Trivia: Longest Bus Route in the UK?

[Blindtraveler]

and the majoritty of stuff here is mainly bus opperated

 

[dzug2]

Midland Red used to operate a number of long distance bus services - like Northampton Shrewsbury and Leicester Hereford. Can't remember how long they took but I suspect they would be contenders if still running
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I would at one time have defined bus as walk on and coach as prebooking - but that is muddied these days

 

[Statto]

11A/11C easily.

11A/11C is the longest urban area route, at 27 miles in total, there are plenty of routes that are much longer, such as the services on the South Coast Brighton-Portsmouth, & Poole-Exeter, plus some routes in Scotland, Inverness to Thurso, also Inverness to Aberdeen

 

[bb21]

X53 Poole-Exeter? Don't know the distance, but it's 4 hrs + end to end.

95 miles roughly iirc when I measured it a few years back on Autoroute. Just over 100 miles to Bournemouth so a fair bit shorter than the 120-mile long X95.

Midland Red used to operate a number of long distance bus services - like Northampton Shrewsbury and Leicester Hereford. Can't remember how long they took but I suspect they would be contenders if still running

Midland Red / United Counties X60/X61 Oxford - Nottingham via Northampton, Leicester and Loughborough. It ran until the early parts of the 21st Century I believe although the section of route to Oxford had been curtailed before its latter days. The whole route was almost 120 miles.

I would at one time have defined bus as walk on and coach as prebooking - but that is muddied these days

Yes, especially with coaches partly playing the role of local transport in certain parts of the country and drivers taking fares.

 

[Smethwickian]

Yes, upon posting it in thread, I would've thought it was longest route (according to wiki). But then people started posting bus routes that links the city.

11A/11C is longest route within a city, it doesn't connect to other cities or anything.

It's only about 26 miles, anyhow. And it ceased to be a candidate for the longest route entirely within a city when, 25 years ago, it was diverted to operate via the main shopping street of Bearwood Road, Bearwood (rather than Barnsley Road) taking it for a short stretch outside the Birmingham boundary into the borough of Sandwell.

 

[ert47]

Midland Red used to operate a number of long distance bus services - like Northampton Shrewsbury and Leicester Hereford. Can't remember how long they took but I suspect they would be contenders if still running
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I would at one time have defined bus as walk on and coach as prebooking - but that is muddied these days

I'd just say that a vehicle that has an overhead storage rack, has a toilet or under floor/fully segregated luggage space (ie. a compartment for luggage that cannot be accessed easily from the main cabin) is a coach and shouldnt be counted.
But the megabus might screw that one up (I've never been on one though)

 

[Schnellzug]

I'd just say that a vehicle that has an overhead storage rack, has a toilet or under floor/fully segregated luggage space (ie. a compartment for luggage that cannot be accessed easily from the main cabin) is a coach and shouldnt be counted.
But the megabus might screw that one up (I've never been on one though)

I'd say it was very simple, a coach has a high floor and coach seats.

 

[bb21]

I'd say it was very simple, a coach has a high floor and coach seats.

Hmm. Bus? Coach?

Taken from the interweb.

 

[harz99]

I'd just say that a vehicle that has an overhead storage rack, has a toilet or under floor/fully segregated luggage space (ie. a compartment for luggage that cannot be accessed easily from the main cabin) is a coach and shouldnt be counted.
But the megabus might screw that one up (I've never been on one though)

So do the Wrightbus Commuter's operated by Stagecoach Western on route 500 Dumfries-Stranraer (75 ish miles).

They have overhead luggage racks, underfloor luggage storage, high floor with entrance steps, high back dual purpose seats, no toilet, a wheelchair space and lift, carry standees, are single deck and the driver takes fares with the route serving all stops on line of route.

Thus they sit firmly between a bus and a coach depending on various viewpoints.

Unsurprsiingly I stand by my original definitions.

A legal definition of a coach exists somewhere, but it is more to do with Construction and Use/DDA regulations and suitability for PCV driver tests than most on here would be interested in!

 

[Schnellzug]

Hmm. Bus? Coach?

Taken from the interweb.

Both buses. That style of ECW bodywork (bus-style doors, sliding windows) is a bus. Similarly the Leopard. An RELH (below) is a coach.

 

[northwichcat]

Both buses. That style of ECW bodywork (bus-style doors, sliding windows) is a bus. Similarly the Leopard. An RELH (below) is a coach.

It's like the Burnley & Pendle Witchway route (Manchester-Nelson) where they've fitted buses to have a higher seating standard than normal due to the long route.

Google gives Manchester Chorlton Street to Nelson via Rawtenstall and Burnley as 56 miles, so the bus route is approx that distance probably a bit more given some bus stops are the same stop on the same side of the road in both directions.

 

[harz99]

An RELH (below) is a coach.

