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Post by wirewiper on Jun 17, 2021 16:37:12 GMT
The changes to the 164 and 606 have now been posted to the Travel Devon website. From Monday 21st June route 164 (Totnes-Kingsbridge) will be increased to an hourly frequency during the day on Mondays to Saturdays, and extended to Salcombe replacing route 606. there are also three return journeys on Sundays between Salcombe and Totnes. The timetable will offer improved connections at Totnes Station with Great Western Railway trains to and from Exeter and London Paddington, and the route will be known as the "Primrose Link", recalling the former branch line to Kingsbridge which was known locally as the Primrose Line and which closed in September 1963 (although it ran from South Brent rather than Totnes). Operation of the Bovisand Beach Bus is slightly different this year; it will operate daily during the school half-term week and the Summer Holiday period, but not during the intermediate weekends. Good to see the 164 service improved, with the Kingsbridge/Salcombe area lacking good connections to the rail network. I wonder if Stagecoach will continue to operate the Sunday service? Since route 3 in the area was converted to SDs, I wondered if it might be worth splitting for better links within South Devon - I doubt many passengers use it for the full length between Dartmouth and Plymouth. Instead, a Dartmouth to Salcombe link via Kingsbridge could be quite useful, connecting the coastal towns in the area - could possibly be branded something like the 'Start Bay' route. In particular, the Dartmouth to Torcross section of the 3 is probably one of the most scenic bus journeys in the UK, and could really do with better branding and promotion, as First previously did with the 'Mayflower Link' 93. However, as mentioned, the direct Totnes link from Salcombe is also welcome - Salcombe is quite popular in the Summer and now makes it much easier to travel there by train. I have idly wondered in the past whether a "four-way" interchange at Kingsbridge involving the 3, 164 and 606 could work. However given the journey times it would be impossible to keep a clockface hourly timetable without having masses of stand time at the terminals (or none at all at Salcombe) and this would affect the economics of the operation. Perhaps people doing journeys requiring a change just accept there will be a bit of time at Kingsbridge and use the opportunity to stretch their legs - after all it's a pleasant place for a short stroll and this isn't exactly the most hurried corner of the world. I am pleased with the new 164 - I would like to see a couple more trips on Sunday but we can't have everything.
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Post by wirewiper on Jun 21, 2021 16:38:43 GMT
Dartmoor Explorer gains two additional journeys from Saturday 3rd July - 09.50 Tavistock-Exeter and 13.50 Exeter-Tavistock. This should open up more journey opportunities. The 10.05 departure from Exeter is advanced to 10.00 and runs five minutes earlier throughout, which could catch out some people.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 9, 2021 17:23:31 GMT
Torbay Council has announced its intention to enter into an Enhanced Partnership with local bus operators and has committed to this being in place by March 2022. Torbay Council has also announced that, in partnership with Stagecoach South West, it intends to bid for funding for electric buses. The intention is to operate these on Torquay town routes 31 and 35A/35C, which pass through some of the most deprived parts of the town, the 31 also passes through one of the Borough's AQMAs (Air Quality Management Area). Electric buses would also replace the existing vehicles on open-top route 122. Charging infrastructure would be installed at Torquay Depot (Newton Road) and in the town centre, as well as at Paignton Bus Station which would facilitate the future electrification of Paignton routes. Finally, the Council has commissioned a "Needs Assessment" to identify gaps in existing public transport (and social inclusion). A survey to assess the feasibility of using DRT (Demand Responsive Transport) has concluded that it could have potential in a limited number of areas and scenarios. www.torbay.gov.uk/roads/travel/bus-network-improvements/
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 11, 2021 15:23:23 GMT
Stagecoach South West has announced that the new Exeter Bus Station will open on Sunday 25th June. It is built on part of the site of the old one and is adjacent to the new St Sidwell's Point Leisure Centre which is due to open this year. The new Bus Station has 12 bays and all Stagecoach out-of-city routes (except 56) will move into the new Bus Station, including those that have been departing from Paris Street and Sidwell Street. There will be no changes to times otherwise. Non-Stagecoach routes operated by independent operators will not use the new Bus station, but will move to a new stop 40 in Sidwell Street adjacent to Summerland Street. Megabus and National Express coach services will also continue to depart from Sidwell Street. Exeter City lettered routes will continue to serve the existing stops in Sidwell Street and High Street and (apart from B/2B) will not operate via the Bus Station. www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/south-west/exeter-bus-station-redevelopment
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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on Jul 11, 2021 18:22:38 GMT
Stagecoach South West has announced that the new Exeter Bus Station will open on Sunday 25th June. It is built on part of the site of the old one and is adjacent to the new St Sidwell's Point Leisure Centre which is due to open this year. The new Bus Station has 12 bays and all Stagecoach out-of-city routes (except 56) will move into the new Bus Station, including those that have been departing from Paris Street and Sidwell Street. There will be no changes to times otherwise. Non-Stagecoach routes operated by independent operators will not use the new Bus station, but will move to a new stop 40 in Sidwell Street adjacent to Summerland Street. Megabus and National Express coach services will also continue to depart from Sidwell Street. Exeter City lettered routes will continue to serve the existing stops in Sidwell Street and High Street and (apart from B/2B) will not operate via the Bus Station. www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/south-west/exeter-bus-station-redevelopmentI was already planning to go to Cornwall next year. Now I may well stop off in Exeter to see and use the new bus station. I have slightly lost interest in Plymouth Citybus as it now has a more standardised mainly Enviro fleet. It does still have the Eco's ex-Anglian but has recently lost its Eclipses to Manchester (of which I rode one in April), ex-Brighton Tridents and ex-London Volvo B7TLs.
