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Explorer ticket - SE England
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It does seem that Discovery should be accepted as far West as Basingstoke on Stagecoach South services although the description of 'East Hampshire' may mean it is only meant to be valid on former 'Alder Valley' services and not 'Hampshire Bus' ones.
https://www.metrobus.co.uk/discovery-tickets/
It is listed by Stagecoach as being valid from Basingstoke here.
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regionaltickets/south/basingstoke/dayrider
Depending on how far you are going and if it just on Stagecoach buses, it might be better to have a Gold Dayrider though.
Stagecoach South seems to have been the amalgamation of Hampshire, Hants & Surrey and Sussex operations on which the Discovery ticket, and Explorer before it, were only valid on the latter two.
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Comprehensive answer from @JonathanH but just to enhance the answer. Stagecoach - Winchester - yes
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regionaltickets/south/winchester/dayrider
Portsmouth - yes
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regionaltickets/south/portsmouth-and-havant/dayrider
Seemingly Andover as well (although you might want to check - this surprised me)
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regionaltickets/south/andover-and-salisbury/dayrider
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
I suspect that the term "East Hampshire" is applied to all operators up to the western edge of the South Downs National Park. Hence why you have Emsworth and District etc, and surprisingly Xelabus. The problem is that with Stagecoach, you have Stagecoach South (and South East) with no discernable difference to the travelling public in terms of image between Andover and Aldershot. In that respect, they probably just think for the very few people likely to try it, it's simpler to accept the tickets.
I guess the same problem exists where other Stagecoach firms converge (West and Wales) but the divide is more pronounced with fewer points where the networks collide.
On the other hand, East Hampshire is a defined local government district which stretches from the Northern boundary of Waterlooville up to Alton and Bordon.
Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Winchester and Fleet are not in this area. The western edge of the South Downs reaches to the boundary of Winchester.
At the north of the area, Surrey appears to be unambiguously included in full but doesn't entirely match the operating area of what was originally the Stagecoach Hants & Surrey part of Stagecoach South.
Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Winchester and Fleet are not in this area. The western edge of the South Downs reaches to the boundary of Winchester.
At the north of the area, Surrey appears to be unambiguously included in full but doesn't entirely match the operating area of what was originally the Stagecoach Hants & Surrey part of Stagecoach South.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Clearly, the Discover ticket is aimed at the National Park user (hence why they promote it). That obviously extends away westwards from East Hampshire council area to the edge of Winchester. Just think that Stagecoach has taken a pragmatic view and it would cause more pain than any benefit in restricting it on Stagecoach services in Test Valley or Winchester that are outwardly the same firm to the average punter.
railwaytrack
Member
Yes you can indeed use it to Andover and Basingstoke and Salisbury and Winchester and anywhere that Stagecoach South operates buses to.
Unfortunately the Explorer Ticket has been almost completely withdrawn and replaced by the Discovery Ticket instead. It is unfortunate as the Explorer Ticket had much greater validity and far more bus operators accepted it. It was a bit of a mess though as every bus operator decided what they wanted to charge so it was priced differently depending on who you bought your ticket from.
The only operator that continues to sell Explorer Tickets is Reptons Coaches so in reality the Explorer Ticket is just a Reptons Coaches Day Rover these days. These are £8.00 Adult or £4.00 Child or £12.50 Family for this ticket. I am not sure why as Reptons Coaches also sell the Discovery Ticket so i have no idea why they have not withdrawn the Explorer Ticket from sale. Buses Excetera were the same until their quite recent collapse and were selling both the Explorer Ticket and Discovery Ticket too until they went bust. I think maybe these two operators maybe never realised it was withdrawn.
The Discovery Ticket is issued and accepted on every route run by the following bus operators:
• Arriva Kent (including both the 286 in East Sussex and the 477 in Greater London too)
• Autocar
• Big Lemon
• Chalkwell Buses
• Community Transport For The Lewes Area
• Compass Bus
• Cuckmere Buses
• Diamond Bus South East (excluding the 250 service)
• Emsworth & District
• Falcon Buses
• Farleigh Coaches
• Go Ahead Brighton & Hove
• Go Ahead Metrobus
• Go Coach
• Hams Travel
• Nu Venture
• Regent Coaches
• Reptons Coaches
• Rye & District Community Transport
• Safeguard Coaches
• Seaford & District
• Southdown PSV
• Stagecoach South
• Stagecoach South East
• Sussex Coaches
• Wealdlink Community Transport
• White Bus Services
Note that the price of this Discovery Ticket is £9.00 Adult or £7.20 Child or £17.50 Family when bough on every bus operator (including Stagecoach South East too) except for Stagecoach South which annoying are more expensive at £9.10 Adult or £7.20 Child or £17.50 Family so just the Adult ticket is 10p more. One of the reasons the Discovery Ticket was introduced was to get rid of the Explorer Ticket mess where everyone charged a different price so it is annoying they have now bought back this mess by making their ticket 10p more than if you buy it from any other bus operator.
Additionally it is written in the contracts that every Kent County Council contract and every Medway Council contract is required to both issue and accept Discovery Tickets on these services. But unfortunately both Kent Coach Tours and Red Route Buses seem to have both ignored this part of their contracts and refuse to issue and accept these tickets on their routes. So you will have a lot of trouble using these tickets on these services.
Note that Xelabus do NOT issue or accept it. They did issue and accept it at the beginning when it was first introduced but then quickly withdrew from it. I was told they were not happy as lots of people were buying them on other operators and using them on their buses but they only make money when they issue one. So they no longer issue or accept it.
I am also not really 100% sure if Emsworth & District and Seaford & District still issue and accept them. They are both listed but they have both recently ceased running all of their ordinary bus routes and only run school bus routes now. So they may not issue and accept them any more. They might still do on their school routes but i can not be 100% sure.
