Snowdon Sherpa

 

Croeso i Eryri

Situated at the top of Llanberis Pass is Pen-y-Pass bus interchange at an elevation of 359 metres (1,178 ft) – maybe the highest in Britain. Located in the Snowdonia National Park, which covers an area of 823 square miles and is home to over 26,000 people, Pen-y-Pass is the starting point for most walkers attempting to reach the summit of Snowdon (1,085 metres or 3,560 ft). The area is hugely popular and, consequently, parking and traffic congestion are major problems, more so in 2021 with staycations being the order of the day. To help placate the situation, the National Park and Gwynedd Council have, for many decades, supported a small network of bus routes known as the Snowdon Sherpa. Over the years, many operators have been involved: Express Motors, KMP, Padarn Bus, Arriva, GHA, O R Williams who traded as Whiteways, Crosville, and Alpine.

Geographically, the Snowdon Sherpa covers just a small area in the north west of the national park with the remainder of the park being covered by conventional bus and Traws Cymru services provided by operators such as Arriva, Llew Jones and Lloyds. In 2021 the entire Sherpa network is operated by Gwynfor Coaches of Gaerwen on the Isle of Anglesey, using a local base in Caernarfon. The network consists of six routes with five operating daily and the S6 operating weekends and bank holidays. The most popular route being the S1 between Llanberis and Pen-y-Pass, a relatively short journey of 5.5 miles. This route also acts as a park-and-ride service from Nant Peris, a small village five minutes outside Llanberis which has a large pay-and-display car park. From Monday to Friday this service operates on an hourly headway between 7.30am and 5pm, whilst on weekends and bank holidays the operation becomes far more intensive, starting at 6.45am and finishing at 6.50pm. On weekends and bank holidays, the hourly service from Llanberis is supplemented by two additional short workings per hour from the Nant Peris park-and-ride. Also departing Llanberis is the S2 on an hourly headway, giving this stretch of road to Pen-y-Pass a service every thirty-minutes. Unlike the S1, the S2 continues over the pass for another 11 miles to Betws-y-Coed and twice a day beyond that to Llanrwst.

Gwynfor Coaches KX15 BMV, an Optare Solo M710SE B19F which was new to Courtney ascends the A489 on service S4.

The third daily service, the S4, approaches Pen-y-Pass from the east by climbing the A489, having commenced in Caernarfon, but, unlike the S1 and S2 which are worked by double-deckers, uses Optare Solo’s to comply with width restrictions near the summit. Rather confusingly the S4, whilst marketed as part of the Sherpa network, is aimed more towards locals wanting to travel between Beddgelert and Caernarfon. To add further confusion for the visitor, some journeys on the S4 weekday timetable are shown as short workings, whereas in reality they continue to/from Beddgelert as S97 to Porthmadog. Sundays and bank holidays are made easier as both the S4 and S97 are shown on one timetable as a coordinated service. Beddgelert is a tourist destination in its own right and is a traditional village set beside two rivers, the Glaslyn and the Colwyn which meet at a picturesque bridge in the centre of the village. The Welsh Highland Railway coming from Porthmadog has a station in the village making it an ideal interchange with the bus, especially in 2021 as the station is also the terminus for the railway, the line onward to Caernarfon being out of action. 

Gwynfor Coaches YJ10 MBO an Optare Solo M780SE B27F, new to Heyfordian, descends from Pen-y-Pass on service S4.

Many bus routes in Britain contest the accolade of ‘most scenic’ but there can only be one winner of the ‘most scenic network’ - the Snowdon Sherpa. Dramatic landscapes viewed from the top deck of a bus as it clings to the mountain side and travels through lush, lake filled valleys take some beating. If you also factor in the ease of access by public transport into the network and the availability of several different good value travel cards from both rail and bus companies, Snowdonia National Park can be an enjoyable car free holiday.

Gwynfor Coaches LG52 DBU, DAF SDB250/Alexander H45/20D, new to Arriva London sits at the High Street lay-over point of service S1. The timetable shows the service starting from the interchange but on this journey the bus continued on a one-way loop along the A4086 and turning left into the High Street.

Gwynfor Coaches, on loan from Dawson Rentals, LK04 NME, a Volvo B7TL with Alexander H43/24D body, new to Metroline London Northern as VPL583. Seen loading at Llanberis interchange on the 12-noon departure of service S2 for Betws-y-Coed.

Gwynfor Coaches operating service 88 from Caernarfon with YJ61 JHV, an Optare Solo M780SE B27F which was new to Connect Transport. The service has just entered the High Street from the A4086 which runs parallel to the High Street acting as a by-pass. Gwynfor Coaches also operate the 85/86 from Bangor to Llanberis. All three services are frequent but have irregular headways. A more limited timetable operates on Sunday but has better clockface timings.

