Bus Timetable Booklets

[sonic2009]

Having been down to Brighton yesterday i managed to pick up a copy of the bus times for Brighton & Hove a magazine style publication for free

Are there any other companies who do a publication like this for free or chargeable?

 

[anthony263]

I do have a copy of the excellent timetable book similar to what you described which Cardiff Bus produced back in 2008. Sadly they stoped doing it after a few months despite it being popular.

Certainly the route and street maps were brilliant if you were planning on bashing as much of the Cardiff bus network

 

[burns20]

Lakes Connection booklet for all Stagecoach services in the Lake District

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

First in Dorset do them.
There's loads of old ones in the flat I stay in, dating back a few years.

 

[martinsh]

D & G in Crewe do one - have had 2 issues already this year

 

[causton]

Intalink used to do one for every route in Hertfordshire! Unfortunately not, due to cost cutting measures

 

[83G/84D]

Cornwall Council produce an annual public transport timetable listing bus,rail, air and ferry services. You can normally obtain it at libraries, bus stations and tourist information centres. It is free as well!

 

[High Dyke]

In the days of the National Bus Company, and before, each company used to produce a booklet of timetables. I have a number dating back through various years produced by Lincolnshire Road Car Co. Initially it used to cover every service the company operated including express services, but in latter years was locally based. These days mainly individual timetables are produced for a particular route unless it is for a centre of major urban population.

I don't use buses these days so don't know how Centrebus produce timetables for my local area.

 

[Ivo]

Having been down to Brighton yesterday i managed to pick up a copy of the bus times for Brighton & Hove a magazine style publication for free

Are there any other companies who do a publication like this for free or chargeable?

Brighton's "magazine" is excellent - and by extension, the issue numbers suggest they have been going ever since deregulation! (I may be wrong, but early 50s on a "product" released twice a year suggests roughly 1986 to me.). I showed it to my sister a few days ago and she was amazed because such a thing seems alien to her! My only criticisms are their use of the 12-hour clock, and then it falls apart too easily

Essex CC used to produce various books, which were ultimately amalgamated into one volume of every route in the county (nicknamed "the phone book"), which never cost more than £1. But this practice stopped two years ago and now there is a commercial version instead - priced at roughly £13.

No-one does a substantial volume around here any more to my knowledge.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Milton Keynes used to have one, however it's disappeared from their website and I haven't seen one since last year

 

[Ivo]

Milton Keynes used to have one, however it's disappeared from their website and I haven't seen one since last year

Aw, that's a shame. I used to get a lot of laughs from "normals" when I showed them the infamous "Fifth Tuesday of Applicable Months" wonderer service in that book...

 

[gordonthemoron]

Aw, that's a shame. I used to get a lot of laughs from "normals" when I showed them the infamous "Fifth Tuesday of Applicable Months" wonderer service in that book...

the individual timestables are still on the website, here's the Wanderbus one

 

[starrymarkb]

Devon have a set of 6 books (North, West, East, Mid, Teignbridge & South Hams) which are available from Libraries, TICs, Post Offices or by calling Devon County Council.

 

[Smethwickian]

Milton Keynes used to have one, however it's disappeared from their website and I haven't seen one since last year

The latest edition was published just a few weeks ago and should be available through local libraries, council offices etc. and the Arriva enquiry kiosk in Central MK. But my copy came with a note warning that future publicity is under review due to budget constraints.

So many authorities are doing away with printed books, unfortunately, and relying on the web, though even that can be patchy. Staffordshire, for example, has gone from producing comprehensive booklets and maps to providing precisely nothing, and referring all enquiries to individual operators' websites and the cumbersome Traveline website which is not ideally suited to locating and printing individual service timetable conveniently.

 

[overthewater]

Is Warwickshire still got the booklets? I know Lincolnshire get rid of a lot of chunky booklets and went into more leaflet. Bedfordshire ( who ever it is now) has a booklet but that um not been seen in a while.

 

[xydancer]

Warwickshire stopped issuing booklets ages ago. Now they just do leaflets for a few subsidised services and rely on the operators elsewhere.

Besides Cornwall and Devon, other counties still with comprehensive timetable books include Dorset, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Rutland, and several in mid/north Wales. Bedford Borough have a book, and mid-Befordshire Council have a series. For cities, I know Portsmouth issue something.

I think the Southern Vectis book is effectively all buses on the Isle of Wight, but maybe someone else can confirm that.

You can check who issues what on Barry Doe's site

 

[brompton rail]

Derbyshire County Council produce three area timetable books ( plus a rail network timetable book). These are available at Derby Bus Station, most TICs, Matlock station and elsewhere, plus by post from the County Council. These are revised at least once a year, revision supplements are produced when major changes occur. In addition, each route timetable is in their Bus Timetable Library on their website, as well as advance notice of changes. Each book has detailed area and town maps too.

I nominate Derbyshire CC as the best bus information in England! No, I don't work for them!!

For Scotland the Western Isles Council do an excellent job with all bus timetables AND fares on their website. Lothian's information is first class too.

