The 375s have been up the wall today running late due to being diverted to pool stock lane
(26/09/2012 19:44)Vbg111v Wrote: [ -> ]Pulsar 3082, on 762 School Service this afternoon whilst a School decker operated the 43/46!
That's good allocating isnt it.
I have to admit to being surprised that some DLAs weren't brought back to Southport for school duties. Seeing as the 'school' deckers seem to favour normal service, that surely would have been better due to the low floor on the DLAs. I suppose there may have been none free but Bolton have managed to get some!
(26/09/2012 20:02)CX54 DKD Wrote: [ -> ]I have to admit to being surprised that some DLAs weren't brought back to Southport for school duties. Seeing as the 'school' deckers seem to favour normal service, that surely would have been better due to the low floor on the DLAs. I suppose there may have been none free but Bolton have managed to get some!
What I don't understand is how the Palatine 2s (or "school buses", as they seem to be falsely known as at the moment) are always on normal services whilst newer, "normal" buses are on school services. Do the school services come off normal services or do they just work part-time (mornings and afternoons)? If it's the latter, why are the "normal" buses free all day whilst the "school buses" are out there in normal service? Doesn't make sense to me (if it IS the latter, of course).
Marshall Dart 7646 arrived from Bootle today.
If it's the latter, I suspect it could be that the newer vehicles have been kept in that morning to have a fault rectified or for their monthly check etc. and then, as the only thing in the garage because 'school' deckers are deputising, are taken out onto the school runs. In that situation, ideally, a swap would occur between the normal service vehicle and the Palatine deputising but, for some reason (which I suspect may be something to the effect of the timings not allowing on the boards the Palatines are running), that doesn't seem to be happening. I think the underlying thing that seems to be coming from this though is that Southport are really running without adequate spares for a depot previously fully low floor on normal services. All of this, I have no doubt, is further hampered by whatever issues are keeping the B7s from full-time 375/385 allocation.
Like I say, this is on the premise that school services are vehicles taken from the garage and not working off of normal services which would surprise me as that would mean that there is genuine intention for vehicles that arrived for school use to see regular normal service too as opposed to them having to be used.
(26/09/2012 21:00)CX54 DKD Wrote: [ -> ]If it's the latter, I suspect it could be that the newer vehicles have been kept in that morning to have a fault rectified or for their monthly check etc. and then, as the only thing in the garage because 'school' deckers are deputising, are taken out onto the school runs. In that situation, ideally, a swap would occur between the normal service vehicle and the Palatine deputising but, for some reason (which I suspect may be something to the effect of the timings not allowing on the boards the Palatines are running), that doesn't seem to be happening. I think the underlying thing that seems to be coming from this though is that Southport are really running without adequate spares for a depot previously fully low floor on normal services. All of this, I have no doubt, is further hampered by whatever issues are keeping the B7s from full-time 375/385 allocation.
Like I say, this is on the premise that school services are vehicles taken from the garage and not working off of normal services which would surprise me as that would mean that there is genuine intention for vehicles that arrived for school use to see regular normal service too as opposed to them having to be used.
From my observations I note that during the summer the Palatines were put to use in normal service most days. Since the return of the new school term it would appear that on occasions the Palatines are still being Allocated from first thing in the morning for normal routes, hence leaving a gap on the school routes. I appreciate this is not always the case, but certainly yesterday was one such example.
New volvo DD on 727 Maghull High Sch to Waddicar Church and Pulsar on 762 Stanley School to Town Lane
Pulsar on 764 School service. Palatines out on 43/6 service. Branded 47/8 Pulsar on 42/44, whilst Marshall Dart 7652 is on the 47. Rumour mill in the depot states the buses planned to transfer from Bangor may now not be happening. This is unconfirmed though, will have to wait for B10B to give further info.