Llanberis, population 1,844, sits on the twin lakes of Llyn Padarn and Llyn Peris, and  the national park boundary dissects the town that today counts tourism as its main industry. Most of the attractions are centred on the southern end of the town: Snowdonia Mountain Railway, Llanberis lake railway, the wonderful Electric Mountain, and the National Slate Museum amongst others.

Omnibus World

Border Offa’s variety. (A journey from Hereford in the south to Chester in the north)

 It is generally accepted that when you drive around Northern Ireland, at some stage, you will unknowingly cross the border into the Irish Republic. Usually, the first signs that you have done so are the petrol stations displaying prices in Euros: zig-zagging to and fro the two countries is just part of the day out. UK devolution has in a minor way brought about a similar situation on the mainland, although, until the outbreak of Covid 19, it has never been an issue or entered people’s consciousness. However, if you are near the English/mid-Welsh border, you may move in and out of each country whilst travelling along one road and the only indication that something might have changed is the language on the road signs.   Covid 19 and 2020 have brought the devolution issue into focus with each devolved power setting its own regulations and differing travel restrictions

In 2020, whilst travelling along the Shropshire/Powys border, a new road sign said  “Welsh covid rules apply on the right” - does that mean a driver needs to don a face mask before overtaking the car in front? That road sign set me thinking. How are operators along the meandering mid-Wales/Shropshire/Herefordshire border coping? If people look at a map of the area and think the border is reasonably straight, they are looking at the Offa’s Dyke long distance footpath and not the convoluted national border which weaves its way east/west on the way from south to north.  I have no answers to the operator question and I made no effort to engage with any depot staff to find one. I might have been travelling around but social distancing remained a priority, and the car was a safe haven. However, I thought it would be interesting to examine the issue from the comfort of my study/armchair.

Optare in Sargeants depot, Kington. 

Starting in the south with Sargeants Coaches of Kington, Herefordshire, in the eighteen months since my last visit, this fleet has undergone a major change. Out have gone several of the older coaches along with the Optare Excels and Tempos, and in have come newer Optare products, including a small batch of Metrocities - of the 20 vehicles 17 are buses. The town of Kington lies 3km east of the Welsh border with Sargeants being the only provider of bus services. Their primary service being the 461/462, Hereford-Kington-Llandrindod Wells, crossing the border just west of Kington. Whilst the focus is very much on Hereford, it being the only major conurbation for many miles around, Llandrindod Wells does offer a major interchange point for onward travel in Mid-Wales. The other core route for the company is the 41, operating two hourly between Kington and Knucklas, crossing the border at Presteigne. Apart from the first six kilometres, the majority of this service is on the Welsh side of the border, serving the two large Welsh communities of Presteigne and Knighton. Lady Hawkins is a large secondary school in Kington, with a wide catchment area, and Sargeants operate eight timetabled services into the school, six of which cross the border with service number 43 starting in England before continuing across the border, completing a long circular route and returning via a different border crossing point. These services must have been a nightmare in 2020 with both sides of the border having different school and community lockdowns.

The town of Presteigne with a population of 2,710 sits on a small outcrop of border just 1km wide that pokes into England. Apart from the aforementioned Sergeants bus service, the town also has a Monday only X11, Builth Wells-Ludlow cross border service operated by Celtic Travel. The town also has a secondary school attracting pupils from the surrounding rural area with two of the featured operators, Weale's Wheels of Llanddewi and Owens of Knighton providing services.

Weals's Wheels depot.

Weale's Wheels of Llanddewi has a depot in the heart of this small village from which it operates a fleet of fifteen coaches and minibuses of varying ages, the most modern being a Mercedes Benz Tourismo. The majority of contracts are centred along the A483/A44 corridor.  

Moving north to Knighton - a town that both sits on the border which more-or-less follows the river Teme at this point, and on the Offa’s Dyke trail. As previously mentioned, the town has a regular bus service provided by Sargeants, and it also has a Monday X11 service provided by Celtic Travel. Additionally, Arriva operate the 738/740 four days a week to Ludlow, meaning all routes serving the town originate in Wales and terminate in England. The town is home to Owens Motors, a fourth-generation family business tracing their history back to 1897 and currently operate a mixed fleet of twelve vehicles. The company is in a unique situation having an operator’s licence with a legal address in Wales whilst the depot is situated in England just a few yards up the road.

Owens depot, Knighton.

Staying on the English side of the border, heading north to the small Shropshire village of Newcastle, home to the depot of M&J Travel with a mixed fleet of twelve coaches. This is a typical coach operator offering private hire, UK holidays and school contracts on both sides of the border. The fleet is smart and always well presented. Quite how this company find their drivers when the number of houses in the village is almost identical to fleet size and there is no nearby sizeable town, on either side of the border, is a mystery.      

M&J Travel, depot.

