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Post by Dillon95 on Apr 20, 2022 12:39:39 GMT
So the Dartford to Bluewater section of the 477 has been cut after 23 years. It’ll just run from Orpington to Dartford Mondays to Saturdays. The Sunday services have been axed as well. Not good.
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Post by bus12451 on Apr 20, 2022 13:35:52 GMT
So the Dartford to Bluewater section of the 477 has been cut after 23 years. It’ll just run from Orpington to Dartford Mondays to Saturdays. The Sunday services have been axed as well. Not good. It is among the worst of the Kent network changes I'd say. I've used the 477 to get to work a few times from Dartford whenever there were issues on the 96, 428 and 492 so its a shame that's no longer an option. The 477 already runs at a fairly infrequent 40 minute frequency, passengers from Swanley, Hextable and Wilmington now also lose their direct link to Darent Valley Hospital and Bluewater. The 477 used to have some KCC subsidised morning and evening services a couple years ago but is fully commercial now which I suspect played a part in its truncation.
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Post by SILENCED on Apr 20, 2022 13:38:48 GMT
So the Dartford to Bluewater section of the 477 has been cut after 23 years. It’ll just run from Orpington to Dartford Mondays to Saturdays. The Sunday services have been axed as well. Not good. It is among the worst of the Kent network changes I'd say. I've used the 477 to get to work a few times from Dartford whenever there were issues on the 96, 428 and 492 so its a shame that's no longer an option. The 477 already runs at a fairly infrequent 40 minute frequency, passengers from Swanley, Hextable and Wilmington now also lose their direct link to Darent Valley Hospital and Bluewater. The 477 used to have some KCC subsidised morning and evening services a couple years ago but is fully commercial now which I suspect played a part in its truncation. Probably competing against those TfL services was a huge factor as well. People rather pay the TfL subsidised fare, rather than the commercially viable one.
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Post by Dillon95 on Apr 20, 2022 19:08:13 GMT
It really annoys me, as Swanley’s bus services are crap outside of the 233. I bet the Swanley-Crockenhill-St Mary Cray-Orpington section will end up being slashed next before it’s axed completely. It’ll probably be replaced by a Go Coach service that runs like 3 times a day in the end.
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Post by twobellstogo on Apr 20, 2022 20:03:54 GMT
It really annoys me, as Swanley’s bus services are crap outside of the 233. I bet the Swanley-Crockenhill-St Mary Cray-Orpington section will end up being slashed next before it’s axed completely. It’ll probably be replaced by a Go Coach service that runs like 3 times a day in the end. Swanley does fall within Go Coach’s Go2 area though, which makes access south of Swanley easier than appears at first glance. If Go Coach are cute, if the southern end of the 477 is completely axed sometime in the future, they’ll extend Go2 to Crockenhill.
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Post by buspete on Apr 20, 2022 20:35:45 GMT
Also bear in mind that it is London residents’ that subsidise the 233 to go to Swanley, it gets no subsidy from Sevenoaks/Kent council.
All part of the continued deterioration since the 1980’s deregulation.
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Post by greenboy on Apr 20, 2022 22:19:34 GMT
The 477 has been in decline for sometime now and Arriva don't seem particularly interested in improving it, I can't help thinking Go Coach would do a better job. I'm not surprised that the Bluewater section has been axed with passengers expected to use Fastrack but the loss of the Sunday service is terrible.
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Post by Dillon95 on Apr 20, 2022 22:50:24 GMT
It really annoys me, as Swanley’s bus services are crap outside of the 233. I bet the Swanley-Crockenhill-St Mary Cray-Orpington section will end up being slashed next before it’s axed completely. It’ll probably be replaced by a Go Coach service that runs like 3 times a day in the end. Swanley does fall within Go Coach’s Go2 area though, which makes access south of Swanley easier than appears at first glance. If Go Coach are cute, if the southern end of the 477 is completely axed sometime in the future, they’ll extend Go2 to Crockenhill. I spend a lot of time in Swanley and I’ve never seen a Go2 bus around there ever. It can’t be heavily used in the area.
