Named/Titled buses.

[Condor7]

I was just reading another thread on here about 'The Wensleydale Flyer' which appears from the timetable to be an official name, and I remember from many years ago one called 'The South West Clipper' so I was just wondering if other bus journeys have official names or titles?

Thanks.

 

[ag51ruk]

I was just reading another thread on here about 'The Wensleydale Flyer' which appears from the timetable to be an official name, and I remember from many years ago one called 'The South West Clipper' so I was just wondering if other bus journeys have official names or titles?

Thanks.

Virtually every TrentBarton route - I particularly like 'The Harlequin' from Derby to Heatherton for an unusual name

https://www.trentbarton.co.uk/services/harlequin

 

[theblackwatch]

'Purbeck Breezer' between Bournemouth/Poole and Swanage.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

'Purbeck Breezer' between Bournemouth/Poole and Swanage.

There are loads....

In my local area, we've got a Mint route in Bristol, the Severn Express and Coast 20 in Weston super Mud to name a few. And, in place of the SW Clipper, we now have The Falcon. Sadly, the Belles Express disappeared last month!

In the North East, you have loads courtesy of Go North East with Coasters, Red Kites, Diamonds et al, building on a fine tradition of branded services (and not dissimilar to TrentBarton).

The poorest examples I've known were the Stokesley Flyer and Spennymoor Sprinter c.1989 - operated by the fastest most luxurious 15 year old Bristol LHs!!

 

[CatfordCat]

Many of Reading Buses routes are named, although in most cases, it's the colour, e.g. "purple route 17"

Then there are the 'Leopard' and 'Lion' routes on the Reading - Arborfield - Wokingham and Reading - Wokingham - Bracknell routes.

Reading are better than many operators about not letting route branded buses out on the wrong route.

There were a few routes in London that got names in the earlier stages of route tendering / privatisation - the 88 was branded the 'Clapham Omnibus' and think there were a few others (as well as area based things that involved a few routes) - TfL seem to have put a stop to that sort of thing

 

[Robertj21a]

GoAhead Northern could add in a good many.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

GoAhead Northern could add in a good many.

See two posts above

For a couple of odd ones, try EYMS with the Wicstun Express and the Petuaria Express. Very niche!

 

[Tetchytyke]

GoAhead Northern could add in a good many.

Depends what you mean by named buses.

The trentbarton routes actually have names, they're registered with the Traffic Commissioner as the comet or the harlequin.

Go Northern's routes just have branding, but they're registered with the Traffic Commissioner with traditional numbers.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Depends what you mean by named buses.

The trentbarton routes actually have names, they're registered with the Traffic Commissioner as the comet or the harlequin.

Go Northern's routes just have branding, but they're registered with the Traffic Commissioner with traditional numbers.

Fair point!

That does cut it down markedly (though the X7 has become the "Severn Express" from Bristol to Newport and the Bristol Park and Rides have lost their numbers in the move from CT Plus to First).

Go North East have reduced their number of named/branded services after doing everything under Peter Huntley; Kevin Carr is a dyed in the wool "Northern" man so he's reinstated it on a number of routes. To be fair, some brands were a bit naff!

 

[Deerfold]

One of my local routes is the Dalesway. The front display alternates between Dalesway and 66, but the rear display just shows Dalesway. They have yellow and green branded buses with a sheep on the side that's called Dale. One of the drivers is called Dale too.

Another is the Mainline M4. The Mainline routes join up between Colne, Burnley and Padiham every 7-8 minutes.

Burnley and Pendle also operate the Witch Way X43 Skipton - Burnley - Manchester, the Red Express X41 Blackburn to Manchester and the 152 Hotline Burnley to Preston.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

In Humberside area, there's the Humber Flyer ad Humber Fastcat.
In Notts & Derbs area, there's the Spondon Flyer, Red Arrow, Skylink, etc.

Go to Traveline, select a company (First, Stagecoach, Trent Barton, Arriva etc) and scroll down the list.

 

[CatfordCat]

The Reading - Heathrow Railair does not display a route number, but Traveline lists it as route X25 (I assume this is what the service service is registered as)

 

[Deerfold]

The Reading - Heathrow Railair does not display a route number, but Traveline lists it as route X25 (I assume this is what the service service is registered as)

That's odd - that's what First list it as (and used to be on the displays).

https://www.firstgroup.com/berkshir...ice=X25&routeid=16036151&operator=1&source=sp

 

[Condor7]

Depends what you mean by named buses.

The trentbarton routes actually have names, they're registered with the Traffic Commissioner as the comet or the harlequin.

Go Northern's routes just have branding, but they're registered with the Traffic Commissioner with traditional numbers.

This is a very interesting point.
I think I was referring to route names rather than branding, but how do you distingish between them?

As a rule (and there are exceptions) with the railways a named train is just one a day on a particular route but there is something about that train that distingishes it from the others, usualy limited stops producing an overall faster journey, although it can also have other atributes usually offering greater luxury.

Are there any busses or coaches like that?

 

[PeterC]

I thought that the thread would be about naming individual vehicles. Something that I noticed on some Arriva buses in High Wycombe last year.

We have "Rainbow Route" branding in Wycombe and Aylesbury with vehicles in route specific livery.

Arriva are good at putting route branded buses on other routes, at one time Sapphire 280 branded buses were a regular sight in Wendover while non Sapphire vehicles filled in on the 280.