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Post by LondonExplorer316 on May 21, 2023 7:10:54 GMT
Assuming that the 724 (Heathrow to Harlow) is under Arriva Kent Riverside (though it goes nowhere near Kent) it's very good value for money for long-distance journeys Do you mean Arriva Kent Thameside by any chance? The 724 end-to-end is something I plan to do very soon I thought 724 was Arriva Herts? It regularly uses Arriva Herts vehicles like 508 Pulsars and Stratas (not sure what these are allocated to). Officially it's Arriva Southern Counties so not sure.
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Post by busoccultation on May 21, 2023 9:45:09 GMT
Do you mean Arriva Kent Thameside by any chance? The 724 end-to-end is something I plan to do very soon I thought 724 was Arriva Herts? It regularly uses Arriva Herts vehicles like 508 Pulsars and Stratas (not sure what these are allocated to). Officially it's Arriva Southern Counties so not sure. 724 is part of Arriva Herts and Essex that runs from their Harlow depot. I could be wrong on this, but Harlow Depot does use the Arriva Southern Counties headquarters in Maidstone as their legal address.
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Post by LondonExplorer316 on May 21, 2023 10:18:03 GMT
I thought 724 was Arriva Herts? It regularly uses Arriva Herts vehicles like 508 Pulsars and Stratas (not sure what these are allocated to). Officially it's Arriva Southern Counties so not sure. 724 is part of Arriva Herts and Essex that runs from their Harlow depot. I could be wrong on this, but Harlow Depot does use the Arriva Southern Counties headquarters in Maidstone as their legal address. Yeah I was thinking the same that it'd be Herts and Essex (forgetting that both counties come under the same subsidiary when I wrote the original post!). Them using the ASC HQ in Maidstone as their legal address makes sense though.
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Post by twobellstogo on May 21, 2023 13:54:48 GMT
Upon noticing that an Ipswich buses Citaro was roaming around on the 93 (Colchester to Ipswich) and I'm off today I couldn't say no and boy was I in for a treat, after cruising around Colchester eventually making our way out onto the A12, "*KICKDOWN + MAXED OUT THRASH*" was activated, It's been so long since I've been on one that has been driven so hard, from a standing start being redlined in every gear until hitting the speed limiter in 6th, this was one hell of a ride, so much so it's the first time I've heard the fan roaring away like an old B7TL, this particular bus was in excellent condition. The route primarily serves the A12 but does stop off at a few small villages along the way which are very picturesque, the route is quite tightly time so you are normally in for a good ride, deckers do appear mostly during weekdays but Saturdays you are more than likely going to expecting an E200 if it's an older one you might be in for a treat with a 6pot variant. I think the moderators may well be imminently ending my time on this forum judging by my views elsewhere, but before I get unceremoniously dumped on the bonfire of history, this is a route I really want to try - it has some gorgeous countryside. Break the journey at East Bergholt to see the Constable Haywain viewpoint and have tea/cake, then on to the end of the line. Really rather nice, and with the better weather here now, rather a nice day out!
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Post by vjaska on May 21, 2023 14:45:52 GMT
Do you mean Arriva Kent Thameside by any chance? The 724 end-to-end is something I plan to do very soon I thought 724 was Arriva Herts? It regularly uses Arriva Herts vehicles like 508 Pulsars and Stratas (not sure what these are allocated to). Officially it's Arriva Southern Counties so not sure. I never suggested the 724 was part of Arriva Kent Thameside - all I said was asking if the OP meant Kent Thameside as I've never heard anyone refer to it by the name he said
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Post by LondonExplorer316 on May 21, 2023 15:26:58 GMT
I thought 724 was Arriva Herts? It regularly uses Arriva Herts vehicles like 508 Pulsars and Stratas (not sure what these are allocated to). Officially it's Arriva Southern Counties so not sure. I never suggested the 724 was part of Arriva Kent Thameside - all I said was asking if the OP meant Kent Thameside as I've never heard anyone refer to it by the name he said Oh, my bad although I can see why someone would assume it is part of AKT.
