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Post by vjaska on Jul 20, 2024 23:42:41 GMT
Does anyone here have any knowledge about the Milton Keynes area? What are the bus services like from around there? What vehicles do they operate with? Do you have any Hybrid/Electric buses running around? How far about can you get on one route? I have very limited knowledge having only been once. If the 100 & 150 still exist between Aylesbury & Milton Keynes, they were good routes to use especially if you were lucky to get a decker on the 150 - I had a DAF DB250 Lowlander on that by sheer luck and that was an excellent ride. They did have rare micro hybrid Streetlites in Milton Keynes at one point, not sure if they're still there. As for how far, the X5 is a long route running between Oxford & Cambridge via Milton Keynes though I believe it's no longer a through route anymore and runs in sections instead. Hopefully, someone can supply you with more knowledge.
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Post by VMH2537 on Jul 21, 2024 11:13:19 GMT
LD71YLO (BE37054) I'll move the response to a more appropiate thread. You are indeed right to say the W9 hasn't recovered its pre-covid usage with only around rounding to 70% if I am correct (happy to be corrected). The introduction of the 456 as well as Sullivan plaguing the service from mass cancellations led to what it is currently. As someone who lives on the route, I sadly feel I can't see the service surviving on its current form, in particular on its routing via Highlands Village. It meets with the 456 three times and we already know how TfL doesn't like routes duplicating one another and would do anything to simplify services. My speculation is the service will reduce the frequency to every 20 minutes and could soon after justify "this didn't work" bringing ultimately having pulled away from Highlands Village leaving the 456 to take on the loop instead with a frequency increase and extended operating hours in compensation. Much opposed I'll be to this, its the reality we live in on how service planning works.
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Post by danorak on Jul 21, 2024 12:45:02 GMT
So this may sound very controversial for what I'm about to say but I'm standing on this business. I like the fact that we have young enthusiasts taking a liking into buses but I cannot lie they're some that are seriously giving bus enthusiasts a bad name. Some YouTube videos I see I'm literally shaking my head like what are you doing. On Sunday as good as the event was there were some overly excited young folks trying to push on the bus acting uncivilised as in to say their parents didn't raise them right. Like calm the fcxk down. I wouldn't be surprised if some are on here. (Again I'm not here to pxssyfoot your egos, so if the shoe fits that's your business not mine, take it up with your forefathers). Back to the young enthusiasts you really need to chill and some love to use certain things as an excuse for why they are the way they are. I'll say this. The world doesn't care and will deal with you accordingly so act right please. In time they'll learn Regrettably there are some events I avoid for this reason and I go far less frequently now than I used to. I considered the low floor day as it was a decent location but decided against it as I knew what it would be like. I am at the other end of the scale where I find loud noise difficult to deal with, so the more sedate RM/RF/RT events suit me better. Then again, there's footage out there of two men old enough to know better coming to blows at Chiswick yesterday... At Alton today: possibly not as good as Anstey Park but a decent first attempt with a strong attendance and some entertaining vehicles on the shuttle. I rode on an ex-London & Country East Lancs Volvo Citybus which rolled back the years.
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Post by Catford94 on Jul 21, 2024 13:53:36 GMT
Does anyone here have any knowledge about the Milton Keynes area? What are the bus services like from around there? What vehicles do they operate with? Do you have any Hybrid/Electric buses running around? How far about can you get on one route? A few -
Arriva 150 that has been mentioned (Milton Keynes - Leighton Buzzard - Aylesbury) was re-numbered X4 (although largely the same route) a few months back. Some workings are double deck. There is a school day variant X40 although don't think that gets as far north as MK.
Stagecoach (run from the Bedford end) X5 is Bedford - Milton Keynes - Buckingham - Oxford. Think this is now largely double deck rather than coaches. It's registered in two or three chunks because of the mileage limit for 'local bus' on drivers' hours rules, but think they treat it as a through service as far as the £ 2 fare goes (although I'm not 100% certain on that)
Grant Palmer 34 is Milton Keynes - Flitwick. They have some double deckers, but mostly small to medium size single deckers. There's a recently introduced Monday AND Friday route 134 (presume it's tendered) that meanders round smaller villages, which I've seen photos of double deckers on - presume it's a spare bus off a schools working rather than needed for capacity.
Uno routes C1 / C10 / C11 are Milton Keynes - Cranfield University - Bedford and again some workings are double deck. There is a peak hours express CX Milton Keynes - Cranfield, but think that only runs in university term.
Stagecoach MK1 is a V shaped route, Milton Keynes - M1 - Luton - Luton Airport - Luton - Bedford. (It was two separate routes, MK - Luton Airport, and Luton - Bedford until a year or two back.) Think this is usually double deck.
Arriva F70 / F77 are Milton Keynes - Leighton Buzzard - Dunstable - Busway - Luton (these are exclusively single deck - don't think Arriva have any busway compatible double deckers.)
