ANGLIAN TO COMPETE WITH FIRST ON X22

 MORE COMPETITON FOR FIRST IN SUFFOLK/NORFOLK

Though strictly not within our boundary of area it's worth remarking on further competition for First on their X22 from Norwich to Beccles beginning on December 3rd, when Anglian will now directly run their previous 525 service now renumbered to 146 over exactly the same route as First, maybe Go Ahead are now upping the game and are trying to further their ambitions with new services around the Norwich area, timetables will be availiable directly from the Anglian website at the end of the month.

69432 AU58 FFV the last Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse with an overall advert for the Cooperative supermarkets at Tower Ramparts on the 12 th November

IPSWICH BUSES REROUTE SERVICE X3 TO JOHN LEWIS/WAITROSE

IB route X3 which previously served Ravenswood has now been rerouted to serve the new John Lewis and Waitrose superstores as of last Friday, while service 1 and 3 will still Ravenswood as will First's service 70, still unavailiable to me so far are new timetables and routeings for the changes First are making in December on the Stowmarket and Felixstowe routes

IB trident LG02 FEM one of the two buses involved on new service 17 yesterday

ANGLIAN TO GO UP AGAINST FIRST

FEC Dart SLF 43488 at Tower Ramparts 5/11/12 whilst on a 56 to Broke Hall

Anglian have registered a 164 Saxmundham to Ipswich service which will go head to head with First's 64 and will operate Monday to Saturday, service will begin on the 10th December and i'm presuming here, will operate to a route very similar to First's, no timetables are availiable yet so i am not sure to what frequency they will operate. Stephensons X14 to Bury St Edmunds is being run with a little help from Ipswich Buses, if you buy a return ticket for £7 you can travel back home for free if you present your ticket to the driver.

IB SERVICE 17 STARTS

Service 17 to Heath Road Hospital began today, with very few if any passengers using the service, one of the new ex Stagecoach London Tridents for the route did appear whilst at Tower Ramparts on test and was 17458 Y458 NHK previously allocated to their Barking Depot



As the two ex Stagecoach London Tridents are not available yet IB used DAF lowlander 56 PN52 XBF was one of the 2 in service today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIRST BROUGHT TO ACCOUNT

FEC 69010 AUO5 DMY a Volvo B7RLE at Broke Hall Shops on a 56 to Tower Ramparts

First in Ipswich are to be brought in front of the Traffic Commissioners over poor service levels on Felixstowe routes, by Felixstowe Town Council who say buses have failed to show up with buses going through Trimley St Martin halved in frequency, First have admitted that the roadworks currently taking place in and around Ipswich Town Centre have caused severe delays at times, you can read more about this from the Ipswich Evening Star http://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/felixstowe_anger_on_the_buses_as_complaints_are_taken_to_commissioners_1_1674351

CAUGHT AT LAST

69431 caught at Tower Ramparts today in between duties on town routes

At last i have caught the elusive 69431 today at Tower Ramparts whilst on the 60 to Gainsborough, all its sisters were also on towns including 69433 on the 70's to Ravenswood, also on towns today which was unusual were 60807/08 Volvo B10BLES S658/59 RNA while none of the 69005/7-10 of B7RLES were to be found with only 69009 on Felixstowe's, other news is 43486 as expected has come to the end of the line and is to be scrapped after workable parts have been removed.

MORE CHANGES?

MORE CHANGES FOR FIRST IN IPSWICH

Volvo B7RLE 66850 MX05 CHD on town service 61 to Greenwich 12/10

A all too rare visitor to Tower Ramparts last Friday was IB Trident 18 V126 MEV 

Registered by First on Notice and Proceedings yesterday were changes for the 87 in Stowmarket, presumably something to do with the withdrawal back in July of a link between Stowmarket and Stowupland, while the 88 will undergo changes to its route and timetable, again maybe something to do with the new service by Stephensons from Bury St Edmunds to Ipswich via Stowmarket, while routes 75-77 Ipswich to Felixstowe will have an amendment to their routes and timetable. A recent repaint into the new livery is Volvo B7RLE 69431 AU58 FFT seen last Friday on country route 63.Meanwhile Ipswich Buses have purchased a further 2 Dennis Tridents/Alx 400 from Ensign for schools work or perhaps the new route 17 to the Hospital via Spring Road.

SATURDAY DECKER

IB LOWLANDER 57 ON THE 4 LAST SATURDAY 6/10

Apologies for lack of news recently but nothing really noteworthy is happening apart from the unusual sight of a DAF lowlander 57 appearing on the 4 last Saturday although in truth this was probably due to Football traffic, meanwhile FEC Scania 65531 R131 GSF has returned to traffic after a term out of action reappearing again last week on town duties and a regular again during this week.

MORE COMPETITION FOR FIRST?

IB Dart/East Lancs Myllenium 87 on service 4 instead of a usual route branded Dart

Further to the previous posting, Stephensons are to start a new service linking Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich via Stowmarket starting in just under 7 weeks time, which will partly compete against First's 88 from Stowmarket and will run on a two hourly basis with a postioning journey from Stephensons base in Haverhill. In fleet news Carters have purchased a further Dennis Trident from Ensign's 421 LX51 FJN ex Stagecoach East London 17421

Volvo B7RLE 66850 MXO5 CHD ex First Manchester on a Sunday 56 at Broke Hall Shops