If I had to define one operator at the centre of this article it would be Celtic Travel of Llanidloes, a town in the middle of Wales. The company is one of the largest independent coach/bus operators in mid Wales and currently operates 30+ vehicles of varying sizes, including TRN 662A, new to Barrow Corporation as CEO 952, and a 1958 Leyland PD2/Park Royal acquired from Mac Tours and still in their colours. It has two depots - one in the centre of Llanidloes and a larger maintenance depot on an industrial site south of the town. Nine bus services are currently operated including Traws Cymru X75 (Shrewsbury/Rhaeadr), however most originate around Builth Wells/Llandrindod Wells and extend north to Shrewsbury, west to Aberystwyth, east to Ludlow and Hereford, and south to Carmarthen. Whilst the coach operations cover an area boarded by Aberystwyth/Welshpool/Machynlleth/Brecon/M4 Magor services. 

Celtic Travel, Volvo/MCV.

Moving on north and crossing the border, just one mile back into England, is the depot of Minsterley Motors which is in the middle of nowhere at Pennerley. Another mixed bus/coach fleet of 30+ vehicles established for more than 50 years. Seven local bus services are operated, centred around Shrewsbury and Ludlow with one route extending across the border to Newtown, Powys. At this point the border takes a turn west and south before abruptly reversing direction and once again heading north. Here just inside the Welsh border we have Tanat Valley with two depots, half-a-mile apart, along the valley road leading to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. 

Established in 1920 and still owned by the same family, Tanat Valley currently operate a mixed fleet of 44 vehicles, consisting of Optare products for the bus operations and DAF/Volvo/Mercedes for the coach fleet. Pride of the fleet is a 1962 Leyland Tiger Cub (YRC 194) with Alexander DP41F body, new in 1962 to Trent. This operator, probably more than any other independent along the English/Welsh border, makes its living equally from both countries. Oswestry, Shropshire being the nearest town is a focal point for many of the nine bus services currently operated including the Traws Cymru T12 to Machynlleth.  

Tanat Valley Leyland Tiger Cub.

North of Oswestry, it becomes primarily old Crosville territory and Arriva Midlands North crosses into Wales with the hourly 2 to Wrexham and finally reaches the northern limit of the Welsh border at Chester with the now much reduced, hourly Arriva Wales 1. Wrexham became a hot-bed of competition after deregulation with companies such as Wrights becoming a major provider for a short while. In more recent times GHA and D. Jones both made short lived incursions into the tendered service network, and both defeated by poor fiscal management and run-ins with the Traffic Commissioner. Today Pats Coaches is the only independent operator offering a cross border service, with the 146 to Whitchurch, a small market town just one mile into England. 

Arriva service 1 at Chester Railway Station.

This article is not the time for reviewing services from Chester, despite the city boundary being on the border. After the breakup of Crosville and deregulation, many smaller operators came and went. Today only one independent survives on services into Wales with the majority of routes being part of the Arriva Wales network. 

The 160 miles of the Anglo-Welsh border is a convoluted route. No one setting the boundary line in 1536 could have foreseen the two nations once again separating under devolution, but if Covid 19 continues, we might need to remember our passports when next boarding a bus.       

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omnibusworld

Two continents, forty-five minutes apart.

 

Just forty-five minutes is all it takes to get from Europe to Africa on the high-speed catamaran that plies the waters between Tarifa, Spain and Tangier, Morocco.

 

Arriving into Tangier in October 2019, it could be described as the start of a National Express odyssey as the city’s bus network has been ALSA operated since November 2013. The majority of city services throughout Morocco are now under ALSA control, the Spanish subsidiary of NE Group. Walking around Tangier, it is apparent that it is an affluent city but with some rough edges that are often associated with major ports. The buses certainly reflected the latter, not being helped by the rather dismal blue livery. The majority of the fleet is made up of aging Scania’s with a mixture of locally assembled bodies operating 44 routes and utilizing 192 buses.

 

                                                 Scania, operator ALSA, location Tangier

Leaving Tangier, it is time to board Africa’s first high-speed train, built using Spanish trains identical to those used in Europe. The line currently only runs to Casablanca, although most of the infrastructure is in place for the entire route to Marrakesh, the express due to arrive fifty years after Crosby, Stills and Nash sang about it.

 

Casablanca is an industrial city set on the Atlantic coast, not quite the dream setting of Ingrid Bergman but perhaps more suited to Sam. The population of 3.4m. is catered for by Casa Bus operating 66 urban and suburban routes, the city is also served by two tram routes. In 2019 ALSA won a fifteen-year contract to operate local services in Casablanca, initially operating 400 buses, which is due to expand to 700 during 2020. ALSA has ordered 500 Euro VI buses from Daimler (420 Conecto and 80 Conecto G) plus 200 Irizar i3le’s built on Scania 320UB4x2 chassis, to update the fleet. 150 of the vehicles have been purchased on behalf of L’ECI AI Baida, the local transport authority.   

