Contentious Caledonian Considerations - 3

More D & G : Dumbarton Grumbles

fbb can be exasperated by the poor quality of reporting on matters omnibological. In their desperation to get a "story", local hacks are quick to blame bus companies for almost any lapse of public transport policy, always forgetting that the bus companies are businesses that exist to make a profit for their owners and/or shareholders.

This rather lengthy article takes the same line, but with a vigorous nod to the sponsors of the bus service in question.

The 340 is a tendered service ...

... administered by Strathclyde PTE, although, as we shall see, some of the money comes from other generous donors.

But first, we look at McColls, not to be confused with McColls ...

... the Scottish equivalent of the beleaguered W H Smith. And, yes, fbb knows about McColls in England but the business activity south of Hadrian's Wall is ordered differently.

Our McColls is a bus company with a business centred on Dumbarton and the Leven Valley, the built up area to the south of Loch Lomond.

McColls can trace its history back to the 1960s, although much has changed over the intervening years.

McColl’s is a family business founded on 19th May 1966 as Duncan Stewart Coaches in Dalmuir, Clydebank. However, after 7 years, the company became a part of the McColl’s family.  

The main depot was shortly relocated to Ballagan just outside of Balloch. A second depot was opened in Dalquhurn Industrial Estate, Renton before both were merged to a larger depot in Vale of Leven Industrial Estate which remains our current home. 

We have had some various re-branding over the years including our fleet colours/design, company name and family management team. 

The core and fundamental success of our business has always remained customer focused delivering safe, reliable and high quality services. 

The company runs an up-to-date fleet that always appears well-kept. 

It also has a very good on-line presence ...

... with full timetables amongst good all-round information.

Most of its services are operated under contract to the PTE as far as fbb can tell.

For example, a while back we met the 207 ...

... which runs to Lomond Shores, that highly commercialised "resort and shopping centre" that is the ugly gateway to the beautiful Loch Lomond. The 207 is numbered in the same series as routes formerly of the raditional historic operator, Central SMT and now by First Glasgow.

It looks like an interesting ride ...

... every hour and enjoyable by double decker!

Also of note is that McColls will be the operator of the Trossachs Explorer ...

... featured in last Monday's posting. 

McColls also operates the 309 ...

... which provides positioning journeys and connections for the Explorer.

Also, as well as telling us that the company will run the Explorer ...

The web site also tells us, without comment, that the 340 is withdrawn.

So where goes the 340?

To answer that, you will need to tune in to tomorrow's blog.

==========================

Puzzle Picture

Sometimes a snippet of information comes as a shock to fbb. It is not just something the old bloke has forgotten, there's  plenty in that category; but it is somethings that he has never known.

So where, pray, is Walham Green.

It is NOT a mesprunt for Welham Green seen below on opening day.

And below is what Walham Green looked like in 1956.

It does fbb good to grapple with his own lack of knowledge; it will often take him to a surprising railway district, different from the broad way he usually follows in his full ham-fisted ignorance.

Answer tomorrow.

 Next Dumbarton Grumbles blog : Thur 3 July 

Contentious Caledonian Considerations - 2

Dumfries & Galloway : Dangerous Gamble

Whitesands, on the banks of the river Nith, has been the de facto bus station in Dumfries since for ever.

A more recent postcard shows the spectacular weir and a few red Scottish Bus Group vehicles (far left).

The red is the livery of Western Scottish which ran buses in the south west of Scotland all the way from the Clyde down to the Solway.

Stagecoach bought Western,  with the Glasgow area remaining in employee buy-out state as Clydeside, then it was Arriva, and then McGills was reborn! 

So, these days, you would see plenty of Stagecoach buses on the stands at Whitesands.

Stagecoach's Dumfries depot still bears evidence of its previous life!

But it does appear that Stagecoach buses will no longer grace the banks of the Nith at Whitesands as they do currently.

In a Trump-like move, Stagecoach has announced that it is withdrawing completely from the area and closing its depots at Dumfries and Stranraer.

SHOCK HORROR!

The media has been following this for about a week.

The background lies with the re-tendering of all services in the region from August. It appears that the Council has imposed stricter conditions on new tenders to "improve reliability". Stagecoach has costed these additional and strict conditions (Back-up buses? Cover for breakdowns? Penalties for late running and/or missing buses?) and decided that the costs of these are too great.

So Stagecoach submitted a "non compliant" bid based on the current terms and conditions.

The local authority refused to accept this "non compliance" bid and therefore it was rejected.

So Stagecoach has had a major sulk and decided that it cannot work with the politicians any more.

Hence the closure of Dumfries and Stranraer depots and complete withdrawal from the area.

fbb would like to have given his readers a map of the Stagecoach networks in both locations, but the company web site is, as is so often the case, USELESS.

Here are the two relevant "maps"; of Dumfries ...

... and the wider area.

So not very helpful.

Dumfries and Galloway Council does provide a full set of timetables, but does not include the operator names in any of them.

Eventually, fbb found a list of Stagecoach bus services  buried deep in the company web site, which gives some idea as to the scope of the routes that will be abandoned.

