SOUTHPORTS BUSES

GENERAL HISTORY OF OPERATIONS

The recent experiments with Electric Buses on Merseyside can fall into three distinct phases, in the late 1990’s, Merseytravel Funded an experiment with ‘ECO FRENDLEY’ vehicles on new contracts the, first to start was in Birkenhead in 1998 with a circular service using small vehicles based on Milk float technology, the second which falls outside the scope of this essay was in 1999 with four vehicle powered by LPG working Park & Ride services in Southport, other Eco friendly routes have been started but with low emission diesel vehicles, The third, starting in 2002, was in St. Helens using larger vehicles of the same type as in Birkenhead, with the most recent being in Liverpool started in 2005, using hybrid diesel electric vehicles based on the Optaire Solo bus.

Birkenhead The six Gulivar Technobus vehicles seat 9 and are rather basic and have a low top speed with the route starting at Woodside they struggle with the hill on Chester Road to gain the town center, the route is rather torturous and the last section between Hamilton Sq. and Woodside can give a swift ride even causing the overspeed alarm to sound. Unfortunately these vehicles have spent a lot of time unserviceable to the extent that all were taken out of service in 2002/3 and replaced with conventional Mercedes Minibuses although they are all back in service now

St. Helens The six vehicles seat 11 and are just a larger version of the Birkenhead machines but with a odd seating layout, the offside emergency door is a door rather than a jacknife door as at Birkenhead, the lack of power is not as evident on these as at Birkenhead, although the top speed is not great. There have been problems with these machines which spent some time off the road, being replaced with odd metro riders, though thay were not off for as long as the Birkenhead machines.

Liverpool The most recent uses six Hybrid Diesel electric powered Optaire Solo M850’s seating 28 operated by arrive from their Bootle Depot, again a tortures route although they do pass along some very busy thoroughfares and can hold their own in traffic, the vehicle can run on Batteries only or with the motor running to give additional power they are rather noisy outside when the motor is running , inside there is less noise than a conventional Solo, although there is a static hum most of the time when running on Batteries the operation is almost silent, there are problems with these vehicles with a output of five most visits have seen only two or three out, with at least one short Neoplan working the service, in fact on of these vehicles is Branded for the service anyway. As a matter of interest the short neoplan’s were allocated to Southport one year and worked alongside the gas powered Dart’s on the Park & Ride services.

BIRKENHEAD ROUTE. E1

From a shelter adjacent to Woodside ferry terminal building the route runs around the outside of the bus station turning left onto Chester St. and up the hill, this road is of commercial property some of which is empty, with a little residential style property, the bus turns left onto a buses only road to a stop at Ivy Street before turning left then right back onto chester St before turning almost immediately left into Market Street, which again is commercial or light industrial in nature, left onto Hamilton Street then right into Hinson Street then right onto Argyle Street before going round the roundabout onto Conway Street, the street is commercial with newer or fully refurbished buildings, the bus turns into Conway Street bus Station before continuing along Cloughton Road past the Market on one side and a shopping center on the other, then turning left onto Catharine Street and left onto Oliver Street and Left onto Coventry Street, this just circles a car park with the rear of shop premises on Oliver street, turning right onto Cloughton Rd and almost immediately left into Hemingford Street which has the rear of the shopping center on one side and older municipal style buildings on the other a right turn brings us onto Conway Street for the sort run to Europa Boulevard, passing Conway Park railway station, there are quite modern office buildings along this rather pleasant road, w right turn onto Price Street with it’s older commercial or light industrial property then after crossing a abandoned railway cutting a left turn into Lord Street brings us to Cleveland Street with the various council offices running onto the Georgian elegance of Hamilton Square a left turn into Hamilton Street takes us past Hamilton Sq. Station and down the hill to Woodside. The nature of this route is mainly commercial or light industrial property with little residential property along its line

BIRKENHEAD VEHICLES

OPERATED BY f IRST PMT FROM THE BIRKENHEAD GARAGE

Technobus Technobus B 9F new /1999

(51) 50007 S251AFA 990202AA,

(52) 50008 S252AFA c05E0546 c05I1172 c05I1177

(53) 50009 S253AFA 990202AB,c05E0551 c05E0544 c05E0547 c05I1172 c05I1178

(54) 50010 S254AFA

(55) 50011 S255AFA c05E0551 c05I1175

(56) 50012 S256AFA c05I1176 c05I1183

INTERIOR SHOTS c05I1173 c05I1174

St. HELENS ROUTES E10 From the bus Station the vehicle turns into Bickerstaff Street then turns right into then right into Church Street which are all commercial, then left into Charles Street which is residential then left into Tolver Street which has terrace ends facing onto it with a few commercial properties then right into Hardshaw Street which is residential again with some farley new properties towards the outer end then a right turn into Cansfeild Street with ends of terraces evident again then left into Alfred Street which is residential with a school on the left hand side right into Standish Street which has ends of terraces on one side and the St Helens Collage on the other with some commercial properties further along a right turn brings us onto Altas Street which is open with semi derelict industrial properties towards the end, then right into Parr Street which has warehouse type retail properties on the left and open space on the right , with some car dealerships further along a reverse of direction at a roundabout and then a left turn brings us into Shaw Street which is commercial on the left with St. Helens Station on the right bring us to the end of the route (the bus continues to the Bus Station light).

