Penrith

[Condor7]

I notice that this small bus station has two overnight services.
At 00:40 Inverness to London, at at 05:05 Bournemouth to Edinburgh, both National Express.

Is anyone else aware of any other services running during the night, say midnight to 6pm?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I notice that this small bus station has two overnight services.
At 00:40 Inverness to London, at at 05:05 Bournemouth to Edinburgh, both National Express.

Is anyone else aware of any other services running during the night, say midnight to 6pm?

As per many towns, the only services to be seen at that time are National Express overnighters. However, there are a couple of late departures after midnight on the Stagecoach 104; one to Carlisle and when it returns, it runs through to the CentreParcs style Lakes Village.

I think that this may receive external funding (from the University/College who have a campus out there)? Certainly is quite odd as the service from Penrith to Carlisle does have a parallel rail line and only one village of any size en route

 

[Condor7]

Thanks for that.

4 buses overnight at a sleepy market town bus station can't be bad.

 

[Eagle]

That's quite common at various places on NX long-distance routes though.

I went on the Plymouth to Edinburgh overnight coach recently, and though it didn't stop at Penrith it did stop at Hamilton (of all places) at about 04.00.

 

[starrymarkb]

Ouch at that overnighter...

 

[howittpie]

I notice that this small bus station has two overnight services.
At 00:40 Inverness to London, at at 05:05 Bournemouth to Edinburgh, both National Express.

Is anyone else aware of any other services running during the night, say midnight to 6pm?

The 05.05 is the northbound London-Inverness service there is no Bournemouth to Edinburgh service

 

[madannie77]

As per many towns, the only services to be seen at that time are National Express overnighters. However, there are a couple of late departures after midnight on the Stagecoach 104; one to Carlisle and when it returns, it runs through to the CentreParcs style Lakes Village.

I think that this may receive external funding (from the University/College who have a campus out there)? Certainly is quite odd as the service from Penrith to Carlisle does have a parallel rail line and only one village of any size en route

There is a bus from Penrith to Center Parcs at 2356 and a departure to Carlisle at 0045. On Saturday & Sunday mornings there is an additional arrival from Carlisle at 0203.

Nothing odd about the 104. Outside "normal" working and shopping hours it functions largely as a works service for staff at Center Parcs and during University term times a service is provided to Newton Rigg campus.

As to the parallel railway line, there are many people who can travel for free on the bus who would have to pay on the train.

 

[Condor7]

There is a bus from Penrith to Center Parcs at 2356 and a departure to Carlisle at 0045. On Saturday & Sunday mornings there is an additional arrival from Carlisle at 0203.

The timetable seems to indicate (EFS) Friday morning as well.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

There is a bus from Penrith to Center Parcs at 2356 and a departure to Carlisle at 0045. On Saturday & Sunday mornings there is an additional arrival from Carlisle at 0203.

Nothing odd about the 104. Outside "normal" working and shopping hours it functions largely as a works service for staff at Center Parcs and during University term times a service is provided to Newton Rigg campus.

As to the parallel railway line, there are many people who can travel for free on the bus who would have to pay on the train.

Perhaps odd isn't the word but certainly notable. Without the external funding (I guess from the university), there wouldn't be anything like that level of service. Certainly not many interurban services in the wilds get a service like that!

Thinking on it, agree with you about pensioner passes. Also, the locations of the respective stations (esp. Penrith) mean the bus is as quick for most centre to centre journeys.

 

[Deerfold]

There's all sorts of useful overnight National Express and Megabus services with many smaller places served en-route.

I've used quite a few as night buses home travelling from Gigs and Clubs including (times approximate as they've varied over the years):

0200-0300 Cambridge - Hitchin (which goes on to Luton and Heathrow Airprots)
0300 Nottingham - Halifax
0100 Birmingham - Hitchin (which goes on to Stansted Airport)
0200 Oxford - Hitchin (with 45 minutes connection in Hemel Hempsted...)
0230 Luton - Hitchin (pricier than the bus getting there but a lot cheaper than a taxi)

Megabusplus have an annoying service from East Midlands Parkway through the night to Yorkshire and Lancashire (Huddersfield/Halifax/Keighley/Skipton/Burnley) which unfortunately won't let me book short hops from Halifax or Bradford to Keighley. I did think this might be so it didn't have to wait for people at Halifax but it will allow you to book Halifax to Burnley... This calls at Keighley bus station at approximately 0300, though you can't actually get into the bus station at that time.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

There's all sorts of useful overnight National Express and Megabus services with many smaller places served en-route.

I quite liked the 404 overnight from London to Penzance. Great whizzing through places like

Newton Abbot 04:40
Paignton 05:05
Totnes 05:15

When it had double deck coaches on it, it also used to do Bridgwater and Taunton about 2/3 am

 

[madannie77]

Perhaps odd isn't the word but certainly notable. Without the external funding (I guess from the university), there wouldn't be anything like that level of service. Certainly not many interurban services in the wilds get a service like that!

Thinking on it, agree with you about pensioner passes. Also, the locations of the respective stations (esp. Penrith) mean the bus is as quick for most centre to centre journeys.

Outside of University term times the half-hourly frequency is maintained, with the journeys to the campus running to Penrith depot instead. This suggests that Stagecoach think this level of service is commercially viable without the student usage.

Probably a figment of my imagination, but I think I have read somewhere that the only journeys funded by the University were the one per day 103s.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Outside of University term times the half-hourly frequency is maintained, with the journeys to the campus running to Penrith depot instead. This suggests that Stagecoach think this level of service is commercially viable without the student usage.

Don't think so. Stagecoach will of course have two additional vehicles for those journeys for most of the year and will have costed that accordingly. Similarly, they'll be drivers that they can't exact lay off (though can be offset by manipulating holidays etc). Therefore, they are probably just looking at covering the variable cost (fuel and maintenance) for the holiday periods.

Dropping the frequency for two or three weeks here and there makes it quite messy. You could make the argument about the summer though but Stagecoach clearly feel that they can look at things in totality through the year.

IIRC, the service was only hourly before the campus opened

 

[madannie77]

Don't think so. Stagecoach will of course have two additional vehicles for those journeys for most of the year and will have costed that accordingly. Similarly, they'll be drivers that they can't exact lay off (though can be offset by manipulating holidays etc). Therefore, they are probably just looking at covering the variable cost (fuel and maintenance) for the holiday periods.

Dropping the frequency for two or three weeks here and there makes it quite messy. You could make the argument about the summer though but Stagecoach clearly feel that they can look at things in totality through the year.

IIRC, the service was only hourly before the campus opened

I was thinking in terms of the long summer break. I wouldn't expect changes for the shorter Christmas & Easter breaks.

The college at Newton Rigg has been around for over 100 years, but there seems to have been a big expansion there in recent years which is probably why the bus service was increased from 1 a day to hourly.