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Post by N230UD on Mar 19, 2018 17:42:38 GMT
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Post by N230UD on Mar 5, 2018 20:34:22 GMT
Harlow is a good example. London Country ran the local network from there. This was eventually inherited by Arriva who still operate from the same London Country depot. Arriva is still the main operator, but independent companies Trustybus and EOS play quite a large part too. Go-Ahead London even operate a route here, but its commercial (not-TfL) and is just one journey Mon-Fri to Romford.
Arriva also operate from Northfleet depot in Kent, another ex-London Country depot. Also, the Thurrock area was London Country, but now Ensignbus are the dominant operator and have made quite a success of it too. There are still TfL buses just about operating into Thurrock, in the form of routes 370 (itself a former LC route) and 372.
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Post by N230UD on Feb 28, 2018 0:07:20 GMT
Many of you probably know EOS Buses, who operate in the Harlow/Epping/Loughton area. IMO, a good company, and I think have improved buses in this difficult operating territory. They have a good Twitter presence, and I noticed this tweet recently: NEW ROUTE S1 from 2nd May!! Harlow, Staple Tye, Bush Fair, Potter Street then DIRECT to STRATFORD CITY bus station. Journey time from just 50 minutes with great value fares starting at £5.00 single and £8.00 return ....... keep your eyes open for more information coming soon 👍
An interesting development! I can see potential in this route, as it is relatively easy to get to Stratford using the M11 and A12 (traffic permitting!!), and Stratford is a big employment centre - there might be quite a few Harlow residents working at Stratford. However, I think the target might be more for leisure. It will probably depend on the timetable when it is revealed. My guess is that it won't be frequent, but some people may want to give up an expensive overcrowded train for the bus, especially as it will take about the same time (and more likely to stop nearer the passenger's house). But is Harlow a big enough area to create enough potential for this route? We shall see! I also like the number they have given this route as it was of course the number of a London bus route in the Stratford area. Comparing to the trains: From Harlow Town to Stratford is about 45 mins (not including time to get to the station), and costs £13.60 single. In other EOS news, they are extending their 87 route (Harlow - Epping) to Loughton, Debden and the new Epping Forest Shopping Centre. It replaces Loughton/Debden local route 542. Quite a 'round the houses' route, but quite enterprising to see them operate to this new shopping centre. tangytango.proboards.com/thread/8629/upcoming-changes?page=129 - it was mentioned here the other day, apparently it will run every 2 hours. Of course, this was done before with the E20 route which followed a similar premise a few years back but didn't last long I didn't notice that, thank you. Yes, the E20 was operated by TWH (same proprietor). I seem to remember the service was doing relatively well. The E20 also stopped in Epping and Loughton as well, I believe. EOS seems a much more stable operator than TWH was, so they are probably in a better position now for such a service.
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Post by N230UD on Feb 27, 2018 23:31:34 GMT
Many of you probably know EOS Buses, who operate in the Harlow/Epping/Loughton area. IMO, a good company, and I think have improved buses in this difficult operating territory. They have a good Twitter presence, and I noticed this tweet recently: NEW ROUTE S1 from 2nd May!! Harlow, Staple Tye, Bush Fair, Potter Street then DIRECT to STRATFORD CITY bus station. Journey time from just 50 minutes with great value fares starting at £5.00 single and £8.00 return ....... keep your eyes open for more information coming soon 👍 An interesting development! I can see potential in this route, as it is relatively easy to get to Stratford using the M11 and A12 (traffic permitting!!), and Stratford is a big employment centre - there might be quite a few Harlow residents working at Stratford. However, I think the target might be more for leisure. It will probably depend on the timetable when it is revealed. My guess is that it won't be frequent, but some people may want to give up an expensive overcrowded train for the bus, especially as it will take about the same time (and more likely to stop nearer the passenger's house). But is Harlow a big enough area to create enough potential for this route? We shall see! I also like the number they have given this route as it was of course the number of a London bus route in the Stratford area. Comparing to the trains: From Harlow Town to Stratford is about 45 mins (not including time to get to the station), and costs £13.60 single. In other EOS news, they are extending their 87 route (Harlow - Epping) to Loughton, Debden and the new Epping Forest Shopping Centre. It replaces Loughton/Debden local route 542. Quite a 'round the houses' route, but quite enterprising to see them operate to this new shopping centre.
