Diamond Bus North West

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: Diamond Bus North West
I heard they are due off a Ferry from Belfast in the next few days so i assume Brand New.

I am unsure if there will be anymore Streetdecks but we should find out soon

[Y458 KNF]

RE: Diamond Bus North West
is 30535 back at Atherton now from Preston?

[Metroline1511]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(10/07/2019 21:54)gilesbus1 Wrote:  The problem with the bus industry and I will be frank is that it recruits fools who seem to think they can do things on the cheap, and then ships them immediately off no places hundred's of miles away they have no idea about. That is First's problem in a nutshell. Someone with a decent geographic knowledge could have saved them £m's also First refused to allow managers to take risk unlike Stagecoach again, another reason why they have failed.

Think with First the remainder will be broken up by this time next year, buyers at a guess will be:-

First Aberdeen - Aberdeen City Council
First Glasgow - Glasgow City Council and Lanarkshire Council
First Scotland East - Stirling Council
First Oldham - Closed - remains to Transdev, Rotala and MCT
First Vantage - Stripped by TfGM due to poor performance and re-let to Stagecoach Wigan
First West Yorkshire - Stagecoach
First York - Transdev
First South Yorkshire - Wellglade/Centrebus/MBO co-orp
First Potteries - Rotala
First Leicester - Centrebus
First Midland Red - Rotala
First Slough - Reading Buses
First Eastern Counties - MBO with First Eastern National as Eastern Counties National
First Eastern National - MBO with First Eastern Counties as Eastern Counties National
First Southampton, Fareham and Portsmouth depots- MBO
First Bristol - Stagecoach
First Dorset - MBO plus Property Company MBO
First Buses of Somerset - Dorset Bus as above plus Property MBO
First Cornwall - Go Ahead
First South Wales - Go Ahead

Elsewhere looks like Arriva is heading to Venture Capitalists who will then break it up and sell it in order to raise capital within 2 - 3 years

Buyers

Arriva North East - North East Property Company buses sold onwards to Stagecoach and Go Ahead in seperate sales all older depots redeveloped
Arriva North West - Merseyside opps to GoAhead, Cheshire Opps to Transdev, Manchester opps, Wythenshawe to Rotala, Bolton closed and demolished routes to Rotala and Stagecoach Wigan
Arriva Yorkshire - Go Ahead
Arriva Midlands North - Sold to Australian operator
Arriva Derby/Fox - Sold to Australian operator
Arriva The Shires - Sold to Australian operator
Arriva Colchester - Sold to Go Ahead
Arriva Southend - Sold to Go Ahead
Arriva Southern Counties (Except Guildford) - Sold to GoAhead
Arriva Guildford - Closed - routes taken on by independent operators and Stagecoach
Arriva Cymru - Sold to Lloyds, Property Company and Craig Group
Arriva London - Tower Transit/Transdev/RATP/Stagecoach/MBO depot by depot.

Some really interesting ideas here. I have heard about Councils in Scotland wondering whether they could re-municipalise the buses. Could this Australian operator be connected with Tower Transit? National Express could want some key urban operations eg Arriva Merseyside and First Glasgow. Also Comfort DelGro, having bought NAT Group, may want First Cymru or Arriva Cymru. WCM may want First Lanarkshire & Dunbartonshire operations.

[SF07]

RE: Diamond Bus North West
Diamond Bus now listing details on their website for the takeover of the majority of First's Bolton depot services. Both First and Diamond Bus website states that their tickets will be valid on each other's services until further notice, as will Go North West tickets valid on both First and Diamond Bus and vice versa.

Quote:Diamond North West services are expanding!
25 July 2019

North West
From Sunday 11th August, our network of services will be expanding, following the acquisition of First Manchester's Weston Street Depot in Bolton.

The following services will be operated by Diamond North West from this date:

2 intu Trafford Centre to Bolton (daytimes only*)
8 Manchester Shudehill to Bolton
36 Manchester Piccadilly to Bolton
37 Manchester Piccadilly to Bolton
X39 Farnworth/ Little Hulton to Manchester Piccadilly
68 intu Trafford Centre to Farnworth (daytimes only*)
162 Manchester Piccadilly to Norden
163 Manchester Piccadilly to Bury
471 Bolton to Rochdale
472 Bury to Ramsbottom Circular
474 Bury to Ramsbottom Circular
501 Johnson Fold to Farnworth
507 Bolton to Harwood Circular
511 Bolton to Bury
524 Bolton to Bury
561 Bolton to Withins Circular
562 Bolton to Withins Circular
582 Leigh to Bolton

Timetables and Service Information
Timetables will be available on our service pages here, you will be able to track your bus and plan your journey when services go live on 11th August. You can also download the Diamond Bus App for realtime information and plan your journey.

Tickets
For customers who will be new to traveling with Diamond North West, tickets are available on-bus - where you can pay by Cash or Contactless Payment. M-tickets are also available online and via the Diamond Bus App.

Tickets issued by First Manchester, including tickets purchased through their mobile app, will be accepted on all Diamond North West services from 11th August until further notice.

This will also apply to the current agreement between First Manchester and Go North West. Tickets will be accepted across all three operators.

Further information regarding tickets and acceptances will be available shortly.