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Post by VPL630 on May 22, 2023 12:14:36 GMT
Upon noticing that an Ipswich buses Citaro was roaming around on the 93 (Colchester to Ipswich) and I'm off today I couldn't say no and boy was I in for a treat, after cruising around Colchester eventually making our way out onto the A12, "*KICKDOWN + MAXED OUT THRASH*" was activated, It's been so long since I've been on one that has been driven so hard, from a standing start being redlined in every gear until hitting the speed limiter in 6th, this was one hell of a ride, so much so it's the first time I've heard the fan roaring away like an old B7TL, this particular bus was in excellent condition. The route primarily serves the A12 but does stop off at a few small villages along the way which are very picturesque, the route is quite tightly time so you are normally in for a good ride, deckers do appear mostly during weekdays but Saturdays you are more than likely going to expecting an E200 if it's an older one you might be in for a treat with a 6pot variant. I think the moderators may well be imminently ending my time on this forum judging by my views elsewhere, but before I get unceremoniously dumped on the bonfire of history, this is a route I really want to try - it has some gorgeous countryside. Break the journey at East Bergholt to see the Constable Haywain viewpoint and have tea/cake, then on to the end of the line. Really rather nice, and with the better weather here now, rather a nice day out! Just by chance someone else was filming the journey, can’t believe I never clocked them, can see some of the views out of the window youtu.be/XwFL47cfb-c
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Post by gwiwer on May 22, 2023 14:16:19 GMT
As things have turned out I only ever made one £2 bus trip.
Whitstable to Margate on The Loop. Not terribly special at all. But I live in the London area and hold an Oyster 60+ card which gets me everywhere within the TfL operating area. I only pay before 09.00 and after 23.00 and it's only £1.75 any distance, and with a free change of bus within 62 minutes. It says "an hour" but they allow 62 minutes to account for the possibility of two clocks being slightly askew.
Today I received my Freedom Pass which extends free bus travel within those permitted hours to all of England. I therefore don't expect to need to pay for bus travel again. At least not during the Government's support period which is currently (but surely cannot remain) open-ended. £2 becomes £2.50 in November and through the winter.
For what it's worth here is a selection of very rideable routes all currently within the £2 scheme.
Lands End Coaster : A 3½-hour marathon around the western-most tip of the mainland from Penzance to St. Ives, Lands End and back in a long loop. Runs both ways every two hours daily and every hour from 28th May. Superb stuff. Usually worked by semi-open toppers. It's the local bus throughout so it's a normal service not a tour. Note that you are charged a return fare of £4 for going more than half-way around the loop even if it's a single journey. St. Ives to Lands End has to be one of the most amazing bus routes in the country. Dartmoor Explorer : Returns for the peak summer season after ceasing temporarily on 2nd April. Exeter to Tavistock across the heart of Dartmoor. Summer timetable not yet confirmed but the all-year one has been two trips daily. Exmoor Coaster : Minehead to Lynmouth (and through to Ilfracombe after 28th May) on a semi-open topper including the 1:4 ascent of Porlock Hill and the equally steep drop into Lynmouth from Countisbury. Runs daily, most hours. Brighton & Hove 77 : Brighton Palace Pier to Devil's Dy ke. A long-standing service which used to be summer-only but is now year-round and daily. Usually uses open-toppers in summer. Magnificent views from the Isle of Wight to Beachy Head. Brighton & Hove 13X : Brighton - Eastbourne via Beachy Head. A limited stop and limited-operation service which relieves the very busy 12 group and diverts via the popular and scenic spots of Birling Gap and Beachy Head. In common with the 12 some good clifftop views along the way even if the Brighton - Newhaven section is mostly urban. Plenty of hill-climbing too especially if you come back from Eastbourne up the long grind to Beachy Head returning towards Brighton.