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Post by N230UD on Feb 26, 2018 20:47:04 GMT
There are also a number of international tram services in existence - Basel in Switzerland is one such location I believe. A bit off-topic as its trams, but its interesting to not that the Basel tram system now operates in 3 different countries. It had an extension into Germany in 2014, and recently had its extension into France opened. Geneva, also in Switzerland, also currently has an extension into France under construction. I was under the impression that international trams were very rare. I can't think of any others outside of Switzerland and the one in Strausbourg. Going back to buses, I can't think of any other that those already mentioned. I've been doing a little research this afternoon but can't really discover any more. I was looking in the Eastern Europe area, but can't really see any. For example, i've looked at the Polish city of Szczecin, which is right near the German border but there do not appear to be any. Interestingly, there is a town with the Polish/German border going right through it. It is known as Görlitz in German and Zgorzelec in Polish. There appears to be only one bridge between the two countries (evidence perhaps that Poland is relatively new to the Shengen Area). There is a rail service connecting the town, but only 2-hourly. The Görlitz tram does not go to the Polish side. There is however bus route P, operating roughly hourly between Görlitz Station in Germany and Zgorzelec Station in Poland. The only timetable online is a scan of a paper copy, seen here: www.vgg-goerlitz.de/uploads/vgg/schedule/10/linie-p.pdf. Appears to be operated by VGG-Görlitz (part of Transdev). A map here shows the local bus network, including the P into Poland www.vgg-goerlitz.de/uploads/vgg/media_document/3/original.pdfEDIT: A brief Google image search suggests the P is sub-contracted and operated with a strange Renault minibus: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Linia_Miejska_Bus_G%C3%B6rlitz.jpgI doubt many European countries outside the Shengen Area have international local bus services.
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Post by N230UD on Feb 22, 2018 22:01:00 GMT
Ex-Docklands Buses ED19, ED20, ED22 and ED27 are now with EOS. So, originally allocated to the TfL 167, they will cover similar roads on EOS route 66 around the Loughton/Debden area. EOS have done this before - with their earlier purchase of the Ex-Docklands Buses HVO2-reg Dart/Caentanos also new to the 167. They are still in London red, but it will be great to eventually see them in their smart orange/black livery.
Also, Trustybus also have some examples, with ED16 and ED17, also still in London red.
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Post by N230UD on Feb 8, 2018 17:49:29 GMT
Ensignbus have some changes coming up to most routes in their Thurrock network, and you can see detailed information about this on their Facebook page.
There are also changes to the 21 route (Brentwood-Ongar) from 26th March. It is largely minor timetable changes, but it also includes the introduction of an X21 from Ongar to Lakeside! It follows the same route as the 21, but after Brentwood extends to Lakeside via Ockendon. There are 2 return journeys on Mon-Fri (although only 1 return journey is useful to shoppers - the others look like positioning journeys). Seems a good idea, as users of the current 21 cannot really change for a Lakeside bus at Brentwood - as there is no regular route from Brentwood to Lakeside. I wish them the best of luck.
Some of you may remember back in the 1990s, the County Bus / Arriva route 501 (Harlow-Brentwood) was extended to Lakeside, I believe when Lakeside was quite new. I'm not sure that lasted very long (not to say that the X21 won't).
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Post by N230UD on Feb 7, 2018 22:47:02 GMT
Perhaps their flagship route is the 297, which runs hourly between Tunbridge Wells and the market town of Tenterden via various villages and small towns. You really get to see some scenic parts on this route through the 'Kent Weald'. Unfortunately its largely single-deck operated, but DDs operate in school peaks. Interestingly, it is mostly operated by ex-Arriva Kent & Sussex Volvos, which were previously used on the Fastrack service - a slight contrast of routes!
They seem to have had a recent setback recently. They terminated at short notice the contract of an East Sussex County Council group of routes centered on Rye in East Sussex. Stagecoach have taken them back over.
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Post by N230UD on Jan 28, 2018 21:18:25 GMT
I'm no expert on these matters, but I think using smaller buses on some evening journeys would be wise for fuel consumption (although, this may just benefit the operator rather than TfL). Stagecoach East Kent do this on a few routes (obviously their operating territory is rather different to London). Routes that are double deck during the day, usually have smaller buses in the late evenings (if they are lucky to have an evening service!). For example, the Breeze 8/8A routes are double-deck during the day (and are needed), but Enviro200s (from the Thanet Loop) are used in the late evenings (about 19.30-24.00). The reason for this is of the lower fuel consumption.
If this was to happen in London, obviously it would depend on the depot operating the route having enough single deckers available in the evening to cover the route. Also, it would depend on the dead mileage - if there was a lot of dead mileage involved to swap the doubles for singles, it might not be worth while. It would also depend on how busy the evening services are, as many routes are very busy. Even in East Kent, the smaller evening buses can have standing passengers, but most of the time are more than big enough for the amount of passengers. Some suburban routes, such as the 20 might benefit from singles in the evenings.
Also, I think TfL should make it easier for 'cross-boundary' routes to operate. As TfL are cutting back the cross-boundary routes, the boundary is getting more prominent. If it was easier for commercial operators to be allowed to operate over the border, this might 'bridge the gap' a bit more.
