Christmas Day 2024 - Longest Journey (bus only)

[65477]

I have just looked at bus travel in Essex over Christmas and, on Christmas Day I would be able to do a return bus journey from my local town of Braintree and visit friends in Harlow. That's just 30 miles each way. This requires using two services via Stansted Airport.

Can anyone give a longer example. The only criteria is that these have to be standard bus services that run on other days. Coach and Airport link services don't count.

 

[JKP]

East Coast Buses 107 runs between Edinburgh and Dunbar on Christmas Day. This is over 30 miles.

 

[InOban]

And when you get from Dunbar to Edinburgh you can then change on to a bus to Livingston and Bathgate

 

[CN12 AWU]

Merseyside has a extensive network on Christmas Day in Liverpool also a couple routes on Wirral and even one in Southport!

You could do Liverpool to St Helens as longest on Merseyside that day

Also believe Manchester run a couple of routes

 

[stadler]

You could do all of these journeys on Christmas Day entirely by using local buses:

48.23 MILES or 77.61 KILOMETRES:
Dunbar to Fauldhouse (107 from Dunbar to Edinburgh then the X27/X28 from Edinburgh to Livingston then the 72/74 from Livingston to Fauldhouse)

46.20 MILES or 74.35 KILOMETRES:
Dunbar to Whitburn (107 from Dunbar to Edinburgh then the X18 from Edinburgh to Whitburn)

41.96 MILES or 67.53 KILOMETRES:
Dunbar to Linlithgow (107 from Dunbar to Edinburgh then the X38 from Edinburgh to Linlithgow)

23.03 MILES or 37.06 KILOMETRES:
Mile Oak to Eastbourne (1 from Mile Oak to Brighton then the 12 from Brighton to Eastbourne)

21.00 MILES or 33.80 KILOMETRES:
Braintree to Harlow (133 from Braintree to Stansted then the 510 from Stansted to Harlow)

14.60 MILES or 23.49 KILOMETRES:
Maidstone to Tunbridge Wells (6X from Maidstone to Tunbridge Wells)

10.73 MILES or 17.26 KILOMETRES:
Caterham to East Grinstead (400 from Caterham to East Grinstead)

6.41 MILES or 10.32 KILOMETRES:
Slough to Staines (7/A4 from Slough to Heathrow then the 442/X442 from Heathrow to Staines)

The service on Christmas Day is still appalling but it has definitely improved. I remember when there was almost nothing operating at all. At least there is a small amount these days.

There is one other journey which beats all of the above but it only runs once a day and only in one direction on Christmas Day so it is very limited:

52.74 MILES or 84.88 KILOMETRES:
Heathrow to Braintree (724 Heathrow to Harlow then the 510 from Harlow to Stansted then the 133 from Stansted to Braintree)

This journey requires you to take the 03:30 Heathrow to Harlow 06:29 journey. This is the only 724 journey on Christmas Day that operates. So if you take this journey then this option is probably the winner for the longest Christmas Day local bus journey.

 

[33109]

If memory serves me correctly around manchester it is usually just the #43 that runs. It's the piccadilly gardens - manchester airport route.

There are I believe inbound flights xmas day into manchester but I think nothing outbound.

 

[CN12 AWU]

If memory serves me correctly around manchester it is usually just the #43 that runs. It's the piccadilly gardens - manchester airport route.

There are I believe inbound flights xmas day into manchester but I think nothing outbound.

Is that still the same this year with new network being in swing

 

[mangad]

Is that still the same this year with new network being in swing

43 isn't yet in the Bee Network. But yes, it's running. Details on the Stagecoach site.

 

[Mark L]

Although I haven’t calculated the distance it’s possible to take a circular tour of the eastern side of the Isle of Wight on Christmas Day - Ryde - Newport (via Ventnor) on the 3 then into service 9 back to Ryde. The Cowes Floating Bridge operates until 13:20 so one could take a detour from Newport to Cowes on the 1 and then back to Newport on the 5 (or vice versa!) or head off to Totland and back on the 7.

