Bus operator First York has been successful in winning a 5-year contract to operate the University of York bus services from August this year.
The contract award was made following a highly competitive tender process, during which First was able to satisfy the University that it was the best operator to fit its needs, and to be its official public transport partner.
The newly named UoY66 high frequency service will run from 2 August between York Railway Station, the city centre and into the University and to York Sport Village via Lakeside Way.
The contract award was made following a highly competitive tender process, during which First was able to satisfy the University that it was the best operator to fit its needs, and to be its official public transport partner.
The newly named UoY66 high frequency service will run from 2 August between York Railway Station, the city centre and into the University and to York Sport Village via Lakeside Way.
Boss Ben Gillingham confirmed that First has committed to running a premium UoY66 service with low emission EuroIV and Euro V hybrid buses equipped with Wi-Fi and the safety tool "Cycle Alert". The drivers will be kitted out in bespoke new uniform which will be part of an exciting new brand that will be adopted across the bus fleet and information channels.
Exciting new brand? fbb can't wait!
The UoY66 service will provide 9 buses per hour Monday to Saturday daytime and every 20 minutes evening and Sundays supported by additional Q-Buster bus services if needed during weekdays.
The service to Heslington East currently provided by 6 purple via Tang Hall will remain but ...
... it will be linked to the present service 4 cross city from Acomb and, confusingly renumbered 4.
Just in case you were thinking of going to Acomb, don't use the 4 lilac with Acomb on the screen; it wiggles via Dringhouses and Foxwood. The quickest route is service 1 blue showing Chapelfields on the blind.
In addition to the new 66, there will be service 56 plus the free inter campus shuttle to cmplete the whole package pinched from Transdev.
Will the French company give in. Their web site suggests not!
Unibus is here to stay – and to celebrate the fact we're not going anywhere we've got an offer which will blow your socks off.
Ever fancied winning free travel for the whole University year? Well now you can by entering our must-win competition. Simply follow this link https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/G3iGcB fill in your details, and email off to our team, it's as simple as that.
Ever fancied winning free travel for the whole University year? Well now you can by entering our must-win competition. Simply follow this link https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/G3iGcB fill in your details, and email off to our team, it's as simple as that.
Don't you have to have a challenging question of skill, (e.g. "What are the predominant colours of a Transdev Unibus? (a) black and white, (b) red and green or (c) blue and cream?), to make the competition lawful?
Tough question!
You may heard ("have heard", surely - fbb?) around campus that First have won the contract to be the preferred partner of the University of York. After discussions we have decided we will run the service independantly ...
... even though our spelling (independantly) is not worth celibrayting!
As yet, the Transdev web site does not say exactly what service they will be running. Presumably Lakeside Drive is verboten, so it looks like First's current 4 via public roads to Heslington East; and a fares war seems inevitable. Hold on to your hats mortar boards.
To start, we will be using lots of spare buses to cover this route from 26 July. This means there may be a mix of different types of buses for a few weeks!
The route will remain the same and we will be running to the current timetable (with the service still called route 90) This will be added to our timetables page soon.
We will also be keeping the fares at their current level and will be honouring existing period tickets until the end of August. Any customer with a season ticket that runs after August 28 can apply for a refund from First Group from Tuesday, August 4.
So, for the initial period, not much will change - only the buses and some (but not all) of the drivers as some of the existing driving staff from First Group will transfer to Reading Buses.
31 August onwards
These buses will also have an exciting new livery and name; but that is top secret for now (although have fun guessing)!
There will also be some timetable changes, but the route will stay the same.
More information will be available closer to the launch date - but we hope you enjoy using route 90 with us in the meantime.
York students celebrate the change of bus service. Or not!
And just a word of advice to Transdev ...
... Transport Defunct is ... erm ... defunct. It closed on 30th September 2014. It's good to see a bus company up there with all the latest technology. Sadly Transdev isn't one!
But the University expansion is only part of the First York bus story. The rest is not so (white) rosy.
But the University expansion is only part of the First York bus story. The rest is not so (white) rosy.
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Blogged Too Soon!
Reading Buses route 90
Reading Buses route 90
Plans are in Hand
from Reading Buses web site
Our running of this route will be a two stage process to try and give the least impact for the current users.
26 July to 30 August
To start, we will be using lots of spare buses to cover this route from 26 July. This means there may be a mix of different types of buses for a few weeks!
The route will remain the same and we will be running to the current timetable (with the service still called route 90) This will be added to our timetables page soon.
We will also be keeping the fares at their current level and will be honouring existing period tickets until the end of August. Any customer with a season ticket that runs after August 28 can apply for a refund from First Group from Tuesday, August 4.
So, for the initial period, not much will change - only the buses and some (but not all) of the drivers as some of the existing driving staff from First Group will transfer to Reading Buses.
31 August onwards
The exciting period! When September arrives, there will be some changes coming in. We will bring across some of our electric-hybrid fleet to provide a more environmentally friendly set of buses to the route - as well as next stop announcements and free WiFi!
These buses will also have an exciting new livery and name; but that is top secret for now (although have fun guessing)!
There will also be some timetable changes, but the route will stay the same.
More information will be available closer to the launch date - but we hope you enjoy using route 90 with us in the meantime.
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Next York blog : Wednesday 15th July
Thanks to Anonymous who, yesterday, pipped fbb to the post with the Reading notice. Not everyone trawl through cmment retrospectively, so fbb has left it in place above!
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