Keep up to date
Check our news pages and social media for the latest updates.

*Evening journeys on Services 2 & 68 will continue to be run by First, on behalf of Transport for Greater Manchester.

https://www.diamondbuses.com/news/dbnw-expanding/

[AlexBus12]

RE: Diamond Bus North West
SK17HHC is currently at Bolton depot doing some vehicle familiarisation ready for a batch of streetdecks which are due just before the takeover. Believe HHC has been acquired

[Winston]

RE: Diamond Bus North West
To supplement Rotala Group cascades & ex the Yourbus Citaro's for Bolton, Rotala have also acquired 9 brand new Streetdecks from stock plus a former Wrightbus Streetdeck demo as follows:

40700 SK17HHC
40701 SK19EYW
40702 SK19EYU
40703 SO19MWE
40704 SO19MVY
40705 SO19MWA
40706 SO19MVZ
40707 SO19MVX
40708 SO19MWC
40709 SO19MWD

The First Manchester rental fleet can also now be confirmed as follows:

37384 MX58DWP
37351 WX57HLN
66895 MX55FFE
66899 MX55FFK
66900 MX55FFL
66901 MX55FFM
66903 MX55FFP
66904 MX55FFR
66905 MX55FFS
66906 MX55FFT
66907 MX55FFU
66909 MX55FFW
66914 MX55FGE
66918 MX55FGK
66919 MX55FGM
66930 MX55FHE
66983 KX05MHM
69135 MV06CZS
69136 MV06CZG
69137 MV06CZT
69138 MV06CXB
69139 MX06VOP
69141 MX06VOU
69142 MX06VOV
69143 MX06VOY
69144 MX06VPA
69145 MX06VNW
69146 MX06VNY
69147 MX06VNZ
69148 MX06VOA
69149 MX06VOB
69150 MX06VOC
69151 MX06VOD
69152 MX06VOF
69153 MX06VOG
69154 MX06VOH
69155 MX06VNL
69156 MX06VNM
69157 MX06VNN
69158 MX06VNO
69159 MX06VNP
69160 MX06VNR
69161 MX06VNS
69162 MX06VNT
69163 MX06VNU
69164 MX06VNV
69165 MX06VMW
69166 MX06VMZ
69167 MX06VNB
69168 MX06VNC
69169 MX06VND
69170 MX06VNE
69171 MX06VNF
69172 MV06CZJ
69173 MV06DWZ
69174 MX06VNK
69175 MX06VPO
69178 MX06YXK
69180 MX06YXM
69186 MX56ACY
69201 MX06VPZ
69220 MX56AEK
69221 MX56AEL
69224 MX56AEO
69225 MX56AEP
69230 MX56AEY
33831 SK14CTV
33832 SK14CTX
33833 SK14CTY
33834 SN14TRZ
33835 SN14TSO
33836 SN14TSU
33837 SN14TSV
33838 SN14TSX
33839 SN14TSY
33840 SN14TSZ
33857 SN14TUW
37445 MX58DZU
33733 SN12AMV
33734 SN12AMX
33735 SN12ANF
33737 SN12ANR
37443 MX58DZS
33724 SN12AKV
33727 SN12AKZ
33729 SN12ALU
33730 SN12AMK
33731 SN12AMO
33732 SN12AMU
33739 SN12ANV
33726 SN12AKY
33728 SN12ALO
33740 SN12ANX
33742 SN12AOB
33743 SN12AOC
33753 SN12AOO
33693 SN12AGX
33695 SN12AGZ
33696 SN12AHA
33697 SN12AHC
33699 SN12AHE
33700 SN12AHF
33704 SN12AHL
33705 SN12AHO
33707 SN12AHU
33709 SN12AHX
33710 SN12AHY
33711 SN12AHZ
33712 SN12AJO
33713 SN12AJU
33714 SN12AJV
33715 SN12AJX
33673 SN12AEU
33677 SN12AEY
33691 SN12AGU
33716 SN12AJY
33717 SN12AKF
33718 SN12AKG
33719 SN12AKJ
33720 SN12AKK
33721 SN12AKO
33722 SN12AKP
33725 SN12AKX
33752 SN12AOM
33657 SN12ADV

[Winston]

RE: Diamond Bus North West
Further to the above, a 10th new Streetdeck is now also due (as of yesterday).

[WWH44L]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(01/08/2019 17:49)Winston Wrote:  Further to the above, a 10th new Streetdeck is now also due (as of yesterday).

Thanks for your regular fleet updates especially the hire fleet from First. Just a quick question, is Bolton still going to keep its paint shop and MOT operating centre until Rotala?

[SF07]

RE: Diamond Bus North West
Photo of a Streetdeck has been re-tweeted by Diamond Bus, which will be painted into Diamond colours "soon enough".

https://twitter.com/DiamondBusNW/status/...4820019203

[Winston]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(01/08/2019 18:04)WWH44L Wrote:  Thanks for your regular fleet updates especially the hire fleet from First. Just a quick question, is Bolton still going to keep its paint shop and MOT operating centre until Rotala?

No problem, I'm not sure on the above tbh.

Bolton is set to become Rotala's NW HQ, so it would seem logical to assume those facilities will be retained under Rotala ownership.