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Post by twobellstogo on Apr 21, 2022 5:16:02 GMT
Swanley does fall within Go Coach’s Go2 area though, which makes access south of Swanley easier than appears at first glance. If Go Coach are cute, if the southern end of the 477 is completely axed sometime in the future, they’ll extend Go2 to Crockenhill. I spend a lot of time in Swanley and I’ve never seen a Go2 bus around there ever. It can’t be heavily used in the area. I have. I ordered it 😂
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Post by twobellstogo on Apr 21, 2022 5:18:53 GMT
The 477 has been in decline for sometime now and Arriva don't seem particularly interested in improving it, I can't help thinking Go Coach would do a better job. I'm not surprised that the Bluewater section has been axed with passengers expected to use Fastrack but the loss of the Sunday service is terrible. I’m not sure Go Coach would be that interested : I thought they’d snap up the 306/308 from Sevenoaks to Gravesend but that went elsewhere (and I was going to give that a try a couple of weeks back but my journey of choice was cancelled 😢 )
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Post by Dillon95 on Apr 21, 2022 11:19:26 GMT
The 477 has been in decline for sometime now and Arriva don't seem particularly interested in improving it, I can't help thinking Go Coach would do a better job. I'm not surprised that the Bluewater section has been axed with passengers expected to use Fastrack but the loss of the Sunday service is terrible. I’m not sure Go Coach would be that interested : I thought they’d snap up the 306/308 from Sevenoaks to Gravesend but that went elsewhere (and I was going to give that a try a couple of weeks back but my journey of choice was cancelled 😢 ) Yeah Red Route Buses based in Gravesend. Same with the Sunday only 401 from Westerham to Tonbridge via Sevenoaks that was dropped by Arriva, it was picked up by Ham Travel rather than Go Coach taking it on.
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Post by Tangy on Apr 21, 2022 21:58:51 GMT
Yeah Red Route Buses based in Gravesend. Same with the Sunday only 401 from Westerham to Tonbridge via Sevenoaks that was dropped by Arriva, it was picked up by Ham Travel rather than Go Coach taking it on. I believe the 401 change was a Kent CC retendering exercise, which has reduced the route to just the Westerham- Tonbridge section on a two hourly frequency requiring one bus. Change at Tonbridge if you want Tun. Wells! As for the 477, I rode a mid afternoon Sunday departure earlier this year (think 14:40 ex Swanley) and I was the only passenger the whole way! Saying that though, on the day in question there were roadworks through Hextable so the bus was on a long diversion via Farningham.
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Post by lb99 on Apr 22, 2022 8:06:09 GMT
It really annoys me, as Swanley’s bus services are crap outside of the 233. I bet the Swanley-Crockenhill-St Mary Cray-Orpington section will end up being slashed next before it’s axed completely. It’ll probably be replaced by a Go Coach service that runs like 3 times a day in the end. Scrapping the route in general would be very bad... The route is used alot during the week and would definitely cause alot of issues. Could 477 possibly end up in TFLs hands soon?
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Post by vjaska on Apr 22, 2022 11:42:15 GMT
It really annoys me, as Swanley’s bus services are crap outside of the 233. I bet the Swanley-Crockenhill-St Mary Cray-Orpington section will end up being slashed next before it’s axed completely. It’ll probably be replaced by a Go Coach service that runs like 3 times a day in the end. Scrapping the route in general would be very bad... The route is used alot during the week and would definitely cause alot of issues. Could 477 possibly end up in TFLs hands soon? No as TfL are not interested in new cross border routes or ones not under their control as we saw when the 84 was withdrawn only for the Potters Bar to St Albans section to be saved and the London section lost
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Post by bus12451 on Apr 22, 2022 11:49:00 GMT
It really annoys me, as Swanley’s bus services are crap outside of the 233. I bet the Swanley-Crockenhill-St Mary Cray-Orpington section will end up being slashed next before it’s axed completely. It’ll probably be replaced by a Go Coach service that runs like 3 times a day in the end. Scrapping the route in general would be very bad... The route is used alot during the week and would definitely cause alot of issues. Could 477 possibly end up in TFLs hands soon? Agree that it is an important service running through Crockenhill, Swanley, Hextable and Wilmington. Out of those 4 places, only Swanley has other regular bus services. The 477 still mostly runs outside Greater London so outside TfL's remit. If Arriva axed the 477 completely then it would be up to KCC to find a replacement.
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