ROUTE E11 From the Bus Station along Bickerstaff Street then Right into ?, then right into Corporation Street and Right into Hall Street which is Retail on one side and Commercial (solicitors offices ect.) on thee other then right into Church Street which is again commercial before nearly turning back on ourselves onto Chalon Way East, passing ‘The World of Glass’ museum on one side and the rears of a shopping centre on the other then onto Chalon Way West joining route E12 briefly and passing a large TESCO on the left before we cross into Canal Street which is commercial (car dealerships) and open ground changing to Modern residential on the right and industrial on the left a left turn brings us onto Burtonhead Road which is industrial some of which is derelict changing to open ground with the retail park behind on the left a left turn takes us onto Malverny Way in the retail park to the terminus, The return is by the above route to Chalon Way East then Parr Street and Shaw Street to terminate at the Railway Station.

ROUTE E12 from the Bus Station into Bickerstaff Street and onwards through Victoria Square passing the town hall turning left into Cottham Street which is retail then left into the shopping centre along Ormskirk Street and Bridge Street, passing onto Chalon Way West which is Leisure orientated, a right turn onto Linkway west which is open with some retail premises, leading onto Kirkland Road which is similar, before turning right into ASDA’a Car Park then via Lowe Street to turn right onto King Street and then left onto Duke Street which is Retail and commercial a left turn takes us into Boundary Road which is residential also passing Ellison’s premises before turning left into MORRISONS car park, then turning left onto Croppers Hill which is residential, with further down open ground on one side, crossing Linkway we continue along Westfield Street which is again commercial, continuing into Cottham Street and back into the Bus Station

St. HELENS VEHICLES

190 DE52NWY 021125/09, c05K1411,

191 DE52NXU

192 DE52NXV 021125/11, c05K1412, c05K1421, c05K1431, c05K1432, c05K1435,

193 DE52NY? c05K1413, c05K1416, c05K1429,

194 DE52NYW 021125/01, c05K1415,

195 DE52NWY 021125/07, c05K1432, c05K1436 R/V,

INTERIOR SHOTS c05K1417, c05K1418,

LIVERPOOL ROUTES S2/S3

From Queen Square the route crosses into Crosshall Street, then turns right into Victoria St. bearing left into Old Haymarket, passing the mouth of Kingsway tunnel, turning left into Dale Street which is all commercial premises turning right into Hatton Garden with the old central fire station on the left and Merseytravel’s offices on the right, then right into Tithbarn Street which has slightly newer office style buildings with a small terrace of 1950’s housing then left into Fontenroy Street which is residential in nature with 1990’s housing, the road narrowing considerably along the way this also describes Addison St and Midghall St. which brings us onto Vauxhall Road, then right into Naylor Street which is Light industrial in older buildings, and is a very narrow thoroughfare, as is Gardeners Row, Bevington Bush and Blackstock Street, which take us back to Vauxhall Road again then Left into Chisenhale Street which is residential turning into light industrial at the pall mall end, a left turn onto Pall Mall which is a surprisingly wide road, takes us along to a right turn into Leeds Stree which is duel carriageway, right into Howard Street and almost immediately left into Paisley Street which had old warehouses on one side and a new shopping park on the other, we then turn left into Waterloo Road and onto Princess Parade which have several car parks before the New riverside office development start to a nice riverside terminus, the route continues along Princess parade and St. Nicolas Place to Georges Dock gate and a run along The Strand behind the three graces to turn up St. James Street passing Victoria’s statue at Derby Square, and along Lord Street before turning left into North John Street turning right into Victoria Street, and right again into St. Johns Lane before a right turn get’s us back to Queen Square,

Route S3 is slightly different

LIVERPOOL VEHICLES

OPERATED BY Arriva N.W. &W. FROM THAIR BOOTLE GARAGE

Optaire Solo Optaire B??F

0651 MK54YZR C5E0573,

0652 MK54YZT C05I1136, C05I1196,

0653 MK54YZU C05I1155, C05I1198,

0654 MK05MKL C

0655 MK05MKM C05E0530, C05E0532, C05E0574, C05E0575 (R/V)

0656 MKO5MKN C05I1195

INTERIOR SHOTS

POSTSCRIPT

What of the future ?, with Mersytram looking more unlikely, will Mersytravel be looking at Trolleybuses ?, The LPG powered Dart’s at Southport have all been converted to conventional fuel in 2005, will the Gulliver’s be replaced by better battery buses ?, we shall just have to wait and see.