Changes to IB

I have been informed by the commercial manager of Ipswich Buses, that from 7th January 2019, bigger buses will be employed for the congested routes such as the 8 between Tower Ramparts and Whitehouse Asda for example as currently, there are loads standing throughout the busy times between 3:30pm and 5:00pm; hopefully, it'll be replaced by double-deckers. The same issue with the 9 and 10 routes presumably. 

Also there will be vehicle replacements and repaints/refurbs during 2019 which make the buses look more modern into the present-day scheme for the single-deck fleets such as the E200's. 

Also, Country fares will be increased on 2nd January, and it follows as:

Adults
7 Day Pass – £25
28 Day Pass – £85
6 Months – £450 (Shop)

Annual £850 – (Shop)

Under 20's

Under 5s – free
7 Day Pass – £16.50
28 Day Pass – £55
6 Months – £300 (Shop)
Annual – £550 (Shop)

Country Day tickets are also available on all rural routes, including travel to Colchester, Manningtree, Shotley and Hitcham (this also includes journeys on Ipswich Buses Town Routes).

Country Day Tickets

Adult – £8.50
Under 20’s – £5
Family – £15

(2 adults and 3 children or 1 adult and 4 children)

Updates will be added on 'Changes to IB' within weeks to come.  

Ipswich Transport Museum Refurb for 2019

As the Ipswich Transport Museum are revamping the museum, we hope this gives a different experience to old and new guests who visit the museum. We have moved the hearse to the restoration area so our engineers will look into its' issues. The Vauxhall Omega saloon police car has been moved to the front area of the museum alongside with the Ford pickup truck. 
Also the doors which are connected to a chain will be transformed to a 'button' operation to make it much more simpler to use instead of manually pulling and pulling. 
Leyland Atlantean 6 will hopefully be in usage for 2019 as its undergoing a new speedometer, and other bits and bobs. 
The shop will have a refurb; also the tearoom. 
This is going to take a tonne of effort to make this a 'nice place to be' for the customers and employees at the museum including myself. 
The floors will be repainted and will be the self-same colours.
Cambridge Horse Tram from 1880 will be on display in the main exhibit hall with Edwin the horse. 

And for news I have discovered: the Ipswich Transport Museum has been shortlisted for the tourism awards in 2019 for small visitor attractions within Norfolk and Suffolk!

for more information, please check the web www.ipswichtransportmuseum.co.uk 
I will place more blogs about the refurb in Jan. 

Central Suffolk Bus Blog: X7 bus service and 60A service.

Central Suffolk Bus Blog: X7 bus service and 60A service.: On Monday, I decided to have a ride to Felixstowe on the improved timetabled X7 route which goes non-stop on the A14. I boarded the 11:0...

X7 bus service and 60A service.

On Monday, I decided to have a ride to Felixstowe on the improved timetabled X7 route which goes non-stop on the A14. I boarded the 11:00 service which just had a few passengers on and everyone obviously got off at Felixstowe including myself because the driver had a 10 minute break at Great Eastern Square which was a bit infuriating for a postponement but an admirable occasion to take a snapshot of the amended X7

69008, AU05DMV at Great Eastern Square

 

On the left, this is a snapshot of the occasion of a perfect image of a Wright Eclipse Urban / Volvo B7RLE at Great Eastern Square, Felixstowe. 

Although I took some more photo's throughout the day, I won't upload a great number on this specific publish; I took some at the next stop comprising Ipswich Buses' Optare Solo M950, 244, and that was very blurred due to the weather.

On the way back however, I took the self-same route back to Ipswich. It was a decent run to and from my destinations, but the disadvantage was that arrival to the station in Ipswich, the driver had 5 minutes before he could proceed; and was talking to another driver during the short break.

For the timetable for the Felixstowe services:Click Here 

Now back to the town routes in Ipswich served by Eastern Counties, they have amended the timetable to every 15 minutes instead of 10 minutes, so that's more greater. 

AU58FFM doing the 60A on Monday. 

The 60A replaces the 61, and evening services will do a route named 60E (E stands for evening)

For the timetable, please Click Here

First Changes and IB fares goes up (and down)

In the past weeks, bus enthusiasts and standard customers have learnt that First Eastern Counties (Ipswich) are changing some of their services slightly. 

