I think Idle does the Flyers, and also a little (1 board) of 60 Leeds - Keighley. Not aware of anything else.
The 62 and 64 seem to be run from Keighley. I think the otley locals are too but I may be wrong.
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Trips by Bus and Coach: Your reports
- Thread starter RELL6L
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The 62 and 64 seem to be run from Keighley. I think the otley locals are too but I may be wrong.
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Idle transferrred with the Flyer services to Transdev and is the home of the Versas operatng those services.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
We might be saying similar things. I thought that Tiger lost the Flyer routes and therefore, with no need for it, the depot was secured by Transdev with the non-Flyer ops moving to Elland?
Yup. But what i am unsure of is if Idle do anything other than Flyer.
GusB
Established Member
I fear we are going down a rabbit hole with all this talk of Flyer routes! If there's sufficient interest in a separate thread, we can move the last few posts. Please let us know using the Report function. Thanks 
Thanks for this interesting report. I covered some of these places earlier in the year on a couple of trips, reported on posts 243 and 300. Otley, Ilkley and Silsden are well worth stopping off at and it doesn’t take long to walk up onto Ilkley Moor from the station. And on a nice day do head on to Grassington!
Yes the 64 interworks with the 62, that’s the easiest way to get buses and drivers on and off the 64 which doesn’t otherwise go near the depot, and also the 64 would struggle to cover a round trip each hour with sufficient resilience. As a result the 62s on the other half hour have a generous turnaround time at Ilkley.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Apologies if I inadvertently opened Pandora's box, to mix metaphors etc!!I fear we are going down a rabbit hole with all this talk of Flyer routes! If there's sufficient interest in a separate thread, we can move the last few posts. Please let us know using the Report function. Thanks
Ilkley is a delightful town, very much the Victorian spa town but a bit overlooked compared to Harrogate. Otley is a fairly standard, honest Yorkshire market town and even with recent closures, still a healthy number of pubs!!
Been just over a year since I did a bit of Transdev-ing. Just so many places to visit (though perhaps three trips to South Wales in 2022 might be a bit much) to fit these things in. Still, I can enjoy West Yorks vicariously through @RELL6L and @Ken H which is what these reports are all about
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*** A TRIP DOWN POST-D-DAY MEMORY LANE ***
Apologies for a bit of indulgence here but thought I'd share a historic one... from the first weekend post-deregulation on November 1st 1986, so 36 years ago (where do the years go?). Hope it is of sufficient interest, and that there are enough links to today to make it vaguely relevant. I have scoured Flickr for appropriate photos to illustrate in the absence of my own - credits applied. Hope it interests @TheSel (despite a lack of REs), @RELL6L , and @Ken H as it features his preferred NBC firm.
It was the first weekend of deregulation, though in Darlington, the first changes had been seen in September as United had introduced their first two RoadRanger minibus routes in competition with Darlington Corporation, who had in turn been allowed to introduce their DART service between Darlington and Newton Aycliffe. However, I wasn't to be attracted by these and instead headed to the delights of Darlington bus station.
Darlington bus station - Dick Darlington2012
As you can see, Darlington was an uncover bus station. In fact, it was a combined bus station and depot in the centre of town next to the Town Hall, where United's out of town services ran from into South Durham, North Yorkshire and Cleveland. It closed in the mid 1990s and having been retained by United/Arriva as the main Darlington depot, it was finally vacated in 2007 when they bought the Stagecoach depot and moved to those premises. Having purchased my cheapo child explorer for £1.50, I boarded my first bus being the 27 to Catterick Garrison via Richmond - a longstanding route that still survives as the X27 and had been upgraded to Max standard by Arriva. This was to be instead operated by an 8 year old Bristol VR so the bitterly cold morning began with cold brown vinyl. This journey was a Richmond depot vehicle and despite having run in, it was still quite a cold bus and I took the rearmost lower deck seat on the nearside - if you know, you know! It was a cold day and still bleak as we headed to Richmond where I decamped; there's not much to do in Richmond on a Saturday morning though the market stalls would've been getting sorted. At least I didn't have long to wait in the market place before my onward trip.
United VR 755 - Mh737 aka Mark Harrington
The next journey was to get me south to Northallerton on United's 34, as there was no early journey on a Saturday there from Darlington. It was really a service of two halves and that now what it is. The first bit was a local service through Catterick Garrison but then after a dash down the A1, it became an intensely rural service with 5 journeys through delightful villages such as Kirkby Fleetham and Scruton, now served 3 times a day by a KF to Northallerton tendered service from Hodgsons. It was a quiet run, understandably so, and the use of a 5 year old VR was definitely overkill.
United VR 812 - John Milnes
I arrived into Northallerton bus station, which was the posh name for the yard outside the front of the depot. The depot still stands, slightly modified as the right hand side had an extensive travel office and waiting room that had closed the week before. This substantial location had an allocation of about six vehicles amazingly and actually lasted until 1989! I went to the cafe across the road to get a cuppa and a kitkat (probably) and awaited my next bus... to Ripon. Historically, I'd found it difficult to get to Ripon by United bus as timings seem to work against me. The old order of services had been a two hourly service from Northallerton, timed to miss the connections from elsewhere by minutes, ensuring a good two hour wait. Deregulation saw the service split at Thirsk but interestingly, United had picked up a number of tenders previously operated by firms like John Smiths of Dalton, and a raft of new opportunities appeared. On a Saturday, there was some tendered run from Thirsk to Northallerton, operated by a Ripon depot bus that then had to operate a Thirsk to Ripon service, so it ran in service from Northallerton! My steed was Ripon depot's first ever Leyland National, 3039, having arrived that week - remember this depot had never had a National by 1986!! What a journey - we were scheduled to cover the nearly 9 miles to Thirsk in just 15 mins, and end to end (more than 20 miles) in only 40 mins. I just remember the driver absolutely pelting down the A168 and after a stop in Thirsk, going slightly slower but still at a pace on the A61 stopping to pick up grey haired grannies with PVC headscarves in Baldersby before screeching into the delights of Ripon bus station. I think nowadays, those villages get an NYCC minibus, spare between school runs and so no Saturday service.
Former Northallerton bus station and depot - Dick Darlington2012
United Leyland National 3039 in Ripon - Mh737 aka Mark Harrington
Ripon bus station was located where it is now though a much bigger site. There was a large patch of waste ground on which the library/arcade now sit, some very old concrete shelters with signage from the early 1980s, a large parking area (where a car park now sits). Where the current bus station is was a curious raised building with a closed cafe, a drivers crew room and a toilet block, and a canopy like a train station. It was pretty grim to be honest. It was a quick change, and onto the 36.
Yes, the famous 36 from Ripon to Leeds though I only had time to get as far as Harrogate. It was only hourly from Ripon and jointly operated by United and West Yorkshire. United had only one board and it was usually home to their newest vehicle, VR 828, one of the last delivered to United. They had tried an Olympian but apparently, the fuel tanks were too small for a full day out. So the VRs persisted and United's had the dark brown, very hard vinyl of the era. 828 was absolutely freezing too as we made our way from Ripon and across into West Yorkshire Road Car territory, following the same route as today via Ripley. Only on entering the town did the 36 do something really odd... it turned left at the Little Wonder pub/gas works and went via Skipton Road, whilst it returned to Ripon via Ripon Road - a quite massive deviation between the two routes! Harrogate bus station covers much the same footprint as then (with even the rear retaining wall still in place) though the offices have gone where the car park now exists by the rail station. I guess I must have been captivated by the new Ford Transit and Iveco Hoppa minibuses that were operating the local routes at that time. After an hour and a half, it was time to be reunited with 828 and return back. Deregulation has definitely had it downsides but something like the current 36 (or how it was pre Covid and driver shortages) was incomprehensible - certainly prefer the B5TLs than a vinyl seated ice box of a VR!
United VR 828 on the 36 - Mh737 aka Mark Harrington
It was back into Ripon; I could've caught the later 36 and use my United Explorer on a West Yorkshire bus but as they were only hourly it would've made for a tight connection. My next trip was to Richmond. This was the 159, and it is now a direct bus (159) operated by Dales and District, but then it was United and ran to Hawes. To Leyburn, it still follows the same route though it had a diversion to serve the villages of Kirkby Malzeard and Grewelthorpe - the latter sounds like it should have a colliery but it's a beautiful village with a duckpond. You can still enjoy the beauty of the lower part of Wensleydale, passing the breweries at Masham and the large castle at Middleham. At Leyburn, I had to change onto the 26 to Richmond, as part of a 4 way connection that used to occur morning and afternoon each Saturday. REs were getting thin on the ground but one was running the 26 to Hawes, the Northallerton bus was a decker, but my 159 and then subsequent 26 were a pair of Bristol LHs, with 1717 (pictured) and 1648. For those who have never experienced an ECW bodied LH, I'd advise trying one on a running day, and then imagine it for 1.5 hours bouncing around Dales roads!!
Interchanging in Leyburn - this was two years earlier - John Carter
The 26 was timed to connect with the Darlington service at Richmond, being usually blinded as such (shown on the photo above) and so it was a reunion with VR755 to take me back to Darlington along the A1. However, it was only 5pm and I had nothing better to do (tragic!) so to get my money's worth, it was a short stop and off to Bishop Auckland. This is still the service 1, though it has been changed slightly with a faster variant and a revised route via Shildon. It would've been dark as United Olympian 214 (a regular on the route) headed to its home town. Bishop Auckland bus station has changed only slightly over the years - the toilets are still a risk to human health and the wind blows across the place distributing litter on its way. It's a bleak old place. It was that that perhaps prompted me to have a quick trip to the United depot (courtesy of Leyland Nationals 3008 and 3007) and see what was in there after the reallocations of the week before.
