New Coventry Bus Route Sets Euro Record

[Southwest]

Could be an idea for a forum meet

Having been born in Tile Hill and lived in Wobbly, I can't think of anything less I'd rather do. The A45 and M45 are the best roads in the world, they allow quick exit routes from Cov!

 

[theblackwatch]

Could be an idea for a forum meet

I half expected that from someone! The 'Other Transport Around London' meet in April was successful, and I hope we can have some others in the future (a 'London 2' and 'Liverpool' are a couple of suggestions, but personally I'd draw the line at doing 2.5 hours on a stopping bus myself!

 

[nag67]

There used to be a complete circle in Glasgow, which now seems to just run between Partick and Braehead as the 90, crossing the river only out east. End to end is about 2 h 15m, but I don't know the length. When I took it a few years ago as a complete loop it certainly felt like 30+ miles with the combination of Glasgow roads and First old banger.

I make it about 20 miles for the 89/90, as was, and it taking just over 2 hours for the loop.
I remember it feeling lke longer, especially the day when I did 2 and a half continuous loops on the same bus (5 hours and several drivers!).

 

[Deerfold]

That's going to be fun with the bus stop displays trying to cope with four-character route numbers.

The West Midlands already has lots of services with 4 digit numbers. They seem keen on 3 numbers and a suffix. The only other place I know with lots of 4 digit numbers is London where they are generally night routes.

 

[Statto]

The West Midlands already has lots of services with 4 digit numbers. They seem keen on 3 numbers and a suffix. The only other place I know with lots of 4 digit numbers is London where they are generally night routes.

London have done away with most 4 digit numbers, think only some Night routes have 4 digit numbers. All the suffix letters have been done away with, 77A was the last route with suffix letter, renumbered 87 think in 2006.

 

[Deerfold]

London have done away with most 4 digit numbers, think only some Night routes have 4 digit numbers. All the suffix letters have been done away with, 77A was the last route with suffix letter, renumbered 87 think in 2006.

The number of day routes with 4 digit numbers has gone down as the number of night routes has gone up (with the highest being the N551). There are 14 4-digit night routes.

The 77A finished on 2/06/2006 becoming the 87 the next day.

There is also still the non-TfL route 515A.

 

[Statto]

The number of day routes with 4 digit numbers has gone down as the number of night routes has gone up (with the highest being the N551). There are 14 4-digit night routes.

The 77A finished on 2/06/2006 becoming the 87 the next day.

There is also still the non-TfL route 515A.

Indeed, TFLs reasoning getting rid suffix letter routes that it confuses passengers, which is bizarre reasoning as plenty of routes operate outside TFL area with suffix letters & passengers aren't confused by them. I would have thought renumbering 77A to 87 would be more confusing to passengers especially as TFL for years already had an 87 in East London until a few weeks before the 77A change, when the East London 87 merged with the 5.

 

[bb21]

None of those mentioned above are real four-digit route numbers.

 

[Ivo]

None of those mentioned above are real four-digit route numbers.

Ask martinsh about four-digit numbers - Latvia has loads from what I can tell...!

 

[Deerfold]

None of those mentioned above are real four-digit route numbers.

OK, 4 digit route identifiers, but commonly known by people as route numbers (and indeed in many bases 77A and 360C are valid numbers).

 

[OwlMan]

There's a article on the BBC website about travelling the whole of this route

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-22842990

Running full-pelt for a bus in the Coventry rush hour, bouncing my camera bag on my hip, I feel like a pioneer, of sorts.
I am one of the first people to ride all 31.5 miles (50km) of the new 'longest continuous bus route in Europe'.
For two and a half hours, at a cost of £1.80, the new 360 City Circle is my window on the world and strangers, going about their business, are my companions.
Travel de Courcey bus driver Krysztof Hemperek shares my enthusiasm. "This is now the longest route in Europe, you know", he smiles proudly as I board.
He has lived in Coventry for eight years and likes driving the new route around the city he knows well.
This is despite him spending a lot of the journey reassuring slightly confused passengers the service is little changed from the 801 and 701 routes it has replaced.

One of these is Gemma Booth, who is visually impaired. She said: "I always ask the driver, I was just told that if I got on the wrong one ['A' anti-clockwise instead of 'C' clockwise] I could be on it for over two hours!"
Leisure drive Jenny Reid, who works at the University of Warwick, is delighted she can now visit her mum without changing buses.
She said: "It's really useful, not many buses go round the city without going into the centre. I'll use the whole route because mum lives on the other side of the circle, it's really good."
Sonia Kunari uses the bus to get into work but is also curious to see the circuit. She said: "I'd stay on the whole route to see where it goes, I'd enjoy the travel experience, maybe on a Sunday when there's no traffic."
Born out of practical need, the route is not exactly a picturesque leisure drive but, nevertheless, it provides an unusual glimpse into Coventry's economic story.
From the expanding businesses of Jaguar Land Rover and the University of Warwick, near the demolished Massey Ferguson factory, past various business parks and shopping centres and past the Ricoh Arena, the route takes in small-scale electronics and engineering works as well as the mammoth employer of the University Hospital Coventry.
Passenger Sarah Rabone looks out at the industrial landscape and says: "It's good that Coventry, the creator of buses, now has the longest bus route too. It was a long service before but now the driver's going to feel knackered."
As the bus twists and turns through countless residential streets, the city's tale unfolds in architecture, from Victorian grandeur to endless 1930s bay windows, to post-war necessity and modern dolls-house-style expansion.


