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Post by wirewiper on May 2, 2022 14:46:18 GMT
Funny, I sometimes listen to Radio Jackie, which is based in Tolworth, on a Wednesday evening! The usual presenter Joe Hawkins is a Torquay man who divides his time between London and Devon and has become a good friend of mine. It will be nice knowing him as a friend as well as a presenter. It also helps you regain a London connection when you listen to Radio Jackie. Local radio has inevitably been diluted as most radio is effectively available nationally or globally online. I even listened to Beverley FM this morning. Yes, I moved away in October 2019 and have only been back once, in December 2019. I have been happy to stay away whilst the pandemic was on, but I have started getting nostalgic for my old London life in recent weeks and want to see some of my old friends and neighbours who still live there. We have a friend coming over from Australia in the Summer, we haven't seen her for five years. She will be in London for three months and she wants to come down to us for a few days.
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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on May 2, 2022 19:50:04 GMT
It will be nice knowing him as a friend as well as a presenter. It also helps you regain a London connection when you listen to Radio Jackie. Local radio has inevitably been diluted as most radio is effectively available nationally or globally online. I even listened to Beverley FM this morning. Yes, I moved away in October 2019 and have only been back once, in December 2019. I have been happy to stay away whilst the pandemic was on, but I have started getting nostalgic for my old London life in recent weeks and want to see some of my old friends and neighbours who still live there. We have a friend coming over from Australia in the Summer, we haven't seen her for five years. She will be in London for three months and she wants to come down to us for a few days. You are bound to miss London not having been back for over 2 years. Depending on how settled you are in Devon, maybe it could suit you to have a couple of breaks in London each year. I usually go back for 3 or 4 bus changes tours a year, but usually keep them separate rather than amalgamating them (although I did have a Bromley / Hammersmith double last August).
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Post by wirewiper on May 3, 2022 8:37:22 GMT
Yes, I moved away in October 2019 and have only been back once, in December 2019. I have been happy to stay away whilst the pandemic was on, but I have started getting nostalgic for my old London life in recent weeks and want to see some of my old friends and neighbours who still live there. We have a friend coming over from Australia in the Summer, we haven't seen her for five years. She will be in London for three months and she wants to come down to us for a few days. You are bound to miss London not having been back for over 2 years. Depending on how settled you are in Devon, maybe it could suit you to have a couple of breaks in London each year. I usually go back for 3 or 4 bus changes tours a year, but usually keep them separate rather than amalgamating them (although I did have a Bromley / Hammersmith double last August). Yes I expect I would have had a few visits to London by now had it not been for covid. A couple of the friends I would have wanted to see are clinically vulnerable too so I would not have wanted to risk their health, we have kept in touch in other ways. At least it now looks like when I do get to London, Crossrail will finally be up and running! I can use it to get from Paddington to Whitechapel and that's one ticked off my bucket list straight away. I've not even seen the new Whitechapel since it has been rebuilt. Not to mention all the new stock that London Overground and Abellio Greater Anglia now operate out of Liverpool Street. I've not even experienced electric buses on the 106 - although I did manage ride them on the 43 and 134 before I moved away. It's amazing how much can change in less than three years.
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Post by wirewiper on May 3, 2022 18:06:02 GMT
Enviro200s (60/11 reg) have started transferring from Exeter to Torquay in the past few days, presumably released by the severe service cuts on Exeter city routes due to the ongoing staff shortages. They seem to be replacing elderly Plaxton Pointer-bodied Darts.
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Post by wirewiper on May 15, 2022 16:38:56 GMT
Go South West has made a few minor adjustments to Go Cornwall Bus services from 4th May, mostly to school and college day journeys. Plymouth CityBus route 28A from Mainstone was adjusted from Tuesday 3rd May, with buses leaving slightly earlier due to unfinished roadworks and a revised route around Mainstone and Estover.
Route 118 (Okehampton-Tavistock) has a few changes from Sunday 15th May to coincide with the new timetable on the recently-reopened Exeter to Okehampton rail route.
National Express has cancelled all its local service registrations within Devon and Cornwall with effect from 1st April 2022. Services are still operating, but as express services which do not need route registrations.
