A Familiar Name ...
The new SMT (no idea what the letters stand for - if anything) has an address at Auckley near Doncaster which is private house. The company has recently applied for more vehicles at an 'operating centre' (posh speak for a depot) in Sheffield.
The 'Industrial Park' is on a former heavy industrial site (below, top left), shown as 'under development' on Google Earth ...
... a short walk from the Sheffield Wednesday stadium. A Sheffield Supertram terminus happens near the Winn Gardens Estate, adjacent to Middlewood Park.
The Leading Light of SMT is Darren Sentance. 
The picture is from approx ten years ago ...
... but it illustrates Darren's passion for the Heritage bus game. He once worked for First at the now closed Rotherham depot. He was the bus painter who created some glorious bus liveries for First Sheffield and elsewhere.
fbb's favourite of all the vehicles benefitting from a Sentance enhance was a pastiche of Sheffield's very first motor bus ...
... which ran to Lodge Moor in 1913.
Darren is also co-author of an excellent book about the PTE.
Gary Nolan was also involved and we met him in the blogs about the recently launched Shrewsbury timetable book.
So what has the new Sheffield version of SMT been up to?
Until very recently, schools and tendered work,
The Sunday journeys on route 51 in Doncaster are joined by Sheffield's M44, M45 and M55 services.
Until recently these Ms were in the hands of T M Travel.
There are plenty of SMT buses serving Schools, particularly in Sheffield.
So, following an oft repeated pattern since deregulation, the question arises; what is to be done with bus and driver when not carrying the kiddies to and from the hallowed halls of academe?
The answer is simple and equally oft repeated, namely to run a non school bus service.
So we get the recently introduced route 63.
Birley is a council-built housing estate on the south eastern edge of the city, just off the Mansfield Road and not far from the much older community of Gleadless.
In Sheffield Transport days, route 83 ran via Base Green to Birley.
It was renumbered 63 to release 83 for a reorganisation elsewhere; and passed to the PTE as such - with no change of route.
In one of the many, many reorganisations by First Bus it was renumbered 8 ...
... and extended during the daytime to Crystal Peaks shopping centre.
Reorganisation continued apace with half the 15 minute frequency terminating at Birley and the other half diverted to Dyke Vale Road as 8A.
Nothing then ran through to Crystal Peaks.
Of course, the southern edge of Base Green and parts of Birley now have the tram to Crystal Peaks. Also, you will note, Birley has the M44 and M45 (now tendered with SMT) which go, eventually, to the shopping mecca.
SMTs revival of the 63 ...
... is close the the original, but actually serves no more of Birley than does the tram.
In an innovative mood, however, the new 63 runs via Norfolk Park Estate ...
... recently a tram only domain. But the new 63 offers an alternative.
Or does it?
At just hourly, it hardly compares with a tram every 12 minute to Crystal Peaks. It will restore links from Base Green and offer an alternative to the tram for, e.g. holders of bus only day and weekly tickets.
fbb doubts whether there will be enough custom to make the route viable commercially. Perhaps that is why SMT says the service will be experimental until December?
Experts in scheduling will note straightaway that there is a huge amount of layover time at Crystal Peaks, 35 minutes to be precise. If the bus sits there all sad and lonely, then the service is not viable.
Experts in scheduling will note straightaway that there is a huge amount of layover time at Crystal Peaks, 35 minutes to be precise. If the bus sits there all sad and lonely, then the service is not viable.
Might 63s interwork withe 27s?
That exciting timetabular detail must wait until tomorrow's blog.
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fbb Makes A Sandwich?
It is a sandwich with four layers of corrugated cardboard and a filling of a fine smear of 'No More Nails'. It also has an overhanging topping.
What could it be?
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Next SMT blog : Friday 9th Oct
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