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Post by wirewiper on Jan 2, 2023 18:40:00 GMT
With the £2 fare cap now in operation across many bus operators until 31st March, I can imagine that a lot of forum-ites will be tempted to try out new routes and unfamiliar areas on our travels.
This thread is to share experiences and recommendations for £2 bus rides.
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Post by wirewiper on Jan 2, 2023 18:59:35 GMT
With the £2 fare cap now in operation across many bus operators until 31st March, I can imagine that a lot of forum-ites will be tempted to try out new routes and unfamiliar areas on our travels. This thread is to share experiences and recommendations for £2 bus rides. Kicking off, Travel Devon has confirmed that all local operators are participating in the £2 maximum fare scheme, so here are some £2 rides I can recommend. 178 Newton Abbot to Okehampton (Country Bus) - one return journey Monday-Saturday. Beautiful scenic route across East Dartmoor 118 Okehampton Station to Tavistock (Dartline) - generally hourly (3 journeys Sundays). Another great scenic Dartmoor route. Dartmoor Explorer - Exeter to Tavistock across the heart of Dartmoor, twice a day. That you can do this for £2 is astounding - but true! 2 Exeter to Newton Abbot via Teignmouth and Dawlish (Stagecoach) - up to every 30 minutes, hourly on Sundays. Sea views, and views across the Teign and Exe Estuaries. 22 Paignton to Dawlish Warren via Torquay and Teignmouth (Stagecoach) - hourly every day, extensive elevated sea views. Dropping down into Teignmouth is stunning. 149 Totnes to Torquay (Country Bus) - two return journeys Monday to Saturday, via the back roads. 59 Plymouth to Derriford Hospital (Plymouth CityBus) - four journeys Monday-Saturday. Starts and ends at Plymouth but takes you through some West Dartmoor industrial villages.
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Post by VPL630 on Jan 3, 2023 14:04:21 GMT
Currently on the 724, perks of PRIV means transport to get to Heathrow cost a mere £2.60, hoping to do 508/9/10 to Stansted then X30 to Chelmsford and then 351 to Brentwood, if the trains weren't on strike I’d go all the way to Southend
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Post by joefrombow on Jan 8, 2023 9:32:29 GMT
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Post by wirewiper on Jan 10, 2023 13:56:58 GMT
The Coaster 12 is quite doable from London. A day return train ticket to Eastbourne is valid for travel to or from Brighton as via Brighton is a "permitted route" and break of journey is allowed there.
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Post by wirewiper on Jan 10, 2023 15:08:37 GMT
So where did I go? Well I had by first £2 bus journey (or rather my first four £2 bus journeys) on Monday 9th January when I travelled from Torquay to Exeter and back. All four journeys were on Stagecoach South West buses
My first journey was on Alexander-Dennis Trident ALX400 no. 18397 on route 22 from Torquay to Dawlish, which was due to depart at 10.40 - I boarded at the Torquay Museum stop which is so close to my house I can see it from my front window. This turned up nearly fifteen minutes late, there seemed to be no obvious reason for this as it wasn't particularly well-loaded. However the driver struggled with getting the ticket machine to read my card and issue my ticket (it took nearly a minute) and as this journey has a driver change at Torquay Harbourside this may have led to a late departure. The 22 is a route which requires careful driving on much of this stretch, and with the Trident being somewhat sluggish there was little opportunity to make up time - despite departing Teignmouth as soon as all passengers had boarded (there is usually a few minutes pause here) the bus was still ten minutes late when I alighted at Dawlish Green at 10.53. Incidentally even with the £2 fare the driver asked me for my destination - presumably this is to record the journeys that are being made.
My next bus, the 2 from Dawlish to Exeter, was also running late. This route is operated mostly by Scania/Enviro400s and 15866 was six minutes down when it departed Dawlish Green at 12.01. This was a lightly loaded journey, with rarely more than a dozen passengers on at any one time - although it is rather different during the Summer months! The light loadings, coupled with a more powerful bus, light traffic and a young-ish, enthusiastic driver, made for a spirited journey - perhaps a little too spirited, as arrival into Exeter Bus Station at 12.46 was five minutes early. Unlike the railway, which hugs the coastline and the Exe Estuary, the 2 takes a more inland route. Although there are good views of the water at Dawlish and Starcross, the more inland route via Kenton and the large commuter village of Exminster, just outside the Exeter city boundary, provides useful links to communities that are not served by the railway.