Back in Bishop, I had limited options as United had lost virtually all its tendered work to OK Travel, Eden or Darlington Transport (and the Explorer wasn't valid) so rather than retrace my steps, I went to Durham on National 3045 on the 6. This was a newly shortened route (it had until a week earlier run to Newcastle X20 or Sunderland X3) and still remains in Arriva days as one of their main Durham routes. I remember getting to Durham bus station and notices abounding that certain services were cancelled - the TGWU had declared an overtime ban. Cancellations are not a new thing as are industrial disputes!! Durham depot was quite militant and had, in fact, lost work to Bishop Auckland depot as they were much more pragmatic. Durham bus station was a dive and despite two refurbishments, I wasn't sad to finally see it go a few years back.
My last bus was the long and historic stopper service 723 from Newcastle to Darlington. Sadly it was not a Northern Metrobus, as much as I liked them but times meant it was a United machine and not the usual Olympian but a VR in 786. So I had the steady thud of the Gardner engine as we climbed out through Nevilles Cross and Croxdale, the open bit past Thinford, and then the clamber into Ferryhill where the bus station still existed - it was four very grim bus shelters next to the Post Boy pub. We then belted back off down the old A1 (A167), much as the 7 still does though with a more direct route into Newton Aycliffe, finally arriving back into Darlington.
United VR 786 - John Carter
I hope this has been of interest. A lot has changed in 36 years. United's successor, Arriva, has trimmed back so that in SW Durham, the trunk routes are really all that remains. Evening services have declined markedly as has the entire network in North Yorkshire. Bus stations have gone and been redeveloped. However, many routes still remain and even have their old numbers. And who'd have thought I'd be sharing this on a computer on something called the internet... who knew?
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The "odd" 36 route into Harrogate was the main route, just peak hour ones went direct via Ripon Road, along with Uniteds X36, (to my knowledge) so not sure how a Saturday working fitted into that. After Blazefield took all workings on the Ripon Road route became more frequent numbered 36A until the decision was taken to route all via Ripon Road. That was not long after the 2003 batch of Geminis had been introduced to the service and as part of which raised pavements were fitted at the bus stops. Some, not being served by any other service, consequently saw little use but largely remain in situ.
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TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Thanks for reading the report. I know that it went via New Park; the oddity was that we came back along Ripon Road... Perhaps there was some reason like a road closure? I recall the X36 - that came along c.1987/8 (?) - enjoyed that on a range of different vehicles, courtesy of the complex interworking from United's Ripon depot!! There were a couple of 36X journeys as well, before the X36?
Something you might be able to help with... Was there a plan to redevelop Harrogate bus station in entirety with services relegated to on-street stops? I'm sure I vaguely recall a plan, and that the bus station might even have closed for a very short period?
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Yes the bus station was closed in June 1991 and the building were demolished. The Borough Council refused to approve redevelopment proposals on the basis that a bus station was needed. Buses continued to use the on-street stops on Station Parade outside the bus station site and also the northern part of Station Parade was turned into a row of bus stops which is where the 36s to Ripon and local services to Bilton operated from; other services operated from outside the library on Victoria Avenue (National Express and Uniteds 56 and 57 IIRC). Eventually Blazefield bought a chunk of the site and a reopened bus station arrived in May 1995 albeit not large enough to accommodate National Express and the local services to Bilton until it was enlarged to its current size.
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ian1944
Member
Re. Bishop Auckland BS, not only windswept but enormous. The number of stands seems greater than required and the overall area suggests that there's no great redevelopment opportunity envisaged. Some places in more prosperous areas would have built shops and /or houses on the site and squeezed bus provision into a few on-street stands.
Came across a 1996 United timetable on Timetable world https://timetableworld.com/ttw-viewer.php?token=c3e81aec-e6bd-4347-81fd-0588813e6b08 which shows the 36/36A existed before Blazefield took the service entirely over.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Thanks for that - my travelling diminished from late 1991 as I had a long-term girlfriend so might explain why only had vague recollections
I remember her well though!Bishop Auckland bus station has changed a little bit since 1986 but not that much. The carpark for the B&M store is the old layover area next to the canteen, and to accommodate layovers, they made part of it into a U shape. Otherwise, it's still the bleak place it's always been.
As I alluded to, United lost virtually all its evening work in the area after dereg. Only the 1 (Darlington to Crook) and 6 (Durham to Bishop) survived though the latter had time to allow a commercial run around Woodhouse Close (9). Hence there were a few trips that resulted in a trip via Bishop and waiting, then home, mostly courtesy of knackered Nationals!!
The 1987 United timetable on the same site is also enlightening (and actually has the journeys on which I travelled in North Yorkshire in Nov 1986) on this day out.
With ref to the 36, it had both a 36X and a 36A variant on schooldays to John Fisher School in Harrogate, and both via Ripon Road. However, there are also standard 36's that also went via Ripon Road.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
*** NEW TRIP - 14th November ***
Just completed another day out last week and thought I'd share it with you. I had options to consider and nearly went for a trip to South Yorkshire. However, I elected to go "next door" and visit parts of West Yorkshire; I've visited a few times in recent years but thought I'd visit those spots that I've not been to for many years. I hope it's of interest and whilst the photos aren't to @RELL6L standards, I hope it's of interest to locals like @SCH117X @Ken H @Andyh82 et al (who will doubtless need to correct my errors).
Choosing West Yorkshire was largely prompted by the opportunity to experience the Transdev SkyClass vehicles now working the X98/X99 from Wetherby to Leeds. I've travelled on this service a few times in recent years with First's Streetdecks, and I'd not been able to experience these vehicles on CityZap. I boarded, getting my super low cost DayRover - a bargain £4.50. I went upstairs to experience these flash buses. I was impressed though the library downstairs is an unnecessary gimmick. The important stuff worked - the next stop announcements were clear, the seats were very comfortable, and the ride quality good without the usual ADL squeaking; these are superb vehicles. On order, I wondered how CityZap of old (let alone post Covid) could justify these machines' expense. They are doubtless better suited to their new home in that respect. I was deposited in town just as the first light began to show, making my way to the Corn Exchange for my next journey. I had plans to head up the Dewsbury Road by First Leeds but cancellations, both stated and unofficial, were decimating the 3/3A so I took the longer 12 via Hunslet, and then through Belle Isle - a large postwar housing estate that has serious levels of deprivation, and Middleton where a large bus depot used to exist until deregulation (I think). Whilst pretty thatched cottages and sweeping views are often the bus journeys we gravitate to for leisure, it is often good to just travel through these areas - not poverty tourism but to open your eyes that it's tough for some. This was a First Streetdeck with eLeather and USBs and whilst I think they're ok machines, they're not a patch on my earlier SkyClass ADL. I arrived at WRC just in time to see one "next bus option" leave so I had time to ponder my next step.
I would now be entering Arriva territory in the main, and it was a standard e400 to Max standard that arrived to take me to Dewsbury. It was a reminder of how Arriva Yorkshire used to be with decent marketing and investment. Standards that have declined in <10 years. We made our way through the delightfully named Hanging Heaton, and into Woollen territory. The former Yorkshire Woollen firm took the name from the local industry and indeed, I think you can divide West Yorkshire into a few chunks - the might of Leeds, the Woollen area, the leafy Northern Dales (Otley, Ilkley, Wetherby), the mining area abutting South Yorkshire, and the Pennines of Huddersfield and Halifax. We arrived into Dewsbury bus station; I recall the old one and part remains in the neglected coach stands. It was both modern and impressive and yet depressing. The wide concourse where people rattle around, the closed travel office and the neglected offices around there - it just seemed down at heel though I know plans are afoot to improve things. However, a minimal amount of spend could smarten the place up. I had a business call to do (and couldn't escape) so I decamped to Costa for a coffee and rang in via the dismal precinct. Dewsbury has a mix of fine Victoriana and naff 70s era offices seemingly. It took longer than I anticipated but call done, I could return to travelling!
Next up was the frequent 268 to Wakefield, and a 2017 e400mmc. Delivered in the new Arriva livery but with Max headrests, these were some of the last new vehicles to arrive here save for a small batch of Wright Streetdecks for the 110. It was a reasonable journey but the interior just seemed spartan and rather clinical. Still, we made decent time and it deposited me in Wakefield. After another quick errand, I was able to walk to the modern bus station. This is, I think, built on the site of the former Saville Street depot. To be honest, it's a good bus station and Arriva have done some Transdev style branding on the stands and this is the epicentre of Arriva's Yorkshire business. I wasn't hanging around and I was soon clambering on board another Max liveried e400; this one had been formerly allocated to the 268 but had been debranded for the route yet retained the Max branding and Grand Yorkshire Connections strapline. I was now heading into the former mining heartlands and that area that feels more South than West Yorkshire as I headed to the town of South Elmsall, passing via Hemsworth. I heard a couple talking, of whom the wife was saying she'd been talking to someone who knows John Stones; I elected to zone out to avoid the celeb gossip! This machine was a bit older than my earlier e400 but we travelled through the misty territory, passing through a very autumnal Nostell - it was a nice trip. South Elmsall boasts a travel hub but it's really just a small bus station of three shelters located close to the train station. I think I was last in this part of the world (Hemsworth/S Elmsall) about 20-30 years ago and even then by car, so it really was an exploration.
