Royal Wedding Day & Bank Holiday Bus Services

Tomorrow, 29th April, 2011, is the big day for Kate & Wills. It's also going to be a day (or a couple of days, in fact) of bus services running differently.

So here goes...

Friday, 29th April:

• Country Bus Devon: no service
• Dartmouth Steam Railway & Riverboat Company: no service
• Dial A Bus: no service
• Devonian Motor Services: normal service
• First in Devon & Cornwall: Sunday service
• Stagecoach South West: Sunday service (except the 120, which will operate a Saturday service)

Therefore, the services that won't be operational in Torbay at all tomorrow will be:


7, 14, 15, 16, 25, 26, 27, 30A, 30B, 60, 61, 62, 62A, 64, 65, 66/A/B/C, 67, 68, X81, 88, 100, 108, 109, 110, 111, 149, 174, 506, SB1, SB2, SB3, SB4, SB5 and SB6


Saturday, 30th April, is a standard Saturday service.

Sunday, 1st May, is a standard Sunday service.

Monday, 2nd May:

• Country Bus Devon: no service
• Dartmouth Steam Railway & Riverboat Company: normal service
• Dial A Bus: no service
• Devonian Motor Services: normal service
• First in Devon & Cornwall: Sunday service
• Stagecoach South West: Sunday service (except the 120, which will operate a Saturday service)

Therefore, the services that won't be operational in Torbay at all on Monday will be:

7, 14, 15, 16, 25, 26, 27, 30A, 30B, 60, 61, 62, 62A, 64, 65, 66/A/B/C, 67, 68, X81, 88, 100, 108, 109, 110, 111, 149, 174, 506, SB1, SB2, SB3, SB4, SB5 and SB6

Smiles All Round As The Optares Hit Town!

Today (Monday, 11th April, 2011) was the day that the Optares arrived in service on Stagecoach's 5 (Paignton, Foxhole), Stagecoach's 17 (Brixham, Wall Park, Furzeham) and Stagecoach's 22 & 24 (Brixham, Higher Brixham, Kingswear). 

The Optare Solos replaced the elderly 1996 Mercedes Benz Sprint 709D's, infamous for their bumpy ride, awful gears and the roar of the engine as they roamed Paignton and Brixham. 

The Mercedes were well due an upgrade

There certainly were smiles all round as people boarded their new bus, and there wasn't a single person who didn't board a happy passenger on the 17 & 22. 

The most common comment was: "Nice new bus!" But some drivers were quick to point out that they're not actually new: they are 7 years old. That's still 8 years younger than the 709D's, though. Others were quick to compare the vehicle to that used on Local Link's 67 Flyer. 

The only fault that seemed to bother people was that there wasn't much in the way of legroom. Well, there's certainly a lot more than on the Sprinters. Some passengers were also wondering why the bus was shaking like mad whilst idling.

It was also not just passengers who loved the change of vehicle; the drivers were very pleased indeed! They're good to drive, and this week is the best week to get used to them, according to some. (What it'll be like in the summer, only time will tell!). 

One driver forgot they were automatic, and so tried to engage gear, resulting in the bus shooting off at some speed! The drivers also appear to be very fond of the kneeling system, whereby the bus floor can be lowered and raised to allow passengers to board more easily. A lady was told to step off the vehicle so the driver could try out the kneeling! That brought laughs all round on the vehicle in Brixham. Some people even took the bus for a trip into town with their buggy simply because they now can! 

It was anticipated that certain sections of the routes in Brixham and Paignton would be difficult to get round. But having travelled the full 17 and 22 routes, it can be confirmed that no problems arose, despite the vehicles being almost twice the length and wider than their predecessors. 

Awaiting its fate...

So what's happened to the old buses? Good question. There's still one standing at Paignton as I type, but any others are nowhere to be seen. But wait...
...seen on Stagecoach 12 this morning on the 08:35 Brixham to Newton Abbot was (yes, you guessed it!) a Mercedes Sprinter 709D! That provided much amusement! The third time I've witnessed a Sprinter on the 12.

This was the 08:35 12 from Brixham!

That's it for this week. And long may the Optares remain. Over and out.