The original McGill's Bus Services name first came into use in 1933. This company was based in Barrhead and owned by the McGill family.
It expanded significantly during the years leading up to bus deregulation, but in July 1997 sold out to the major operator in the area, Clydeside 2000.
The privatised (and struggling) Clydeside sold out to Arriva which continued to struggle.
In July 2001, Arriva decided to withdraw from its Inverclyde operations, which were loss-making and faced significant competition from independent operators. Its Greenock depot was sold to former GMS owner Alex Kean and the Easdale family with each owning 50%. This became the new McGills with a new livery of blue, white and gold introduced.
fbb remembers one of his visits a-wooing Mrs fbb to be, and ending up at Renfrew Ferry to gaze open mouthed at the frequent services of buses to Renfrew town and Paisley operated by a variety of independents - McGills, Grahams, Patons, Cunninghams float feebly (and possibly unreliably) into the brain. fbb will return to the ferry terminus (nearly) in his tour.
Because of his mobility problems, it was necessary to plan a tour with a minimum of walking, so fbb teetered along top the stop at the ferry terminal, just outside the co-op.
In response to previous Largs blogs, several readers have commented on the total lack of printed timetable information in the town. fbb was minded to explore the delights of Breahead - a huge shopping and leisure complex. The best way to start is with McGills 15 minute frequency 901 and 906 via Greenock to Glasgow.
Or so fbb thought. But he was in for a shock. According to the departure panel in the frame the 901 now only goes as far a Greenock,
Likewise the 906.
On neither panel was there any mention of through buses to Glasgow, let along how fbb would be able to get to Braehead. From the date on both panels, it would be reasonable to assume this drastic change took place back in March.
So fbb will need to catch another bus in Greenock?
But belay that order cap'n! Here comes a bus ...
...and it's going to Glasgow!
It is hard to see what level of administrative insanity would be needed to prepare and then post something that is so utterly wrong.
Not only that, but how come McGills have not noticed? Shouldn't they be checking that the PTE have done their job properly.
And it gets even dafter.
Here are the panels on display at the stop outside the railway station. The 901 goes to Glasgow ...
... as does the 906.
Because the PTE doesn't post timetables, there has to be a collection of notes, as above on the 906.
(1) an early journey that omits Braehead (so they do go via the mega shopping centre?)
(2) buses that terminate at Greenock
But for a real touch of lunacy, have a look at note (3). It reads:-
Journey operates via Wemyss Bay
and not via Wemyss Bay
Arr : Wemyss Bay Dep
In case you thought that insanity was just a feature of the 901, here is note (5) on the 906,.
Journey operates via Wemyss Bay : Inverkip Main Street : Gourock Pierhead and not via Wemyss Bay Arr Wemyss Bay Dep : Gourock Station Road
In case your geography is weak, here is a map of the road north from Largs.
It is IMPOSSIBLE for either the 901 or the 906 to get anywhere WITHOUT going via Wemyss Bay.
The 901 and 906 do part, briefly ...
...and fbb would always choose the longer route as it remains closer to the Clyde nearly all the way to Greenock.
The McGill's map above presents another challenge. Which bus goes via Inverkip village and which zooms along the main road?
fbb's 901 stayed on the main drag and ignore the right turn to the village BUT the map says otherwise.
The printed timetable ...
... says the map is wrong; 906 via the Main Street in the village.
Then there is a "Braehead Mystery". McGills publish several on-line maps of in very diagrammatic style.
The Inverclyde diagram shows the 901 and 906 by-passing the magnificent retail experience ...
... whereas the Renfrewshire map suggests they call in.
Fortunately, the timetable is clear, as are the buses.
fbb would be able to go in to intu Braehead!
0905 Largs
1032 Braehead
The journey ran to time all the way and was busy with standing passengers from Port Glasgow to Braehead.
There was one other amazing event to record. The bus pulled in to the stop at Wemyss Bay station (yes it did go that way!) ...
... a McGills man boarded.
And he went round and checked the tickets!
When did you last have your bus ticket "inspected".
fbb's was OK. £7.10 for the whole of the company's extensive network seemed pretty good value - even if fbb did not make full use of it.
Tomorrow, as Buzz Lightyear did not say:-
To Infinity Braehead and Beyond
Next McGill's network blog : Sunday 28th April
The cream and blue single decker is Paton's, not McGills. It was one of two Willowbrook-bodied buses (the rest were Duple coach bodies with bus seats) that passed into the Western fleet when Paton's was taken over in 1979.
ReplyDeleteClydeside 2000 was part-owned by Luton & District, which is how it fell into British Bus and then Arriva control.
Did you ask the McGill's Route Manager about the publicity issues since he fortuitously boarded yiur bus?
ReplyDeleteCan I please correct a widely held misconception, there is not an old and new McGills. The bus fbb rode on was operated by McGills Bus Service Limited, a company incorporated on September 2nd 1949 by Isabella McGill "Motor Omnibus Proprietor" and Francis McGrath McGill "Motor Engineer". While it has changed ownership and operating areas as outlined by fbb, it is nevertheless the original company.
ReplyDelete