I walked back through the town, grabbing a bite to eat and a coffee, and then to a stop to retrace my steps to Hemsworth. Elmsall is a place where well-paid traditional jobs have been replaced by lower-calibre jobs in distribution centres, and the town has declined. Also, many Eastern European accents to be heard. Another e400, but in Arriva corporate colours, arrived. It was showing the remnants of a second fleet number indicating it had been reallocated (from Maidstone). This was really quite a poor machine, with rattles and squeaks much more than the native examples. I was glad to get off at Hemsworth - I didn't have time to explore and the bus station is an odd one in that the covered waiting room is really just part of the adjacent Tesco store. Soon, a Stagecoach e400 arrived - it too was a Southern emigree having started life on the 700 in Sussex but now reallocated to Barnsley. Always seems odd to see Stagecoach in West Yorkshire and yet they have done so for years since the Yorkshire Traction purchase. This was also showing its age and the seating looked a bit faded as we head to Ponte-carlo (Pontefract). For the uninitiated, Ponte is one of the hidden Yorkshire gems and it has some fine buildings, especially in the market place. I wandered through and it was quite busy - much more than Dewsbury as a comparison. This was a natural path to the bus station which was one of the first modern ones built in the 1980s; suitably updated, it still performs its role well. I was lucky with the next machine, being one of the few remaining Optare Tempos with Arriva and it would take me back to Wakefield via Featherstone. I recall the book NBC in 1981, with a West Riding VR in the mists near Agbrigg power station (as a backdrop) and it felt very similar, not realising that I would be passing the long redeveloped site. We passed through Featherstone, and then familiar roads into Wakefield.
My final escape from Wakefield's gravitational pull was to head to Batley. The 212 is an hourly service operated by a batch of e200s that dominate the smaller routes in Wakefield where Dodges and Metroriders used to operate. We had a very healthy load as we headed off and, in the fashion I'd seen so many times before in 30+ years, buses in that part of the world are seldom fast affairs as we looped around various residential areas, seeing my first domestic Xmas tree (this was the 14th Nov). There was a loop around past a primary school where drivers were parking wherever in order to safely collect their child (and put others at risk) in some 1980s suburbia, and then a strange loop around Soothill which was quite interesting as we dipped down into a valley and back up. We were eventually in Batley, delayed by the school rush traffic and removing any hope I had of sneaking a connection to Leeds. Instead, I had 30 mins to kill in Batley as dusk fell, being able to marvel at the oversized bus station that was opened in 2005 to replace the tragic predecessor which was a hell hole. This seemed wholly over specified though, and I had chance for a short walk into the town past the ailing retail offering.
I was back into the bus station ready for my penultimate journey on the 201 to Leeds. I looked at the tracking app - it was late. In fact, it left Heckmondwike ten mins late when it should have been just about into Batley. This would put pressure on my 13 min interchange in Leeds. I need not have worried - by the time we left Batley, any likelihood of catching that had long gone as we were 18 mins late with a standing load of school kids. In fact, many didn't get off until Morley which was a surprise that they had to travel that far to school. The Daf DB300 was a bit asthmatic climbing the hills out of Batley and elsewhere too and we struggled through until the edge of Leeds city centre where suddenly, bus priority meant that we sped along but it only served to be a consolation goal. Instead, I had to nip to Nero for a coffee, and wait for 20 mins until I went out for my SkyClass - it was the same bus I'd had earlier but I was just glad it was there and it was, bang on time. A relaxing trip to Wetherby and I was reunited with my car and ready to head south.
All in all, it was a good day out albeit the mist never lifted and it never seemed to get light! Having focussed elsewhere on trips to West Yorkshire, it was good to head to places that I really have neglected. Perhaps not the classic destinations but still interesting. Hope you enjoyed the read.
Just completed another day out last week and thought I'd share it with you. I had options to consider and nearly went for a trip to South Yorkshire. However, I elected to go "next door" and visit parts of West Yorkshire; I've visited a few times in recent years but thought I'd visit those spots that I've not been to for many years. I hope it's of interest and whilst the photos aren't to @RELL6L standards, I hope it's of interest to locals like @SCH117X @Ken H @Andyh82 et al (who will doubtless need to correct my errors).
Choosing West Yorkshire was largely prompted by the opportunity to experience the Transdev SkyClass vehicles now working the X98/X99 from Wetherby to Leeds. I've travelled on this service a few times in recent years with First's Streetdecks, and I'd not been able to experience these vehicles on CityZap. I boarded, getting my super low cost DayRover - a bargain £4.50. I went upstairs to experience these flash buses. I was impressed though the library downstairs is an unnecessary gimmick. The important stuff worked - the next stop announcements were clear, the seats were very comfortable, and the ride quality good without the usual ADL squeaking; these are superb vehicles. On order, I wondered how CityZap of old (let alone post Covid) could justify these machines' expense. They are doubtless better suited to their new home in that respect. I was deposited in town just as the first light began to show, making my way to the Corn Exchange for my next journey. I had plans to head up the Dewsbury Road by First Leeds but cancellations, both stated and unofficial, were decimating the 3/3A so I took the longer 12 via Hunslet, and then through Belle Isle - a large postwar housing estate that has serious levels of deprivation, and Middleton where a large bus depot used to exist until deregulation (I think). Whilst pretty thatched cottages and sweeping views are often the bus journeys we gravitate to for leisure, it is often good to just travel through these areas - not poverty tourism but to open your eyes that it's tough for some. This was a First Streetdeck with eLeather and USBs and whilst I think they're ok machines, they're not a patch on my earlier SkyClass ADL. I arrived at WRC just in time to see one "next bus option" leave so I had time to ponder my next step.
I would now be entering Arriva territory in the main, and it was a standard e400 to Max standard that arrived to take me to Dewsbury. It was a reminder of how Arriva Yorkshire used to be with decent marketing and investment. Standards that have declined in <10 years. We made our way through the delightfully named Hanging Heaton, and into Woollen territory. The former Yorkshire Woollen firm took the name from the local industry and indeed, I think you can divide West Yorkshire into a few chunks - the might of Leeds, the Woollen area, the leafy Northern Dales (Otley, Ilkley, Wetherby), the mining area abutting South Yorkshire, and the Pennines of Huddersfield and Halifax. We arrived into Dewsbury bus station; I recall the old one and part remains in the neglected coach stands. It was both modern and impressive and yet depressing. The wide concourse where people rattle around, the closed travel office and the neglected offices around there - it just seemed down at heel though I know plans are afoot to improve things. However, a minimal amount of spend could smarten the place up. I had a business call to do (and couldn't escape) so I decamped to Costa for a coffee and rang in via the dismal precinct. Dewsbury has a mix of fine Victoriana and naff 70s era offices seemingly. It took longer than I anticipated but call done, I could return to travelling!
Next up was the frequent 268 to Wakefield, and a 2017 e400mmc. Delivered in the new Arriva livery but with Max headrests, these were some of the last new vehicles to arrive here save for a small batch of Wright Streetdecks for the 110. It was a reasonable journey but the interior just seemed spartan and rather clinical. Still, we made decent time and it deposited me in Wakefield. After another quick errand, I was able to walk to the modern bus station. This is, I think, built on the site of the former Saville Street depot. To be honest, it's a good bus station and Arriva have done some Transdev style branding on the stands and this is the epicentre of Arriva's Yorkshire business. I wasn't hanging around and I was soon clambering on board another Max liveried e400; this one had been formerly allocated to the 268 but had been debranded for the route yet retained the Max branding and Grand Yorkshire Connections strapline. I was now heading into the former mining heartlands and that area that feels more South than West Yorkshire as I headed to the town of South Elmsall, passing via Hemsworth. I heard a couple talking, of whom the wife was saying she'd been talking to someone who knows John Stones; I elected to zone out to avoid the celeb gossip! This machine was a bit older than my earlier e400 but we travelled through the misty territory, passing through a very autumnal Nostell - it was a nice trip. South Elmsall boasts a travel hub but it's really just a small bus station of three shelters located close to the train station. I think I was last in this part of the world (Hemsworth/S Elmsall) about 20-30 years ago and even then by car, so it really was an exploration.
I walked back through the town, grabbing a bite to eat and a coffee, and then to a stop to retrace my steps to Hemsworth. Elmsall is a place where well-paid traditional jobs have been replaced by lower-calibre jobs in distribution centres, and the town has declined. Also, many Eastern European accents to be heard. Another e400, but in Arriva corporate colours, arrived. It was showing the remnants of a second fleet number indicating it had been reallocated (from Maidstone). This was really quite a poor machine, with rattles and squeaks much more than the native examples. I was glad to get off at Hemsworth - I didn't have time to explore and the bus station is an odd one in that the covered waiting room is really just part of the adjacent Tesco store. Soon, a Stagecoach e400 arrived - it too was a Southern emigree having started life on the 700 in Sussex but now reallocated to Barnsley. Always seems odd to see Stagecoach in West Yorkshire and yet they have done so for years since the Yorkshire Traction purchase. This was also showing its age and the seating looked a bit faded as we head to Ponte-carlo (Pontefract). For the uninitiated, Ponte is one of the hidden Yorkshire gems and it has some fine buildings, especially in the market place. I wandered through and it was quite busy - much more than Dewsbury as a comparison. This was a natural path to the bus station which was one of the first modern ones built in the 1980s; suitably updated, it still performs its role well. I was lucky with the next machine, being one of the few remaining Optare Tempos with Arriva and it would take me back to Wakefield via Featherstone. I recall the book NBC in 1981, with a West Riding VR in the mists near Agbrigg power station (as a backdrop) and it felt very similar, not realising that I would be passing the long redeveloped site. We passed through Featherstone, and then familiar roads into Wakefield.