 

                                                  Tata Hispano bodied bus in Casablanca

Departing Casablanca, heading north by road along the coastal plan past the Irizar factory, brings us to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, which is a cosmopolitan city with a population of 0.5m. Until quite recently, it was renowned for a shambolic public transport network operated by Stareo, a company that has been in financial difficulties for a number of years. ALSA won the tendering process and now operates in excess of 400 buses on 21 bus routes in the city. A modern two route tram system also crosses the city on segregated roadway.

          Operator ALSA, chassis Scania K250, body Higer, registration 482570WW, location Rabat. 

Heading inland via the walled city of Meknes to Tommy Cooper country, the city of Fez - the first city visited that does not have ALSA as the public transport provider. Fez, once a major city on the Trans-Saharan trade route, today sits at the crossroads to/from all the major cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.2m. With two medinas and a modern city, there is a lot of ground to cover. The modern part of the city is covered by an extensive bus network utilising buses in various states of repair, whilst the oldest medina is served by minibuses terminating at the old wall gate entrance.  Regrettably, finding information on the bus network is impossible.

 

                                                    Fez, Tata Hispano, registration 88544.

Finally, the journey south to Marrakesh. Marrakech is the fourth largest city in Morocco, after Casablanca, Fez and Tangier, with an urban area of 88.80 sq miles and a population of 953,305. Since 1999 ALSA has managed the transport network in the city, and is now operating 42 city routes, three suburban services and the one line BRT route utilizing 257 vehicles. The majority of buses are Scania which are built as knock-down kits at Scania's factory in Katrineholm. With so many tourists visiting the city, the bus network is probably the most accessible in Morocco, with several termini, clearly defined bus stops and readily available publicity. (Marrakesh was covered in detail in a previous article)

 

                                              ALSA, Marrakesh, Solaris, Urbino 18 hybrid.

Considering ALSA forms part of National Express, an operator with a wealth of experience in operating local and express services with easily accessible travel planning information, it is a pity none of this expertise filters down to Morocco. The ALSA website is abysmal, with emphasis on corporate values and no recognition for the demands of the travelling public, such as route planning and timetables. Perhaps if we inhaled some of the hippy smoke, all would be much clearer.

                                          Above: Tram in Casablanca. Below: Tram in Rabat.

Barcelona

 

Two centuries, two decades, three ways.

TMB 1803 MAN NL273F CNG with Castrosua body rounds the fountain on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes in 2019.

It is very seldom that I visit a foreign location more than once but Barcelona is an exception. The first occasion was in 1973 travelling by coach, a French registered Mercedes Benz 0305, from Boulogne via Paris and Madrid. In 2010 it was a lot quicker, with a cheap Easyjet flight and short ‘Aerobus’ hop into the city centre aboard a three-axial Neoplan. The 2019 journey was a long, tiring, day trip from London St Pancras via Paris on Eurostar and French TGV right into the heart of Barcelona.

A Société des usines Chausson with Pegaso engine from the 1973 visit.

In 1973 the city was a commercial hub with a vast expanse of docks and it traded on its Gaudi connection to attract a small number of tourists. The south of the city, towards the docks, was generally out-of-bounds to tourists after dark, apart from those seeking the comfort of a lady for the night. By 2010 the dock area had been gentrified and now housed a large marina and expensive shopping centres, whilst the city at large had become trendy, resulting in a major increase in tourists. 2019 was a shock: the city was overrun by visitors and large numbers of migrants from Africa, boosted by day visitors from cruise ships. The one constant throughout has been the never-ending building of Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia Cathedral, construction work having commenced on 19th March 1882 and projected to be completed within the current decade.  

 

A Pegaso 6035 artic again from the 1973 visit.

The metropolitan area of Barcelona has 164 municipalities covering an area of 636 sq km with a population of 5.5m. Passenger services are provided by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) with a fleet of 1140 buses and it has additional responsibility for the metro, tram, regional railway, urban railway, city sightseeing buses and the funicular railway. The bus network carries 203m passenger per annum on 109 routes (three D routes, eight H routes, seventeen V routes, seventy-four red routes, seventeen night services and three sightseeing routes).

TUSsal (Transports Urbans i Serveis Generals, Societat Anònima Laboral), MAN NL223 with Caetano body on route B20 from the Barri Oliveres suburb into the city centre Sant Pere terminus. Photographed in 2010 outside La Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

Horse-drawn trams were introduced to the city in 1872, followed by steam trams in 1877. Buses were introduced in 1906 with the first permanent urban bus service beginning in 1922. Services were affected by the ravages of the Civil War. Many of the tram lines were damaged by air-raids and were sabotaged. In addition to this, there was very little capital available with which to run the transport system. In the aftermath of war, the network was gradually repaired and reinstated. In 1951, the municipal government gradually began to take over the management of transport services which had previously been run by private companies and by 1958 what has become TMB had been formed.