On the ACTIV8 bus route only Stagecoach issues and accepts it. Go Ahead refuse to issue and accept it on this route. This is despite an agreement between the two that they will issue and accept the same tickets as each other and charge the same prices as each other.
Brighton & Hove Community Transport withdrew their only route (130) over five or six years ago so i am not sure why they are still on the list. Southern Transit also withdrew their only route (3) when the corona virus had started and it has not come back so they should not be on the list any more either. Eastbourne Coachways (or Renown Coaches as they were also known as) have shut down so they should be removed from the list too.
Also if you are buying it on Sussex Coaches than be aware that the two Citaro buses are the only buses that have the correct date on the ticket machines. Whenever any of their other vehicles are used the ticket machines have a completely wrong date so you will have a lot of trouble using a Discovery Ticket bought from them. Also even if you buy a ticket with the right date they use very old Wayfarer Saver machines with extremely faint ink and i find most other bus operators drivers will give you lots of hassle when you try and use a Discovery Ticket issued by them.
I think the Discovery Ticket is still a great ticket. You can get all the way from Dover to Salisbury on it. So it does cover a wide area even though it is not as large as what the old Explorer Ticket did.
Unfortunately the Explorer Ticket has been almost completely withdrawn and replaced by the Discovery Ticket instead. It is unfortunate as the Explorer Ticket had much greater validity and far more bus operators accepted it. It was a bit of a mess though as every bus operator decided what they wanted to charge so it was priced differently depending on who you bought your ticket from.
The only operator that continues to sell Explorer Tickets is Reptons Coaches so in reality the Explorer Ticket is just a Reptons Coaches Day Rover these days. These are £8.00 Adult or £4.00 Child or £12.50 Family for this ticket. I am not sure why as Reptons Coaches also sell the Discovery Ticket so i have no idea why they have not withdrawn the Explorer Ticket from sale. Buses Excetera were the same until their quite recent collapse and were selling both the Explorer Ticket and Discovery Ticket too until they went bust. I think maybe these two operators maybe never realised it was withdrawn.
The Discovery Ticket is issued and accepted on every route run by the following bus operators:
• Arriva Kent (including both the 286 in East Sussex and the 477 in Greater London too)
• Autocar
• Big Lemon
• Chalkwell Buses
• Community Transport For The Lewes Area
• Compass Bus
• Cuckmere Buses
• Diamond Bus South East (excluding the 250 service)
• Emsworth & District
• Falcon Buses
• Farleigh Coaches
• Go Ahead Brighton & Hove
• Go Ahead Metrobus
• Go Coach
• Hams Travel
• Nu Venture
• Regent Coaches
• Reptons Coaches
• Rye & District Community Transport
• Safeguard Coaches
• Seaford & District
• Southdown PSV
• Stagecoach South
• Stagecoach South East
• Sussex Coaches
• Wealdlink Community Transport
• White Bus Services
Note that the price of this Discovery Ticket is £9.00 Adult or £7.20 Child or £17.50 Family when bough on every bus operator (including Stagecoach South East too) except for Stagecoach South which annoying are more expensive at £9.10 Adult or £7.20 Child or £17.50 Family so just the Adult ticket is 10p more. One of the reasons the Discovery Ticket was introduced was to get rid of the Explorer Ticket mess where everyone charged a different price so it is annoying they have now bought back this mess by making their ticket 10p more than if you buy it from any other bus operator.
Additionally it is written in the contracts that every Kent County Council contract and every Medway Council contract is required to both issue and accept Discovery Tickets on these services. But unfortunately both Kent Coach Tours and Red Route Buses seem to have both ignored this part of their contracts and refuse to issue and accept these tickets on their routes. So you will have a lot of trouble using these tickets on these services.
Note that Xelabus do NOT issue or accept it. They did issue and accept it at the beginning when it was first introduced but then quickly withdrew from it. I was told they were not happy as lots of people were buying them on other operators and using them on their buses but they only make money when they issue one. So they no longer issue or accept it.
I am also not really 100% sure if Emsworth & District and Seaford & District still issue and accept them. They are both listed but they have both recently ceased running all of their ordinary bus routes and only run school bus routes now. So they may not issue and accept them any more. They might still do on their school routes but i can not be 100% sure.
On the ACTIV8 bus route only Stagecoach issues and accepts it. Go Ahead refuse to issue and accept it on this route. This is despite an agreement between the two that they will issue and accept the same tickets as each other and charge the same prices as each other.
Brighton & Hove Community Transport withdrew their only route (130) over five or six years ago so i am not sure why they are still on the list. Southern Transit also withdrew their only route (3) when the corona virus had started and it has not come back so they should not be on the list any more either. Eastbourne Coachways (or Renown Coaches as they were also known as) have shut down so they should be removed from the list too.
Also if you are buying it on Sussex Coaches than be aware that the two Citaro buses are the only buses that have the correct date on the ticket machines. Whenever any of their other vehicles are used the ticket machines have a completely wrong date so you will have a lot of trouble using a Discovery Ticket bought from them. Also even if you buy a ticket with the right date they use very old Wayfarer Saver machines with extremely faint ink and i find most other bus operators drivers will give you lots of hassle when you try and use a Discovery Ticket issued by them.
I think the Discovery Ticket is still a great ticket. You can get all the way from Dover to Salisbury on it. So it does cover a wide area even though it is not as large as what the old Explorer Ticket did.
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Emsworth & District ceased trading about 4 years ago when their operating licence was revoked. A new company Portsmouth City Coaches took over their school contracts which are for school pupils only. Portsmouth City Coaches do not run any services for the public.
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