First South Yorkshire - Fleet

Fleet

First received a large batch of Volvo B10BLEs in 1999 as well as a number of Volvo B7Ls (most from First Manchester) and B7TLs between 2002–2004; most of these were however allocated to Sheffield, where 10 Volvo B7TLs/Wright Eclipse Gemini also entered service during summer 2006. Secondhand Volvo Olympians (Northern Counties) were cascaded from London and now make up the entire step entrance double decker fleet.

Save for the 10 Geminis, the fleet changed very little from 2003 until 2007 when First invested £6.4 million in 38 new double-decker buses. Twenty Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini double-decker buses arrived to upgrade the X78 route to low-floor operation; these new buses entered service on 1 June 2007. All twenty buses are now based at Rotherham Midland Road Garage although previously they were to be shared with Doncaster Leger Way depot. Doncaster received the remaining 18 of these buses in early 2008. These operate services 50, 55 and 78 as part of the Woodlands to Rossington Quality Bus Corridor. Shortly afterwards, an order for 58 more of the same buses was announced, and the majority of these have now entered service in Sheffield on routes 47/48/75/76.

Dennis Dominators were the main double deckers in the fleet with over 300 at one time. These have steadily been withdrawn and the last ran in service on 26 July 2006. Some older Volvo B10Ms with Alexander PS bodywork (new to Mainline) have been converted to driver training buses, while some are operating in Scotland with First Glasgow, and a large batch of the newest ones were cascaded to Glasgow, although these have started to slowly be withdrawn. A wave of new buses has allowed many of the older B10Ms to finally leave the fleet in 2010, and has also seen off the last of the step entrance Plaxton Pointers (both Dennis Dart and Volvo B6 chassis example were operated). Sheffield has been in full low floor operation since the withdrawal / cascade of older Volvo Olympians.

As of June 2012 the following bus types are operated:

• Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini - all depots
• Volvo B7TL/Alexander ALX400 - all depots
• Volvo B7L/Wright Eclipse - Sheffield / Doncaster
• Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse - all depots
• Volvo Olympian/Northern Counties Palatine - Rotherham (most now withdrawn)
• Optare Solo - Doncaster, M850 version
• Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown - Sheffield/Rotherham
• TransBus Dart - Doncaster
• Volvo B7TL/TransBus ALX400 - Doncaster
• Volvo B6LE/Wright Crusader - Doncaster
• Volvo B6BLE/Wright Crusader 2 - Doncaster
• Dennis Dart SPD - Rotherham.
• Scania L113CRL/Wright Axcess-Ultralow - Sheffield
• Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President - Sheffield - former London & replaced Volvo B7RLEs which were cascaded to Rotherham
• Dennis Trident 2/Plaxton President - Sheffield - former London & replaced Volvo Olympian's
• Dennis Dart/Marshall Capital - Sheffield