My final escape from Wakefield's gravitational pull was to head to Batley. The 212 is an hourly service operated by a batch of e200s that dominate the smaller routes in Wakefield where Dodges and Metroriders used to operate. We had a very healthy load as we headed off and, in the fashion I'd seen so many times before in 30+ years, buses in that part of the world are seldom fast affairs as we looped around various residential areas, seeing my first domestic Xmas tree (this was the 14th Nov). There was a loop around past a primary school where drivers were parking wherever in order to safely collect their child (and put others at risk) in some 1980s suburbia, and then a strange loop around Soothill which was quite interesting as we dipped down into a valley and back up. We were eventually in Batley, delayed by the school rush traffic and removing any hope I had of sneaking a connection to Leeds. Instead, I had 30 mins to kill in Batley as dusk fell, being able to marvel at the oversized bus station that was opened in 2005 to replace the tragic predecessor which was a hell hole. This seemed wholly over specified though, and I had chance for a short walk into the town past the ailing retail offering.
I was back into the bus station ready for my penultimate journey on the 201 to Leeds. I looked at the tracking app - it was late. In fact, it left Heckmondwike ten mins late when it should have been just about into Batley. This would put pressure on my 13 min interchange in Leeds. I need not have worried - by the time we left Batley, any likelihood of catching that had long gone as we were 18 mins late with a standing load of school kids. In fact, many didn't get off until Morley which was a surprise that they had to travel that far to school. The Daf DB300 was a bit asthmatic climbing the hills out of Batley and elsewhere too and we struggled through until the edge of Leeds city centre where suddenly, bus priority meant that we sped along but it only served to be a consolation goal. Instead, I had to nip to Nero for a coffee, and wait for 20 mins until I went out for my SkyClass - it was the same bus I'd had earlier but I was just glad it was there and it was, bang on time. A relaxing trip to Wetherby and I was reunited with my car and ready to head south.
All in all, it was a good day out albeit the mist never lifted and it never seemed to get light! Having focussed elsewhere on trips to West Yorkshire, it was good to head to places that I really have neglected. Perhaps not the classic destinations but still interesting. Hope you enjoyed the read.
Thanks for that @TheGrandWazoo. Not a part of Yorkshire I know well.
But I have memories of the West Riding buses in Leeds Bus Station in their bright green livery, the red 'Tramway' 10 and 19 in their own little bus station in York Street.(The 10 is now the 110 you mention) Yorkshire Woollen went from the streets round City Square and Swinegate.
The area you explored is an area I will have to have a go round.
I need to give the new Leeds - Wetherby buses a go. Maybe out on an X98 or X99, and return on a 7.
Back in my youth the X98 and X99 were 39 and 40, while the 7 was the 41, tho there was a variant 42 that went to Tadcaster rather than Wetherby.
One aside. West Riding had a massive expansion in 1950 when they acquired Burrows and Son of Featherstone. That added much of the eastern part of their network.
But I have memories of the West Riding buses in Leeds Bus Station in their bright green livery, the red 'Tramway' 10 and 19 in their own little bus station in York Street.(The 10 is now the 110 you mention) Yorkshire Woollen went from the streets round City Square and Swinegate.
The area you explored is an area I will have to have a go round.
I need to give the new Leeds - Wetherby buses a go. Maybe out on an X98 or X99, and return on a 7.
Back in my youth the X98 and X99 were 39 and 40, while the 7 was the 41, tho there was a variant 42 that went to Tadcaster rather than Wetherby.
One aside. West Riding had a massive expansion in 1950 when they acquired Burrows and Son of Featherstone. That added much of the eastern part of their network.
Nice report @TheGrandWazoo. The library idea originated on the 36 and (pre covid at least) was well liked - the idea being akin to a swop shop with books being added to it by passengers.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Think it was Bullocks rather than Burrows. West Riding retained the depot until the early 1980s
Would definitely recommend having a go on the Sky Class vehicles, and as for places to go, Pontefract is quite pleasant and so is Wakefield.
I guess some people might like it. It's not for me. That said, if they done that and neglected stuff like Next Stop Announcements, you could grumble but they haven't and it's hardly offensive!
As an aside, I racked up trips via Wetherby, White Rose, Dewsbury, Wakefield, Hemsworth, South Elmsall, Pontefract and Batley bus stations. 8 in a day! Sounds like some Geoff Marshall challenge to do all the West Yorkshire bus stations in a day!!!
Of course it was. I even own this timetable thats on timetable world. Sorry
Timetable World
timetableworld.com
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Couple of things I forgot to mention related to KinsleyOf course it was. I even own this timetable thats on timetable world. Sorry
Timetable World
That was the home of United Services and so became a PTE depot and later was Yorkshire Rider's outpost until there was a swap of routes with West Riding in the early 1990s. Seem to recall it was home to a mix of brand new Olympians and some ex West Yorkshire VRs that would link Wakefield and Doncaster.
Also, it still has a greyhound stadium which is now quite rare!
Make sure you schedule options if you do as with just the four vehicles for four duties replacements are common - Gemini 2775 has been on a X98 duty continuing onto a X99 evening duty today.
Really interesting illustrated report from @TheGrandWazoo in Yorkshire. Many places there I have not been to such as Batley, Hemsworth and South Elmsall, the only sections of your route I have done are Wetherby-Leeds and Wakefield-Dewsbury. I think Wakefield has a really good town centre around the cathedral and I have also been (non-bus) to Pontefract which is, as you say, a hidden gem, not just the Market Place but also the castle. Sadly the bus services in the area are just on a gentle spiral of decline and its easier to make progressive cuts as you don't have the staff to meet the current commitments. Arriva seems the worst but First is pretty poor as well, although you would think these would be decent money-spinning areas. First Leeds has a pretty modern fleet with all the StreetDecks but if they aren't running the services properly then its not much good. Yet the Mayor is very pro public transport but does not seem to be having much impact at ground level. Interested to read your historical report from the North east too and the other reports, notably @Ken H 's trip to Wharfedale.
I haven't been out for a while, the weather hasn't been up to my exacting standards! - but getting a bit fed up with that. I will post a historical report from a sunny summer soon, it might even go to Yorkshire...
I haven't been out for a while, the weather hasn't been up to my exacting standards! - but getting a bit fed up with that. I will post a historical report from a sunny summer soon, it might even go to Yorkshire...
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
I know that you were hoping to do some of the Eastern part of the county earlier this year but the Arriva strike put paid to that. The decline in bus services is most noticeable in those smaller towns like Pontefract and Batley, but also the cross-border routes. There were always a number of Arriva services that would head from Pontefract, Wakefield and Selby to Doncaster. Now, they have none of those.
Look forward to your historical recollection. In terms of trips out, I think that's me done until 2023!
ian1944
Member
Re. West Yorkshire, I lived in Leeds in the late 60s when the so-called coach station (more like a stable yard with the concept of queueing totally alien) was in Wellington Street. I remember that some of the Yorkshire Woollen services terminated round the corner in Whitehall Road, where the eponymous power station (max output 34 MW) was closed but still standing, used as a training centre by the CEGB.
A few years ago I paid a nostalgic return to the area and used a day ticket to take seven services on the outer circle (cardioid?) Leeds - Wakefield - Wetherby (I think that one of these went via Castleford, but can't remember which) - Otley - Bradford - Halifax - Huddersfield - Leeds via Dewsbury. Every timetabled service ran, pretty much to schedule, and I was back in Leeds with time for some refamiliarisation on city routes. The trip was a graphic illustration of the passing of the old, e.g electricity generation at Skelton Grange, coal at Rothwell, chemicals at Castleford and their replacement by shiny modern sheds, but the continuance of a lot of scrubby landscape and nondescript housing down south and out west and of the affluent north east to north west quadrant.
Of all these places, my favourite was Wakefield. I wouldn't want to live there, but it's exactly what I like wandering around. A shame that the indoor market by the bus station has now gone.
A few years ago I paid a nostalgic return to the area and used a day ticket to take seven services on the outer circle (cardioid?) Leeds - Wakefield - Wetherby (I think that one of these went via Castleford, but can't remember which) - Otley - Bradford - Halifax - Huddersfield - Leeds via Dewsbury. Every timetabled service ran, pretty much to schedule, and I was back in Leeds with time for some refamiliarisation on city routes. The trip was a graphic illustration of the passing of the old, e.g electricity generation at Skelton Grange, coal at Rothwell, chemicals at Castleford and their replacement by shiny modern sheds, but the continuance of a lot of scrubby landscape and nondescript housing down south and out west and of the affluent north east to north west quadrant.
Of all these places, my favourite was Wakefield. I wouldn't want to live there, but it's exactly what I like wandering around. A shame that the indoor market by the bus station has now gone.
I have been intending to report one from the archives but this has been delayed, however I am able to report a contemporary trip as suddenly the weather provided a sunny day last Friday which fitted in with my availability. A trip which has been in the in-tray for a long time saw me head off to Cannock, a town I have not visited for a very long time and which I couldn’t remember at all.
I have to say that may be because there isn’t actually much to remember in Cannock! Friday was market day so any sights there might have been in the town centre were covered by market stalls being set up. The church is perfectly OK in the Staffordshire style, a bowling green nearby and an attractive white house at one end of it, that seems to be about it. So after a bacon butty and coffee it was on to the bus station where Midland Red was once dominant, then Arriva, now it is Chaserider and Select Bus, which I think are under common control. Both have liveries in a similar shade of red, not that far off NBC red, and at a first glance it isn’t easy to tell them apart. The bus station is on the edge of the town centre with well marked stands and has a capacity substantially in excess of the services that actually serve it. Most stands had live times indicated but there weren’t live – indeed they didn’t seem to be live anywhere in Staffordshire – just due times. Not really any better than nothing as there were perfectly good timetable displays giving due times.
