Why are express bus routes registered as "normal stopping"?

[miklcct]

The morebus service X6 between Ringwood and Bournemouth is registered as a "normal stopping" service while it is clearly a limited-stop express route - the fastest express route connecting Bournemouth and Ringwood. In contrast, Yellow Buses 3x is properly registered as limited stop. What's the difference between these 2 kinds of registrations, and why does a route, which is clearly not stopping, registered as "normal stopping"?

 

[Bletchleyite]

The morebus service X6 between Ringwood and Bournemouth is registered as a "normal stopping" service while it is clearly a limited-stop express route - the fastest express route connecting Bournemouth and Ringwood. In contrast, Yellow Buses 3x is properly registered as limited stop. What's the difference between these 2 kinds of registrations, and why does a route, which is clearly not stopping, registered as "normal stopping"?

An administrative error, I suspect.

Fairly minor, I guess, when compared to the misspellings and inaccuracies you see in registrations.

 

[RT4038]

The morebus service X6 between Ringwood and Bournemouth is registered as a "normal stopping" service while it is clearly a limited-stop express route - the fastest express route connecting Bournemouth and Ringwood. In contrast, Yellow Buses 3x is properly registered as limited stop. What's the difference between these 2 kinds of registrations, and why does a route, which is clearly not stopping, registered as "normal stopping"?

A question - although it doesn't have many stops on the Bournemouth-Ringwood section (because it is running on fast main roads), does it actually pass any stops that it could stop at, but doesn't? This I think would be the definition of a 'limited stop' service.

 

[WelshBluebird]

Is it "clearly a limited stop express route" though? I don't know the area but its worth asking!
As an example of an area I do know, the X39 between Bristol and Bath has an X prefix and is the fastest bus route between the two cities but that doesn't imply its an express route or limited stop etc.

 

[Flange Squeal]

A question - although it doesn't have many stops on the Bournemouth-Ringwood section (because it is running on fast main roads), does it actually pass any stops that it could stop at, but doesn't? This I think would be the definition of a 'limited stop' service.

From what I can make out, the X6 indeed doesn't actually 'skip' any stops - it's just a case of the A338 doesn't have bus stops along it. I don't believe the lay-by stop (one for each direction) half way along Queens Park, between the town and hospital, have been in use for some years? So given the X6 observes all stops along its route, I'd suggest 'normal stopping' is indeed the correct categorisation for it?

One could therefore also argue that the 3x should also be 'normal stopping' too? I can't see any bus stops that it skips either, with the 'x' suffix just being to differentiate it from the slower 3, which runs through residential areas rather than the 3x's route up the A338.

 

[NorthOxonian]

The morebus service X6 between Ringwood and Bournemouth is registered as a "normal stopping" service while it is clearly a limited-stop express route - the fastest express route connecting Bournemouth and Ringwood. In contrast, Yellow Buses 3x is properly registered as limited stop. What's the difference between these 2 kinds of registrations, and why does a route, which is clearly not stopping, registered as "normal stopping"?

If you think that's bad, consider the 685, which is operated jointly by two operators. Each of them have registered the route separately (and have split it into three parts). Arriva have registered most of it as "limited stop/regular stopping" (one of their registrations just has it as "normal stopping"). But Stagecoach have registered it all as "regular stopping" - despite it being the exact same route with the exact same stopping pattern!

I imagine that the actual distinction between different types of route is fairly minor - if it wasn't then these inconsistencies would likely have been ironed out by now.

 

[43055]

Must be something to do with having no stops on the fast section. Other faster services in the East Midlands such as the Spondon Flyer and Midland Classic X12 are both down as 'normal stopping'. Meanwhile the villager is 'limited stop' because it skips 3 stops between the Royal Derby Hospital and Derby city centre.

 

[RT4038]

If you think that's bad, consider the 685, which is operated jointly by two operators. Each of them have registered the route separately (and have split it into three parts). Arriva have registered most of it as "limited stop/regular stopping" (one of their registrations just has it as "normal stopping"). But Stagecoach have registered it all as "regular stopping" - despite it being the exact same route with the exact same stopping pattern!

I imagine that the actual distinction between different types of route is fairly minor - if it wasn't then these inconsistencies would likely have been ironed out by now.

The electronic registration system, on which the applicant declares all the stops that the route will be using, makes the distinction between limited stop and normal stopping fairly irrelevant anyway.

 

[dan5324]

I heard it was some thing to do with National Express stealing custom between Ringwood and Bournemouth. You used to be able to take a coach between these two locations. National Express is not registered as a stopping service like the Ringwood bus service and thus is no longer permitted to pick up at Ringwood. It's set down only towards Bournemouth.