Saturday Shorts

Went out for a quick ride today and got a couple of previously uncharted routes under my belt. First of all drove to Halesworth and caught the 62 to Beccles and my word if you haven't been on it do it!! The narrow country lanes it meanders down are incredible and it really must take seom learning. The driver of gas bus 110 gave a exemplary ride. I then switched to Omnicity 458 on the 81 to Yarmouth, and again it's a really nice route I want to do again.

After lunch I took 37577 to Norwich on the X1 where I can report that all the X1 shorts were operated by Geminis - the first time I have seen that - and then got on Anglian Omnilink 453 back to Halesworth. No gas buses on the 88 today - any reason for that? Those Omnilinks are ok but seats are a bit hard for an hour and a quarter!

Anglian 110 AU13 FBJ at Beccles before retirning to Kessingland

If rumour is correct soon to be Ipswich Volvo B7tl 32655 AU05 MVA still working the X2 at Beccles

Omnicity 458 YN05 HFH at Beccles

Incidentally after the changes Anglian are making in January it will once again be possible to travel from Beccles to Norwich with Anglian on one bus. That's the good news. The bad news is you will have to go via Halesworth, Kessingland, Lowestoft and Yarmouth. By time you reach Norwich you'll have forgotten why you wanted to go there in the first place! But I like the way routes are being linked up.

To finish with a so called friend sent me this cartoon. I think she thought it was funny!

Ipswich Special 2

Whilst in Ipswich for the Borismaster I did manage to take some more pics of other random sightings. The sun was making it very difficult to get the angles and light right but I should be thankful it was dry.

Anyway let's start with Tower Ramparts Bus Station. Closed for weeks and for what? To reopen looking pretty much the same as it did before. Does it look a modern 21st Century Bus Station? Judge for yourself as I present to you two versions of the same pic.

The all new modernised Tower Ramparts Bus Station. They say!! Note the tilting Dart in the centre.

Replace the buses with trolley buses or horse drawn carriages and it wouldn't look wrong. Modernised my.......

So what do you guys think? Waste of money or what!! Anyway back to other things and Wirst have started another war with Ipswich Buses by launching their new Service 53 to the until recently unheard of destination of Brookwood, which even I have never heard of. So they are competing with IB's flagship service 13, but not going all the way to Tesco at Copdock, which seems a total fiasco and waste of time. I watched 3 services leave and not a single soul on any of them. Well done Wirst - another winner!

First 69533 PL05 UBS and IB 72 Scania YN56 NYD on competing routes at Tower Ramparts

So to Old Cattle Market and quite entertainng as B7tl 32487 AU53 HKE decided to break down on the entrance to the bus station as I arrived. Thankfully my transport both ways, normally operated by 30887 was operated by 32494 - the only decker in the new livery at Ipswich now, and a decent ride both ways it was. I saw that service today with 32492 on it so presume 30887 has indeed gone to Colchester. Ipswich will have no buses left at this rate.

32488 AU53 HKE conveniently broken down at the entrance to OCM

Buses, buses everywhere and not a Dart in sight! Love Beeston's Scania and observe both Carter's deckers still have roofs!!

32494 AU53 HKM complete with new roof looking rather smart before taking me back to Saxmundham

Not another one!!

Just seen a report on a Yahoo group that Ipswich ex P&R Volvo B7rle 69430 AU58 FFS has been seen operating in Colchester over the last couple of days. I never thought for a second that Ipswich would be able to keep all of that batch. Don't know why First just don't pull out of Ipswich full stop and let a company who actually gives a fig about the place and its passengers take over. Any decent buses we get are taken elsewhere and those we are promised get diverted. They couldn't take 65670 back could they. Oh no!!! Anyone with more info on this please let me know! Rant over.

Ipswich Special Part 1

Not two words I normally put next to each other but today is an exception. The economy of Ipswich was boosted by a multitude of enthusiasts flocking to see the on loan Borismaster make its debut on Ipswich Free Shuttle. I must commend Ipswich Buses for putting it on that route, as they said as it was a free bus as many people as possible could sample the Borismaster for free. Well played IB. Anyway I spent a very pleasant half hour on LT 100 and it was the first time I had seen the front of the top deck on one of these creations. I love the way it has the 1950's feel yet 21st century comfort. Can't see IB getting any of them but would be awesome if they did.

Borismaser LT 100  LTZ 1100 outside PALS on the 38 free shuttle in IPswich

The front seat top deck. I love the retro feeling

LT 100 at the "new" Tower Ramparts Bus Station

The rear doors were firmly closed unlike in London

Survey Time

It has long been a bone of contention with me that companies do not consider passenger comfort when choosing seats for their vehicles. Even the seats on the new X1's will come under scrutiny next summer to see how hot they are for passengers wearing shorts after sitting in the Lowestoft sun for half hour. So I thought it might be fun to have a survey as to what you think are the best and worst seats on our buses today. So using the comments section let's see what wins your votes. If you don't want to comment you can email me and I'll add your vote for you.

For me the best, or certainly the ones I like the best are on Anglian's gas buses. It is a three way tie for the worst between First's W reg ALX 400's, First's 51 reg Scania Solars (6567*) and Anglian's Omindeckers 550-3. It is possible to have to travel for an hour and a half on any of those for which the companies should have to pay us to endure, not the other way round.