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Post by N230UD on Oct 5, 2017 21:28:48 GMT
They deserve it.
When I visited the area a few months ago - drivers were very helpful and friendly, network was reliable, buses were clean inside and out, and well stocked with timetable booklets (which many operators fail to do). Thurrock is one of the few areas of the country where I have been impressed with the bus network.
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Post by N230UD on Oct 4, 2017 14:55:21 GMT
Good article in the latest Buses magazine about him. He certainly had a big impact, and I think he had many great ideas.
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Post by N230UD on Sept 8, 2017 22:49:24 GMT
They are decent vehicles. Give a comfortable ride, has a great engine sound (although as its fairly quiet, its difficult to hear sometimes), and has a proper horn! The one old model version I had on the 700 a good number of years ago was very nice - looking forward to riding more in the future. The MMC ones are also very nice The MMC Scanias in East Kent are quality - found on the Triangle and Breeze routes. They have coach seats, USB sockets (although the ones at the rear of the top deck are unlikely to still be there), and I prefer the MMC design to the older E400 model.
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Post by N230UD on Sept 8, 2017 22:42:53 GMT
So, its been the first full week of the Dover-area changes, and i've managed to have a few bus rides, in between work/socialising/life.
All seems to be going ok so far. Most of the changes were probably needed to improve efficiency, and there are also some improvements. For example, Deal now has a link to the Whitfield area (an area of Dover with a large Tesco, B&Q, Homebase etc) every 30 minutes with routes 12 and 90 (previously it was just an hourly route 12). Deal doesn't have a shopping centre or any extra-large supermarkets, so it probably is a good idea.
There are many things which are questionable though. For example, the route 89 which comes in to Dover from outlying villages was already a 'round the houses' route with a long journey time, but it now goes around some Dover housing estates replacing a local route, making the journey time even longer. This change is possibly more efficient and might help to save this route for those villages, but the journey time will possibly put people off even more. From the villages (such as Elvington), it takes about 20 minutes to drive to Dover in the car - the bus journey now takes 50 minutes.
On most of the journeys i've been on, on various routes, passengers have been moaning, and so have the drivers!! I will say though, Dover depot has some great drivers with excellent customer service. I've always noticed that compared to other East Kent depots.
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Post by N230UD on Sept 8, 2017 22:28:21 GMT
I live around the Stagecoach South East area, and the drivers like the Scania/E400s. They tend to prefer them to the standard E400s. I certainly do as well - a much more comfortable smoother ride. We also have E300s which give a much better ride than the crappy E200s - but the E300s are apparently disappearing from the fleet soon. Riding E200s down dual carriageways is not fun. The drivers at south east are largely friendly, and many have said they enjoy the job (but not the long hours). Hope you enjoy your new post down south! I've always said I bet the E400 Scania would be nice. It's a perfect combo of the two!! Just wish we had them 😂😂😂 They are decent vehicles. Give a comfortable ride, has a great engine sound (although as its fairly quiet, its difficult to hear sometimes), and has a proper horn!
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Post by N230UD on Sept 4, 2017 14:11:11 GMT
I live around the Stagecoach South East area, and the drivers like the Scania/E400s. They tend to prefer them to the standard E400s. I certainly do as well - a much more comfortable smoother ride. We also have E300s which give a much better ride than the crappy E200s - but the E300s are apparently disappearing from the fleet soon. Riding E200s down dual carriageways is not fun. The drivers at south east are largely friendly, and many have said they enjoy the job (but not the long hours).
Hope you enjoy your new post down south!
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Post by N230UD on Sept 3, 2017 17:08:35 GMT
Didn't know this, interesting! Fastrack is great, and its a shame most other bus services in Kent are not of similar quality.
Where did you see or hear this?
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Post by N230UD on Aug 24, 2017 16:25:24 GMT
An official announcement has been given by Stagecoach, including new timetables and maps, seen here: www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/south-east/changes-to-bus-routes-in-dover They have certainly put a positive spin on the changes! Also worth mentioning that Stagecoach have lost the KCC contract for route 36 (Herne Bay - Margate), to Regent Coaches (who else?), also from the beginning of September. The new timetable messes up connections, ruins the link to Herne Bay Rail Station, and also serves the village of Reculver at 09.23, meaning pass holders would have to pay as its pre-0930. Reculver only has a few buses a day. So, a step backwards! To add to what I was saying about Poynter's Coaches - it appears I was correct when I said they were 'winding down'. They have just ceased trading. It is not clear if it was planned or unexpected. Regent have taken over the contracts early, which were held by Poynter's since 1988!!