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Post by N230UD on Jan 28, 2018 21:05:11 GMT
Ever since Oyster was introduced the route has been in decline. In the early 2000's the route was every 15 minutes, this went down to every 30 and subsequently when First and then Hallmark took over every hour. NW Surrey is like London, so it can't tolerate expensive bus fares, unlike the 32 or 460 which operate in wealthier parts and see good loading's for county council contracts. I think NW Surrey is definatly a bus area though (see the TFL routes) and could definatly do with either a bit of Reading Buses magic (as they are doing in Slough) and/or better cooperation with TFL (accepting Oyster Cards) Having recently sampled it, I'd say the shining light in this area is Stagecoach's 715. Hallmark's standards are sadly disappointing. Abellio are doing better again with the 461 of late, but they won't expand any more. Not used the Falcon routes yet, but the buses look in good shape. I was actually pleased with the standards of the Hallmark journey I was on. It was spot on time, a friendly driver, bus was comfortable and clean. But thats just my experience on my only experience with Hallmark. I've read about the 555 route on the londonbusroutes website, and it is strange to think how much better the service used to be. It does surprise me that buses are struggling in a densely populated area in Greater London right by one of the busiest airports in the world..... but that just shows what a mes the bus industry is in really...
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Post by N230UD on Jan 25, 2018 23:42:36 GMT
Travelled on the 17.10 departure of the 555 from Heathrow Central today (Thurs). There were about 6 other people, who all had a free ride in the Heathrow Freeflow zone. A few alighted and boarded in the Bath Road area, again free riders. At Hatton Cross, most people alighted (including me), and about 5 boarded all free riders to T4 (perhaps one fare payer - didn't quite see).
For an hourly service, at a 'peak hour' departure this didn't really look good (although obviously there isn't really a peak at Heathrow, with all the strange shift hours and flight times). Do bus operators get any money for accepting free travel in the Freeflow zone? Or is it something operators have to agree to in order to access Heathrow?
I didn't go to T4, but perhaps loadings are better there? I can imagine some regular users of the service possibly travelling from T5 and Central on the Express/Connect to pick up the 555 from T4, to save the long journey around the perimeter.
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Post by N230UD on Jan 22, 2018 17:53:25 GMT
Pleasing news - for now - but the self congratulatory remarks from Tory MPs makes me rather cross. Kent bus users wouldn't be in this mess if the Government hadn't massacred local authority funding in the first place. So in Kent, you need £500,000 just to “speak” to people “In a statement released this afternoon Kent County Council said it had set aside a budget of £500,000 to speak to people, district and parish councils about bus services. Some little used buses could see changes to the way they were run but routes would not be cut at present” I wonder if that £500,000 will be used just for the odd leaflet put on a bus... Perhaps some of that £500,000 can be used to put their maps back up online (which were taken off due to the collapse of FWT).
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Post by N230UD on Jan 13, 2018 0:43:42 GMT
As usual Courtney has to engage in bus wars along profitable corridors ending up with passenger numbers being destroyed. No doubt will the Reading and Courtney 2's be chasing each other. Courtney say they will have an 'all network day ticket' All network in that it is only valid on Courtney Buses So to use multiple operators you have to buy different tickets, one of the things I absolutely despise of in the UK.. Real backward steps. What are they thinking? <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="6.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 24.2px; height: 6.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 1145px; top: -269px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_62268478"></iframe> <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="6.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 24.2px; height: 6.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 10px; top: -17px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_86890141"></iframe> <iframe width="24.200000000000045" height="6.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 24.2px; height: 6.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 1145px; top: -17px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_58166826"></iframe> It feels similar to the current 'bus war' in Harlow, where Arriva/Trustybus have competing routes on the Harlow-Epping and Harlow-Church Langley corridors since the beginning of January. This competition in Harlow and the Thames Valley seems absolutely ridiculous in the current climate in the bus industry. This isn't the 1990s when competition might have been very beneficial for an operator. There are unlikely to be any 'winners' from a 'bus war' in 2018.
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Post by N230UD on Jan 4, 2018 23:41:26 GMT
I went there a few days ago, and once again their service was really excellent. I do hear from others that they are not as good as they used to be in Roger French days, but thats not been my experience. They also contrast greatly to many other operators in the South East.
From an enthusiasts point of view, they have some of the best routes in the South East. That is the 12/13X coastal route to Eastbourne (particularly the 13X along Beachy Head) - although the vehicles on this route are certainly not my favourite. Also the long 29 route to Tunbridge Wells - beautiful rural scenery, and some really good thrash in places! Also the 77 route to the Devil's d**e.
Their urban routes arn't particularly interesting (although, compared to many towns, they still have great views and very hilly in places). 25/25X is good though because of the articulated Citaros - feels very alien to me to be on bendybuses in the UK!
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Post by N230UD on Dec 31, 2017 0:32:24 GMT
This route seems interesting - seems to run London to Bracknell via Slough and a few journey's extend to Reading. Now Reading buses are running it I can use my Metrobus Staff pass on it so may give it a go soon. I will certainly be trying it out soon! Out of interest, how come you can use your Metrobus staff pass with Reading Buses? Can't you only use it with Go-Ahead companies?
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