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Stop Cardiff: August 2002 - Part 1 |
Wxm.org.uk recently holidayed in the nation's capital... and was impressed with what it saw! High frequencies and low floors combine to make public transport in Cardiff a real alternative to the private car.
This is Part 1 of a glimpse at the city's buses - Cardiff Bus.
Part 2 includes some other operators in Cardiff
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Can you fail to be impressed by Cardiff Bus'
investment in low floor vehicles? The operator now has about 60 long
wheel base standard low floor Dennis Darts and a similar number of
Mini Pointer Darts. This represents over half of the fleet. Typical
of the former is this vehicle seen operating to St Mellons which,
with the 45, sees a 7/8 minute service
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11 of the standard long wheel base Darts and no fewer than 20 of
the Mini Pointer Darts were delivered in 2002. The new arrivals have
clear, high visibility, all weather and all condition dot matrix
displays to the front, near side and rear. The 57 and 58 services to
Pontprennau also operate at 7/8 minute intervals
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In special livery to celebrate one hundred
years of Cardiff's city transport is dart 320
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Yet another route enjoying a "turn-up-and-go"
7/8 minute frequency is the 49/50 to Llanrumney. Mark 2 Leyland
Lynxes such as this tend to be the workhorses on this route
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Also leaving Cardiff along the Newport Road in
the same direction as 49/50 are services at 20 minute intervals
between Cardiff and Newport. This has always been a joint operation
between Cardiff and Newport municipal transport arms and indeed in
the pre-deregulation era, the few National Welsh services operating
between the two had severe passenger restrictions placed upon them.
The above is a Trident/Alexander ALX400 operated by Newport
Transport. Double decks, especially low floor vehicles like this,
are rare in Cardiff.
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It would appear that Cardiff Bus accords a lower
status to the joint service 30 to Newport in that single deck,
stepped entrance Scania N113/Plaxton Verde were used. One of 13, the
bus was new in 1992 and retains Cardiff's "traditional"
orange and white. Fleet repaints into the shade of "green"
used by all Cardiff County Council vehicles started in 1999. Unlike
Cardiff's van and LGV fleet, buses are painted with cream relief and
an orange stripe.
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1995 saw the arrival of seven step entrance
Dennis Darts with Alexander Dash bodywork. They retain part of the
orange and white livery introduced in the early 1970s but with the
addition of a brown skirt. No. 026 is seen leaving Cardiff Bus
Station on a service 50 to Llanrumney
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A Leyland Lynx wears a further livery variation,
reversing that seen on the Dart/Dash above. Service 60s operate at
20 minute intervals
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Deregulation brought with it "Clipper"
branded minibuses. Earlier vehicles were replaced in the early
nineties by some 35 Optare Metroriders such as the one above
operating to Barry. Since deregulation and particularly following
the collapse of National Welsh in 1992, Cardiff Bus has stretched
its country operating area to include Barry and the Vale of
Glamorgan in addition to its strengthened presence in Caerphilly.
Note the high contrast destination display on the Dart to the
Optare's right
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In spite of the trend towards modern, low floor
single decks, Cardiff retains some 30 double decks, although most of
their operations are on "specials" or schools at peak
times. The vehicle, a Volvo Ailsa/Northern Counties seen in the
morning peak, is Cardiff's oldest and was bought new by Cardiff City
Transport in 1982 when, at the time, most of its city operation
would have been double deck operated in this orange and white
livery. Behind double deck 401 is 293 (L293 ETG), one of five in
blue usually used on Airbus services via Cardiff Airport, although
not on this occasion
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Twenty years ago when this vehicle was new,
scenes like this Ailsa in Wood Street and the adjacent bus station
would have been common, when the majority of the fleet would have
been double deck and in orange and white. Here, however, the vehicle
is on driver training duties. In spite of continued high frequencies
and recent investment in low floor stock, the fact remains that,
like elsewhere, vehicle capacities 20 years ago were almost double
the 41 seats on a standard Dart now coping with passenger loadings
Continue to Part 2 - Other Operators |
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