I had an enjoyable afternoon in Exeter, a bit of shopping and sightseeing, before catching the 16.51 no. 2 back from Exeter to Teignmouth. With heavy passenger loadings and traffic delays to contend with, this trip was a complete contrast to the inbound journey. Scania 15895's arrival into Exeter Bus Station at 16.45 was four minutes down, and after the passengers had alighted, the driver had a quick trip to the toilet before boarding the considerable crowd of waiting passengers. Departure was two minutes down at 16.53 and around 75% of the seats were occupied. Progress was further impeded by heavy traffic along Heavitree Road (although bus lanes elsewhere along the route in Exeter were helpful), and by passengers boarding and alighting at most stops along the route. Nearly every seat on the top deck was taken after a number of passengers had boarded at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, showing the value of direct out-of-city links to this major regional facility. Several passengers alighted at all the stops through Exminster, a village that once had a railway station that was some distance from the village and which closed in 1967, leaving the traffic to the buses which travel through the heart of the village. Exeter City service B also finds its way here, but takes a very different route out of Exeter and the 2 and B have no common stops in the City Centre. Even through Starcross and Dawlish, which have stations, there were passengers alighting, a reminder that the rail service does not suit everybody. At one point the following 17.06 departure from Exeter caught us up, but as our bus was able to forego its stand time at Dawlish and Teignmouth it was only four minutes down when it departed the latter (where I alighted) at 18.08.
A note on the 16.51 departure - this journey used to depart at 16.36, but in Autumn 2022 the inbound journey was retimed to provide a service for students at Dawlish Community College. This meant that the outbound journey also needed to be retimed, which has created a 45/15 minute gap between the previous and following departures instead of the usual even 30 minutes. Although this was the most economical way of providing the college journey at a difficult time financially and operationally, it does seem to put pressure on the Exeter departure and I hope that if passenger numbers improve again, it will be possible to insert an extra bus into the schedule.
My last journey, the 22 back from Teignmouth to Torquay Museum on board Trident 18308 - the one painted into the retro 1990s Stagecoach livery - was lightly loaded and uneventful. Departure was on-time at 18.32 and although it was a sedate run along the dark and twisty A379 we were still a couple of minutes early at St Marychurch, where we paused to maintain the 19.00 scheduled departure time. I left the bus at 19.08 and walked the few yards to my front door.
So - were my £2 bus rides a bargain? I paid a total of £8 for my four journeys. Normally for this itinerary I would buy a Day Explorer, which is only 30p more if bought on the Stagecoach app (£9.10 if bought on the bus). This would also have allowed me to make extra trips in and around Exeter if I had wanted, or to hop on and off buses en-route. The train is only £8.70 day return and much faster - although Torquay Station is a 25-minute walk each way whilst the 22 bus stops almost outside my front door. However I did feel that I was showing support for the initiative and that all those £2 journeys would be registered. The £2 cap will be much better value to me for making a simple return trip from Torquay to Brixham, Newton Abbot or Teignmouth/Dawlish, journeys for which I would normally buy a Torbay Dayrider costing £5 (£5.50 on-bus) but I can do for £4 while the fare cap is in force. Even just going to St Marychurch and back I save 20p each way.
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Post by wirewiper on Jan 21, 2023 18:58:14 GMT
I had some more £2 rides on Friday 20th. My strategy was to catch a train to Exmouth, so I could explore some routes further afield than I would normally manage if I were relying on bus alone. I bought a day return which would allow me to board at Exeter Central for the return journey.
My train arrived in Exmouth on time at 11.49, which gave me enough time to wander over to Rolle Street - sadly, the bus station which was conveniently located next to the rail station and also included a small bus outstation disappeared some years back, presumably it was no longer considered economically viable. Exmouth routes are interworked so Enviro200 no. 36235, having arrived at midday on town service 98A, became the 12.05 route 157 departure to Sidmouth. Which nearly didn't happen; the driver pressed the starter and - nothing! There appeared to be flat battery, but eventually the driver shut down all the electrics which seemed to do the trick, and engine finally fired up we set off at 12.08, three minutes late. There were sixteen on board and another four joined the bus as it travelled through Exmouth and Littleham built-up area, although eight also alighted along this stretch so by the time we reached the first stretch of open country there were twelve of us. We soon arrived in the pleasant small seaside town of Budleigh Salterton, which was once seen as a place to retire to but is enjoying something of a renaissance amongst families, who appreciate its community spirit and good independent shops. Four alighted in the town but was also picked up three more travelling East, and that was it for comings and goings until Sidmouth. The bus turned off the main road to negotiate the narrow village streets of East Budleigh but no-one boarded or alighted, which made me wonder if most journeys could save time by sticking to the main road. Similarly for the double-run to Otterton (one mile each way) and awkward reversing move in the village, although here there were three people waiting for the bus in the opposite direction towards Sidmouth. We also neither picked up nor set down in Colaton Raleigh or Newton Poppleford, although neither of these involved a time-consuming detour from the main road. We did set down at a couple of stops in Sidmouth, and arrival at the Triangle was only one minute down at 13.04.
