Some Scottish Highland bus service questions

[Gathursty]

1) I saw at Portree a 418 minute (6h58) service journey to Glasgow. What does the driver do for a break with regard to maximum driving hours? Does the driver sleep in a hotel or in their bus?

2) In Fort William one evening last week, I swear I saw a Citylink Gold bus with Kinlochbervie on the front of the bus. Was I mistaken for Kinlochleven or Kinlochewe or not?

3) I saw many, many remote bus stops along the John O'Groats - Kinlochbervie stretch. I wonder how regular services are on the various sections (Thurso, Reay, Bettyhill, Tongue, Durness) Are there links to relevant timetables?

4) Similar question as 3) but for the area of Flodigarry and Staffin on the Isle of Skye?

Thanks in advance.

 

[overthewater]

1) I saw at Portree a 418 minute (6h58) service journey to Glasgow. What does the driver do for a break with regard to maximum driving hours? Does the driver sleep in a hotel or in their bus?

Good Question: Service: http://www.citylink.co.uk/timetables/Summer17/WEB_GlasgowSkye2.pdf

If your saying were do the breaks come in? Im sure that at Fort william Where there is long break period:

2) Most likely a gold bus was sent out as nothing else was useable.


Timetables for Q3:
* https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s...ghlands/TT-Caithness-Guide-12June2017-web.pdf
* http://www.thedurnessbus.com/
* http://www.nwcba.co.uk/


Timetable for Q4:
https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s...lands/TT Skye Summer_from 5 JUNE 2017-WEB.pdf

 

[Welshman]

1) I saw at Portree a 418 minute (6h58) service journey to Glasgow. What does the driver do for a break with regard to maximum driving hours? Does the driver sleep in a hotel or in their bus?

Stagecoach has a share in CityLink and has also a depot in Portree.

The timetable shows the northbound and southbound 915 services cross at Fort William with a 40/45 minute-break.

So perhaps one Portree driver takes the empty coach to Uig and returns it to Portree. Then another driver takes it to Fort William, has a break, and exchanges the vehicle for the one arriving from Glasgow and returns it to Portree. Similarly, the Glasgow driver returns with the service from Uig.

Just a suggestion - I'll be happy to be proved wrong!

 

[enrag2000]

1) I saw at Portree a 418 minute (6h58) service journey to Glasgow. What does the driver do for a break with regard to maximum driving hours? Does the driver sleep in a hotel or in their bus?

All the Skye-Glasgow services exchange driver at Fort William.

The 06.50 Glasgow-Skye and the 14.45 Skye-Glasgow are worked north of Fort William by a Fort William driver. The 14.45 service continues south with the driver who brought up the 15.00 from Glasgow.
The 07.30 Skye-Glasgow is worked to FW by a Portree driver who returns north on the 10.00 Glasgow-Skye at 14.00. The 07.30 service continues south with the driver who brought up the 06.50 from Glasgow.
The 09.30 Skye-Glasgow is worked to FW by a Portree driver who returns north on the 15.00 Glasgow-Skye at 18.40. The 09.30 service continues south with the driver who brought up the 10.00 from Glasgow.

It is possible to do Portree-Uig-Portree-Fort William and return within daily driving limits. Glasgow-Fort William-Glasgow is also within the driving day.
North of FW is worked by Shiel drivers and south of FW (including short Glasgow-Fort William 914 joureys) is worked by drivers from both Shiel and West Coast, however coaches from both companies run through and may be driven by drivers from either company.

 

[Gathursty]

Thank you for the very informative answers.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Wick depot are responsible for the rural services up there including the X99 Scrabster Inverness worked by modern, I think 2011 Reg coaches and drive the majority of these runs accept some early and late starting/finishing at Inverness turns. They also run the X97 Dunbeath Wick and Gills bay, this is a booked connectionfrom the core X99 and is timed to serve ferrys to Orkney.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Wick depot are responsible for the rural services up there including the X99 Scrabster Inverness worked by modern, I think 2011 Reg coaches and drive the majority of these runs accept some early and late starting/finishing at Inverness turns. They also run the X97 Dunbeath Wick and Gills bay, this is a booked connectionfrom the core X99 and is timed to serve ferrys to Orkney.

Wick? Thought it was Thurso?

 

[route101]

1) I saw at Portree a 418 minute (6h58) service journey to Glasgow. What does the driver do for a break with regard to maximum driving hours? Does the driver sleep in a hotel or in their bus?

2) In Fort William one evening last week, I swear I saw a Citylink Gold bus with Kinlochbervie on the front of the bus. Was I mistaken for Kinlochleven or Kinlochewe or not?

3) I saw many, many remote bus stops along the John O'Groats - Kinlochbervie stretch. I wonder how regular services are on the various sections (Thurso, Reay, Bettyhill, Tongue, Durness) Are there links to relevant timetables?

4) Similar question as 3) but for the area of Flodigarry and Staffin on the Isle of Skye?

Thanks in advance.

Glasgow to Uig is longest coach journey in Scotland . Want to do one day but it aint cheap , dont seem to get the heap tickets on it

 

[Liam]

Glasgow to Uig is longest coach journey in Scotland . Want to do one day but it aint cheap , dont seem to get the heap tickets on it

Now that I think about it, I've done it all, but never in one go. I used it to get from Uig to Kyle for the train after a few days walking in the Western Isles, Kyle-FW was a part of a trip involving the FW sleeper (Edinburgh-Inverness-Kyle-FW-London) and I've done FW-Glasgow a few times when I lived in Glasgow.

 

[Flying Snail]

Wick depot are responsible for the rural services up there including the X99 Scrabster Inverness worked by modern, I think 2011 Reg coaches and drive the majority of these runs accept some early and late starting/finishing at Inverness turns. They also run the X97 Dunbeath Wick and Gills bay, this is a booked connectionfrom the core X99 and is timed to serve ferrys to Orkney.