That's a lot of services.

Stagecoach has announced that it will continue with the prestigious X74 ...

... running every hour to Glasgow.

Also it will continue its route 79 from Carlisle which is a Stagecoach Cumbria service and thus not on the D&G list.

This runs hourly through to Dumfries ...

... and half hourly to Annan. Here are the appropriate route "maps" for X74 ...

... and the Carlisle end of the 79.

Again very poor.

So it looks as if the Stagecoach exit is a done deal; but at what cost?

Dumfries and Galloway Council has to find operators for 24 bus services that they need not have been looking for. Will a hotch potch of tenders offer the level of reliability and stability that the Council seems to want?

Almost certainly, no.

Will the Council find that Stagecoach would have been a far better deal in the long run?

Almost certainly, yes.

The MSP is very narked!

He thinks that the Council should be taking over all the bus services by forming a Council owned company. That, says Col, would make things much better.

What MSP Colin does not explain is where the money to achieve this is coming from. Would a Council owned bus company work?

Almost certainly, no.

fbb predicts serious Stagecoach-less problems for Dumfries and Galloway Council.

We must wait and see what happens in just over a month's time and as the next few years progress

More D and G tomorrow.

 Next Contentious Caledonian blog : Wed 2nd July 

Contentious Caledonian Considerations - 1

Trundling Though The Trossachs

Well that is what it used to do. Once upon a time you could trundle in a Bedford OB ...

... and even buy a bus model as a souvenir of your trundle.

The name "Trossachs" is taken from that of a small woodland glen that lies at the centre of the area ...

... but is now generally applied to the wider region.

On the map above, the actual historic Trossachs is just to the left of the "T" of Trossachs and about the same size. If you blinked you would miss it! 

The wooded hills and lochs of the area may be considered to represent a microcosm of a typical highland landscape, and the woodlands are an important habitat for many species. Much of the Trossachs area is protected by various different conservation designations, including the Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve.

The Trossachs form part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, which was established in 2002.

The bus service is now branded "The Trossachs Explorer" and is operated by two proper buses in a smart livery.

It starts on July 7th.

So where does it go? There is no proper map on the web site. It does invite you to click on "map" but this is all you get.

Useless.

But have no fear, dear readers, there is a route diagram which starts (left below) from Alexndria on the Glasgow Electric line to Balloch.

Unfortunately, in fact, Balmaha is north of Drymen and Alexandria just a bit south west! 

The diagram is a misleading straight line ending at Callander, one time home of that glorious Scottish series, Dr Finlay's Bookcase.

Barbara Mullen (Janet), Bill Simpson (Dr Finlay) and Andrew Cruikshank (Dr Cameron) above. fbb's favourite characters were Dr Snoddie (Moultrie Kelsall) and Mistress Niven (Effie Morrison). They don't make telly like that any more - they don't make actors like that any more!

But we digress!

And you guessed it; Killin is north of Callander and Stirling is south.

So wrong again.

In desperation, fbb has drawn his own rudimentary map, showing the core route and advertised connections. How easy and useful are these connections is, in some cases, debatable.

The timetable operates seven days a week but there are four variants, so you need to be on your bus traveling toes to get the right one.

The 309T journeys from Alexandria are operated by the two buses on the Explorer cycle, with similar journeys back in the evening. 

Times on a BLUE background are for sailings on Loch Katrine on board Sir Waltr Scott ...

... a fine and truly historic vessel. 

Times on pale YELLOW are various bus connections. 

Then here is Thursday's and Friday's schedule ...

... with different connections on the "normal" 309. 

Next, Saturday ...

... where 59 to Stirling and C60 to Killin are different. 

Which leaves Sunday ...

... different again.

The promoters of this service have done their best to give the best journey options - but you need a lot of wits about your person to plan and enjoy the service. It would not be pleasant to find yourself stranded at Brig o Turk with a very long walk.

A well-planed ride is worth the effort!

Then there's the fares!

The above set apply all the way from Alexandria to Callander and, presumably, on the connecting 309s as well as the 309T through journeys,

BUT ...

... Why spend £9.50 when you can do much the same for £6? 

Then there is a selection of "other" single fares.

But why pay £7.50 for a single from Drymen to Loch Katrine when the £6 ticket is valid all day?

Maybe fbb has got it all wrong (not the first time?) but it is confusing.

If you can work it all out correctly, this looks like a very splendid service, well worth a ride!

Pity about the inadequate publicity.

Regency Route Re-Stock

The Regency branding has long been applied to buses to Tunbridge Wells with branches to Heathfield (centre of top map above) and Eastbourne (off map bottom right).

A previous geographical map is, perhaps, easier to grasp.

There have been various liveries over the years beginning with basic labels on the standard fleet livery ...

... and moving to a full route specific design.

... the most recent being rather PINK.

Brighton and Hove buses has announced a massive investment in new vehicles for the complex ...

... and a new version of the PINK paint scheme.

So much better that Brighton's multi-coloured clothes peg livery.

 Next D & G blog - Tuesday 1st July