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Post by N230UD on Aug 8, 2017 15:41:02 GMT
And the Versa has a bit of route branding! I'm surprised about that! I wonder if Go-Coach hope the route will become successful enough to operate commercially?
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Post by N230UD on Aug 4, 2017 22:46:51 GMT
The new Stagecoach 3/3A/3B/3X timetable is available on Traveline (although as both the current and new timetables are shown together, as well as the many variations of the 3-group routes, it can take a while to work out!)
As I predicted, the limited-stop 3X will be extended to Sittingbourne, which gives an average journey time of 55 minutes to Canterbury. Although some afternoon journeys from Canterbury will be on route 3B, taking 1hr07. This compares to 20 minutes on a direct train. But, the bus does also serve areas and villages which are not near a railway station.
At the moment, theres no evidence that Arriva's 333 will be withdrawn between Sittingbourne and Faversham. So, the routes could possibly be competing. I don't understand why any company would want to compete on that corridor as they are two small towns in a rural area, especially as these companies have not competed before. Obviously they are different routes with a different USP, but i'd say most people just travel between Faversham and Sittingbourne, rather than continue to Maidstone or Canterbury. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye and the two companies are in discussion - who knows.
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Post by N230UD on Aug 3, 2017 20:18:58 GMT
I know the stops you mean. Must be awkward for drivers! Most of the stops all have attaching footpaths and even a footbridge, but I also notice that one of the stops (the last A2 stop coast-bound, called Rectory Lane East), has seemingly no connecting footpath, and is surrounded by an embankment, so I really can't see the point of it. Are those stops quite popular then? I've only ever noticed someone use one of those stops once, but that was off-peak. You do get people using them, one of them is a daily user. If you want to get across from Rectory Lane there is a crossing - that's why the central barriers have a diagonal gap between them. Moz Didn't notice that with the central barriers. Not sure i'd want to cross there! As long as people use common sense though, i'm sure its fine. I'm surprised those have been kept open, compared to a Canterbury-bound stop at Gate Services on the 3-group routes, which was closed due to 'safety reasons', but looks a lot safer than the stops we are talking about. Sorry, a bit off-topic!
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Post by N230UD on Aug 2, 2017 22:37:34 GMT
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Post by N230UD on Aug 2, 2017 22:28:43 GMT
If you want standing passengers on the A2, try the Gold 16 on a morning run into Canterbury. Even better, there are bus stops along the A2 with naught more than a standard length bus stop layby. Seerving these can be nerve-wracking at times. Moz I know the stops you mean. Must be awkward for drivers! Most of the stops all have attaching footpaths and even a footbridge, but I also notice that one of the stops (the last A2 stop coast-bound, called Rectory Lane East), has seemingly no connecting footpath, and is surrounded by an embankment, so I really can't see the point of it. Are those stops quite popular then? I've only ever noticed someone use one of those stops once, but that was off-peak.
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Post by N230UD on Aug 2, 2017 22:22:26 GMT
It was the 703 that went to Maidstone but was withdrawn due to poor usage, remarkable how well the 700 has done by comparison. I'm surprised there is no direct bus link to Bluewater from Maidstone, especially when you look at how well the 700 has done. Its not easy to get there by train to Greenhithe either. My guess is that Maidstone has quite a thriving town centre, and the 703 had only one return journey which isn't exactly attractive.
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Post by N230UD on Aug 1, 2017 16:25:30 GMT
Still no annoucement from Stagecoach, but timetables are all available on Traveline as mentioned.
From the same date, they have also lost KCC-contract route 36 (Herne Bay - Margate) to Regent Coaches.
In other news, Regents have also won the 620 and 667 routes (Canterbury - surrounding small villages). These routes have been operated by Poynter's Coaches since de-regulation, so longer than I have been alive. It is also their last public bus routes, so will be a sad occasion. I get the impression that Poynter's are 'winding down' rather than losing out, but who knows.
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