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Post by wirewiper on Apr 4, 2024 17:30:24 GMT
Sunday 14th April sees the annual Reading Half-Marathon, with extensive road closures in South and West Reading. Roads will also be closed in the Town Centre and buses will only be able to use Forbury Road, Chatham Street and Greyfriars Road to and from Reading Station. These will cause considerable disruption to bus services from 07.00 until 14.00. Where possible, drivers will observe stops on the diversion routes on request. Routes 5, 6/6a, 10, 11 and 650 will be suspended completely until roads along the routes reopen. Routes 1, 2, 15, 16, 26 and 33 will be rerouted to and from Reading Station, South West Interchange. Buses will follow a diversion route round the closures via Chatham Street, Oxford Road, Grovelands Road, Dee Road, Meadway and Honey End Lane to Bath Road; joining and leaving the diversion as they reach their usual route. Inbound buses will also stop in Greyfriars Road. Route 3 will be diverted after Shinfield to run via Lower Earley Way, Beeston Way, Rushey Way, Chalfont Way, Elm Lane, Wilderness Road. Wokingham Road, Kings Road and Forbury Road to and from Reading Station. Route 4/X4 will be rerouted to and from Reading Station stop EM, using Forbury Road to and from Huntley & Palmers. Routes 13 and 14 will omit Jackson's Corner outwards, otherwise unchanged. Route 17 will be diverted between Huntley and Palmers and Oxford Road via Reading Station North Interchange (buses towards Wokingham Road will also stop in Greyfriars Road). Route 18 will operate via Reading Station North Interchange. Route 21 will divert at Elm Lane via Wilderness Road, Wokingham Road, Kings Road and Forbury Road to and from Reading Station. Routes 23, 24, 25 and 29 will start and terminate at Reading Station North Interchange. Thames Travel X40/40c and Arriva 800 will presumably do the same. www.reading-buses.co.uk/reading-half-marathon-2024Half-Marathon Shuttle Buses
Route M1 will operate between Reading Station, South West Interchange and the Football Stadium, the first bus will depart Reading Station at 07.00 and the last bus back from the Stadium is at 15.00. Fare is £1.50 each way (£1 concession pass holders) and must be paid by contactless or smartphone/watch as cash will not be accepted. Route M2 will operate to and from the yellow car park at Shinfield Park and Ride. Parking must be pre-booked and the cost includes the shuttle bus. Route M3 will operate to and from the blue car park at Mereoak Park and Ride. Parking must be pre-booked and the cost includes the shuttle bus. www.reading-buses.co.uk/half-marathon-shuttles-2024
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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on Apr 6, 2024 5:42:48 GMT
Thank you for this heads-up. I could find it intriguing to postpone my visit to Oxford so that I can compare Oxford & Reading electric buses on the same visit. It might be a long wait - Reading’s BE buses are not expected until late 2025! Given that I rotate many places in few trips, now averaging 18 days a year (but fewer in the UK in 2024 as my main holiday is in Ireland), this is not as long as it sounds.
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Post by wirewiper on Apr 9, 2024 8:26:20 GMT
Some snippets of vehicle news: ADL Enviro400 MMCs 760-762 are now all refurbished and repainted into Reading Buses generic livery, 760 and 761 have both been on loan separately to Thames Valley Buses for the increase on Flightline 703 from 25th March, covering for 781/782 which have been away to have their seats retrimmed - they are due to return imminently. The seats on 761 have been fitted experimentally with extra padding. Ex-Stagecoach North East Scania/ADL Enviro300 GS 310 and ex-Reading Buses 411 (now 311) commenced training duties from 25th March, they are in an allover dark blue-based Reading Buses Academy livery. 310 has been reregistered RG54 BUS and 311 is RG53 BUS, both previously carried by Optare Solos. Buzz-liveried 438 entered service on 14th March. ADL Enviro400 City 748 and N&D Irizar coaches 1428/1429 have still not entered service. Great Knollys Street Depot still has withdrawn ADL Enviro400 214, 216, 217, 1206, 1207 and Scania OmniDekka 801 on site pending disposal. 211-213 remain in reserve. At Thames Valley Buses, ex-hybrid ADL Enviro400s 234/235 (which were in TVB generic livery) have departed for Chartwell Bus Sales. Ex-Courtney Buses Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse 452 and 453 have returned to Dawson Rentals, while 455 remains on-site. All info courtesy of Robert Williams, CEO Reading Buses, via Bus Zone Forum Google Group. Photo of 311 (not mine) looking very smart in its new Reading Buses Academy livery flic.kr/p/2pFP8KNPhoto of refurbished and repainted 761 (not mine) in Slough operating London Line 702: flic.kr/p/2pFZaPP
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Post by yunus on Apr 17, 2024 17:55:51 GMT
Are the new Reading Buses used on the London Line 702, Diesel Cities?
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Post by wirewiper on Apr 17, 2024 18:02:26 GMT
Are the new Reading Buses used on the London Line 702, Diesel Cities? They are, full diesels.
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Post by yunus on Apr 17, 2024 18:09:11 GMT
Are the new Reading Buses used on the London Line 702, Diesel Cities? They are, full diesels. Thank You. I am currently heading towards Slough on brand new 24 plate City! Reason I asked is cos it sounded like a Smart Hybrid (with a slight electric noise when accelerating), tbh it is hard to tell the difference as both are very similar.