Cult status The pubs along the route provide another measure, from the university hives, still showing signs of the previous night's fun, to the faded boozers of George Shaw's Tile Hill and the Chinese and Persian restaurant conversions further around the circuit.
"I don't think I'll be tempted to go all the way round for two and a half hours", said Jean Heatherton on her way to Arena Park Library. "It would have to be a very rainy day for me to consider it."
Fellow passenger Sheila Roughton adds: "It doesn't bother me that it's the longest, but it's a good route and it will please a lot of people. There are so many places you can go to easily now."
Time will tell whether the 360 will attain the cult status of Birmingham's number 11 outer circle.
At 26 miles (42 km) the 11 had, until now, been Europe's longest urban route since 1926, inspiring songs, stories and an annual calendar.
Jason Currie, leaving hospital with his six-year-old son, said his only hope for the service was that it runs on time. "The 801 was always at least five minutes late, though", he laughed. "So, I guess we're used to that now."

 

[martinsh]

Ask martinsh about four-digit numbers - Latvia has loads from what I can tell...!

Yes, every long distance (i.e. not local urban) bus route in Latvia has it's own 4 figure number. Not sure why, probably a leftover from Soviet days. I think the first figure refers to the region of the country but I'm not sure.

e.g. 7937 is Riga - Liepaja (direct)
7928 is Riga - Jelgava - Liepaja
7939 is Riga - Kuldiga - Liepaja
7958 - Riga - Vainode - Liepaja
7957 Riga - Aizpute - Liepaja

Many of these are just one journey per day. Riga - Liepaja is about 200 miles !

Route numbers sometimes appear on destination blinds, but more often are carried on small boards in the window

http://fotobus.msk.ru/photo/312481/
http://fotobus.msk.ru/photo/698098/
http://fotobus.msk.ru/photo/110697/

 

[Blindtraveler]

I just posted that article on facebook and now regretting it as having to explain to multiple people about tachos on long routes etc!

 

[W-on-Sea]

There are lots of school buses in Oxfordshire with four digit route numbers (all four characters being numbers, at that).

Those run by Newbury & District (or its numerous affiliates: South Midland/Orbiter, Abingdon Coaches, Southern Railroad Company, Tappins, Weavaway, and possibly others...) at least, do display the route numbers (and a comprehensive list of points served) on their digital destination displays. Everything about their buses is eye-catching, in fact, almost ludicrously so, and certainly disproportionate to the number of people who might even potentially use them: the smart liveries, revived brand names, tinted glass...

I don't think any of these routes are open to the public, but I do seem to recall that there is at least one four-numbered route somewhere else in Oxfordshire, primarily aimed at schools, but which is also a public service....but I can't recall where...

 

[martinsh]

Here's a better sample of a 4 digit route number in Latvia

http://fotobus.msk.ru/photo/883444/

 

[bb21]

Here's a better sample of a 4 digit route number in Latvia

http://fotobus.msk.ru/photo/883444/

How many cities around the world have four-digit route numbers? (Real ones, not counting prefixes and suffixes.)

 

[Eagle]

Well. Seen my first decker running a 360. It's a Trident and it's on the clockwise circle today. (Okay it might have happened before in the last four weeks, but it's the first time I've seen it happen.)

And just to prove the point about timetabling difficulties with circular routes, there's a Versa going clockwise about two minutes behind it (should be 30 minutes apart).

 

[TrainfanBen]

Well. Seen my first decker running a 360. It's a Trident and it's on the clockwise circle today. (Okay it might have happened before in the last four weeks, but it's the first time I've seen it happen.)

And just to prove the point about timetabling difficulties with circular routes, there's a Versa going clockwise about two minutes behind it (should be 30 minutes apart).

Yes, living in Coventry there have been quite a few Tridents, I've seen MCV Evo's and Optare Versa.

Passenger Sarah Rabone looks out at the industrial landscape and says: "It's good that Coventry, the creator of buses, now has the longest bus route too. It was a long service before but now the driver's going to feel knackered."

Is that meant to imply Coventry built buses. Is my local historic knowledge flawed?


Side topics:
I never know where to share my little spottings of 'interesting' vehicle allocation, so I'll comment here and people can point me elsewhere if necessary:
Enviro 400's are now being used on service NXWM 900
I was on bus 4901 yesterday. Dissapointed it wasn't 4900 really :P

Back to De Courcey...
De courcey W7 seems to be operated by at least one coach. -Plaxton Premiere?
Friday and today, spotted en route to the University of Warwick at about 3:00PM near Cannon Park.

I have too much time on my hands.

*concludes sharing observations of buses on rail forum is best outcome*

 

[Eagle]

Is that meant to imply Coventry built buses. Is my local historic knowledge flawed?

Leyland was mainly based in Coventry. They made buses at the Alvis plant in Sponend. Not sure if Rootes also made buses here too.

It's a shame that there's very little auto industry left in the city (I think LTI, the black cab manufacturers, are the only large plant left).