My first bus was a Chaserider 74 to Stafford, once the 874, which arrived pretty much on time for a four minute turnround including a driver change and left a few minutes late but quickly caught up. The vehicle was a Volvo B7RLE, 58-reg, and I am sure this was ex-Arriva as the inside was all in the Arriva colours even though the outside was smart Chaserider. Although we were too early for concessionary passes the journey was well patronised – the incoming arrival had disembarked at least a dozen and we carried more than this into Stafford. A brief stretch alongside the edge of Cannock Chase was pretty much the only countryside. We crossed the river approaching Stafford and it seemed much wider than normal due to the recent rain. Chaserider do quite a lot of interworking, with there being no base in Stafford, and incoming 74s then do a Lichfield return on the 826/828 before heading back to Cannock on a convenient 4 hour cycle.
I alighted at the start of Stafford town centre and walked up the high street. I have been to Stafford two or three times before fairly recently and I am sure that the town centre has gone downhill in recent years. Definitely fewer people, more shops closed including part of one of the smaller shopping centres closed off. I prefer the area around Eastgate Street where some routes still terminate, I believe this used to be the oddly named ‘Pitcher Bank’. Again Midland Red Leyland Nationals long gone and now mainly Select Buses with a few Chaserider, Arriva still coming in from Telford and First from Hanley. The level of local services has reduced hugely over recent years, particularly in the south east of the town, with services to Baswich and Wildwood withdrawn and to Rickerscote much reduced. Select’s interworking appears even more complicated around Stafford. The 7 and 8 interwork, as do the 9 and 12, with some vehicles from the 9 and 12 also running 875s, but others not. My next bus was an 875 heading out to the south which I knew came off a 12 on its previous run, this disappeared from BusTimes for about 10 minutes causing a little concern but then turned up at Gaol Square about 7 minutes late. The only other person waiting with me was meeting someone who got off the bus, which was most odd as the incoming 12 actually terminates elsewhere and the bus ought to come in empty! This was an 06-ref DAF SB200 Commander, not a type I am particularly familiar with. I am not sure if these have DAF or Cummins engines but it seemed a smart and competent vehicle for its age. The Select Bus fleet is still quite varied. We did pick up a couple more at other town centre stops and the route then goes round the estate of Rickerscote as a partial replacement for what used to be a much more frequent town service, before heading south to Penkridge and then across to Cannock. Although we left 7 minutes late we were waiting time before we got out of Stafford and, despite temporary traffic lights near the M6 junction, were only two minutes late arriving in Penkridge, where I alighted.
Going back not many years there were two competing hourly services from Stafford to Penkridge and Wolverhampton, the Arriva 76 and National Express West Midlands (NXWM) 54. The 76 (once 876) was a long standing Midland Red service and the 54 an upstart, possibly partly funded initially by s106 contributions from the i54 business park, named after the M54 and hence the route number, with the 875 (then 75) adding a third hourly bus from Stafford to Penkridge before heading off to Cannock plus the occasional bus via rural villages. Now only the 875 remains plus the rural villages routes which have been very marginally improved, but there is no bus down the A449 south of Penkridge until the edge of Wolverhampton. My next journey was on the rural villages bus, the Select 878 to Wolverhampton, which takes a very indirect route. This was an Optare Solo, it also left Stafford 7 minutes late but was back on time before it reached Penkridge. An odd one here as the route does a very short double run into Penkridge centre from the south, having visited an estate first, BusTimes states clearly that it stops at the northbound stop and the southbound stop in Penkridge. Nobody was waiting at either stop, the southbound stop is more logical but the timetable case was broken and empty, the northbound one confirmed it did stop there so I waited there and held my hand out as it approached. It didn’t stop, but waited at the southbound stop for me to cross the road and board. I explained, the driver was fine but just shrugged. There were no other passengers on board and the bus was absolutely filthy. I sat next to an opening hopper window so I could reach out with a tissue and clear a space large enough to see out of and hopefully take some photos as this was the most scenic section of the day. The 878 heads south as far as Gailey then veers west some way to the villages of Wheaton Aston and Brewood. Both of these villages are close to the Shropshire Union canal and I have memories of visiting them in my canal-boating days in the 1980s. We reached Wheaton Aston first and were held up on the canal bridge by a combination of temporary traffic lights, a dust cart and people parking by the shop notwithstanding that it blocked the road! Then on to Brewood which is larger, I have even seen it described as a town, and is really quite attractive. I need to stop off there sometime, probably not from a bus, and take some photos not out of the window of a dirty Solo! We went round the village twice as we were early but could not wait time as we would have blocked the road. We then moved on to Coven, a newer and less attractive village, but with a very poor bus service due, no doubt, to being in Staffordshire while the main destination would be Wolverhampton, which isn’t. We did pick up one passenger in Brewood and another in Coven, plus a couple more after the M54 heading into Wolverhampton before we started paralleling the local NXWM routes. Despite one or two holdups we were in Wolverhampton centre on time and I got off by Wulfruna Street – yes an ill-fated bus connection for the older guys.
In Wolverhampton I walked a short distance into the city and down to the bus stops by the existing tram terminus in Bilston Street. The tram is being extended to the station but it strikes me that this will take it further from the shops. From here I waited for a NXWM 1 towards Dudley. This is a frequent service, every 8 minutes, and BusTimes showed two coming together after a gap, one about 5 minutes late the other slightly early. The early one arrived first and the crowd waiting boarded it, then the late one arrived, I boarded it and it set off, the other one waiting time for a short while and never catching up. Now Friday mornings are great for traffic and it had been very light, but Friday afternoons are just the opposite and it now started getting heavier. Standard fare for this route is the hybrid ADL Enviro E400H and mine was one of these. We headed south through Sedgley and I could feel a boost from the batteries when we accelerated. Traffic was getting heavier though and we were about 8 minutes late arriving at Dudley.
I was expecting to be impressed by NXWM and in some ways they were OK but with definite reservations – more later. I did spend a few minutes around the shopping area and high street but only because I knew I had a while before my next bus. I was taking a 74 to West Bromwich, this service running every 10 minutes there and then every 5 minutes on to Birmingham. So a frequent service – well it should be. I had missed the 12.58 departure, which left promptly. However the 13.08 departure was cancelled and the incoming bus for the 13.18 arrived 11 minutes late. It tuned round fairly promptly and left at 13.25, 7 minutes late, giving a 27 minute gap on a 10-minute frequency service. In my view that is unacceptable. Now I shall moan about the highway authority as the road past Dudley Port was extremely slow, partly due to slow cars but mainly down to one set of traffic lights soon after two lanes merged into one giving inordinate green time to a side road and too little to the main road. The roads were all pretty slow and a fairly short journey to West Bromwich town centre, timed at 28 minutes, took 41, so we were 20 minutes late on arrival. My bus was an 03-reg Volvo B7TL which, although pretty old, seemed pretty solid, the route being a mixture of these and E400s. I got off before the bus station and had a brief look around the town centre, somewhere I had never been before. Like Wolverhampton and Dudley the shopping areas were very busy, perhaps more so with Christmas shopping. Nothing special but OK.
Now onto a really frequent service, surprisingly run by single deckers. The 4 / 4H / 4M from NXWM provides 9 buses an hour on the common stretch between Walsall and Blackheath (via West Bromwich), with 3 per hour extended from Blackheath to Halesowen and Hayley Green (4H) and 3 per hour from Blackheath to Merry Hill (4M). Meanwhile the Diamond 4 / 4H provide 8 buses per hour between Walsall and West Bromwich with 4 per hour extended to Hayley Green (4H). In practice the 4s to West Bromwich appeared to follow the long-standing West Midlands practice of advertising themselves as 4E – I think E is for ‘early’. I had thought before researching that these were co-ordinated, as with some other services, but they are not and they appear to compete vigorously. Oddly there are 7 buses per hour during the day combined from Blackheath to Halesowen and Hayley Green but no evening service at all between Blackheath and Halesowen, while Merry Hill has one bus each hour in the evening and Walsall to Blackheath has two, with Diamond giving up by mid evening. Towards Walsall they stop at adjacent stands at West Bromwich bus station with Diamond having driver changes here while the NXWM ones are based at Walsall. As I walked down to the bus station three went past headed for Walsall so I thought I might have a wait but within five minutes one more arrived from each company then two more NXWM ones. I might have got a Diamond Buses Optare Versa but it was changing drivers so I took one of the NXWM ones, like most vehicles on these routes this was a Scania Omnilink. The screens in the bus station were attempting to provide live times but seemed to bear no resemblance to what was actually happening. Again there was some traffic congestion in stupid places around Heath Lane and Stone Cross but we didn’t lose any significant time on our way into Walsall despite busy Friday afternoon traffic. Most buses in Walsall terminate at the bus station but the 4s and a handful of other routes from the south terminate at the Saddlers Centre, a few minutes walk away avoiding a tedious drive round town centre streets. The good frequency is clearly justified as there were plenty of passengers waiting at the Walsall terminus and also quite a few drivers ready for shift changes. I thought that maybe Walsall was not short of drivers but maybe with the 4s being competitive routes they get priority.
