All New Dumfries and Galloways area:

[JKP]

Can anyone please explain the difference in cost between my ticket from Carlisle to Annan, on the 79 Stagecoach service, yesterday morning, and the reverse journey in the afternoon, and which was the correct price?

Boarding at Carlisle, I asked the driver if I could use my consessionary bus pass as far as Gretna, and then pay for the Gretna to Annan part. He charged me £3.70 for a through ticket from Carlisle to Annan. Coming back, a different driver charged me £4.50 for the Annan to Gretna stretch, and I was told to present my card in Gretna.

View attachment 207571

The ticket you were issued from Carlisle was through to Annan so presumably the £3.70 was the balance of the normal through fare after taking account of the concession to Annan. Coming back, the higher fare reflects that you broke your journey at Gretna. You could ask Stagecoach if this is how their ticket machines are set up.

 

[weepingwillowb]

The ticket you were issued from Carlisle was through to Annan so presumably the £3.70 was the balance of the normal through fare after taking account of the concession to Annan. Coming back, the higher fare reflects that you broke your journey at Gretna. You could ask Stagecoach if this is how their ticket machines are set up.

No, I didn't break my journey at Gretna on the way back. At Annan, when I paid the driver the £4.50, he told me I'd have to use my concession card at Gretna for the leg to Carlisle, so when he stopped in Gretna for boarding passengers I went to the front, held my card over the scanner, and he then gave me the ticket to Carlisle. I never stepped off the bus.

 

[overthewater]

I suggest you phone Stagecoach or go to the depot and ask for clarification.

 

[JKP]

No, I didn't break my journey at Gretna on the way back. At Annan, when I paid the driver the £4.50, he told me I'd have to use my concession card at Gretna for the leg to Carlisle, so when he stopped in Gretna for boarding passengers I went to the front, held my card over the scanner, and he then gave me the ticket to Carlisle. I never stepped off the bus.

Yes, I am aware you did not break your journey as such, you simply rebooked as instructed by the driver. Basically on your return journey you paid a single from Annan to Gretna, the cost of which will be higher than the balance of the through fare paid for your Carlisle to Annan journey. I suspect that the ticket machine is not set up to issue a combination of paid for fare and concessionary fares from points beyond the scheme boundary at Gretna.

 

[Leedsbusman]

The ticket you were issued from Carlisle was through to Annan so presumably the £3.70 was the balance of the normal through fare after taking account of the concession to Annan. Coming back, the higher fare reflects that you broke your journey at Gretna. You could ask Stagecoach if this is how their ticket machines are set up.

It looks like from Carlisle and English National Concessoon pass will enable the issuing of a Concession Single of £3.70 which is £2.80 less than the fare from Carlisle to Annan £6.50. Because you cannot use the pass in Scotland you would pay the adult single to Gretna where the pass becomes valid. Just one of those anomalies due to different rules in different areas.

 

[overthewater]

Looks like they are trying to fix the mess they created last time. They want to hear from alot of people. The consultation will close in early October and a report will be sent to the committee in early November

Dumfries and Galloway Bus Network Development Engagement | Dumfries and Galloway Council

www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk

Dumfries and Galloway Council, in partnership with SWestrans, is undertaking a comprehensive review of the region's bus network. The project will examine how bus services have changed in recent years, identify gaps in provision and explore options for improving connectivity across the region.

Whether you use the bus regularly, occasionally or not at all, we would welcome your views. We want to understand your experiences of local bus services and your priorities for the future so that recommendations are based on the needs of communities across Dumfries and Galloway.

Your feedback will help inform:

• recommendations for the future development of the bus network
• future decisions on supported and local bus services
• the evidence base used to assess transport needs across the region

Turn out people are still complaining about the current network,

Councillor calls for urgent improvements to Mid Galloway bus services

A councillor has demanded answers on behalf of residents left unable to get to...

www.hellorayo.co.uk

A councillor has demanded answers on behalf of residents left unable to get to work, school or essential appointments amid ongoing disruption to the region’s bus network. Mid Galloway and Wigtown West Councillor Jackie McCamon raised the issue at Dumfries and Galloway Council’s economy and infrastructure committee last week.

