Least frequent bus route?

[causton]

I'll start you off. Once a month.

http://www.intalink.org.uk/Timetables/tt/WW14_A_ATG.pdf

 

[90019]

Nothing like that, but Lothian used to run the 19a which only ran on sunday mornings.
It got cut a couple of years back though.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Oh, there's also the 98, which has no fixed dates that it runs, but a fixed route from the city centre out to Ingliston, I'm not sure whether the times change or not.
It runs every year for the Royal Highland Show, but also runs for some other events.

 

[Ivo]

The X81 service, run by Ensignbus. An extension of their new Brentwood-area 81, adopted from First, to run from Shenfield station to Bluewater, via Lakeside. Although it runs every 30 minutes, it is planned to run only on the last Saturday of August.

 

[Any Permitted]

Well the 3 from Hemsby Beach to Seashore Holiday Camp in my town only runs during the summer season so there's a good 7 month period between services.

 

[Tom B]

There was a registered service in South Yorkshire which operates 2 trips on the last Tuesday in July (or something of that order) - to take schoolkids to a sports day.

 

[F3000]

This one only runs one journey on the 3rd Saturday of each month

Link

 

[DannyBoy]

Stagecoach in South Shields (with a little help from the other North East depots!) run the 552 (Gypsies Green Stadium - South Shields Ferry) and 553 (Gypsies Green - Heworth - Newcastle) once a year, on Great North Run day only. Don't know if this counts though

Any Permitted, I know that route well, although it was the 603 (I think) when I lived down there (10 years ago now!), ran using knackered old Volvo Olympians in Eastern Counties livery.

 

[Ivo]

There are quite a few services that run no more than fortnightly. For example, there are four services on the Dengie (that's Southminster way) numbered 2, 3, 5 and 6 which run to either Southend or Chelmsford, with only one of the four running each day of service - and then only Thursdays and Fridays. Also, Lakeside has monthly services from certain areas in Kent.

 

[Deerfold]

The X52 York to Ilkley is an oddity, runs every 2 hours Mon-Sat (duplicating part of the route hourly with the X53) but only Harrogate - Ilkley; the full York-Ilkley route only runs once a month during winter).

http://www.wymetro.com/NR/rdonlyres/4A62625E-C5AE-495C-9C3E-BD53534A26FB/0/X052bustimetable.pdf

There's a few other "once a year" types registered - Harrogate Flower Show, Chelsea Flower show and RAF Finningley all have services which only run on a handful of days a year, though possibly a lot on those days.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The 898 and 899 in here ran 7 times each this summer - a doubling of frequency since 2009 when they ran that many between them!

http://www.dalesbus.org/DalesBus Summer 2010.pdf

 

[richw]

there are several routes around Cornwall that run "first Monday of the month" etc

 

[MCR247]

What is the point in running buses once a month? What do they do for the rest of the month? :?

 

[Deerfold]

What is the point in running buses once a month? What do they do for the rest of the month? :?

Run other services? Quite a few of the companies that run once a week or once a month do several of these services so that they are using the bus on other days. They'll often run on market day in the local big town.

I suspect the people that use them would love a more frequent service but would rather have what they've got than nothing. They'll mostly be people who have to use public transport for one reason or another but live in the middle of nowhere.

Even TfL runs a handful of once a week buses (but not for much longer). For example: http://www.notrog.plus.com/busroutes/900series/route917.htm

 

[MCR247]

I suppose, but what do those routes do when that bus runs? Or will it be [MX] for example?

 

[Deerfold]

I suppose, but what do those routes do when that bus runs? Or will it be [MX] for example?

No, there'll be a first tuesday of the month service, 2nd tuesday of the month service, 3rd... and a mondays and thurday service and ...

Or sometimes they're run by coach companies who will just have one more vehicle available for hire on certain days.

If you look at http://www.intalink.org.uk/default.asp?contentID=610 it lists some of the "Wanderbus" routes - you'll find they all run at different times (with at least one of the timetables having not changed for 21 years!)

 

[MCR247]

You're not saying thats the same document from 198x? hock:

 

[causton]

Of course not, the Traveline number was updated just this year... different document, same timetable from 1989 though! :P

That brings me to another one of these threads I could make though...

