0741. 2 on the 0840 from Hereford and 2 on the 1046 from Worcester

Looks like my kind of service

Busy busy busy!!

The vehicles currently off the road at Padmore Street have been sorned. However, a further Citaro, 64043, will be back on the road after the weekend. It is rumoured that the 35 will be going to a 15 minute service.

Although there are very serious worries, (and worse) affecting a huge number of people currently, I would like to express my concern about some of the bus services (previously) provided by First Midland Red.

When the travel restrictions are (gradually ?) lifted, I cannot see First wanting to provide any of those services / journeys that are currently dropped completely, - unless they are linked to schools and college work.

I think that too many people who previously used the buses will look for alternatives, just like now. (Example - internet shopping).

-- will there be enough £ and determination from Worcestershire c.c. (and Government incentives) to get lightly used services up to sensible frequencies and timings ??

I am thinking in particular of the 363, and the rush-hour extension of the 32 to / from Kempsey, but also I am "horrified" at the thought of how much damage will be done to passenger loadings on the 44, and the 144 (between Bromsgrove and Worcester).

I can visualise Astons taking over (again) a subsidised 363, and other subsidised work, --
IF they survive that is ! ( - IF they are still looking for a new site, they might want to "down-size" ??).

Under the current tragic circumstances, will First choose to sell the WR depot site, and down-size or pull-out completely ??

.

HM Government to cover bus operator's costs for three months as reported in the Financial Times.

Might stave off the worst effects of Covid 19 in the short term, but it would be a brave person who tried to predict what will happen by this time next year!

Link;
https://www.ft.com/content/d1c58a1d-e64 ... 6bdfeac25e