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Post by wirewiper on May 16, 2022 13:46:35 GMT
The Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee, a cross-party body on Exeter City Council, called an extraordinary emergency public meeting on 12th April to discuss the city's ongoing bus crisis. Stagecoach South West's managing director told the meeting that Exeter Depot was 55 drivers short, but 70 are being recruited and around 92% of services - many now reduced in frequency - are running.
Stagecoach reduced several service frequencies on a permanent basis from 10th April, with some routes being halved. This is a reflection of current driver levels, and also passenger numbers which have only returned to 70% of pre-Covid levels (although the poor level of service may well be a factor here). Other routes have temporarily-reduced timetables in place and there are "planned cancellations" in force. To compound matters, fares were raised by around 10% in March but the increase was higher for Park & Ride users as dedicated tickets for these services were withdrawn. On the plus side, four City routes now have hourly night buses on Friday and Saturday nights, under contract to the City Council.
The meeting concluded that current services are "not fit for purpose" and wants to explore franchising as a way of improving services.
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markc
Conductor
Posts: 73
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Post by markc on May 19, 2022 17:48:52 GMT
I can't see how franchising will help. If Stagecoach can't recruit drivers in Exeter, why could the likes of First or an other manage to get drivers?
Unfortunately we have started to get a few services missing in Plymouth over the past few days, hopefully just a blip and not a summer of it like last year
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Post by wirewiper on May 21, 2022 9:43:10 GMT
The railway bridge works in Torquay, that were due to be completed on 3rd March and were extended until 8th April, have been further extended to 23rd May. There are telephone cables in the vicinity that, if disturbed, could cause disruption to local homes and businesses. This suggests that the temporary timetables for routes 12, 22 and Gold will continue, and the introduction of the 122 may be deferred. That may be no bad thing as Stagecoach is still short-staffed in Torbay and rising Covid rates are starting to bite again. Network Rail expect to reopen the bridge to traffic on Monday 23rd May. Route 12 will return to its normal route and have a new timetable, with buses given extra time to complete their journeys during the Summer season. Route 22 will revert to its normal route and previous timetable. Gold will operate to the new timetable that was introduced on 10th April (changes to early morning and late evening journeys), but all journeys will now operate to and from Torquay again instead of being curtailed at Paignton Bus Station. The open-top 122 will recommence for the season, the route and timetable will be the same as last year. Buses will run every 30 minutes daily between Hoburne Devon Bay, Paignton, Torquay and Babbacombe Downs from 09.00 until around 18.00.
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Post by wirewiper on May 23, 2022 15:57:08 GMT
First South West is adding an Ilfracombe-Lynmouth route to its "Adventures by Bus" stable.
The Exmoor Sunseeker will commence on Saturday 28th May. Until 1st July there will be two daily departures from Ilfracombe at 10.15 and 13.45, and two from Lynmouth at 11.40 and 16.10. There will also be a Blackmoor Gate-Ilfracombe journey at 09.13 and an Ilfracombe-Blackmoor Gate journey at 17.45.From 2nd July to 4th September there will be extra departures from Ilfracombe at 11.15 and 14.45, and from Lynmouth at 13.10 and 16.40 with an extra Blackmoor Gate-Ilfracombe journey at 10.13 and Ilfracombe-Blackmoor Gate at 18.15. This coincides with the improved timetable on Filers routes 309/310 which, together with the Exmoor Coaster (Lynmouth-Minehead) which returned on 10th April represents a considerable uplift of bus services in the Exmoor National Park, especially for Lynmouth.
Filers Travel has registered route 302 which will run on Mondays to Fridays during the School Summer Holidays between Coombe Martin, Ilfracombe and Woolacombe supplementing route 301 and Taw & Torridge route 31. The latter route regains its Sunday and public holiday service from 29th May until the end of October.
From 28th May until the end of October Stagecoach will extend its Newton Abbot-Bovey Tracey short journeys on route 39 to and from Widecombe-in-the-Moor via Haytor. These journeys will operate as route 271 between Bovey Tracey and Widecombe but will be through journeys using the same bus. From 25th July until 2nd September these journeys will also be extended on Mondays to Fridays.