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markc
Conductor
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Post by markc on Jul 12, 2021 15:27:17 GMT
It is a pity that Stagecoach can't expand their oferring in Plymouth a bit after covid. Plymouth network seems to just be left alone with no changes or new services for years now. Not sure what happened to service 101 being routed via Mutley that was in customer plan 2 years ago. Has this just been binned?
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 16, 2021 8:04:02 GMT
Staff shortages are starting to bite hard. Plymouth CityBus is now regularly cancelling journeys due to no driver being available, and First Kernow has suspended its new Daytripper D-prefix routes centered on The Eden Project from 10th July. The staff shortages are almost certainly down to the number of staff being told to self-isolate.
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markc
Conductor
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Post by markc on Jul 22, 2021 13:53:09 GMT
Stagecoach have announced new flexi tickets for non frequent traveller in Exeter. 10 day tickets for price of 7 to be used at anytime in 12 month period. Hope this is launched in Plymouth too as would be very handy going forward. Also are Stagecoach short staffed in office as their twitter field is non existent for past week or so. Just don't answer anything?
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Post by greenboy on Jul 22, 2021 14:29:53 GMT
Stagecoach have announced new flexi tickets for non frequent traveller in Exeter. 10 day tickets for price of 7 to be used at anytime in 12 month period. Hope this is launched in Plymouth too as would be very handy going forward. Also are Stagecoach short staffed in office as their twitter field is non existent for past week or so. Just don't answer anything? A great initiative like that and then they let themselves down by not answering twitter enquiries which could be done from home if they do have a lot of staff absent.
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markc
Conductor
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Post by markc on Jul 22, 2021 18:37:28 GMT
I don't know what has happened... it has all gone very quiet. No response to anything. If it is staff shortage why not just acknowledge that? Customer service really is quite dire at times. They do let theirselves down in this dept
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 25, 2021 18:03:59 GMT
The new Exeter Bus Station duly opened today (Sunday 25th July). There had been an opening ceremony on Monday 19th with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in attendance. Also present was VDV 817, a preserved former Devon General AEC Regent V which was the first bus to enter the previous Exeter Bus Station when it opened in 1964. 817 is an open-platform vehicle, one of 25 purchased in 1955 and 1957 for use on Exeter city services which were jointly operated with City of Exeter Corporation* and on which the Council and local police would not allow platform doors until the 1960s. It was withdrawn in 1971. Photo (not mine): www.flickr.com/photos/didbygraham/51334701374/in/photostream/* Under a coordination agreement services within Exeter, and up to a ten-mile radius from the City Centre, were subject to a joint operating agreement and pooling of mileage. This lasted from 1949 until City of Exeter Corporation sold out to Devon General, by then part of the National Bus Company, in April 1970.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 28, 2021 11:24:29 GMT
I rode on the newly extended 164 last week, from Totnes to Salcombe and back.
Tally Ho appears to have acquired some short-wheelbase Enviro200s for the route, they have seat belts and a small luggage rack at the front and appear to have come from an Irish operator as they have bilingual notices. Three vehicles are needed for the Monday-Saturday service.
The route itself is highly scenic and i can definitely recommend it. Journey time is a little over an hour, a bit longer coming back as buses stand for ten minutes at Kingsbridsge. This is presumably to mop up any delays on the journey from Salcombe and ensure reliable departure times from Kingsbridge for train connections. Some roads on this section are very narrow and buses often have to wait for oncoming traffic to clear. Stand times at Salcombe and Totnes are very generous and the route needs the extra support it gets from Devon County Council and Great Western Railway as it could not operate commercially to this timetable. As it is there is a "blip" in the afternoon timetable on schooldays as one journey leaves Totnes at 15.35 rather than at 16.00 so it can operate via King Edward VI College.
Return fare Totnes to Salcombe is £6.30 adult. Tally Ho also issues and accepts the Devon Day ticket.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2021 23:24:59 GMT
Tally Ho appears to have acquired some short-wheelbase Enviro200s for the route, they have seat belts and a small luggage rack at the front and appear to have come from an Irish operator as they have bilingual notices. Three vehicles are needed for the Monday-Saturday service. I believe they are ex-Bus Eireann DS58 GDZ (former AM10, 09-D-3522) and DS58 GBZ (former AM18, 09-D-3527).
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 30, 2021 7:44:34 GMT
Tally Ho appears to have acquired some short-wheelbase Enviro200s for the route, they have seat belts and a small luggage rack at the front and appear to have come from an Irish operator as they have bilingual notices. Three vehicles are needed for the Monday-Saturday service. I believe they are ex-Bus Eireann DS58 GDZ (former AM10, 09-D-3522) and DS58 GBZ (former AM18, 09-D-3527). Thanks for that. There could be at least one more as I rode on two and saw what appeared to be a third one on the route. They seem ideal; given the notoriously narrow stretches on some South Hams roads you don't want anything too big!
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Post by baz01 on Aug 7, 2021 17:44:44 GMT
I see Plymouth City Council are setting up partnerships with Stagecoach and Citybus under bus back better scheme , due to be published October for implementation in April 2022. Any idea/thoughts on how this is likely to impact Stagecoach ops in the city going forward?
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