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Post by wirewiper on Apr 17, 2024 18:20:44 GMT
Thank You. I am currently heading towards Slough on brand new 24 plate City! Reason I asked is cos it sounded like a Smart Hybrid (with a slight electric noise when accelerating), tbh it is hard to tell the difference as both are very similar. You must be on 741, it is generic livery and the only one with a 24 plate.
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Post by yunus on Apr 17, 2024 18:24:28 GMT
Thank You. I am currently heading towards Slough on brand new 24 plate City! Reason I asked is cos it sounded like a Smart Hybrid (with a slight electric noise when accelerating), tbh it is hard to tell the difference as both are very similar. You must be on 741, it is generic livery and the only one with a 24 plate. Correct we are currently coming up to Hammersmith! Very nice bus I am impressed for once lol! Outside of London, what sites can be used to identify the chassis of vehicles? For example in London it is easy to identify if your bus is a Diesel, Hybrid or Electric so on.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2024 18:38:22 GMT
You must be on 741, it is generic livery and the only one with a 24 plate. Correct we are currently coming up to Hammersmith! Very nice bus I am impressed for once lol! Outside of London, what sites can be used to identify the chassis of vehicles? For example in London it is easy to identify if your bus is a Diesel, Hybrid or Electric so on. bustimes.org, it contains data for every vehicle that transponds information to BODS. About 99% of the information on there is right but liveries are sometimes inaccurate. Your bus: bustimes.org/vehicles/rbus-741
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Post by yunus on Apr 17, 2024 19:33:15 GMT
741 seems to be a Smart Hybrid as I am on route A4 now heading back towards Heathrow with a regular Diesel MMC!
The two buses sound much more different.
Happy to be corrected
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Post by mark on Apr 19, 2024 13:53:09 GMT
Correct we are currently coming up to Hammersmith! Very nice bus I am impressed for once lol! Outside of London, what sites can be used to identify the chassis of vehicles? For example in London it is easy to identify if your bus is a Diesel, Hybrid or Electric so on. bustimes.org, it contains data for every vehicle that transponds information to BODS. About 99% of the information on there is right but liveries are sometimes inaccurate. Your bus: bustimes.org/vehicles/rbus-741Bus Lists on the Web has chassis numbers for almost all new deliveries and confirms that RB 741 is a diesel (that's certainly what RB ordered!) - although the E400ER is offered I'm not sure ADL is selling the Enviro 400 hybrid any more. www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk/index.htm?https://www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk/list.asp?listname=1454&Type=BodyType
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Post by wirewiper on Apr 21, 2024 8:37:33 GMT
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Post by wirewiper on May 1, 2024 8:50:19 GMT
Some vehicle news, courtesy of Bus Zone Forum (Google groups): Former hybrid E400s 211-213 are being repainted from lion livery into a new colour scheme featuring a brown front, cream rear and orbits for the term-time University shuttle route 21a. This will have new branding from September for the start of the Academic Year, but during the 2024 Summer term the buses are being used on the 21a without branding. This means the vehicles are returning to the University routes for which they were purchased when new! Photo of 212 in new livery (not mine): flic.kr/p/2pNvj9g (see below for photo when new) Lion-liveried ADL Enviro400 City 241 was re-registered RG73 BUS on 27th April (was YX73 PHA). Generic-liveried 741 (RG24 BUS) entered service on 14th April. ADL Enviro400 MMCs 760 and 761 have both been on short-term loans to Thames Valley Buses during March and April. They were covering for Flightline 703-liveried 781 and 782 which have been away having their seats re-trimmed. Gas-powered Optare Solo 182 was withdrawn in March and Scania OmniDekka 803 in April, both are awaiting disposal. Ex-Nottingham OmniDekkas 863/864 transferred to Newbury & District in April, joining 865/866 already there. These replace ADL Enviro400 1205/1206 which are now withdrawn and are in store in Reading along with 1203, all pending disposal. 1207 is also in store in Reading, awaiting attention. Mercedes Sprinter/Mellor Strata 382, bought new in 2017 as the dedicated vehicle for Buzz 42, is currently in reserve following the introduction of Buzz 18 at the beginning of April. Trial operation on Thames Valley Buses routes 234/238/239 (Maidenhead rural) is planned during May. Irizar coaches 1428/9 (N&D) entered service on 14th April. Second-hand 10.8m ADL Enviro200 YX67 UXP has been acquired from Richards Brothers for a new contract in Bracknell. It has been numbered 667 and entered service with Thames Valley Buses on 15th April. groups.google.com/g/buszone============================ Photo of 212 when new in August 2011, operating Claret route 20 to Lower Earley via University (this route no longer operates) - click on thumbnail to view larger. Reading Buses 212 by Julian Walker, on Flickr
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Post by wirewiper on May 13, 2024 17:19:58 GMT
Jetblack 1 is subject to a lengthy evening diversion this week (Monday 13th-Friday 17th from 19.00) due to highway works on the A4. Buses will be diverted between the Theale Green and the Thatcham, Croppers way bus stops. Buses will operate non-stop via the A4 Theale by-pass, M4, A34 and A4 in both directions. This will leave a considerable section of the A4 through Aldermaston Wharf and Woolhampton unserved, although stops on this section are lightly used and some passengers could use train services at Aldermaston and Midgham as an alternative. Buses departing Reading at 18.30, 19.00, 19.30 and 20.30 and departing Newbury at 18.15, 18.45, 19.05, 19.25 and 20.20 will be affected. www.reading-buses.co.uk/temporary-evening-diversion-jet-black-1
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Post by fletcj10 on May 14, 2024 21:16:59 GMT
It might be the Voith gearbox you heard rather then ZF
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