I take it you haven't been up that way this recently. Stagecoach have been on a bit of a cutting exercise this year.

X99 now runs Thurso-Wick-Inverness, X97 is gone with some of the journeys now Dunbeath-Wick shorts on X99, there is also a quicker X82 connection between Thurso and Dunbeath for some journeys.

They have also removed the morning X99 departure from Inverness, the earliest service is now 12.35 from Inverness. The latest southbound service is now nearly 2 hours earlier from Thurso as well.

It's a shame as it was possible to do a nice day trip from Inverness, the train isn't ideal either as the last southbound is at 16.00 from Wick.

 

[Flying Snail]

Glasgow to Uig is longest coach journey in Scotland . Want to do one day but it aint cheap , dont seem to get the heap tickets on it

I did it last year, I spent a few days travelling by coach instead of rail. If you are making a few trips in a week the Citylink explorer pass is great value, particularly if you are planning on using the non-megabus routes where cheap fares are not available.

I was stunned when the driver sold a single ticket to a passenger from Skye-Glasgow for £1 more than I had paid for 3 days unlimited travel, the fares on those Citylink routes are very high.

 

[Liam]

I did it last year, I spent a few days travelling by coach instead of rail. If you are making a few trips in a week the Citylink explorer pass is great value, particularly if you are planning on using the non-megabus routes where cheap fares are not available.

I was stunned when the driver sold a single ticket to a passenger from Skye-Glasgow for £1 more than I had paid for 3 days unlimited travel, the fares on those Citylink routes are very high.

If I remember right, it was only £7 odd for a walk up single from Uig to Kyle, which seemed quite reasonable for a journey of an hour and a half, considering I recently paid almost £4 to go from Elie to Leven!

 

[Whiteway215]

Not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question. On Sunday 3 September I was travelling north by holiday coach on the A66 some way before the village of Lauder. I noted a Stagecoach Trident parked in a yard which I wrote down at the time as being marked up 'Austin Coach Services.' Is this a Stagecoach outstation? (I have never been to this area before) Thanks for any information.

 

[DuncanS]

If I remember right, it was only £7 odd for a walk up single from Uig to Kyle, which seemed quite reasonable for a journey of an hour and a half, considering I recently paid almost £4 to go from Elie to Leven!

£6.30 one way between Portree and Kyle last week for me, £7.20 on the Stagecoach.

Take the Citylink If you can, a far better bus.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question. On Sunday 3 September I was travelling north by holiday coach on the A66 some way before the village of Lauder. I noted a Stagecoach Trident parked in a yard which I wrote down at the time as being marked up 'Austin Coach Services.' Is this a Stagecoach outstation? (I have never been to this area before) Thanks for any information.

I think you mean the A68 Think that's well away from any Stagecoach ops AFAIK

 

[GusB]

Not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question. On Sunday 3 September I was travelling north by holiday coach on the A66 some way before the village of Lauder. I noted a Stagecoach Trident parked in a yard which I wrote down at the time as being marked up 'Austin Coach Services.' Is this a Stagecoach outstation? (I have never been to this area before) Thanks for any information.

Yell.com has a listing for Austin Coach Travel in Earlston. It's not a company I'm familiar with, but it's not too far away from Lauder.

I think you mean the A68 Think that's well away from any Stagecoach ops AFAIK

It's also nowhere near the Highlands

 

[Whiteway215]

I think you mean the A68 Think that's well away from any Stagecoach ops AFAIK

Thanks for that. Yes it was the A68!

 

[Gathursty]

Not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question. On Sunday 3 September I was travelling north by holiday coach on the A66 some way before the village of Lauder. I noted a Stagecoach Trident parked in a yard which I wrote down at the time as being marked up 'Austin Coach Services.' Is this a Stagecoach outstation? (I have never been to this area before) Thanks for any information.

I'll assume this thread would give you better answers http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=144316&page=8

 

[Statto]

Glasgow to Uig is longest coach journey in Scotland . Want to do one day but it aint cheap , dont seem to get the heap tickets on it

You're not wrong just had a look & it's £72.80 adult open return, £58 for the day return which you only have 55 minutes at Uig & can only do day return Glasgow-Uig, £50 advance return which is still quite expensive.

 

[DimTim]

For those who know Uig 55 minutes will allow plenty of time to see the village twice!

 

[gnolife]

You're not wrong just had a look & it's £72.80 adult open return, £58 for the day return which you only have 55 minutes at Uig & can only do day return Glasgow-Uig, £50 advance return which is still quite expensive.

Or you can save £9 on a day trip by buying a 3 day explorer...

 

[ian1944]

I think you mean the A68 Think that's well away from any Stagecoach ops AFAIK

Austin Coach Services are in Earlston. There are no Stagecoach operations closer than Edinburgh, for services to/from Dumfries via Biggar and to/from Fife via a Forth crossing.

 

[route101]

Or you can save £9 on a day trip by buying a 3 day explorer...

Arent there advance tickets on this route?

 

[Statto]

Arent there advance tickets on this route?

As i mentioned there is, however the 3 day explorer which is £49 is cheaper than the advance.

 

[Flying Snail]

Arent there advance tickets on this route?

Citylink offer Apex fares with 20- 40% reduction for bookings up to 48hrs in advance on most services.

On some Citylink routes, eg Edinburgh or Glasgow to Aberdeen or Inverness much cheaper fares are also available on all departures through megabus.com regardless of the actual bus operator.

Megabus fares are not offered on the Skye-Fort William-Glasgow route along with Oban, Campbeltown, Skye-Inverness routes.