By contrast East Riding of Yorkshire, and North Lincs councils don't seem to think anyone would want to go by bus, and thus make it near impossible to find bus times, routes or operators!

 

[Ivo]

So many authorities are doing away with printed books, unfortunately, and relying on the web, though even that can be patchy. Staffordshire, for example, has gone from producing comprehensive booklets and maps to providing precisely nothing, and referring all enquiries to individual operators' websites and the cumbersome Traveline website which is not ideally suited to locating and printing individual service timetable conveniently.

Anything to save a quick buck. If they are that insistent on saving money through withdrawing this material it should be put back into the economy - either by improving the network or otherwise improving the Internet to make the information easy to find (again)! And Traveline is no help, because it can only display one route at a time...

ely all buses on the Isle of Wight, but maybe someone else can confirm that.

Always used to be...

 

[Statto]

Derbyshire County Council produce three area timetable books ( plus a rail network timetable book). These are available at Derby Bus Station, most TICs, Matlock station and elsewhere, plus by post from the County Council. These are revised at least once a year, revision supplements are produced when major changes occur. In addition, each route timetable is in their Bus Timetable Library on their website, as well as advance notice of changes. Each book has detailed area and town maps too.

I nominate Derbyshire CC as the best bus information in England! No, I don't work for them!!

For Scotland the Western Isles Council do an excellent job with all bus timetables AND fares on their website. Lothian's information is first class too.

By contrast East Riding of Yorkshire, and North Lincs councils don't seem to think anyone would want to go by bus, and thus make it near impossible to find bus times, routes or operators!

Agree with you on that, i have copies of the Derbyshire book quality quite excellent although you do have to pay for a copy, most Counties have stopped issuing books because of the amount of changes that take place, Cheshire used to issue books but have stopped doing them.

Quite a few areas are horrific for any bus info, some don't even have info centres where you can get timetables ecc, even their website just directs you to Operators site or Traveline.

I've got to say Glasgow SPT & Edinburgh are bad for this, try & get hold of a comprehensive route map for Edinburgh that has all operators routes in it, think you can get one for Glasgow but it doesn't cover the whole of the SPT area.

 

[overthewater]

Agree with you on that, i have copies of the Derbyshire book quality quite excellent although you do have to pay for a copy, most Counties have stopped issuing books because of the amount of changes that take place, Cheshire used to issue books but have stopped doing them.

Quite a few areas are horrific for any bus info, some don't even have info centres where you can get timetables ecc, even their website just directs you to Operators site or Traveline.

I've got to say Glasgow SPT & Edinburgh are bad for this, try & get hold of a comprehensive route map for Edinburgh that has all operators routes in it, think you can get one for Glasgow but it doesn't cover the whole of the SPT area.

SPT stopped the map back in 2012. SPT are pretty bad at timetabes and office to help giving them out. To be Fair, At most Edinburgh bus stops there are Maps with all operaters routes on them, ie its the same as the Lothian bus map but with stagecoach and first added in.

 

[bb21]

Essex CC used to produce various books, which were ultimately amalgamated into one volume of every route in the county (nicknamed "the phone book"), which never cost more than £1. But this practice stopped two years ago and now there is a commercial version instead - priced at roughly £13.

£13 is pretty ridiculous, may I say.

While I appreciate that these things are not cheap to produce, most of the people who are likely to require them barring enthusiasts are the elderly, the majority of whom are probably already struggling financially.

Shame on the council.

 

[overthewater]

£13 is pretty ridiculous, may I say.

While I appreciate that these things are not cheap to produce, most of the people who are likely to require them barring enthusiasts are the elderly, the majority of whom are probably already struggling financially.

Shame on the council.

Its not the council, its a private company that main purpose is to produced the chunky booklets in same case you need to buy two and that pushes up the price to over £25 dont forget to add in P&P. in many case you would be cheaper sending a £5 to the bus company or council for full set.

http://www.heretotherepublishing.com/

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Conway (used to?) have one covering all services (both bus and rail) in its county borough - its the same size as the Devon ones mentioned above.

(The Conway, Devon and Brighton & Hove ones are the only ones I've found on my travels.)

 

[bb21]

Its not the council, its a private company that main purpose is to produced the chunky booklets in same case you need to buy two and that pushes up the price to over £25 dont forget to add in P&P. in many case you would be cheaper sending a £5 to the bus company or council for full set.

http://www.heretotherepublishing.com/

Still. I don't agree with the principle.

 

[Statto]

Conway (used to?) have one covering all services (both bus and rail) in its county borough - its the same size as the Devon ones mentioned above.

(The Conway, Devon and Brighton & Hove ones are the only ones I've found on my travels.)

Conwy still do timetable books, as does Gwynedd & Anglesey, think Flintshire still does one but was awkward A5 size book. Not sure if Denbighshire still produce one, don't think Ceredigion does

 

[gordonthemoron]

Correction to my earlier post, Milton Keynes does still produce a bus timetable book, it's just that the link to it on their website has disappeared
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I now have a copy of the updated Milton Keynes Bus Timetable Booklet, and it's much the same as previous editions