Which still has two piece bus type doors and can hardly be called high floor!

 

[lookingforit35]

I caught the 23 from Westbourne Park depot to Charing Cross this afternoon.

It's not the longest journey in the world, but it was rammed full of chavs going to Oxford Street so it certainly felt pretty interminable! Happily I am not familiar with "street speak" so couldnt make out what on earth ma bloods was talking about innit bro.

When I was young kids made strenuous efforts to sound cockney in order to be trendy. Now it's Jamaican. Not sure why though.

 

[A0]

Arriva's Green Line 724 from Harlow - Heathrow?

Given the current vehicles are Merc Citaros - so basically buses.

 

[Schnellzug]

Arriva's Green Line 724 from Harlow - Heathrow?

Given the current vehicles are Merc Citaros - so basically buses.

I remembers when they were Leyland Tiger coaches. Those were the days.
Then they brought in those gas powered DAFs, didn't they?

 

[Zamracene749]

I suppose I could throw another spanner into the works and ask is it the longest duration, or longest distance we are after!

Anyway, for distance a couple of contenders up here are the Yorkshire Coastliner 842 and 843 from Leeds to Scarborough or Whitby, these are DP bus worked and must be over 80 miles long.

 

[transmanche]

How about Arriva Northumbria's 501 from Newcastle upon Tyne to Berwick upon Tweed? About 90 miles end-to-end, taking 3 hours 15 mins.

 

[zn1]

Can I nominate the 353 from berkhamsted - slough, its been running for over 40 years that i know of and used to end the job in Windsor, a london country route - now arriva !!

 

[Whistler40145]

How about Service No. 36 Ripon to Leeds, 280/X80 Preston to Skipton, 471 Bolton to Rochdale, 2X/X2 Preston to Liverpool & X60/X61 Preston to Manchester, although the last two are different service numbers, they are the same vehicle.


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[STEVIEBOY1]

I suppose I could throw another spanner into the works and ask is it the longest duration, or longest distance we are after!

Anyway, for distance a couple of contenders up here are the Yorkshire Coastliner 842 and 843 from Leeds to Scarborough or Whitby, these are DP bus worked and must be over 80 miles long.

Yes I was wondering about those too, they are long routes, I often do York/Malton/Pickering & sometimes on to Whitby, although it's better and nicer, when in operation, to take the NYMR Steam Train for the Pickering/Whitby portion.

 

[Zamracene749]

Yes, the NYMR is a fine option!

 

[ChathillMan]

I remember the old X56 Arriva North East service between Middlesbrough, Loftus, Whitby and Scarborough, that was just under 3 hours head to tow with standard seated Optare Prisma's... Ouch

 

[northwichcat]

How about Arriva Northumbria's 501 from Newcastle upon Tyne to Berwick upon Tweed? About 90 miles end-to-end, taking 3 hours 15 mins.

Or you could take the train.

Maybe we should ask the alternative question of what is the longest journey time for a bus journey where there isn't a faster alternative.
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X60/X61 Preston to Manchester, although the last two are different service numbers, they are the same vehicle.

I thought it was the same number between Manchester and Preston but the services that continue to Blackpool change the route number at Preston despite being the same vehicle.

That route does get some Stagecoach Express coaches alongside ordinary buses. Although the Stagecoach Express coaches are very old and in poor condition compared to National Express.

 

[Whistler40145]

X61 no longer serves Blackpool.


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[zn1]

the x4 Milton keynes - peterborough via northampton, welly

 

[transmanche]

How about Arriva Northumbria's 501 from Newcastle upon Tyne to Berwick upon Tweed? About 90 miles end-to-end, taking 3 hours 15 mins.

Or you could take the train.

You could... but the train's no good if you want to reach Craster, Embleton, High Newton, Seahouses, Bamburgh, Belford, Holy Island, etc.

 

[bb21]

Or you could take the train.

Maybe we should ask the alternative question of what is the longest journey time for a bus journey where there isn't a faster alternative.

In that case, the Jurassic Coast X53 must be a contender. There is no alternative for intermediate points between Exeter and Weymouth.

 

[Whistler40145]

Is the 685 Carlisle to Newcastle a contender?


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[madannie77]

It's like the Burnley & Pendle Witchway route (Manchester-Nelson) where they've fitted buses to have a higher seating standard than normal due to the long route.

Google gives Manchester Chorlton Street to Nelson via Rawtenstall and Burnley as 56 miles, so the bus route is approx that distance probably a bit more given some bus stops are the same stop on the same side of the road in both directions.

I would think Manchester to Nelson is about 30 miles, not 56. If it was 56 miles the average speed would have to be over 30 mph for a journey time of 1 hour 45 minutes, which is clearly not possible given the nature of the route.

 

[johnnychips]

X1 Peterborough - Kings Lynn - Norwich - Yarmouth - Lowestoft?