Councillors were given an update on the progress being made to scrutinise the bus network and consider options of future potential services. Councillor McCamon asked: “What practical improvements are we seeking to deliver for the people currently unable to access employment, education or services through the existing bus network?” Simon Bradbury, the project’s lead consultant, confirmed the current phase of work is focused on gathering evidence around the current bus provision rather than delivering immediate change.

He said: “The subject of this paper, and indeed the scope of this piece of work, is about understanding each of those opportunities that you just mentioned, in terms of accessing essential services and ways in which they can be improved in future, as mandated by full council and by this committee last year.”

Mr Bradbury said the project would assess how access to services such as education, employment and healthcare has changed over time, and identify where the most pressing gaps exist. A further progress report is due to be presented to the committee on November 3, with a final report on the network’s future setting out preferred options expected in February 2027.

 

[DunsBus]

Looks like they are trying to fix the mess they created last time. They want to hear from alot of people. The consultation will close in early October and a report will be sent to the committee in early November

Dumfries and Galloway Bus Network Development Engagement | Dumfries and Galloway Council

www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk

Turn out people are still complaining about the current network,

Councillor calls for urgent improvements to Mid Galloway bus services

A councillor has demanded answers on behalf of residents left unable to get to...

www.hellorayo.co.uk

If it's anything like the bus service review which Scottish Borders Council carried out three years ago, it will merely be a box-ticking exercise. Very few, if any, of the proposals put forward in SBC's bus service review (such as a combined 15-minute headway between Galashiels and Melrose) have actually been implemented.

 

[John HG1]

Just had a week in the G area of D&G. Buswise, it all seems a bit disconnected. Despite there being a number of operators there doesn't appear to be a multi-operator ticket. I couldn't find any printed timetables anywhere, although many stops have departure lists but these don't give any sense of route taken or journey list. I bought the Omnibus Society's recently published D&G timetable which was a big help. Apart from the couple of residual Stagecoach services nothing tracks on Bustimes. We went on Houston's 500 service to Stranraer, which seems a very well used cross-county link. I was able to follow the service using the MyTrip app although I only stumbled on that option by chance. I've subsequently discovered that you can find a tracker on the "services.houstonscoaches" website but not on the "houstonscoaches" one. It all seems a bit of a mess and I am left wondering how sustainable most of it is in the long-term.

 

[JKP]

Just had a week in the G area of D&G. Buswise, it all seems a bit disconnected. Despite there being a number of operators there doesn't appear to be a multi-operator ticket. I couldn't find any printed timetables anywhere, although many stops have departure lists but these don't give any sense of route taken or journey list. I bought the Omnibus Society's recently published D&G timetable which was a big help. Apart from the couple of residual Stagecoach services nothing tracks on Bustimes. We went on Houston's 500 service to Stranraer, which seems a very well used cross-county link. I was able to follow the service using the MyTrip app although I only stumbled on that option by chance. I've subsequently discovered that you can find a tracker on the "services.houstonscoaches" website but not on the "houstonscoaches" one. It all seems a bit of a mess and I am left wondering how sustainable most of it is in the long-term.

Houston’s publish a timetable for the 101/102 or certainly used to. I picked one up at Edinburgh Bus Station.

 

[markymark2000]

Just had a week in the G area of D&G. Buswise, it all seems a bit disconnected. Despite there being a number of operators there doesn't appear to be a multi-operator ticket. I couldn't find any printed timetables anywhere, although many stops have departure lists but these don't give any sense of route taken or journey list. I bought the Omnibus Society's recently published D&G timetable which was a big help.

I had the same experience when I went up there earlier this year. I felt like it was operators who were quite good at the basic job of running service on time, but anything beyond that they struggled with. Poor websites, lack of tracking, unresponsive on social media and secretive about fares. It's just peak 2000s/early 2010s ways of working, which aren't overly compatible with modern ways of life. And it's a shame to see.

Apart from the couple of residual Stagecoach services nothing tracks on Bustimes.

