First Glasgow TransBus Trident/TransBus ALX400
Return of the old-timers.....
With Scotland slowly returning to something close to normality after being in lockdown after these past three months, service levels are being slowly increased. This has meant every serviceable double-decker has been put back into service to meet the demand, and some single-deckers too.
Here we see 17-year old veteran 33370 (LK53EYM) reactivated from hibernation and heading through Carntyne on its way to Easterhouse on the 46. This bus was one of the few in the Glasgow fleet to receive the large block capital ‘GLASGOW’ fleetname. Unlike other First fleets in the rest of the UK, this block fleetname wasn’t common for First’s Scottish fleets. It was new to First Centrewest in 2003 and was then transferred to First Games Transport in 2012 for the London 2012 Olympics. After that, later the same year, it came to Glasgow.
It’s fair to say that after nearly eight years pounding the streets of Glasgow, it’s looking a tad rough. Prior to the pandemic, these buses were under threat of pending withdrawal, as it was expected that with more new buses likely to come to meet the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) requirements, these old-timers would be high on the list to go to that great scrapyard in the sky. Indeed some had made the trip and others were in reserve.
However the pandemic has changed that. The LEZ has been postponed for now and First has frozen all capital expenditure on new vehicles. So these weary veterans will be with with us a bit longer. And I’m pleased at that, as I feel they’re some of the nicest buses in the fleet to travel on.
Who knows, some may get the new First livery as a result.
First Glasgow TransBus Trident/TransBus ALX400
Return of the old-timers.....
With Scotland slowly returning to something close to normality after being in lockdown after these past three months, service levels are being slowly increased. This has meant every serviceable double-decker has been put back into service to meet the demand, and some single-deckers too.
Here we see 17-year old veteran 33370 (LK53EYM) reactivated from hibernation and heading through Carntyne on its way to Easterhouse on the 46. This bus was one of the few in the Glasgow fleet to receive the large block capital ‘GLASGOW’ fleetname. Unlike other First fleets in the rest of the UK, this block fleetname wasn’t common for First’s Scottish fleets. It was new to First Centrewest in 2003 and was then transferred to First Games Transport in 2012 for the London 2012 Olympics. After that, later the same year, it came to Glasgow.
It’s fair to say that after nearly eight years pounding the streets of Glasgow, it’s looking a tad rough. Prior to the pandemic, these buses were under threat of pending withdrawal, as it was expected that with more new buses likely to come to meet the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) requirements, these old-timers would be high on the list to go to that great scrapyard in the sky. Indeed some had made the trip and others were in reserve.
However the pandemic has changed that. The LEZ has been postponed for now and First has frozen all capital expenditure on new vehicles. So these weary veterans will be with with us a bit longer. And I’m pleased at that, as I feel they’re some of the nicest buses in the fleet to travel on.
Who knows, some may get the new First livery as a result.