 

Left: Aerobus Scania K360 with Castrosua Magnus body at the Plaça de Catalunya city centre terminus in 2019. Right: Aerobus Neoplan N4420 L Centroliner at the Plaça de Catalunya city centre terminus in 2010.

Today the fleet is fairly modern, thanks in no small part to funding from the European Investment Bank with a €73.5 million loan in 2019 for the purchase of 254 buses. This is in addition to €32.5 million invested by TMB in 2018. The last major upgrade took place in the early 2000s and by 2007 the entire fleet was low-floor and wheelchair accessible. Today the investment is centred around environmentally friendly vehicles. The latest funding will provide the city with 116 new electric buses, 63 hybrids and 75 using latest generation compressed natural gas. The renewal will also cover Barcelona’s 20 diesel-powered double-decker tourist buses, which will be replaced with hybrids. The first 105 arrived in late 2019, this year will see another 75 and in 2021 the final 74. These arrivals will complement the 350 existing hybrid buses already in the fleet. Much of the new fleet will be provided by MAN Truck & Bus Iberia, SA, although in 2020 an order was placed for 14 Solaris Urbino Electric and 9 Irizar iZe electric artics for service on route H16.

 

Left: This small MAN was used in 2010 to transport shoppers from the city centre to the up-market shopping areas. Fitted out in rather lavish style with tables, table lamps with frilly lampshades and window curtains. Right: TCC (Transports Ciutat Comtal) Mercedes Benz Citaro at Plaça de Catalunya in 2019.

The TMB operation is best described as functional with the operational fleet, colour schemes and infrastructure meeting the needs of a modern-day city without any major efforts to promote itself. The city architecture does however provide a wonderful backdrop for the bus photographer providing you can avoid the crowds.     

TMB 3613, Solaris Urbino artic hybrid H18 on the Passeig de Colom segregated busway opposite the marina in 2019.

Malta 2014

Malta ~ A return ticket.

 

Much has been written in recent months about the public transport turmoil on the island of Malta. Would it be better or worse than twenty-six years ago? All those years ago the 'iconic' grey and red buses provided a haphazard, erratic service, timetables indicating the existence of a service rather than a schedule. To put the operating environment in context, Malta is an island smaller than the Isle of Wight with a population of approximately 413,000 of which 30,000 live on Gozo and it derives 35% of its GDP from tourism.

 Valletta Bus Station on first visit.

Stepping out of Luqa airport the initial signs were not good. The airport is served by seven routes, six are a series of X routes connecting the airport to major destinations throughout the island and the seventh, 201 is a minibus route to Rabat (Mdina) via the Blue Grotto. With the exception of X1 all services were operated under contract to Malta Public Transport by many of the island independents with an assortment of minibuses, buses and coaches in a multitude of liveries and showing signs of many years in service. More impressive was the infrastructure, the grumpy assistant behind the former Arriva information desk issued a euro 6.50 weekly travel card (since the demise of Arriva this ticket no longer covers Gozo which requires the purchase of a euro 1.50 day rider). Outside all the bus stop flags had route numbers with final destinations clearly shown and timetables for all routes.

 

Once away from the airport the situation is much improved. The majority of vehicles are in Arriva livery and staff are in smart Malta Public Transport uniforms. Public information is clear and concise in a format familiar to UK travellers, being produced by FWT. A full colour A4 route map of both islands is freely available, but timetable booklets are not produced, although information is readily available on the internet before arrival and by SMS once on the island, neither of which is necessary as all bus stops on the islands have timetables, route numbers and final destination on the flag. Valletta bus station has an information kiosk with route maps and stand departures information adorning the exterior walls, Sliema ferries interchange has a simalar Kiosk and Gozo has a new four bay bus station. On street ticket machine are located at various locations, although they never seem to be used, this could be because of the difficulty in reading the screens in bright sunlight, most passengers elect to pay the driver.

 

An Arriva King Long in Valletta bus station.

Routes from Valletta and Victoria(Rabat) Gozo are planned on a hub and spoke system with groupings of route numbers following major arterial roads, e.g. 51,52, 53 Valletta - Rabat(Mdina), and then splitting off to suburbs or rural villages, often in one way loops, reminiscent of First Bus in this country, 51 to Imtarfa, 52 Dingli, 53 Rabat suburbs. Each service is on a thirty-minute headway providing a ten-minute interval along the main corridor. Services operate from early morning until late night Monday to Saturday with a slight reduction on some routes on Sundays. Night routes operate between Valletta and Sliema, and Marsaxlokk receives a Sunday only X85 service to cover heavy tourist loadings leaving the 85 with capacity for the locals. Timetables are adhered to and schedules allow for sedate progress on the route. Driving standards have greatly improved, passengers no longer cross themselves when boarding and buses no longer carry an image of the virgin Mary.