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Post by northlondon83 on May 22, 2023 14:18:07 GMT
Upon noticing that an Ipswich buses Citaro was roaming around on the 93 (Colchester to Ipswich) and I'm off today I couldn't say no and boy was I in for a treat, after cruising around Colchester eventually making our way out onto the A12, "*KICKDOWN + MAXED OUT THRASH*" was activated, It's been so long since I've been on one that has been driven so hard, from a standing start being redlined in every gear until hitting the speed limiter in 6th, this was one hell of a ride, so much so it's the first time I've heard the fan roaring away like an old B7TL, this particular bus was in excellent condition. The route primarily serves the A12 but does stop off at a few small villages along the way which are very picturesque, the route is quite tightly time so you are normally in for a good ride, deckers do appear mostly during weekdays but Saturdays you are more than likely going to expecting an E200 if it's an older one you might be in for a treat with a 6pot variant. I think the moderators may well be imminently ending my time on this forum judging by my views elsewhere, but before I get unceremoniously dumped on the bonfire of history, this is a route I really want to try - it has some gorgeous countryside. Break the journey at East Bergholt to see the Constable Haywain viewpoint and have tea/cake, then on to the end of the line. Really rather nice, and with the better weather here now, rather a nice day out! Not sure whether you're serious in the first part of your post, no one is going to remove you for having an alternative opinion!
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Post by twobellstogo on May 22, 2023 15:24:53 GMT
I think the moderators may well be imminently ending my time on this forum judging by my views elsewhere, but before I get unceremoniously dumped on the bonfire of history, this is a route I really want to try - it has some gorgeous countryside. Break the journey at East Bergholt to see the Constable Haywain viewpoint and have tea/cake, then on to the end of the line. Really rather nice, and with the better weather here now, rather a nice day out! Not sure whether you're serious in the first part of your post, no one is going to remove you for having an alternative opinion! Well, I have learned a lot these couple of days, primary of which is I have little in common with a majority of people here. I hope to be wrong, because I learn an awful lot of stuff here (my bus knowledge is poor, which doesn’t help my cause and has been the cause of some of the rows I’ve had here), but I fear I may be hounded out or feel that my type isn’t welcome and walk away. I really haven’t enjoyed the last few days on this forum.
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Post by vjaska on May 22, 2023 16:13:27 GMT
Not sure whether you're serious in the first part of your post, no one is going to remove you for having an alternative opinion! Well, I have learned a lot these couple of days, primary of which is I have little in common with a majority of people here. I hope to be wrong, because I learn an awful lot of stuff here (my bus knowledge is poor, which doesn’t help my cause and has been the cause of some of the rows I’ve had here), but I fear I may be hounded out or feel that my type isn’t welcome and walk away. I really haven’t enjoyed the last few days on this forum. I know exactly how you feel
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Post by northlondon83 on May 22, 2023 16:23:23 GMT
Not sure whether you're serious in the first part of your post, no one is going to remove you for having an alternative opinion! Well, I have learned a lot these couple of days, primary of which is I have little in common with a majority of people here. I hope to be wrong, because I learn an awful lot of stuff here (my bus knowledge is poor, which doesn’t help my cause and has been the cause of some of the rows I’ve had here), but I fear I may be hounded out or feel that my type isn’t welcome and walk away. I really haven’t enjoyed the last few days on this forum. Don't be afraid to share your opinion, it matters because it shows that there are people supporting the marathon and or Ride London. A few individuals in particular were behaving in a way that looks down on cyclists. If everyone had that attitude then we might as well get back in our cars and clog the streets of London. Some areas of London are bad enough as it is, particularly Fulham Palace Road and King Street in Hammersmith, but people should be encouraged to take up cycling rather than curse them. There's also a few people who act like they're the king of the road, driving dangerously fast or dangerously close to a cyclist.