 

[Deerfold]

Found a _really_ infrequent one:

http://www.miltonkeynes.gov.uk/transport/documents/Wanderbus.pdf

Runs on the 5th Tuesday of the month - which doesn't exist in every month!
And run by the same company as that in the first post (and just 1 off on the route number).

I make it 3 or 4 times this year, depending on what it does when December 27th is a Bank Holiday

 

[anthony263]

I normally have a bus past my house every 15 minutes mon - sat and a hourly sunday service but we also have another bus service that runs on tuesday & fridays only which diverts and travels down a lot of country lanes to some small valliages on the mountains close to Bridgend

 

[Deerfold]

I normally have a bus past my house every 15 minutes mon - sat and a hourly sunday service but we also have another bus service that runs on tuesday & fridays only which diverts and travels down a lot of country lanes to some small valliages on the mountains close to Bridgend

That's pretty frequent for this thread!

 

[anthony263]

That's pretty frequent for this thread!

I mean th other local less frquent service which runs only 2 times per week. There were a number of postbus services which operated around the Llandovery area, although most have been withdrawn during the last few years.

 

[Deerfold]

I mean th other local less frquent service which runs only 2 times per week. There were a number of postbus services which operated around the Llandovery area, although most have been withdrawn during the last few years.

I know - we started off with a route which ran once a month and got less frequent from there!

Unfortuantely most postbuses have been withdrawn. I read recently that there's 13 left, 10 of them in Scotland (down from 232 in 1996).
http://www.route-one.net/e-books/currentIssue/pdf/issue372.pdf - page 18

 

[WatcherZero]

I know a few theme park bus services that dont run for 5 months of the year, must be a pain for the residents which use the stopping services too.

 

[Ivo]

Found a _really_ infrequent one:

http://www.miltonkeynes.gov.uk/transport/documents/Wanderbus.pdf

Runs on the 5th Tuesday of the month - which doesn't exist in every month!
And run by the same company as that in the first post (and just 1 off on the route number).

I make it 3 or 4 times this year, depending on what it does when December 27th is a Bank Holiday

I picked up an MK bus timetable on Saturday, and it is included in there. I like how the return journey from MK is not timetabled at all (apart from CMK to Southill), and how it is shared with the other such route to Shefford.

Still doesn't necessarily beat my X81 though

 

[Deerfold]

I picked up an MK bus timetable on Saturday, and it is included in there. I like how the return journey from MK is not timetabled at all (apart from CMK to Southill), and how it is shared with the other such route to Shefford.

Still doesn't necessarily beat my X81 though

Hmm, that's more than 3 times a year - though you might have to wait nearly a year for the next one I suppose.

 

[90019]

Still doesn't necessarily beat my X81 though

Or my 98 with no fixed dates for running

 

[Ivo]

Or my 98 with no fixed dates for running

I remember once seeing a "51" here, which showed "Rugby P&R" as its destination. It was a Volvo saloon, and presumably ran from the bus station to The Rec and back (which is about 5 minutes' walk ). I'd never seen it before, and I've never seen it since. Maybe someone could shed some light on this?

Oh, and seen as you mentioned my previous Avatar (the Pointer Dart), what do you make of the Solo? The difference being I actually took this one myself...

 

[90019]

I remember once seeing a "51" here, which showed "Rugby P&R" as its destination. It was a Volvo saloon, and presumably ran from the bus station to The Rec and back (which is about 5 minutes' walk ). I'd never seen it before, and I've never seen it since. Maybe someone could shed some light on this?

I like when Lothian run the rugby specials, as they tend to just add lots of buses to a couple of routes and use the rugby special blind. I have some photos somewhere of a load of buses waiting to start running rugby specials, I'll see if I can find them.

Oh, and seen as you mentioned my previous Avatar (the Pointer Dart), what do you make of the Solo? The difference being I actually took this one myself...

They're alright, don't particularly like the First ones here as they seem to have no padding at all on some of the seats. Not had a chance to use Lothian's.

 

[90019]

Found the photos.

 

[deltic1989]

Stagecoach East Midlands have a route from Lincoln Central To RAF Waddington that only runs on 2 days of the year (when the airshows on). At other times you have to walk from the village to the RAF camp, afetr using the 13 or 1.

 

[stut]

And I suppose there's the Christmas Day hospital specials too...