 

Before discussing the buses and making any conclusions on their condition, it is worthwhile briefly looking at the condition of Maltese roads. They fall into three standards; short lengths of modern highway with smooth tarmac, generally paid for by the EU; urban streets with some rough lengths, not dissimilar from the worst roads in Britain, and finally rural roads, best described as potholes occasionally connected with tarmac. The majority of vehicles operated by Malta Public Transport are King Longs, either 9-meter XMQ6900J or 12-meter XMQ6127J. Although these represent the current offering from King Long, and are all low floor, they do not match standards normally associated with most European manufactures. Rough engines and mis-matched gearboxes give a ride reminiscent of an AEC Swift or Bristol RE. The exterior bodywork on the first deliveries is showing signs of quite severe rusting, whilst the interiors look worn and in need of refurbishment on all the fleet, and the much heralded air conditioning has given up with windows and roof vents being open. Would any European manufactured vehicles stand the rigors of such intensive utilisation and high passenger numbers? Passenger loadings are on a level we would associate with London or Hong Kong and vehicles operate for eighteen plus hours a day. One redeeming feature is the telematics. Large continually scrolling screens are fitted on all vehicles and display bi-lingual route direction and next stop information in Malti and English, although the volume of the associated audio announcements is set to low to be audible. The King Long fleet is supplemented on Gozo by an Optare Solo Hybrid and on Malta by a small number of BMC Falcons, Optare Solo Hybrids, Saracakis bodied Volvo B7RLE and Scarnif bodied MANs.

 

Independent operator in Valletta bus station.

In a desperate move to cover the withdraw of ex London Mercedes-Benz artics, Malta Public Transport contracted former independents to cover several routes and provide peek hour additions to other routes. Routes covered in their entirety by independents are X2; X3; X4; X5 and X7, all providing cross island services focused on the airport. Vehicles used are a mix of full size buses and coaches, including former Reading Transport YN56 FBF, Scania Omnicity still in Vodafone red and with full Reading legal lettering, now operated by Peppin Transport. Some of these vehicles carry ticket machines provided by the transport authority, although no attempt is made to collect revenue or check tickets. Three minibus routes are also covered, the 201 Airport - Blue Grotto - Rabat(Mdina) and the combined 101/102 Ghajn - Mellieha - Cirkewwa, all services are hourly. None of the vehicles carry a ticket machine, and again no attempt is made to collect revenue or check tickets, and the timetable has a more liberal interpretation. The 201 is proving problematic as the Blue Grotto is a major tourist attraction and only nineteen seats per hour are provided in each direction with no standing allowed, although we did manage twenty-four seated passengers on one occasion. Passengers between terminus points are left standing at stops with no alternative, and this was out-of-season.

 

In April 2014 the Maltese government issued an update statement. It confirms a leasing agreement for forty-three new air-conditioned buses. There has been three expressions of interest in taking over the operating franchise, two from local Maltese companies and one from the Spanish subsidiary of National Express. UK operators McGills and National Express have already dismissed any involvement, citing lack of transparency on the part of the Maltese government. The Government also reported a further 7% drop in revenue between January and March 2014.

 

Optare Solo in Gozo.

So is the situation any better than twenty six years ago? The answer is a most definitely yes. Whilst many may bemoan the loss of the iconic Maltese bus, like the Routemaster in London, they had no place in a modern, intense transport operation. Some areas still need addressing; driver communication skills with passengers are sadly lacking; revenue enforcement; vehicle maintenance, occasional roadside breakdowns were noted and the aroma of hot oil and diesel not uncommon; Valletta bus station requires the finishing touches, removal of the portacabins and inclusion of stands 16 and 17 into the main concourse, three of the fifteen stands have already been demolished by drivers overshooting the stop ramps and need repairing, finally, Cirkewwa terminus needs the finishing touches, currently being devoid of marked bays despite being the third busiest interchange. The management of Malta Public Transport are doing a sterling job in the face of intense political interference. The island now has a recognisable modern network with reliable timetables and buses, driven by professional well trained staff. Arriva should be proud of its legacy, just don't mention the artics. 

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Iran

Euro 3 alive and well, Iran 2017.

'Why?' is the first question asked when you tell people your holiday destination. The answer is simple: to the younger generations it is Iran and the various images it conjures up, but to an oldie like me it is Persia, with millenniums of history and tales of Arabian nights. 

 
Tehran BRT. A King Long XMQ610001, on Azadi Street heading towards the city centre, operating BRT Line 1 on the segregated bus lane. Note, to the rear of the bus, a traffic police officer guarding the entrance to the bus lane.
 