As the afternoon was wearing on and with sunset not much after 4.00 I had planned to arrive back at Cannock using the X51 at either 4.02 or 4.32, potentially with a stop in Bloxwich. So walking across to the bus station I looked out for the 31s and 32s. These services are run by NXWM and Diamond and are co-ordinated to give a service every 4 minutes to Bloxwich – although as of this week that has changed to every 5 minutes. With the X51 on to Cannock only every 30 minutes I had to be aware of when they were running. There were lots of people at the stops for the 31 and 32 but no buses from either company. Meanwhile there was an X51 bound for Cannock at the stop with lots of people waiting to board -including several NXWM staff - although it was about 10 minutes past its due departure time. I hadn’t realised that the NXWM depot is some way north of the town centre on the road to Bloxwich and the staff were presumably drivers at the end of their shift – maybe including my driver from the 4. Eventually one driver explained to the waiting crowd that the was no driver to take over the bus but someone had volunteered to take it on to Cannock – I don’t know whether this was the driver who had brought it from Birmingham or one of the other drivers. Meanwhile I was checking on BusTimes about the following Cannock journey with a view to breaking my journey in Bloxwich to explore the delights there. However this had not left Birmingham, indeed it hadn’t run its previous journey from Walsall but instead had headed to the depot. So while it might run starting from Walsall, it might not. I decided to go with the X51 still sitting in the bus station, another Enviro 400, and we left 14 minutes late. The traffic was again busy and passing through Bloxwich I don’t really think I missed anything and with a few delays and visits to retail hubs we arrived at Cannock 23 minutes late, it was now fully dark. There were several passengers waiting at the stop for the X51 who were no doubt pleased when our bus pulled in, then disappointed when it blinded up to ‘not in service’ and drove off. From BusTimes it appears to have gone directly to Walsall, missing out all the diversions off the main road, then picked up service into Birmingham. So the 4.12 from Cannock didn’t run, the 4.42 never came and the 5.12 departed 14 minutes late – so no bus for an hour and a half to Walsall. This was a route where Arriva used to run the 1 and 2, Chaserider took over, NXWM started running the X51, initially peak hours only then all day every 20 minutes, drove the competition off the road, reduced the service to every 30 minutes then on a Friday evening left a 90 minute gap. Very poor, disgraceful even, meanwhile competing with 8 buses an hour on the route to West Bromwich. I also note that there was no departure from Birmingham between 14.33 and 15.16 on this supposedly 10-minutely section, very poor indeed.
For me this was an enjoyable day out in winter sunshine, cheap – no cost to park, I had to pay on the first leg then used my concessionary pass. That makes 16 trips so far this year and I suspect that will be the lot but you never know.
Some pictures but not the scenery I have been providing on previous trips!
Cannock
Stafford
Penkridge
The Shropshire Union canal at Wheaton Aston
Brewood
Wolverhampton
Dudley
West Bromwich
Walsall
Back at Cannock
I have to say that may be because there isn’t actually much to remember in Cannock! Friday was market day so any sights there might have been in the town centre were covered by market stalls being set up. The church is perfectly OK in the Staffordshire style, a bowling green nearby and an attractive white house at one end of it, that seems to be about it. So after a bacon butty and coffee it was on to the bus station where Midland Red was once dominant, then Arriva, now it is Chaserider and Select Bus, which I think are under common control. Both have liveries in a similar shade of red, not that far off NBC red, and at a first glance it isn’t easy to tell them apart. The bus station is on the edge of the town centre with well marked stands and has a capacity substantially in excess of the services that actually serve it. Most stands had live times indicated but there weren’t live – indeed they didn’t seem to be live anywhere in Staffordshire – just due times. Not really any better than nothing as there were perfectly good timetable displays giving due times.
My first bus was a Chaserider 74 to Stafford, once the 874, which arrived pretty much on time for a four minute turnround including a driver change and left a few minutes late but quickly caught up. The vehicle was a Volvo B7RLE, 58-reg, and I am sure this was ex-Arriva as the inside was all in the Arriva colours even though the outside was smart Chaserider. Although we were too early for concessionary passes the journey was well patronised – the incoming arrival had disembarked at least a dozen and we carried more than this into Stafford. A brief stretch alongside the edge of Cannock Chase was pretty much the only countryside. We crossed the river approaching Stafford and it seemed much wider than normal due to the recent rain. Chaserider do quite a lot of interworking, with there being no base in Stafford, and incoming 74s then do a Lichfield return on the 826/828 before heading back to Cannock on a convenient 4 hour cycle.
I alighted at the start of Stafford town centre and walked up the high street. I have been to Stafford two or three times before fairly recently and I am sure that the town centre has gone downhill in recent years. Definitely fewer people, more shops closed including part of one of the smaller shopping centres closed off. I prefer the area around Eastgate Street where some routes still terminate, I believe this used to be the oddly named ‘Pitcher Bank’. Again Midland Red Leyland Nationals long gone and now mainly Select Buses with a few Chaserider, Arriva still coming in from Telford and First from Hanley. The level of local services has reduced hugely over recent years, particularly in the south east of the town, with services to Baswich and Wildwood withdrawn and to Rickerscote much reduced. Select’s interworking appears even more complicated around Stafford. The 7 and 8 interwork, as do the 9 and 12, with some vehicles from the 9 and 12 also running 875s, but others not. My next bus was an 875 heading out to the south which I knew came off a 12 on its previous run, this disappeared from BusTimes for about 10 minutes causing a little concern but then turned up at Gaol Square about 7 minutes late. The only other person waiting with me was meeting someone who got off the bus, which was most odd as the incoming 12 actually terminates elsewhere and the bus ought to come in empty! This was an 06-ref DAF SB200 Commander, not a type I am particularly familiar with. I am not sure if these have DAF or Cummins engines but it seemed a smart and competent vehicle for its age. The Select Bus fleet is still quite varied. We did pick up a couple more at other town centre stops and the route then goes round the estate of Rickerscote as a partial replacement for what used to be a much more frequent town service, before heading south to Penkridge and then across to Cannock. Although we left 7 minutes late we were waiting time before we got out of Stafford and, despite temporary traffic lights near the M6 junction, were only two minutes late arriving in Penkridge, where I alighted.
Going back not many years there were two competing hourly services from Stafford to Penkridge and Wolverhampton, the Arriva 76 and National Express West Midlands (NXWM) 54. The 76 (once 876) was a long standing Midland Red service and the 54 an upstart, possibly partly funded initially by s106 contributions from the i54 business park, named after the M54 and hence the route number, with the 875 (then 75) adding a third hourly bus from Stafford to Penkridge before heading off to Cannock plus the occasional bus via rural villages. Now only the 875 remains plus the rural villages routes which have been very marginally improved, but there is no bus down the A449 south of Penkridge until the edge of Wolverhampton. My next journey was on the rural villages bus, the Select 878 to Wolverhampton, which takes a very indirect route. This was an Optare Solo, it also left Stafford 7 minutes late but was back on time before it reached Penkridge. An odd one here as the route does a very short double run into Penkridge centre from the south, having visited an estate first, BusTimes states clearly that it stops at the northbound stop and the southbound stop in Penkridge. Nobody was waiting at either stop, the southbound stop is more logical but the timetable case was broken and empty, the northbound one confirmed it did stop there so I waited there and held my hand out as it approached. It didn’t stop, but waited at the southbound stop for me to cross the road and board. I explained, the driver was fine but just shrugged. There were no other passengers on board and the bus was absolutely filthy. I sat next to an opening hopper window so I could reach out with a tissue and clear a space large enough to see out of and hopefully take some photos as this was the most scenic section of the day. The 878 heads south as far as Gailey then veers west some way to the villages of Wheaton Aston and Brewood. Both of these villages are close to the Shropshire Union canal and I have memories of visiting them in my canal-boating days in the 1980s. We reached Wheaton Aston first and were held up on the canal bridge by a combination of temporary traffic lights, a dust cart and people parking by the shop notwithstanding that it blocked the road! Then on to Brewood which is larger, I have even seen it described as a town, and is really quite attractive. I need to stop off there sometime, probably not from a bus, and take some photos not out of the window of a dirty Solo! We went round the village twice as we were early but could not wait time as we would have blocked the road. We then moved on to Coven, a newer and less attractive village, but with a very poor bus service due, no doubt, to being in Staffordshire while the main destination would be Wolverhampton, which isn’t. We did pick up one passenger in Brewood and another in Coven, plus a couple more after the M54 heading into Wolverhampton before we started paralleling the local NXWM routes. Despite one or two holdups we were in Wolverhampton centre on time and I got off by Wulfruna Street – yes an ill-fated bus connection for the older guys.
In Wolverhampton I walked a short distance into the city and down to the bus stops by the existing tram terminus in Bilston Street. The tram is being extended to the station but it strikes me that this will take it further from the shops. From here I waited for a NXWM 1 towards Dudley. This is a frequent service, every 8 minutes, and BusTimes showed two coming together after a gap, one about 5 minutes late the other slightly early. The early one arrived first and the crowd waiting boarded it, then the late one arrived, I boarded it and it set off, the other one waiting time for a short while and never catching up. Now Friday mornings are great for traffic and it had been very light, but Friday afternoons are just the opposite and it now started getting heavier. Standard fare for this route is the hybrid ADL Enviro E400H and mine was one of these. We headed south through Sedgley and I could feel a boost from the batteries when we accelerated. Traffic was getting heavier though and we were about 8 minutes late arriving at Dudley.
I was expecting to be impressed by NXWM and in some ways they were OK but with definite reservations – more later. I did spend a few minutes around the shopping area and high street but only because I knew I had a while before my next bus. I was taking a 74 to West Bromwich, this service running every 10 minutes there and then every 5 minutes on to Birmingham. So a frequent service – well it should be. I had missed the 12.58 departure, which left promptly. However the 13.08 departure was cancelled and the incoming bus for the 13.18 arrived 11 minutes late. It tuned round fairly promptly and left at 13.25, 7 minutes late, giving a 27 minute gap on a 10-minute frequency service. In my view that is unacceptable. Now I shall moan about the highway authority as the road past Dudley Port was extremely slow, partly due to slow cars but mainly down to one set of traffic lights soon after two lanes merged into one giving inordinate green time to a side road and too little to the main road. The roads were all pretty slow and a fairly short journey to West Bromwich town centre, timed at 28 minutes, took 41, so we were 20 minutes late on arrival. My bus was an 03-reg Volvo B7TL which, although pretty old, seemed pretty solid, the route being a mixture of these and E400s. I got off before the bus station and had a brief look around the town centre, somewhere I had never been before. Like Wolverhampton and Dudley the shopping areas were very busy, perhaps more so with Christmas shopping. Nothing special but OK.