The current route 61 which serves between Tower Ramparts and Greenwich via Nacton Road (Holbrook Road), and from 18th November, this will become the 60A service and will no longer operate the loop around Sandyhill Lane and Robeck Road. The current 60 will become the self-same nonetheless this will will now operate a one-way loop via Clapgate Lane, Hossack Road, Shannon Road and Reynolds Road. Buses will no longer serve Mildmay Road and Boyton Road due to seriously nanoscopic quantities of passengers using the service in these areas.The 60E however will become evening services from 19:00 (Monday to Saturday) and 18:10 (Sundays and Bank Holidays), from Tower Ramparts. From Greenwich (Holbrook Road), 19:00 (Mondays to Saturdays), and 18:19 (Sundays and Bank Holidays).

For the Felixstowe services, the 76 and 77 will no longer serve Felixstowe Road, Cobham Road, and John Lewis and Waitrose, so they will be serving the self-same service as the standard 75 but they will not go into the actual hospital itself, so customers needing the hospital for general appointments will need to cross a congested road, substantially the customers who are in a wheelchair for example or an elderly person. 

However, the X7 will be increasing services which means more people would be able to get to Felixstowe much more quicker (unless the Orwell Bridge is closed). The X7 will begin from Old Cattle Market between 10:00 to 16:00 (every 60 minutes), and between 16:10, 16:40, 17:10 and 17:40 (every 30 minutes). No X7 services will run between Ipswich and Felixstowe or the other way round on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Now for Ipswich Buses, they are changing their fares which'll increase slightly from a standard fare from £2.00 to £2.10, but transfer tickets will suffer from £2.50 to £2.70 which sounds a lot for some passengers using the services provided by Ipswich Buses. 
The only good thing they have done is reduced the adult return tickets which raises on a leaflet. The bad news is that the town rovers will be increasing; a standard adult rover will cost £4.50, under 20 (required ID) £2.70, and a family ticket will cost £6 which is an increase of £1. 
- This changes on 25th November - 

I will be going to Felixstowe Monday to take some pictures of the increased X7 services and some in Ipswich. 

Behind The Scenes - Ipswich Transport Museum

As I work at the Ipswich Transport Museum, as you’d know, we have restorations happening like the 1932 Bedford WLB, 1951 Morrison Electric Coal Lorry and the 1880 Cambridge Horse Tram is currently undergoing major reinstatement to return them into former glory to their original uniform.

As well as restoring buses, horse trams and Lorries, there are also other volunteers who do different stuff within the museum from IT staff to cleaners who’d sort and clean the vehicles to high-standard. Now I do cleaning on a weekly basis, so I predominantly clean the public transport area from Regents to Leyland’s, there needs to be something completed within the cleaning procedures or even sweeping with the errorless dustpan and brush – which is normal for me!

Also the Ipswich Transport Museum does visits from groups whether it could be schools, scouts or other related-groups which comprises a look-round the museum by one of the volunteers (who knows a lot) and he elucidates the commercials, engineering and buses within penetration. Mostly, on opening days, and event days, he commonly does a proficient commentary about the antiquity of the tram since brand-new to the ending of the tramways in Ipswich in 1963 – and when the Ipswich Transport Museum restored it from 1976 to its 1920’s condition.

Also within the ‘Priory Press’ (11^th October), there is wording that there is a possibility that the Ipswich Transport Museum could be extended and already progressing slowly, not quick.

Back towards 1880, and the Cambridge Tram is doing brilliantly as its having restoration as we express, most of the exertion has been completed like stairs, downstairs internal work, steel wheels for the rails, vintage signage, doors connected, bells ringing and have been tested, outside lights are functioning, but the conclusion hasn’t been completed yet like handrails, the remainder of the seats which are wooden, and essentially that would it the end of its 5 to 6 year restoration mission done (if it’s done on-time for Christmas or the start of the new year). Well done to the squad for making the most of the effort of developing the very vintage tram, they need a vacation for their labour. 

As of 24th October, I took a few pictures of the Behind The Scenes. 

Underneath, these are the current restoration projects undergoing major refurbishment comprising the 1880 tram to the left is almost completed which raises 'Cambridge Street Tram' and is hopefully to be on display at Ipswich Transport Museum within 2019 or December 2018. 