Arriva X1 starts operation tomorrow, Milton Keynes - A5 - Dunstable - Luton (not busway) which I understand will be high floor coaches rather than buses.
Not aware of hybrids or electric buses on any of these.
Aware I may be stating the obvious, but some research on Bus Times will show what vehicles have been working the route on any particular date, and may help to identify workings that are double deck worked (it may appear random on some routes, but is usually around which workings carry peak loads - not necessarily on that route - at peak times. Although things may be more flexible during the school holidays.)
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Post by COBO on Jul 21, 2024 18:35:20 GMT
Why do all electric road vehicles sound alike lol
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Post by Paul on Jul 22, 2024 23:19:38 GMT
The 402 is a fantastic route imo. Would you happen to know if there are any links into London from Sevenoaks, also the closest night bus? Thanks Not anymore - there was a 431 from Orpington, Perry Hall Road to Sevenoaks that Go Coach ran for a bit after the 402 was cut back to Dunton Green (using ex Stagecoach London Optare Versas). There is now just a school route that essentially runs via the old 431 routing run by Go Coach from Orpington War Memorial to Sevenoaks. Closest night bus should be whatever night buses pass through Orpington Go Coach do operate a Route 3 over the old 431 but onwards via Orpington Station and Crofton Road to Locksbottom. It’s only three return journeys a day and I have no idea how well it’s used but the link is there
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Post by vjaska on Jul 23, 2024 1:38:33 GMT
Not anymore - there was a 431 from Orpington, Perry Hall Road to Sevenoaks that Go Coach ran for a bit after the 402 was cut back to Dunton Green (using ex Stagecoach London Optare Versas). There is now just a school route that essentially runs via the old 431 routing run by Go Coach from Orpington War Memorial to Sevenoaks. Closest night bus should be whatever night buses pass through Orpington Go Coach do operate a Route 3 over the old 431 but onwards via Orpington Station and Crofton Road to Locksbottom. It’s only three return journeys a day and I have no idea how well it’s used but the link is there Thanks, I forgot it was somewhat restored
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Post by rugbyref on Jul 23, 2024 6:57:34 GMT
It is popular as a link from Orpington to Polhill Garden Centre.
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Post by rugbyref on Jul 23, 2024 10:12:46 GMT
The 10AM towards Sevenoaks had 3 passengers as it left Orpington High Street today.
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Post by Paul on Jul 23, 2024 12:10:00 GMT
It is popular as a link from Orpington to Polhill Garden Centre. When I was an R5/R10 driver I was asked for Polhill a lot - I could direct them to the 402 back then from Knockholt Pound or suggest a short walk from Clarks Lane I still think an extension to the R7 could work although I don’t see TfL tripping over themselves to bring that one in
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Post by mondraker275 on Jul 23, 2024 14:40:30 GMT
The 20 zones on the 155 are ridiculous, wide open roads especially between Elephant and Clapham North where it’s just crawling. I haven’t used N155 since they placed all the cams, that route could easily speed most of the way but now I’m guessing they’ve had to slow down tediously at multiple points in fear of the cameras The funny thing is up until last year the narrower parts of Balham was still 30mph, as was Upper Tooting Road and High Street Colliers Wood Continuing this from Upcoming Changes thread. I have not felt the 155 being that slow and the journey time is quick and reliable (It is a sneaky short route). Buses rarely get up to high speeds before needing to slow down to stop at a stop or a set of lights anyway. The speeds data reflect that as has not changed much. What would be counter-productive and we need to be careful of is amending timetables to give operators more time and indeed more opportunity to regulate services because holding for 3 minutes probably counteracts much of the benefit of keeping to 30 would be for a bus. Now if you are a car driver then it is different but for buses less so.
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Post by 6HP502C on Jul 23, 2024 15:06:58 GMT
It meets with the 456 three times and we already know how TfL doesn't like routes duplicating one another and would do anything to simplify services. It’s not as simple as that, it’s down to the direction that the government voted in by the public gives to TfL. A route in Outer London, which helps people avoid low emission levies isn’t going to be a target in the same way as routes running on 50+ bph corridors in Central London where passenger numbers have dropped.
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Post by vjaska on Jul 23, 2024 15:10:19 GMT
It is popular as a link from Orpington to Polhill Garden Centre. Indeed, when I did the 431 not long after it's introduction, most of the crowd who got on at Orpington got off at the Garden Centre.
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Post by yunus on Jul 24, 2024 9:53:17 GMT
Can anyone list the routes that run exclusively with LTs with no or extremely rare conventional workings!
I was thinking to myself and tried to list the night routes that only run with LTs, the only ones that spring to mind are the Hackney area routes.
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Post by abellion on Jul 24, 2024 10:12:53 GMT
Can anyone list the routes that run exclusively with LTs with no or extremely rare conventional workings! I was thinking to myself and tried to list the night routes that only run with LTs, the only ones that spring to mind are the Hackney area routes. QB outside of the 133 and 415 is strict with LTs, the 3 when it was there + 24/27/159
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