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Posted: 13-05-2013 08:21 Post subject:

Summercourt depot fire destroys 37 buses in Western Greyhound fleet

A fire at a bus depot in Cornwall has destroyed at least 37 buses - a third of bus firm Western Greyhound's fleet.
The fire in Summercourt, near Newquay, broke out at about 01:00 BST.
The blaze is expected to cause "significant disruption" to bus services in mid-Cornwall, including some school buses.

Its cause, which is not yet known, is being jointly investigated by Devon and Cornwall Police and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.
Police said the A3058 Newquay to St Austell Road would remain closed for most of the day.

Mark Howarth, Western Greyhound's managing director, told BBC Radio Cornwall: "A lot of hard work has gone into Western Greyhound and it's awful to see it going up in smoke.
"I could just see flames leaping in the air and when I arrived all the buses at the bottom of the yard were completely ablaze.
"The services will be significantly disrupted but we will run as much of them as we can."

Western Greyhound has been operating buses in Cornwall and Devon since 1998.
It describes itself as a "locally-based, family-run business."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-22506806

Sorry to hear about this. I was thinking about visiting the north coast today, which would have involved using WG, but I guess I'll put that off now. The buses often call in at the depot when a driver change is called for.
If this was an episode in a crime thriller, I'd suspect the firm's bigger rival in the district (naming no names!) of starting the fire... Twisted Evil

Posted: 10-06-2013 08:14 Post subject:

Worrying...

Cornwall may face 'biggest bus route cuts since 1971'

A bus users group has warned further cuts to transport funding could see the biggest reduction in rural bus services in Cornwall since 1971.
Derek Potts, from Bus Users UK, said back then 75 bus routes were withdrawn "overnight" with "major consequences".

The government is due to publish its transport budget for 2015/16 on 26 June as part of its spending review.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the department could not comment ahead of the review.
But he said it was considering devolving part of the Bus Subsidy Operators Grant to give local authorities greater freedom to determine local bus priorities.

Mr Potts, Bus User's UK South West spokesman, said: "In the last two years we have seen a reduction bit by bit of some routes.
"I think from April 2014 it could be a major, major reduction, the likes of which Cornwall has not seen since 1971."

Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, told the BBC's Sunday Politics South West: "We want to see the economy growing.
"Report after report has said the rural economy could generate far more jobs and could be more of a driver of the prosperity we want to see.
"In order for that to be able to happen people need to be able to get around the rural areas.
"They can't all afford to run a car."

Peter Templar, who runs the Riverside Hotel in Boscastle, said: "If there is a reduction in the bus service we would be in trouble getting staff, as it is we have trouble, it can't depreciate any more."
Sharon van der Linden, who works at the hotel, said she already has a three mile walk (4.8km) to her nearest bus stop.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-22831989

I can't walk three miles anymore, and there's little likelihood of any improvement. In fact, on bad knee days, I have trouble getting on and off buses, but to lose the buses would shrink my life down horribly. Travel has been my life, one way and another.

Posted: 11-06-2013 04:13 Post subject:

Make friends with someone with a car.

Posted: 11-06-2013 07:37 Post subject:

Posted: 14-06-2013 08:32 Post subject:

M4 in west London reopens after bus fire

The M4 in west London has reopened after it was closed when a bus caught on fire on early Thursday night.
The stretch of road between junctions one and three heading out of London was closed in both directions, which caused long delays.

London Fire Brigade said motorists reported the blaze at about 18:20 GMT and 20 firefighters were dispatched to the scene. It reopened at 22:30.
There were no reports of injuries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22899082

Presumably the driver and passengers got off OK. The photo shows a double-decker completely ablaze from stem to stern, on both decks. I wouldn't have thought a bus had enough inflammable material on board to support such a massive fire. Shocked

(Apparently the pic came from Twitter - it seems to be taken from another bus.) I'll be looking for other reports on this incident.

Posted: 26-06-2013 09:10 Post subject:

Runaway Falmouth car stopped by quick-thinking bus driver
12:27pm Tuesday 25th June 2013 in News .