To the right-hand-side, is the 1951 Morrisons Coal Electric Lorry which is undergoing major restoration and is to be completed within mid-2019 or 2020.

And the centre picture represents the Bedford WLB which should be completed within 2019 or 2020 and its from 1932, and it has now the dashboard with the instruments like the speedo, etc. 

And lastly, here is a image of ADX1 on the pits taken on the 24th October. 

20th October Allocation and some News.

1	145,147
2	30 (comes off 15a),79,84,105 (comes on 15a)
3	148,151,152
4	83,149
5	46,39,31
6	172,88,108
7/16	103,245
8	104,81,173,82,106,171,70 (comes on 18:05)
9	154,134,153 (comes on 15a 18:30)
10	44,68,102
12	80,71
13	72,77,70,156,75,73
14	244
15	47,34,41
15a	30 (comes on 2),105 (comes off from 2),38,69
111	78
60/61	69426,44518,44516,66959,44519

Now as a bus devotee, I was at Tower Ramparts overlooking the allocations for the late-afternoon and early-evening services and there was a fair few coming off routes and going on other routes. I have noticed this within the previous year which is resuming to this day, so looking at the standard allocations above, you could see that I have bracketed the ‘coming offs’ and ‘coming on’ services within fleet and boards.

For example, I have reported two excellent exemplifications of them, well, three, because the 13:55 15a from Tower Ramparts goes out as the 15a, and preponderantly switches into a number 2 service for the Ipswich Hospital via Gainsborough and John Lewis and that has simply replaced E200 105 which came from a 2 service and done the 14:55 15a and there-on.

Now for the 13, I counted ‘70’ earlier this afternoon doing the usual duties for the 13 for Copdock Tesco’s and next thing I knew at 17:55, it went onto a 8 service bounded for Whitehouse Asda. Also noticed with Mercedes-Benz Citaro 153 doing the Whitton’s and transferring for a 15a for the 18:30.

Now for Eastern Counties, last week was almost every decker on the 60/61’s, but for today, it was all single-deckers doing the duties for the 60/61 services for the Greenwich and Gainsborough’s.

Also noticed today was Optare Solo 245 doing the 7/16 rota which is kind of unusual for these-days to serve Halifax Road and Anglia Retail Park.

Yes, and from next month (November), First Ipswich are to change the services like 61 becoming 60a and there is also a 60e for the evening services, and also some of the Felixstowe timetables are changing as well, but the X7 will be going every hourly and expanded to Grange Farm which means journeys are to please people for the Felixstowe, especially for the OAP’s. The 77/76 will no longer be serving the Felixstowe Road, Transport Museum and John Lewis as they will be going via Spring Road instead, like the typical 75 service which is daft because I work at the Museum.

Now there are some murmurs that Ipswich council could be ‘not sponsoring’ the services on Ipswich Buses services as it is due to save money – bloody stupid – also on Sunday’s could explain a last service around 4 or 5 but that will influence the customers who use the bingo hall on Lloyds Avenue which also expounds they will have to fork out taxi services instead. For Monday to Fridays, the last services could be about 7pm. As this is a murmur, I am not 100% certain, it could happen, it could not – so please bare for further information.  

Back for the evening services on 20^th October, I noticed Excel 173 coming off at 17:00, E200 106 coming off 17:15 and returning at 17:40, Excel 171 coming off at 17:30, 70 coming on from the 13 onto a 8 service for the 18:05 departure, E200 81 coming off at 17:49 from the 8, MCV 156 coming off at 18:00, and OmniCity 34 coming off the 15a at 18:04, and lastly, OmniCity 38 comes off the 15 at 18:08.

47 came from the 15 and done the 18:00 15a, 80 comes onto a 15 from a 12 and done the 18:15 15, 134 took place of 155, done the Whitton’s, and then done the 18:10 13, 75 from the 13 to a 12 for the 18:25 service, 153 as mentioned, came from a Whitton to a 15a for the 18:30, 41 comes off the 15, and lastly, I saw 73 on the 15 at Maidenhall Green as I went home on the Citaro which explained it did the 13, but done the 18:45 15 service.