Now onto a really frequent service, surprisingly run by single deckers. The 4 / 4H / 4M from NXWM provides 9 buses an hour on the common stretch between Walsall and Blackheath (via West Bromwich), with 3 per hour extended from Blackheath to Halesowen and Hayley Green (4H) and 3 per hour from Blackheath to Merry Hill (4M). Meanwhile the Diamond 4 / 4H provide 8 buses per hour between Walsall and West Bromwich with 4 per hour extended to Hayley Green (4H). In practice the 4s to West Bromwich appeared to follow the long-standing West Midlands practice of advertising themselves as 4E – I think E is for ‘early’. I had thought before researching that these were co-ordinated, as with some other services, but they are not and they appear to compete vigorously. Oddly there are 7 buses per hour during the day combined from Blackheath to Halesowen and Hayley Green but no evening service at all between Blackheath and Halesowen, while Merry Hill has one bus each hour in the evening and Walsall to Blackheath has two, with Diamond giving up by mid evening. Towards Walsall they stop at adjacent stands at West Bromwich bus station with Diamond having driver changes here while the NXWM ones are based at Walsall. As I walked down to the bus station three went past headed for Walsall so I thought I might have a wait but within five minutes one more arrived from each company then two more NXWM ones. I might have got a Diamond Buses Optare Versa but it was changing drivers so I took one of the NXWM ones, like most vehicles on these routes this was a Scania Omnilink. The screens in the bus station were attempting to provide live times but seemed to bear no resemblance to what was actually happening. Again there was some traffic congestion in stupid places around Heath Lane and Stone Cross but we didn’t lose any significant time on our way into Walsall despite busy Friday afternoon traffic. Most buses in Walsall terminate at the bus station but the 4s and a handful of other routes from the south terminate at the Saddlers Centre, a few minutes walk away avoiding a tedious drive round town centre streets. The good frequency is clearly justified as there were plenty of passengers waiting at the Walsall terminus and also quite a few drivers ready for shift changes. I thought that maybe Walsall was not short of drivers but maybe with the 4s being competitive routes they get priority.
As the afternoon was wearing on and with sunset not much after 4.00 I had planned to arrive back at Cannock using the X51 at either 4.02 or 4.32, potentially with a stop in Bloxwich. So walking across to the bus station I looked out for the 31s and 32s. These services are run by NXWM and Diamond and are co-ordinated to give a service every 4 minutes to Bloxwich – although as of this week that has changed to every 5 minutes. With the X51 on to Cannock only every 30 minutes I had to be aware of when they were running. There were lots of people at the stops for the 31 and 32 but no buses from either company. Meanwhile there was an X51 bound for Cannock at the stop with lots of people waiting to board -including several NXWM staff - although it was about 10 minutes past its due departure time. I hadn’t realised that the NXWM depot is some way north of the town centre on the road to Bloxwich and the staff were presumably drivers at the end of their shift – maybe including my driver from the 4. Eventually one driver explained to the waiting crowd that the was no driver to take over the bus but someone had volunteered to take it on to Cannock – I don’t know whether this was the driver who had brought it from Birmingham or one of the other drivers. Meanwhile I was checking on BusTimes about the following Cannock journey with a view to breaking my journey in Bloxwich to explore the delights there. However this had not left Birmingham, indeed it hadn’t run its previous journey from Walsall but instead had headed to the depot. So while it might run starting from Walsall, it might not. I decided to go with the X51 still sitting in the bus station, another Enviro 400, and we left 14 minutes late. The traffic was again busy and passing through Bloxwich I don’t really think I missed anything and with a few delays and visits to retail hubs we arrived at Cannock 23 minutes late, it was now fully dark. There were several passengers waiting at the stop for the X51 who were no doubt pleased when our bus pulled in, then disappointed when it blinded up to ‘not in service’ and drove off. From BusTimes it appears to have gone directly to Walsall, missing out all the diversions off the main road, then picked up service into Birmingham. So the 4.12 from Cannock didn’t run, the 4.42 never came and the 5.12 departed 14 minutes late – so no bus for an hour and a half to Walsall. This was a route where Arriva used to run the 1 and 2, Chaserider took over, NXWM started running the X51, initially peak hours only then all day every 20 minutes, drove the competition off the road, reduced the service to every 30 minutes then on a Friday evening left a 90 minute gap. Very poor, disgraceful even, meanwhile competing with 8 buses an hour on the route to West Bromwich. I also note that there was no departure from Birmingham between 14.33 and 15.16 on this supposedly 10-minutely section, very poor indeed.
For me this was an enjoyable day out in winter sunshine, cheap – no cost to park, I had to pay on the first leg then used my concessionary pass. That makes 16 trips so far this year and I suspect that will be the lot but you never know.
Some pictures but not the scenery I have been providing on previous trips!
Cannock
Stafford
Penkridge
The Shropshire Union canal at Wheaton Aston
Brewood
Wolverhampton
Dudley
West Bromwich
Walsall
Back at Cannock
Flange Squeal
Established Member
- Joined
- 17 Jul 2012
- Messages
- 1,860
I had some time in London today so gave the Londoner Buses route A a go, now in its second month of operation. Starting and finishing at Waterloo station, but a £5 day ticket allowing hop-on hop-off, it takes in sights such as the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, Horse Guards Parade, The Cenotaph, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.
I saw RML887 (202 UXJ) just leaving at around 0910 as I walked out of Waterloo station. RM871 (WLT 871) arrived very soon afterwards - presumably fresh from the depot - and sat on the departure stop ‘Not In Service’ with the crew talking to each other about it not being their favourite vehicle and a noise that occurred outside St Thomas’ Hospital. The advertised 20min frequency didn’t appear to be running at this point, with RML887 arriving back at 0957 and departing at 1005 - just under an hour waiting around since I'd just missed it, staring at a bus and crew not doing a lot. Can only presume that the noise was terminal for it? Opposite St Thomas’ Hospital we saw RM1941 (ALD 941B) arriving from an off-route direction, so presumably with a 20 min frequency from 0900 all three of these buses should already have actually been out in service by this point. At 1025 we reached Trafalgar Square... but got turned to “regulate the service”, in part due to roadworks on Parliament Square causing queues, so I didn’t make Piccadilly Circus on that trip in the end. At 1050 we got back to Waterloo after a 45 minute journey but only covering part of the route. I was the only passenger for this trip until the way back when an American tourist spotted the bus by chance and jumped on. Thankfully though I had time spare and we left swiftly for attempt number 2!
Attempt 2 went fine and we arrived back at Waterloo having now completed a full circuit in roughly booked time, in part thanks to the traffic around Parliament Square's roadworks clearing but us also avoiding fully circumnavigating it (we made use of the bus-only turn right at the traffic lights there). The conductor had had trouble issuing me with a ticket due to a problem with his machine's 4G signal, but a call to the office saw resetting advice given and getting it up and running. Sadly while his machine worked, the bus - which had been shut down briefly - was stuck in gear so wouldn't start again. Having not seen RM871 again from earlier, it appeared RML887 was now the second bus in as many hours to be declared "mechanical" on the stop at Waterloo.
The route was therefore back to a one-bus operation, offering a roughly hourly frequency. RM1941 (ALD 941B) - the bus I'd seen arriving out of service on my eventual first trip earlier - arrived back from its previous journey and I had time for a ride on this one too. Upon arrival back, RML887 was still dead on the stop but what I think was RM2290 (CUV 290C) was just arriving so it was back up to two buses... having now seen four of the fleet trying but failing to offer the advertised frequency. I understand there are five operational buses at the present time, but another RML possibly on the way.
So while the trip had at first involved a near-hour long wait on a cold November morning rather than the advertised 20 minutes (possibly due to a bus being declared a failure before its first passenger even boarded), followed by another gap due to a(nother?) bus breaking down, I would actually still recommend checking it out if you're in the area and fancy a cheap ride on a Routemaster. Just not if time is of the essence! I can't say if this is a 'typical day' or just bad luck, so it would be unfair to judge too harshly. Both conductors were welcoming - 'Mike' seemed particularly knowledgeable about both the buses and general London information, even down to the subtle differences of crown designs on certain models of telephone boxe! General visual presentation of the vehicles seemed good, and the driving was also smooth enough for an older vehicle (although I guess both examples I sampled do have somewhat more modern running gear). Hopefully the operational matters can be smoothed out and survive into next Summer, when it may be a bit more established and hopefully earn enough to keep it going. There were certainly a lot of turned heads and interest from tourists as well as just enthusiasts, with a group of tourists appearing at Waterloo when I was leaving. There is no evidence of the service at all at stops yet though - not even Stop A at Waterloo bar a tiny round sticker stuck on the timetable case - however one of the conductors told me TfL have agreed to put up some E-plates and timetable information.
RM871 at Waterloo after arriving, doing nothing during nearly an hour gap in service, before then disappearing.
RML887 at Piccadilly Circus
RML887 wheel and legals
Interior of RML 997
I saw RML887 (202 UXJ) just leaving at around 0910 as I walked out of Waterloo station. RM871 (WLT 871) arrived very soon afterwards - presumably fresh from the depot - and sat on the departure stop ‘Not In Service’ with the crew talking to each other about it not being their favourite vehicle and a noise that occurred outside St Thomas’ Hospital. The advertised 20min frequency didn’t appear to be running at this point, with RML887 arriving back at 0957 and departing at 1005 - just under an hour waiting around since I'd just missed it, staring at a bus and crew not doing a lot. Can only presume that the noise was terminal for it? Opposite St Thomas’ Hospital we saw RM1941 (ALD 941B) arriving from an off-route direction, so presumably with a 20 min frequency from 0900 all three of these buses should already have actually been out in service by this point. At 1025 we reached Trafalgar Square... but got turned to “regulate the service”, in part due to roadworks on Parliament Square causing queues, so I didn’t make Piccadilly Circus on that trip in the end. At 1050 we got back to Waterloo after a 45 minute journey but only covering part of the route. I was the only passenger for this trip until the way back when an American tourist spotted the bus by chance and jumped on. Thankfully though I had time spare and we left swiftly for attempt number 2!