 

[InOban]

You could do all of these journeys on Christmas Day entirely by using local buses:

48.23 MILES or 77.61 KILOMETRES:
Dunbar to Fauldhouse (107 from Dunbar to Edinburgh then the X27/X28 from Edinburgh to Livingston then the 72/74 from Livingston to Fauldhouse)

46.20 MILES or 74.35 KILOMETRES:
Dunbar to Whitburn (107 from Dunbar to Edinburgh then the X18 from Edinburgh to Whitburn)

41.96 MILES or 67.53 KILOMETRES:
Dunbar to Linlithgow (107 from Dunbar to Edinburgh then the X38 from Edinburgh to Linlithgow)

23.03 MILES or 37.06 KILOMETRES:
Mile Oak to Eastbourne (1 from Mile Oak to Brighton then the 12 from Brighton to Eastbourne)

21.00 MILES or 33.80 KILOMETRES:
Braintree to Harlow (133 from Braintree to Stansted then the 510 from Stansted to Harlow)

14.60 MILES or 23.49 KILOMETRES:
Maidstone to Tunbridge Wells (6X from Maidstone to Tunbridge Wells)

10.73 MILES or 17.26 KILOMETRES:
Caterham to East Grinstead (400 from Caterham to East Grinstead)

6.41 MILES or 10.32 KILOMETRES:
Slough to Staines (7/A4 from Slough to Heathrow then the 442/X442 from Heathrow to Staines)

The service on Christmas Day is still appalling but it has definitely improved. I remember when there was almost nothing operating at all. At least there is a small amount these days.

There is one other journey which beats all of the above but it only runs once a day and only in one direction on Christmas Day so it is very limited:

52.74 MILES or 84.88 KILOMETRES:
Heathrow to Braintree (724 Heathrow to Harlow then the 510 from Harlow to Stansted then the 133 from Stansted to Braintree)

This journey requires you to take the 03:30 Heathrow to Harlow 06:29 journey. This is the only 724 journey on Christmas Day that operates. So if you take this journey then this option is probably the winner for the longest Christmas Day local bus journey.

However the OP specified a return journey.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

43 isn't yet in the Bee Network. But yes, it's running.

So, what are we looking at? A 20 mile round trip from the City Centre to the Airport bus station, and back again?

 

[WibbleWobble]

Is that still the same this year with new network being in swing

We'll have to see is I think the answer to that one - the 43 only runs because the Airport pays for it (or at least that was the case historically). So would probably need a funding/contract renegotiation.

 

[33109]

Is that still the same this year with new network being in swing

Wouldn't know fully but you've got I suppose the following arguments regards running xmas day:

(1)Surely everyone that works in the bus industry as a driver deserves a break over the festive period? With that in mind however there's always people who choose to work xmas day for whatever personal reasons.

(2)There isn't really that high of a demand for services to run. Yes there are people who work in the public sector. Nursed, doctors emergency service workers etc who need to get to work that don't have access to a car.

(3)Not every bus network runs xmas day, boxing day is busier due to sales & such.

 

[greenline712]

When I was planning / scheduling bus routes (outside London) I used to assume that Xmas Day was no service; Boxing Day was a special service (basically 0830-1830 for shops/sales); the intervening days were a Saturday service; New Years Day was a normal Sunday service, although starting about 0900 and finishing at normal times.

However, in about 2018, I was asked to closely examine loadings on Boxing Day and New Years Day, to see what service might be appropriate. I was slightly surprised to see that Boxing Day with a special service (but cut back to around 0930-1730) was about right; but that New Years Day was a complete waste of time . . . loadings were half of Boxing Day, with next to nothing before 1100 and after 1700. We decided to go with the flow; run Boxing Day 0930-1730 and nothing on New Years Day at all.
We received one complaint !!

Just to illustrate this . . . in about 1981 I was on an early duty at Reigate Garage (LCBS). My duty was a rounder on Route 430, followed by a run to Horsham and back and then a Croydon and back (Route 414). I started at 0715, and my first passenger was on the way back to Reigate from Horsham . . . about 1145 !! Almost no passengers, very little car traffic . . . of course, no pubs until noon, and no shops open. My takings didn't even pay for the diesel, let alone my (double time) wages !!

 

[Mark L]

Christmas Day buses have merited a report in today’s Grauniad - see https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news...stmas-day-than-at-any-time-in-last-five-years