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Post by TB123 on Apr 6, 2024 9:35:10 GMT
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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on Apr 6, 2024 12:19:34 GMT
Stagecoach had a stake in then route 712 (Eastbourne to Brighton) until they sold their Lewes operation to GA Brighton & Hove. It might have been a nice nod to the past to number it 712, but I do see the logic of having route 700 linking with route 701 in Brighton.
With Stagecoach subsequently purchasing Eastbourne Buses, they do again have a suitable depot for such a link. This means they will no longer have this "gap" along the south coast.
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Post by yunus on Apr 6, 2024 13:33:57 GMT
Any idea on the intended vehicles please? |
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lg
Cleaner
Posts: 41
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Post by lg on Apr 6, 2024 17:40:54 GMT
Stagecoach had a stake in then route 712 (Eastbourne to Brighton) until they sold their Lewes operation to GA Brighton & Hove. It might have been a nice nod to the past to number it 712, but I do see the logic of having route 700 linking with route 701 in Brighton. With Stagecoach subsequently purchasing Eastbourne Buses, they do again have a suitable depot for such a link. This means they will no longer have this "gap" along the south coast. I look forward to seeing what route this takes. As I understand it, it will be the A259 between Eastbourne and Newhaven then up towards Lewes and then the A27 into Brighton, hence serving the Amex and Universities. Whether it is actually going to serve Lewes Town centre isn't yet clear. Whilst I've no doubt that the passengers are there, it remains to be seen how many will switch operator. A huge disadvantage that stagecoach will have is that using the current Coaster service, an option to buy a day ticket allowing unlimited travel within Brighton is an easy option. Yes there is the Discovery ticket but I can't imagine many would be sold instead of Network Saver Tickets unless there's a specific intention to use more than one operator. An hourly service isn't particularly attractive in comparison either. I get that they might be testing the market but an hourly service against a combined 10 minute frequency isn't attractive. It will be interesting to see what vehicles are used. They will be competing with a brand new fleet of vehicles that Brighton and Hove have just invested in. |
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Post by redexpress on Apr 6, 2024 21:10:34 GMT
Stagecoach had a stake in then route 712 (Eastbourne to Brighton) until they sold their Lewes operation to GA Brighton & Hove. It might have been a nice nod to the past to number it 712, but I do see the logic of having route 700 linking with route 701 in Brighton. With Stagecoach subsequently purchasing Eastbourne Buses, they do again have a suitable depot for such a link. This means they will no longer have this "gap" along the south coast. Makes sense not to number it 712. People have long memories of route numbers, and this new route is substantially different to the old 712.
Given the success that B&H have made of the 12s it's perhaps surprising that it's taken Stagecoach this long to try to grab a slice of the pie.
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Post by yunus on Apr 6, 2024 21:21:31 GMT
Any idea on the intended vehicles please? Quoting myself but I hear from a friend that it will be Smart Hybrid MMCs with leather seats and blue poles! |
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Post by ibus246 on Apr 6, 2024 21:27:00 GMT
Any idea on the intended vehicles please? Quoting myself but I hear from a friend that it will be Smart Hybrid MMCs with leather seats and blue poles! It’s using ex-Manchester vehicles. |
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Post by yunus on Apr 6, 2024 22:01:41 GMT
Quoting myself but I hear from a friend that it will be Smart Hybrid MMCs with leather seats and blue poles! It’s using ex-Manchester vehicles. Cool I assume the ones freed from the BEE network? Funnily enough last month I went up to Stockport, firstly it was Stagecoach dominating and secondly a large pool of Smart Hybrids running. I identified with the fleet codes 11xxx. |
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Post by aaron1 on Apr 7, 2024 5:20:00 GMT
This new route would need to keep with the 13X as lot use that on weekdays and also don't so many would still use the 12 and 12A
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Post by gwiwer on Apr 16, 2024 21:55:12 GMT
Sounds like the Stagecoach newcomer is an approximation of B&H seasonal route 11X which only offers three trips.
If they have identified a demand for Eastbourne - Newhaven - Falmer (Universities) travel then good luck to them but I can't see them winning too much of the coastal pie against a 10-minute headway and very attractive network fares. I also can't see there being much of a demand for cross-Brighton travel as in linking to the 700 (which is now down to every 12 - 15 minutes ex-every 10-minutes) simply because Brighton is by far the major trip generator for all routes in the area.
Rather than expanding I had almost been expecting Stagecoach to retreat slightly from the south coast as Metrobus creeps closer to the coast. The former ceded the Worthing - Horsham route to the latter quite some time ago with it now being something of a success after years of managed decline and cuts under Stagecoach. There remains an almost isolated Brighton - Horsham route run from the Henfield outstation (the site of the now-demolished garage) but with buses rotated to and from Worthing for maintenance purposes. That too has dropped from 2BPH to 1BPH and on paper looks ripe for another operator to take it over.
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