Having sat on the beach in the sun to eat my lunch, I wandered back to the Triangle for my next departure, the 13.49 route 9 departure to Honiton along the A3052 road, a road I have never travelled before. There was consternation at the bus stop as several people were waiting for the previous 9A to Seaton which should have departed twenty minutes previously; it eventually arrived at 13.46 and departed at 13.49, exactly half-an-hour late. I was concerned that there might have been a serious delay along the route, but the Stagecoach app showed that my 9 was only running ten minutes late and Scania/Enviro400 no. 15783 duly arrived, loaded up and departed at 13.59 with around 20 on board. A few boarded and alighted on the way out of Sidmouth, including a walking group of six women who boarded at Sidford to head back to Honiton, one was singing the praises of the £2 single fare. A leisurely driver change on the way out of Sidmouth (which, unlike Exmouth, retains an outstation) lost a further five minutes.
After Sidford the route winds along the Sid Valley and through the pretty village of Sidbury, here the road is narrow and twisty and requires considerable care, hence a 20mph speed limit. The road then climbs steeply out of the Sid Valley and across the hills before dropping down into Honiton on a series of sharp bends. Although undeniably scenic, the nature of the route and the careful driving required meant it was not possible to make up any of the lost time and we were still fifteen minutes late when we arrived in Honiton High Street at 14.36, having dropped a couple of passengers off on the way in.
Honiton, although bypassed many years ago by one of the first stretches of dual carriageway road in Devon, was originally on the main Exeter to London road, and was an important stop-off in the days of Stagecoaches for the horses to be changed before tackling the Blackdown Hills. It is today a pleasant market town. However my concern is that the bus stop for my next journey was opposite a set of roadworks through which traffic was being controlled with temporary traffic lights. Although there was no notice on the bus stop and no sign of a temporary stop nearby, I decided not to risk it and waited at the next bus stop along. My next bus, the 15.15 route 44 departure to Exeter operated by Enviro200 MMC no. 37477 arrived bang on time but still displaying Honiton, and the driver reset the ticket machine and display before issuing my £2 ticket which suggested that he had not been able to pause and do this at the High Street stop.
Apart from me there was just one other passenger on board at Honiton, but two more boarded at Heathpark Industrial Estate, one travelling to Ottery St Mary and the other all the way to Exeter, both bought £2 singles. Two alighted in Ottery (locals never use the St Mary) and two boarded. We also picked up ten students at a high school on the outskirts of Ottery, most of whom were travelling to Cranbrook (of which more later). Apart from Ottery, the route between Honiton and Cranbrook is highly rural, with many narrow country lanes, and it seems surprising that it can support an hourly service. I do wonder if there is potential for an express bus between Axminster, Honiton and Exeter, although I guess that most people wanting a fast commute on this corridor already use the train and the companion 44A Axminster route (which runs six times a day) does seem to follow a more direct route. We did set down a couple of people in the village of West Hill but there were no comings and goings at Marsh Green or Rockbeare.
The new town of Cranbrook, to the east of Exeter, is fast-growing, and in July last year route 4 was restructured as a self-contained Exeter-Cranbrook route with the service to Honiton and Axminster separated out as routes 44/44A. These do not generally operate through Cranbrook, but this particular journey is an exception; as Cranbrook is beyond the Exeter City boundary many of its pupils attend East Devon schools, and indeed eight of the students picked up in Ottery alighted as the bus made its way through Cranbrook. We also picked up four passengers on this stretch, plus one more on the outskirts of Clyst Honiton. By the time the bus arrived at Honiton Road Park & Ride site on the edge of Exeter the City's evening peak was beginning to pick up and there were a number of comings and goings along this stretch. Despite this, and some fairly heavy traffic, we still managed to arrive in Exeter Bus Station just one minute down at 16.33, where eight passengers alighted. My third and final journey for the day done, I headed over to Exeter Central for my train home.