Legally these operators do not have to send data to the bus open data service (Except Houstons on the 382 because it runs into Carlisle, but for some reason they don't wish to comply with bus open data rules), and operators will tend not to voluntarily provide their tracking feeds. Infact I believe only 2 operators in Scotland has worked with bustimes for their buses to track, despite there being no legal obligation. The other few buses are data coming in from their more national (or multi national) datasets rather than them actively wanting their buses to track on one of the biggest journey planning websites in the UK.

We went on Houston's 500 service to Stranraer, which seems a very well used cross-county link. I was able to follow the service using the MyTrip app although I only stumbled on that option by chance. I've subsequently discovered that you can find a tracker on the "services.houstonscoaches" website but not on the "houstonscoaches" one.

Is the services.houstonscoaches website actually meant to be live yet? It looks very unfinished and doesn't seem to be being promoted anywhere. There is also a lack of tickets available on there and on the MyTrip app despite them having a weekly ticket for the Dumfries town area. It feels like someones side project that has been forgotten about.

It all seems a bit of a mess and I am left wondering how sustainable most of it is in the long-term.

It feels like the sort of area which could thrive under the independants if they weren't all sat on their hands and tried to grow services. And similarly if it wasn't for the councils poor information on services (councils website is dire, and the timetable information is poor and little thought of readability).

 

[ChrisC]

Just had a week in the G area of D&G. Buswise, it all seems a bit disconnected. Despite there being a number of operators there doesn't appear to be a multi-operator ticket. I couldn't find any printed timetables anywhere, although many stops have departure lists but these don't give any sense of route taken or journey list. I bought the Omnibus Society's recently published D&G timetable which was a big help. Apart from the couple of residual Stagecoach services nothing tracks on Bustimes. We went on Houston's 500 service to Stranraer, which seems a very well used cross-county link. I was able to follow the service using the MyTrip app although I only stumbled on that option by chance. I've subsequently discovered that you can find a tracker on the "services.houstonscoaches" website but not on the "houstonscoaches" one. It all seems a bit of a mess and I am left wondering how sustainable most of it is in the long-term.

I posted earlier in this thread that I enjoyed a week staying in Dumfries and travelling around Dumfries and Galloway by bus in June 2019. I can’t believe that was 7 years ago! As there was no multi operator ticket, I used a 7 Day Stagecoach ticket, and restricted my travel to Stagecoach routes. Back then that was no problem because Stagecoach operated the 500 between Dumfries and Stranraer plus most of the other major services to the main destination. I was able to travel to visit places along the 500 route including Castle Douglas, Threave Gardens and Castle, Gatehouse of Fleet, Newton Stewart and Stranraer I was also able to connect into other Stagecoach routes to visit Dalbeattie, Kirkcudbright, Wigtown, Isle of Whithorn and Port Patrick. The only problem which restricted travel was the large gaps in the 500 timetable during the afternoon.

In other directions I travelled up the Nith Valley to Thornhill and Sanquhar and even managed to visit Wanlockhead for an afternoon walking. I purchased the more expensive West Scotland Megarider rather than the Dumfries and Galloway one because that also allowed me travel up the coast to Ayr and also towards Edinburgh and Glasgow. With such a comprehensive network of Stagecoach routes and some use of the train I didn’t need to buy additional bus tickets to travel on Houston’s or any other operators routes. Now it’s just a mess and would cost a fortune having to purchase so many expensive single tickets. I probably won’t ever visit this beautiful area again unless I take my car.

Interestingly the Stagecoach West Scotland Megarider is still available and has continued to rise in price to just over £50 now. I cannot see how Stagecoach can justify that price when the whole of the extensive network in Dumfries and Galloway plus the Dumfries to Edinburgh and a Glasgow routes are no more and so not included in the area covered.

 

[route101]

I seem to remember using a Stagecoach Day ticket around 2020 in the area.

Houston’s publish a timetable for the 101/102 or certainly used to. I picked one up at Edinburgh Bus Station.

No sign of it at Edinburgh Bus Station or on the bus I was on to Dumfries. Only printed timetables at Edinburgh Bus Station are 3 Borders Buses booklets.