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Post by wirewiper on May 25, 2022 17:13:36 GMT
Stagecoach South West's ADL Enviro400 MMC 10452 (SN65 NZH) has gained Platinum Jubilee livery (white, with purple front, silver beachballs and commemorative signwriting) and is currently operating out of the Matford, Exeter Depot. This was previously in red livery for the Honiton Road "red" Park & Ride service in Exeter, which has been reduced in frequency due to lower passenger numbers post-covid and the ongoing staff shortages. Photo (not mine): flic.kr/p/2nnPc8E
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Post by wirewiper on May 26, 2022 18:22:37 GMT
Filer's Travel route 309/310 between Barnstaple and Lynton/Lynmouth is to receive some welcome improvements from 29th May, presumably funded by Devon County Council. On Mondays to Saturdays most journeys will operate at a regular hourly frequency and will be extended in Barnstaple to and from the Rail Station, being timed to coincide with the train service to and from Exeter. Also most journeys will serve both Lynton and Lynmouth, rather than just the occasional projections to Lynmouth as happens currently. Finally a skeleton Sunday service is being introduced (possibly seasonal), with journeys departing Lynmouth at 10.05 and 15.05 and Barnstaple Rail Station at 11.40 and 16.40. These improvements should help to open up this stunningly beautiful, but remote, area of North Devon to visitors as well as providing more travel opportunities for residents. Of transport interest in the area is that the route passes Woody Bay Station, a remnant of the long-gone Lynton and Barnstaple narrow-gauge railway that is now preserved and also serves as the terminus for a mile-long stretch of restored railway along which former L&BR rolling stock operates a heritage service. The route also passes the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, Britain's longest funicular which was built in the late Victorian era to connect the two settlements which are only 700 feet apart - but vertically - and is entirely water-powered. The Travel Devon website is now promoting the improved 309/310 service from 29th May as "Rail Link 310". Of interest, the timetable footnotes state that buses can wait up to ten minutes at Barnstaple Station for late-running trains. There were minor timing changes to the 118 (Okehampton Station-Tavistock) from 16th May. This route has a maximum fare of £3 (single or return) for any passenger presenting a valid rail ticket, and a £1 flat fare for travel between Okehampton Town Centre and the Rail Station (which is 200ft higher than the town!). Starting on 28th May is the Saturday extension of Stagecoach route 39 short journeys between Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey, to continue to Widecombe-in-the-Moor via Haytor Vale as route 271 - despite the separate number buses operate as a through service. This will also operate on Mondays to Fridays from 25th July until 2nd September. The Saturday service will operate until 29th October. www.traveldevon.info/bus/latest-news-service-updates/
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Post by wirewiper on May 28, 2022 17:37:04 GMT
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Post by aaron1 on May 31, 2022 13:46:44 GMT
I saw a dart sd on the hop 22 today is that a rare working I have not seen one before on that route
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Post by wirewiper on Jun 1, 2022 14:40:12 GMT
Both Stagecoach South West and Plymouth CityBus have confirmed they will be operating Sunday and Public Holiday timetables on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June, with the normal weekend timetables on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th June. Plymouth CityBus has also confirmed that concessionary passes will be valid at any time on the Thursday and Friday.
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Post by wirewiper on Jun 10, 2022 11:11:47 GMT
The Rail-River Link bus between Paignton and Totnes is operating differently this year. Buses operate non-stop between Paignton Bus Station and Totnes Steamer Quay, and only carry Round Robin Tour ticket holders - single and return tickets are no longer available on the bus. Paignton Sea Front and Totnes Town Centre are no lionger served, but one return journey continues to operate from Torquay Harbour. The service does not operate on days when the Totnes-Dartmouth river boats are not operating.
Stagecoach South West has repainted part-open-top Tridents 18303-7 into a version of the new corporate livery for Torbay route 122, which is still branded as "The Golden Hop" but no longer features the cartoon animals. Full open-top 18186 appears to be operating the Dartmouth Park & Ride service this year.
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