'Caution traffic merging from the left', is the first road sign you see when emerging from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, and yes it is in English, as is much of the road signage in Iran, but driving is far from English in style. At first glance you might think Iranians are poor drivers but if you watch closely they are skilled: slotting into the smallest gap, never using mirrors, indicators or brakes, making sudden three point turns at will and having a total disregard for lane discipline. They do however admit to having a total disregard for pedestrians.  Once you take all this on board, a journey by public transport seems less daunting especially as flights from the UK arrive in the middle of the morning rush hour. Travelling the 50km into the city centre is a quick cure for any overnight grogginess. 

 
Photographed on Keshavarz Boulevard, Tehran, Oghab-Scania 3112 City Bus, fitted with Scania DC09 115 engine, ZF gearbox, 12m Oghab body B45F + 28 standing. Since 2000, Oghab/Scania (Oghab Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Co.), with a manufacturing base in Semnan, has produced more than 2600 coaches and 1000 buses.


Tehran, the capital of Iran, has 8.5 million residents within the city and over 15 millions in the environs. The city has an extensive local bus network and bus rapid transport (BRT) system, both soon encountered on the journey from the airport with the BRT vehicles at this point using the normal road network and sitting in the traffic congestion. The segregated BRT lane appears in the middle of the dual-carriageway once you enter the central districts, with entry and exit points controlled by traffic police on point duty.

Public transport in the capital generally operates from 6am and finishes between 10 and 11pm. United Bus Company of Tehran has been in existence for over 55 years with a workforce of 8,500 and manages about 6320 city buses, 4398 of these are operated by 16 private sector companies, plus an additional 1078 mini buses.  In all, there are 230 bus lines, covering 2718 km and carrying  approximately 4,500,000 passengers per working day. The majority of buses on normal services are dual-door Mercedes Benz 0457 (Iran Khodro Diesel) or Renault (Shahab Khodro). The cost of a single ticket is less than 10p and must be pre-purchased from ticket booths located close to bus stops or in bus stations, although most locals use preloaded 'tap-out' travel cards. At this point it is worth mentioning passenger etiquette on local services: women use the centre door to board and sit to the rear of the bus, whilst men board at the front and sit on the seats between the front and centre doors. When alighting, the women use the centre door whilst the men tend to use either door, and both sexes then make their way to the front door to either use the 'tap-out' machine attached to the step grab handle or hand a ticket over to the driver. If you do not have a smart card, you can offer cash to the driver who is not permitted to accept it so will often let you board without paying, because offering to pay shows your sincerity! When alighting, generally pushing the bell is unnecessary as drivers have to stop. However, if no one is waiting at the bus stop, the driver might call out to see if someone wants to get off, and if no one replies, the driver usually keeps going. Despite what might look like a hap-hazard system, dwell time at stops is low.

Yutong ZK6128HGE (also displaying Iran Khodro Diesel IKD CO supplier's lettering). Operating on route 71, departing the bus stop outside Zinat Almolk House on Lotf Ali Kahn Zand Street.

The first BRT line was introduced into Tehran in 2007,and today there are ten lines denoted by colour with a single journey using a smart card costing about 5000 Rials (12p). Within the first year, passenger numbers increased by 77 per cent, up from 214,000 to 380,000 daily on the 18km Line 1. Presently the ten BRT lines cover 171.8 km in length and operate 1345 12m rigid and 15m artic buses carrying close to 2,000,000 passengers per day. Bus stops, known as 'Stations', are between 36–44 metres long with a protective cover against sun heat, wind etc and are fully wheel chair accessible. The BRT is a safe, fast and efficient way to get around Tehran, however, using the BRT is not recommended in rush hour. The buses operating the system are showing their age, a result of ongoing international sanctions that has resulted in limited imports. King Long and Yutong artics are much in evidence. The first batch of King Long XMQ6180G 18 meter BRT vehicles were delivered in 2008. The batch was specially adapted for local needs with entry facilities for wheelchairs and a partition dividing the interior into male and female sections.

On leaving Tehran, like most people, we headed to the far south of the country before working back north to the capital. Shiraz is 930km from Tehran and the journey can be made by plane, train or express coach. There are 20,000 intercity buses in Iran and approximately 30 coach operating companies, such as Seirosafar, Ham Safar, and Iran Peyma. Most companies offer several daily departures on popular routes aboard standard and VIP-class coaches. Coaches usually stick to their timetable but 15-minute delays do occur, usually deliberate to allow for late passengers. Up-to-date timetables can be found on each company’s website, however, the websites are not in English so it helps if you know someone who speaks Farsi. Fares are low, for example, travelling on a VIP bus from Tehran to Shiraz, taking up to 13 hours, costs approximately £14, with hourly departures between 11am and 10pm. A focal point for buses in the city centre is the roads around the Arg-Karim Khan fortress with many of the now familiar Mercedes Benz (Iran Khodro Diesel) types laying-over. More modern Yutong ZK6108HG are in evidence. In June 2017 Shiraz became the first city in Iran to test the BYD K9 all-electric demonstrator, using large-capacity lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, that, when fully charged, provide sufficient energy for over 150 kms of urban service. This vehicle is currently touring other major cities in Iran as part of an initiative to improve air quality that started in 2015, when the Tehran public transport fleet took its first hybrid CNG buses.