Value for money? In this case, definitely yes. The three trips using the £2 single fare offer cost me £6; otherwise I would have needed a Day Explorer at £8.30 on the app or £9.10 bought on bus. So a definite saving. According to a recent news article, the £2 single fares are proving particularly popular so far on the Exeter-Tiverton route (55/355) and the Exeter-Exmouth 57 route.
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Post by joefrombow on Jan 23, 2023 11:12:34 GMT
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Post by vjaska on Jan 23, 2023 12:31:32 GMT
It would be cheaper by £1 to purchase a Discovery Ticket at £9 for the same journey and which is valid on just about all operators in the area
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Post by wirewiper on Feb 10, 2023 19:04:18 GMT
Two of everything: two towns, two counties, two buses, two companies, two routes, two £2 tickets
My latest explore using £2 single bus tickets unusually took me into another county - as Devon is so huge and I live well inside it I don't often get to leave it when travelling by bus! As with my past trip, I used a train journey so I could explore further afield that I usually do. I bought a day return ticket to Taunton, but got off at Exeter St David's as this was to be a linear exploration.
My first journey was to Tiverton. There are three routes from Exeter; the direct 55, and the 1 which goes the long way round via Cullompton, and I have travelled both these routes before. The 55 operates every 30 minutes directly between Exeter and Tiverton, but it is supplemented by an occasional 355 variant which operates a few times a day and makes two double-runs off the main road to serve the villages of Thorverton and Silverton. This service was previously numbered 55A/55B but was changed in October and is operated under contract to Devon County Council (the main 55 is largely commercial). It was the 13.20 departure from Exeter Bus Station that I boarded, operated by ADL Enviro400 MMC 10456 with leather high-back seats. When I asked for my £2 single to Tiverton the driver asked me if I knew the bus took a longer route (there was a direct 55 due to leave ten minutes later) but I assured him I was happy with that - indeed, ticking off the 355 was the whole point of the exercise!
About ten people boarded the bus at Exeter Bus Station, including two who turned up just at departure time (they may have been aiming for the 55 ten minutes later). This caused a slight delay, as once they were boarded there were a number of other buses arriving and departing and we had to pause for these; the clock just ticked over to 13.22 as we reversed off the stand. We picked up three more in Paris Street and two at the Clock Tower, dropping one off at St David's Church. The 355 also diverts via St David's Station, which would be a useful connection for rail-less Tiverton although we neither picked up nor set anyone down there. The Exeter-Tiverton rail link was lost in 1963. Perhaps diverting the regular 55 via St Davids Station would generate more custom, although that might affect the punctuality of what appears to be a tightly-timed route.
No-one boarded or alighted through the villages of Stoke Canon and Rewe on the main road, but six people alighted at the two stops on Thorverton for which the 355 makes a double-run of just over a mile in each direction. The bus runs through the village and reverses at a housing estate at its far end. The Silverton double-run is shorter, at just over half-a-mile long, and here we set down four people in the village centre where the bus also reverses (for anyone who wonders if reversing a bus with passengers on is allowed - in Devon, it most certainly is!). By the time we rejoined the main road I could see ahead of us in the distance the 55 which had departed Exeter at 13.30. We picked our way carefully across the narrow bridge and streets of Bickleigh. This village had suffered flooding during January which caused the 55 to be diverted non-stop via the M5 and A361 for two days; the 355 operated the normal route but was curtailed at Silverton. Two people got off on the outskirts of Tiverton and six, including me, at the Bus Station where we arrived at 14.23, just in time for the bus to operate its 14.25 return departure.
After a quick wander round Tiverton, I made my way back to the Bus Station for the 15.15 Buses of Somerset (First South West) X22 service to Taunton; this is an infrequent service that operates just five times a day and is one of First's few incursions into Devon since it withdrew from its North Devon and Plymouth-based operations in the 2010s. The X22 is complemented between Wellington and Taunton by the much more frequent 22 and 22A routes which offer up to four buses an hour on this section. The inbound journey was due in at 15.07, but a lengthy diversion due to an emergency road closure between Willand and Harberton meant that ADL Enviro400 33550 in "Excel" livery arrived at departure time. The driver loaded all six waiting passengers immediately and departed at 15.18, three minutes late. We picked up one more on the way out of Tiverton.
