|
Post by Eastlondoner62 on Sept 5, 2014 15:42:26 GMT
I see from Londonbusroutes.net that the 62 gets a new timetable for reliability and a couple of extra peak jnys from next Monday. Basic frequency is unchanged though. Yeah, hopefully the peak extra journeys provide some help. Personally I think the frequency is fine it's pretty frequent for a suburban and mainly residential route. It's just the buses need a capacity increase
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2014 16:10:23 GMT
Conversion of route 62 to DD operation was explored recently but the cost of parking up the SD fleet and running a DD fleet thus paying double the ownership costs was eyewateringly expensive to that point that, even though I will always push for improving the service to the public, I couldn't see how it could be justified by TfL.
When we run additional double deck vehicles it is at our cost and done so to provide the required number of single decks at the garage, or in the next few months to allocate BK single deckers to other routes for reliability improvements (until the current 488 contract expires when I will have surplus E200s).
|
|
|
Post by Eastlondoner62 on Sept 5, 2014 16:23:00 GMT
Conversion of route 62 to DD operation was explored recently but the cost of parking up the SD fleet and running a DD fleet thus paying double the ownership costs was eyewateringly expensive to that point that, even though I will always push for improving the service to the public, I couldn't see how it could be justified by TfL. When we run additional double deck vehicles it is at our cost and done so to provide the required number of single decks at the garage, or in the next few months to allocate BK single deckers to other routes for reliability improvements (until the current 488 contract expires when I will have surplus E200s). Thank you for the information. So I guess a chance of a future Double Decker conversion is slim
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Sept 5, 2014 16:35:31 GMT
Conversion of route 62 to DD operation was explored recently but the cost of parking up the SD fleet and running a DD fleet thus paying double the ownership costs was eyewateringly expensive to that point that, even though I will always push for improving the service to the public, I couldn't see how it could be justified by TfL. When we run additional double deck vehicles it is at our cost and done so to provide the required number of single decks at the garage, or in the next few months to allocate BK single deckers to other routes for reliability improvements (until the current 488 contract expires when I will have surplus E200s). Thank you for the information. So I guess a chance of a future Double Decker conversion is slim The obvious opportunity would be at the next retender but only if there was a way of avoiding any operator being lumbered with excess vehicles. The ideal time would have been at the last retender because the buses needed to be replaced for age / emissions reasons. The way I read GN's remarks is that he has a total fleet cost to carry and enlarging the number of surplus vehicles at the present time (by making route 62's SDs surplus) cannot be afforded. Every vehicle has to earn its keep or be disposed of rapidly. There is an underlying problem for TfL though - benefit changes are pushing people further and further out so their commutes to work grow longer and if they have families then transport networks in the outer boroughs like Barking and Dagenham and Havering will come under growing strain from more school and local shopping trips. This can already be seen at the stops close to Barking Town Centre where people cannot board buses but it will worsen so TfL will need to do something in the next few years. The fastest way is to put DDs in place of SDs where this can be can done affordably.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2014 16:56:30 GMT
I would imagine it will be re tendered as a double deck route when the ownership cost issue is mine not TfLs.....
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Sept 5, 2014 17:16:47 GMT
I would imagine it will be re tendered as a double deck route when the ownership cost issue is mine not TfLs..... I may be being a bit dense but is it not the other way round - where the ownership cost is for TfL not you (Stagecoach)? In other words TfL pay enough to cover all the costs of running double decks on route 62.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2014 18:16:05 GMT
I would imagine it will be re tendered as a double deck route when the ownership cost issue is mine not TfLs..... I may be being a bit dense but is it not the other way round - where the ownership cost is for TfL not you (Stagecoach)? In other words TfL pay enough to cover all the costs of running double decks on route 62. Think what Mr Nicholass is saying is that a re-tender with double decks would make the ownership costs his own problem to deal with - if the route were converted mid-contract the ownership cost of both sets of vehicles would have to be paid for by TfL in compensation for displacing the vehicles.
|
|
|
Post by Eastlondoner62 on Sept 6, 2014 10:18:37 GMT
Seems to be a pretty interesting Saturday, 2 Tridents are out along with 2 Enviro400s on the 62
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2014 20:16:20 GMT
I have noticed the wide variety of vehicles on the 62. An Optare Versa can be followed by a Enviro 400, good for the bus enthusiast but not for passenger flows. Reliability is probably quite poor at peak times, buses take a long time to cross the Eastern Avenue and later suffering delays at Ripple Road. Maybe it's time to have a route review. It might be better to operate Versas on the 362 and shift the Enviro 200s to the 62. There probably isn't any opportunity to swap vehicles until re-tendering, and even then Stagecoach would probably have to gain both the 62 and 362 to effect a vehicle change.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2014 20:17:50 GMT
I have noticed the wide variety of vehicles on the 62. An Optare Versa can be followed by a Enviro 400, good for the bus enthusiast but not for passenger flows. Reliability is probably quite poor at peak times, buses take a long time to cross the Eastern Avenue and later suffering delays at Ripple Road. Maybe it's time to have a route review. It might be better to operate Versas on the 362 and shift the Enviro 200s to the 62. There probably isn't any opportunity to swap vehicles until re-tendering, and even then Stagecoach would probably have to gain both the 62 and 362 to effect a vehicle change. eeeeerrrrmmmmm can't swap buses when not the same operator!
|
|