Attempt 2 went fine and we arrived back at Waterloo having now completed a full circuit in roughly booked time, in part thanks to the traffic around Parliament Square's roadworks clearing but us also avoiding fully circumnavigating it (we made use of the bus-only turn right at the traffic lights there). The conductor had had trouble issuing me with a ticket due to a problem with his machine's 4G signal, but a call to the office saw resetting advice given and getting it up and running. Sadly while his machine worked, the bus - which had been shut down briefly - was stuck in gear so wouldn't start again. Having not seen RM871 again from earlier, it appeared RML887 was now the second bus in as many hours to be declared "mechanical" on the stop at Waterloo.
The route was therefore back to a one-bus operation, offering a roughly hourly frequency. RM1941 (ALD 941B) - the bus I'd seen arriving out of service on my eventual first trip earlier - arrived back from its previous journey and I had time for a ride on this one too. Upon arrival back, RML887 was still dead on the stop but what I think was RM2290 (CUV 290C) was just arriving so it was back up to two buses... having now seen four of the fleet trying but failing to offer the advertised frequency. I understand there are five operational buses at the present time, but another RML possibly on the way.
So while the trip had at first involved a near-hour long wait on a cold November morning rather than the advertised 20 minutes (possibly due to a bus being declared a failure before its first passenger even boarded), followed by another gap due to a(nother?) bus breaking down, I would actually still recommend checking it out if you're in the area and fancy a cheap ride on a Routemaster. Just not if time is of the essence! I can't say if this is a 'typical day' or just bad luck, so it would be unfair to judge too harshly. Both conductors were welcoming - 'Mike' seemed particularly knowledgeable about both the buses and general London information, even down to the subtle differences of crown designs on certain models of telephone boxe! General visual presentation of the vehicles seemed good, and the driving was also smooth enough for an older vehicle (although I guess both examples I sampled do have somewhat more modern running gear). Hopefully the operational matters can be smoothed out and survive into next Summer, when it may be a bit more established and hopefully earn enough to keep it going. There were certainly a lot of turned heads and interest from tourists as well as just enthusiasts, with a group of tourists appearing at Waterloo when I was leaving. There is no evidence of the service at all at stops yet though - not even Stop A at Waterloo bar a tiny round sticker stuck on the timetable case - however one of the conductors told me TfL have agreed to put up some E-plates and timetable information.
RM871 at Waterloo after arriving, doing nothing during nearly an hour gap in service, before then disappearing.
RML887 at Piccadilly Circus
RML887 wheel and legals
Interior of RML 997
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TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Two superb trip reports from @RELL6L and @Flange Squeal - really enjoyed reading them.
I recognise many of the sun kissed spots that @RELL6L enjoyed in Staffs and West Midlands. Not been to Cannock since just before the Arriva exit, but it was absolutely lashing it down that day and I saw very little to attract me to the town. I think you're right about Stafford - that used to be a vibrant town and, like so many, just doesn't have the footfall it used to and that has undoubtedly had an impact on the local bus services. That said. Arriva had their depot there and then elected to close it and interwork stuff from Cannock; some services were binned, others were interworked and had punctuality problems, and they simply ran the ops down so that Select ended up coming in and operating some of them with very careworn fleet. I've not travelled by bus to Brewood but I have cycled in the area last year - it's one of those hidden gems. I even like the Black Country towns like Dudley though it has seen better days - at least they're getting a new bus station but hope it's not some overly elaborate creation like Stourbridge.
Interesting about your West Midlands experience. There has been a reduction on the 4 corridor by both Diamond and NXWM so it's not as tooth and nail as it was, just that it isn't a partnership route like the 31/32. Oddly, the NXWM operation is run by Walsall depot rather than West Brom garage, but the Omnilinks are the standard vehicle on there. Diamond have all sorts on there from elderly Darts, Versas and Solos through to newer e200s and even Mellor Stratas on occasion. I do feel your pain about the issue of driver shortages and missing vehicles. We don't know why the X51 was so affected (had a driver simply not shown up) and is it easy to simply take a driver from elsewhere? However, it's not good and confidence in vehicles turning up is pretty low at the moment.
Now onto @Flange Squeal and their experience of Transpora's London bus service. To be honest, this is very much as I feared it would be. It's one thing having Routemasters doing the odd wedding hire or promo work but different in sending them out on more intense work. So failures are perhaps not unexpected. That was always going to make the economics of the operation challenging, but to start a service at this time of year? Yes, London is a global tourist city but it does drop off and you have shorter, more inclement days.
In many respects, putting off a visit until now was good as we're past the enthusiast excitement of the initial days of the operation, and can see it settling down. On those figures, it won't be making it into the better months. Perhaps you caught it on a particularly bad day but I fear it's a romanticised idea that will come up against the hard cold reality of it not being economic.
I recognise many of the sun kissed spots that @RELL6L enjoyed in Staffs and West Midlands. Not been to Cannock since just before the Arriva exit, but it was absolutely lashing it down that day and I saw very little to attract me to the town. I think you're right about Stafford - that used to be a vibrant town and, like so many, just doesn't have the footfall it used to and that has undoubtedly had an impact on the local bus services. That said. Arriva had their depot there and then elected to close it and interwork stuff from Cannock; some services were binned, others were interworked and had punctuality problems, and they simply ran the ops down so that Select ended up coming in and operating some of them with very careworn fleet. I've not travelled by bus to Brewood but I have cycled in the area last year - it's one of those hidden gems. I even like the Black Country towns like Dudley though it has seen better days - at least they're getting a new bus station but hope it's not some overly elaborate creation like Stourbridge.
Interesting about your West Midlands experience. There has been a reduction on the 4 corridor by both Diamond and NXWM so it's not as tooth and nail as it was, just that it isn't a partnership route like the 31/32. Oddly, the NXWM operation is run by Walsall depot rather than West Brom garage, but the Omnilinks are the standard vehicle on there. Diamond have all sorts on there from elderly Darts, Versas and Solos through to newer e200s and even Mellor Stratas on occasion. I do feel your pain about the issue of driver shortages and missing vehicles. We don't know why the X51 was so affected (had a driver simply not shown up) and is it easy to simply take a driver from elsewhere? However, it's not good and confidence in vehicles turning up is pretty low at the moment.
Now onto @Flange Squeal and their experience of Transpora's London bus service. To be honest, this is very much as I feared it would be. It's one thing having Routemasters doing the odd wedding hire or promo work but different in sending them out on more intense work. So failures are perhaps not unexpected. That was always going to make the economics of the operation challenging, but to start a service at this time of year? Yes, London is a global tourist city but it does drop off and you have shorter, more inclement days.
In many respects, putting off a visit until now was good as we're past the enthusiast excitement of the initial days of the operation, and can see it settling down. On those figures, it won't be making it into the better months. Perhaps you caught it on a particularly bad day but I fear it's a romanticised idea that will come up against the hard cold reality of it not being economic.
Great to read all three recent reports. I did giggle a bit when @RELL6L wrote that they wanted to get off and look around Bloxwich though! If for some reason you are in the area again, then Pelsall has a nice green/common in the centre, whilst at the other extreme Brownhills is a good example of run down 70s shopping street.
Yes, I agree I didn't miss anything at Bloxwich! Not sure when I might get to the West Midlands again but I will bear these in mind.
Sun kissed last week indeed but glamorous - not really. But to explore the country in full one should always include the less exciting places too! Yes, I was very disappointed in Stafford even compared to about 3 years ago. Definitely intend to revisit Brewood somehow. Yes the 4 corridor seemed very well bussed with passengers for all. At West Bromwich I chose the second one to arrive as the first was loading on the correct stand and mine loaded at an adjacent one, a few got off but only I got on, so we left first, but at least 15 waiting for us at the next stop, mainly shoppers, and we were well loaded coming into Walsall. I'm sure it isn't easy to organise rosters with missing drivers but they ought to be able to avoid two successive X51s from Cannock being missed out. This is the way to end up with bus travel being only for those who really have no alternative (and enthusiasts) - would you risk waiting 90 minutes in the cold if you could drive?
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Absolutely - I had the issue a couple of months ago in Keynsham where a 178 didn't turn up and I didn't trust the next one (last of the day) would arrive so decided to travel via Bath. Arrived at Midsomer Norton at 2010 rather than 1830!
M803UYA
Member
It's clearly going to take Transpora a long time to establish the service and get people using it. Where a regular service differs from private hire work is the latter being paid for prior to the bus moving. All costs are accounted for prior to the hire starting and potentially you've been paid beforehand.
Whether or not a service bus carries passengers, it retains those sunk costs of fuel/wages/wear and tear on the vehicles.
That's a lot of £250 visits to the filling station daily. You can reduce those by sending out fewer buses and dropping the frequency which we're now seeing. I'm not familiar with the requirements of a London Local Service Permit - are the same regulations pertaining to registered local bus services applicable or is there some room on the ability to drop down frequency? I'm seeing lots of photos of the buses working the service, but not seeing lots of people riding on it. That'll be what sees the service live or die.
Hats off to them for trying though - I'm nowhere near brave enough to try something like this as the thought of a c£1700 weekly fuel bill per bus is somewhat frightening in any sort of climate.