The lengthy diversion took us up to the A361, past the end of the platforms at Tiverton Parkway, and down to Willand where a tour of the housing estate yielded no boarding and alighting - although we did stop for a brief discussion with a group of people who were waiting for a different bus and seemed surprised to see one going to Taunton. One person got off in Uffculme and two school students joined us, to travel home to Taunton. We then picked our way carefully along a couple of miles of single-track road which ended abruptly when we joined the busy A38 for some spirited running, crossing the County Boundary into Somerset at Whiteball. We diverted through Wellington, where we picked up a few stragglers who hadn't been mopped up by the 22/22A. As expected the diversion between Halberton and Willand had cost us more time, and arrival at Castle Way in Taunton was at 16.37, exactly ten minutes late. Although Somerset Council is funding a £1 single fare cap of its own in Taunton, funded through its BSIP grant, I chose not to avail myself and walked the fifteen minutes or so to the Station. Taunton looks to be a more interesting place than I had expected, and I have made a mental note to come back one day and explore properly.
So - value for money? Absolutely. There is no day ticket that is valid on both Stagecoach South West and Buses of Somerset (First does not even participate in the Devon Day Ticket), and whilst I do not know what the usual single fares are, they would have been well in excess of £2 each. Even taking extra train fares into account, had the offer not been available it is unlikely I would have explored the X22.
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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on Feb 11, 2023 9:17:17 GMT
In March I'm due to ride with Transdev from Rochdale to Rawtenstall on route 464 then Rawtenstall to Prestwich or through to Manchester on route X43.
This is an extension of an Oldham & Rochdale day out. It will prove cheaper to pay both £2 singles plus a bus & tram Daysaver rather than a Wayfarer.
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Post by cardinal on Feb 16, 2023 20:02:52 GMT
Ashford Hospital to T5 on a 442.
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Post by VPL630 on Feb 16, 2023 21:13:18 GMT
In March I'm due to ride with Transdev from Rochdale to Rawtenstall on route 464 then Rawtenstall to Prestwich or through to Manchester on route X43. This is an extension of an Oldham & Rochdale day out. It will prove cheaper to pay both £2 singles plus a bus & tram Daysaver rather than a Wayfarer. The X43 has some of the best spec'd E400MMC's I have ever been on, a lot of thought has gone into them, the announcements are slightly annoying but it's shows what can be done The other day I did X43 Manchester to Burnley 152 to Blackburn 22 to Clitheroe M2 to Burnley M1 to Accrington X41 to Manchester Completely unplanned
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Post by wirewiper on Feb 17, 2023 8:29:00 GMT
In March I'm due to ride with Transdev from Rochdale to Rawtenstall on route 464 then Rawtenstall to Prestwich or through to Manchester on route X43. This is an extension of an Oldham & Rochdale day out. It will prove cheaper to pay both £2 singles plus a bus & tram Daysaver rather than a Wayfarer. The X43 has some of the best spec'd E400MMC's I have ever been on, a lot of thought has gone into them, the announcements are slightly annoying but it's shows what can be done The other day I did X43 Manchester to Burnley 152 to Blackburn 22 to Clitheroe M2 to Burnley M1 to Accrington X41 to Manchester Completely unplanned A great summary! You saw a good chunk of East Lancashire there. The announcements on the X43 were recorded by Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fizz in Coronation Street.
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Post by VPL630 on Feb 17, 2023 14:15:30 GMT
The X43 has some of the best spec'd E400MMC's I have ever been on, a lot of thought has gone into them, the announcements are slightly annoying but it's shows what can be done The other day I did X43 Manchester to Burnley 152 to Blackburn 22 to Clitheroe M2 to Burnley M1 to Accrington X41 to Manchester Completely unplanned A great summary! You saw a good chunk of East Lancashire there. The announcements on the X43 were recorded by Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fizz in Coronation Street. I mainly went for the B10BLE’s but due to the journey I wanted being cut and then the alternative turning up to be a B7RLE and then finally getting one and it being driven at an absolute snails place, I thought I might as well ride some 6pot versa’s, X41 left about 10 late as the driver didn’t even get in the bus until 5 mins after he should have left
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