Departing Shahrdaari Bus Station, no more than a roadside pull-in on Shohada Square (a roundabout), next to  the Arg-Karim Khan fortress, Iran Khodro Diesel Mercedes Benz 0457. Iran Khodro Diesel Company was established as Khawar Industrial Group in 1966. In 1999 it merged with Iran Khodro Company to become Iran Khodro Diesel.

One of the main reasons for visiting Shiraz is to take an excursion to Persepolis, the magnificent Unesco World Heritage Site just a few kilometres away. The site is also home to one of the largest coach parks you are ever likely to see, capable of holding hundreds of vehicles on a single level, windswept, dusty plain. This site provided the opportunity to take a straw-poll of Iranian coach operators’ vehicle preferences. Without doubt the winner, by a big margin, is the Scania chassis/engine, Oghab body combination. Oghab (Oghab Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Company) has manufactured more than 2600 coaches and 1000 city buses in Iran since 2000. The other popular combination is one which is very familiar, the Volvo B12B 9700, whilst the remainder are a motley collection of familiar European brands, MAN & Neoplan, VDL, Mercedes Benz. The Chinese share of the market is confined to the smaller 9m (35 seater) models, again familiar to operations in many parts of the world.

The 463km journey north through desert, mountainous landscape and Pasargadae, home to a Mercedes Benz 0457 converted into a builder’s store, brought us to Yazd, a city which sat on the silk road route and now has a population of 432,000. The first sighting of public transport in Yazd occurs just after leaving the motorway,and the Atlasi bus and coach station is a small two platform interchange located on a roundabout. Continue down Timsar Fallahi, a long straight avenue, towards the city centre and you come to the much larger Abouzar bus and coach station which is situated on Abouzar Square, and is in fact a very busy roundabout with an abundance of buses. This city has a more diverse fleet, both in colour and vehicle type. There are still large numbers of older Mercedes Benz but interspersed with more modern Renault Eurobuses and Pishro Yadak City Buses. 

The most common coach combination in Iran, Oghab (Oghab Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Company) 4212 Maral body on Scania K Series. The coach is parked in Salman-e-Farsi with some of Yazd's famous wind-towers behind. These were the original home air conditioning system. 

The journey continues another 324km north to the city of Esfahan, once the capital of Persia, and now the second largest city in Iran with a population of just over two million. Entering the city from the east and travelling parallel with Zayandeh Rood (life giving river) along Salman Farsi Street you cross the intersection with the north/south BRT line at Bozorgmehr Bridge. The line runs north to the Bagh Qoushkhaneh Bus Terminal and south along the Zobahan Freeway. Currently a single 17km system, opened in 2013, operated by Esfahan and Suburbs Bus Company, using red liveried King Long XMQ6180G1 artics and 100 locally built Asia PishroDiesel (formally Pishro Yadak) 12m rigid city buses. The remainder of Esfahan is served by an extensive conventional buses network of 105 routes, utilising a number of small bus stations and roadside interchanges dotted around the city. Yet again the bus fleet consist of Mercedes Benz 0457, Renault Eurobuses, Pishro Yadak and more modern Oghab Scania-3112  vehicles, and a mysterious white three axial rigid that kept disappearing into the distance on Hakim Nezami Street which might be a tri-axle Oghab/Scania Arrian.

The final 450km across the desert on a well maintained motorway takes us via Kashan, a small, very conservative city renowned for its merchant houses and gardens. Arrival at midday coincided with the schools changing shifts, and as both the schools and school transport are segregated, resulting in an abundance of Iranian built Mercedes Benz 0309, Khodro Diesel school buses. The small local bus service is operated by blue Renault Eurobuses. The final part of the journey back to Tehran takes you close to two of Iran's nuclear establishments, the only time politics came into play and when cameras had to be hidden away.

Juggling for position in the evening rush hour, a selection of buses at the municipal bus station at the top of Bagh-e-Goldaste Street, Esfahan.

Owners and drivers are very proud of their Euro 3 credentials, often displaying the fact in bold lettering on the vehicles. Iran's bus manufacturers are making concerted efforts to convert existing vehicles to CNG, develop Euro 6 and hybrid models, often in collaboration with European manufacturers. With the lifting of international sanctions, it can only be a matter of time before all these Euro 3 models disappear and become as scare as Leyland double-deckers in Iran. 

Heading away from the city centre along Amir Kabir Street in Kashan, a Renault Eurobus from the local municipal operator.

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