A driverless car freewheeling down a Falmouth street was stopped from careering into the town centre yesterday thanks to the quick actions of one bus driver.

Robert Walker, a driver with First Bus, has been praised for his actions by the police after he maneouvred his double decker bus into the middle of Killigrew Street and brought the car to a halt.

The parked car suffered a handbrake failure at around 8.50am just above the junction of Trelawney Road and Killigrew Street and began to roll backwards down the hill towards the town centre.

"Robert was driving his bus towards the junction at the time, saw this happening and not sure whether the vehicle had a driver or not positioned his bus in the middle of the road letting the vehicle collide with his at a slow speed," PC Dave Jephcott said.

If not for Robert's action, "the vehicle would have picked up speed heading towards The Moor, which could have had disastrous consequences," PC Jephcott added.

A spokesperson for First in Devon and Cornwall said the company was "pleased that our driver was able to assist in preventing a more serious collision."

Slight damage was caused to the front of the bus, however, and passengers on board the number 88 had to be transferred to other services while the bus was taken back to the depot for repairs.
"By the end of Monday the bus had been repaired and it has been back on the road as normal since then," the spokesperson added.

No one was seriously injured as a result of the collision.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/10506188.Runaway_Falmouth_car_stopped_by_quick_thinking_bus_driver/?ref=mr

The car had a good chance of meeting a bus - every bus that leaves Falmouth goes up that bit of one-way road! (At the junction with Trelawney, some go left, some go right, and others carry straight on.) A bit lower down, the driver wouldn't have been able to avoid the car, as parked cars restrict the width of the road.

Posted: 25-07-2013 07:52 Post subject:

Posted: 27-07-2013 21:10 Post subject:

Ah, an old favourite - double decker goes under low bridge, etc...
(This happens so frequently, somewhere in the UK, that there are probably people who collect statistics on it. for one reason or another.)

Transpeak bus loses roof after hitting Stockport bridge

A double-decker bus has had its roof ripped off after going under a bridge in Greater Manchester.
The Transpeak bus hit the bridge on George's Road in Heaton Norris, Stockport at about 13:40 BST.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said there were 10 passengers on board at the time of the crash.
He said six had been taken to hospital, with one man suffering a "deep cut to his head and the others [receiving] treatment for cuts and bruises".

The bus driver was not injured in the incident, which saw two fire engines, three ambulances and a number of police vehicles called to the bridge.
Sgt Danny Byrne said it was "only by sheer luck that no-one was seriously injured".

High Peak Buses, which runs the bus service, declined to comment on the incident.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-23478679

Posted: 28-07-2013 18:36 Post subject:

You're too old for this sort of thing, Roger Moore!

Posted: 20-09-2013 08:39 Post subject:

The last couple of days have seen stories of impending bus service cuts in Cornwall. Western Greyhound are cutting services in West Cornwall, and First are cutting some routes in Falmouth - and one of these is my local service! Evil or Very Mad

I'm too old now to walk into town, so effectively I won't be able to get a bus anywhere, whether for shopping, medical appointments, or leisure excursions. I might as well cut up my bus pass into very sharp pointed shapes, and send them to First, Cornwall Council, and anyone else involved in this infrastructure collapse, with instructions as to where to insert them!!! Twisted Evil

Suddenly, my life is put on hold - I won't even be able to get to the library, bank, cinema, exhibitions, etc, etc...

Damn and Bugger it!

Posted: 20-09-2013 13:13 Post subject:

The route to my parents home in fountainstown County Cork is set for privatisation; I fear the worst.

Posted: 20-09-2013 14:08 Post subject:

Rynner, you need to consider moving (house).
I retired six years ago to a little place called Bearwood, in between Poole and Bournemouth.
Like you I don't drive, and I know I would definitely move again if I lost the bus service. I wouldn't want to be a prisoner in my own home!

Posted: 20-09-2013 14:43 Post subject:

Posted: 20-09-2013 18:00 Post subject:

The taxi business in your area will be cleaning up.