Stagecoach East Scotland

[computerSaysNo]

Is there any news on changes in Fife at all aside from the article from LevenmouthReconnected or the recent 34/34A & 42/42A changes? It feels like ages since the August changes & I feel that they need to increase waiting times at Edinburgh Bus Station for the Edinburgh expresses & the 1 in Dunfermline needs some improvements reliability-wise.

Any improvements to the express network have been set back, largely due to the delay in the new 9700 DDs arriving.

Great.
I tried taking the X54 from Dundee to Edinburgh recently, it departed Dundee 75 minutes late, was a bus (E300) instead of a coach, and the people coming off of it at Dundee commented that felt like the longest bus journey they had ever been on.

I don't mind coaches being substituted with buses, to be honest that was the only reason I travelled with Stagecoach that day (managed to get an E300 southwards on the X7 and then an E300 on the X54 as well), but it would be nice if they could use buses that were a bit more suited mechanically (50mph on a 4-speed gearbox is very loud) and a bit better in passenger facilities (device chargers or mid/high back seats would be my preference). Do Glenrothes not have any of the Scania E300s they could send out?
Arbroath might be a bit harder, do they have anything other than Elite i's and integral/low back-seated E300s?

 

[Bowie]

Great.
I tried taking the X54 from Dundee to Edinburgh recently, it departed Dundee 75 minutes late, was a bus (E300) instead of a coach, and the people coming off of it at Dundee commented that felt like the longest bus journey they had ever been on.

I don't mind coaches being substituted with buses, to be honest that was the only reason I travelled with Stagecoach that day (managed to get an E300 southwards on the X7 and then an E300 on the X54 as well), but it would be nice if they could use buses that were a bit more suited mechanically (50mph on a 4-speed gearbox is very loud) and a bit better in passenger facilities (device chargers or mid/high back seats would be my preference). Do Glenrothes not have any of the Scania E300s they could send out?
Arbroath might be a bit harder, do they have anything other than Elite i's and integral/low back-seated E300s?

I believe most of the Scania E300’s are based at Aberhill depot, i know all the former Inverness ones are (SV61 CXZ/CYA/CYE/CYC, SV12 AYW/AZG/AAK/AYZ and AYK). Not sure about 28661/62

 

[Ohnolookwho]

I believe most of the Scania E300’s are based at Aberhill depot, i know all the former Inverness ones are (SV61 CXZ/CYA/CYE/CYC, SV12 AYW/AZG/AAK/AYZ and AYK). Not sure about 28661/62

Both 661 and 662 are at aberhill. The Scania E300s arent really any better suited to express work than ADL E300s. Extremely rattley and numerous faults that could result in breakdowns.

 

[Bowie]

Both 661 and 662 are at aberhill. The Scania E300s arent really any better suited to express work than ADL E300s. Extremely rattley and numerous faults that could result in breakdowns.

Thats true yeah, have SV12 AZG/AAK/AYW been out in service at all?

 

[Ohnolookwho]

Thats true yeah, have SV12 AZG/AAK/AYW been out in service at all?

Not yet, only 603/5/46/49 so far. We've got 11 of them, but PVR is only for 4 (perhaps 6) so not sure why we have so many given that only 4 are needed for the 41/42/46s and ideally we want to use 2 on the 49s to curb anti-social behavior. Rather concerning having so many knowing they will be used to cover for coaches if we can't meet PVR for Express work.

They aren't the most fun to drive.

 

[Bowie]

Not yet, only 603/5/46/49 so far. We've got 11 of them, but PVR is only for 4 (perhaps 6) so not sure why we have so many given that only 4 are needed for the 41/42/46s and ideally we want to use 2 on the 49s to curb anti-social behavior. Rather concerning having so many knowing they will be used to cover for coaches if we can't meet PVR for Express work.

They aren't the most fun to drive.

Wait so you’re an East Scotland driver? Fair enough, thank you for the information though

 

[Blindtraveler]

In my own personal experience, purely as a passenger, the scania perform better. Mechanically on more intensive dual carriageway or motorway work but interesting to hear a driver's viewpoint. What sort of faults do they have and why are they not the best to drive?

 

[computerSaysNo]

Oops I forgot to reply.

Both 661 and 662 are at aberhill. The Scania E300s arent really any better suited to express work than ADL E300s. Extremely rattley and numerous faults that could result in breakdowns.

Oh right, fair enough.
The one I was on has a panel at the front which had rattled so much it had snapped the metal hinges which attached it directly to the bodyshell, and was bouncing around attached only to the door mechanism cover, slapping the four pieces of bare metal against each other. I managed to dampen it somewhat by stuffing a spare napkin in between the bits of metal!

 

[Ohnolookwho]

In my own personal experience, purely as a passenger, the scania perform better. Mechanically on more intensive dual carriageway or motorway work but interesting to hear a driver's viewpoint. What sort of faults do they have and why are they not the best to drive?

A lot of the time the emissions light is on, which results in the engine power being reduced. Their suspension isn't great either; you feel every single little bump in the road, probably not helped that like the 200MMCs they have small wheels and relatively long wheelbases so there's a lot of pitching movement when you do hit bumps. They are also up in the 600k miles range, so everything rattles, and its not quiet.

Their horns are good though, no complaints there. But I definitely prefer a Euro 5 E400 bodied Scania, much better suspension, much fewer rattles.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Thanks. Good to see some observations. I think it's such a pity that this chassis and body combination is no longer available or that Stagecoach didn't go the route of buying a load of more recent Scania integrals. Again, purely from a passenger point of view, if you take away the rattles, these products are just so much better to travel on, especially on longer journeys or at higher speeds whereas the standard integral Enviro is just not much fun belting down a dual carriageway with the great big lump of an engine screaming.

 

[computerSaysNo]

the standard integral Enviro is just not much fun belting down a dual carriageway with the great big lump of an engine screaming.

Again though, the engine is only at high rpm because Stagecoach have bought the 4-speed gearbox instead of the 6-speed.