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Post by WH241 on May 22, 2023 16:56:16 GMT
Well, I have learned a lot these couple of days, primary of which is I have little in common with a majority of people here. I hope to be wrong, because I learn an awful lot of stuff here (my bus knowledge is poor, which doesn’t help my cause and has been the cause of some of the rows I’ve had here), but I fear I may be hounded out or feel that my type isn’t welcome and walk away. I really haven’t enjoyed the last few days on this forum. Don't be afraid to share your opinion, it matters because it shows that there are people supporting the marathon and or Ride London. A few individuals in particular were behaving in a way that looks down on cyclists. If everyone had that attitude then we might as well get back in our cars and clog the streets of London. Some areas of London are bad enough as it is, particularly Fulham Palace Road and King Street in Hammersmith, but people should be encouraged to take up cycling rather than curse them. There's also a few people who act like they're the king of the road, driving dangerously fast or dangerously close to a cyclist. Don’t make this all about car drivers vs cyclist. What about all those who are put out because of bus diversions and have longer journeys or have to catch multiple buses as a result of the event. I don’t believe a one day event will have a big impact on encouraging a uptake in cycling. Yes it’s one day but it’s extremely disruptive! Ps sorry for replying on a different thread but for some reason the ride London event seems to have drifted here!
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Post by busoccultation on May 22, 2023 17:43:02 GMT
Did my first £2 single-fare trip last Saturday on Stagecoach Midlands X6 from Northampton to Milton Keynes with a Scania N230UD/E400 15521 as my chariot along with a Northampton Dayrider for £5.30 to ride the Tridents with Northampton itself that was my main intention of this trip. For those who want to ride the Euro 3 spec Tridents, I do recommend making a trip to Northampton as Stagecoach still has a plentiful number of ALX400's and also the 2006/07 Trident based E400's in use across various routes within the town itself and generally easy to find one once you reach the bus station area, which is ideal if you want to ride as many as possible in a single day and certainly for a type that I miss more than anything else that London no longer has these days. As for the X6, really quick route and was an ideal route to do since I wanted to ride a Scania E400 on long distance/fast route for a while now like the X6 and as expected I enjoyed riding the route/bus to the point that a minute I couldn't believe were already in MK.
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Post by VPL630 on May 23, 2023 20:02:54 GMT
Today I mainly went out mainly for trains and then got distracted by a Volvo B7TL of Harrogate Bus Company operating on the X99 Sky Class route from Leeds to Wetherby, however the connection was super tight at Leeds so opted for the safer connection with the 60 from Leeds to Keighley which was operated with PJ05 ZWD, a lovely well looked after Gemini with nice comfy seats. The route has a lot of hills in both directions and quite a bit of fast running, despite that and it being around 20c the big Volvo fan only kicked in a few times on full roar, it’s been a while since I’ve been on a B7TL with the fan going. Despite the drivers best efforts we lost around 10 mins in total mainly due to loadings.
From Keighley I was originally planning on doing the M4 Mainline route to Burnley and the X43 Whichway back to Manchester but looking at the time I would be getting home I thought it would be safer to do the B3 Brontë Bus to Hebden Bridge and then catch a train, the B3 is a route that goes passes through many villages where you wouldn’t expect to meet a full size bus, climbing quite a few hills as well, one of which was too much for this poor B7RLE which started to overheat and go into limp mode at probably the worst part of the route where there wasn’t anywhere safe to stop just outside of Oxenhope. The driver persisted at about 3mph still climbing uphill and just as we were pulling into the first safe place to stop the alarm went off and full power was restored, typical Volvo.
Both really nice routes, the B3 being much tighter and scenic than I expected, you might want to give it a miss for a few days as it’s smells like the fields have been freshly spread with manure haha
1H02 0948 London Kings Cross to Brough - 802301 1K18 1215 Brough to Leeds - 185126 + 185127 2757 - PJ05 ZWD – 13:15 60 to Keighley 1751 - K100 TDV – 16:06 B3 to Hebden Bridge 2I22 1612 Hebden Bridge to Manchester Victoria Walk 1A69 1735 Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston
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