Stagecoach Midlands Discussion

[TheGrandWazoo]

It was never intended for end to end journeys, it was more like the Liverpool-Norwich or similar in that you could make a load of overlapping short journeys (or even, as an extreme example, that Cornwall-Scotland XC). It seems, though, that most of these were probably split at Towcester hence the through service being unnecessary.

Correct - the X89 is really again two routes - Northampton to Towcester and Towcester to MK. The only "cross Towcester" volume are those people heading from the Towcester estates through the town to Northampton.

Regarding the routes around Rugby, were these formerly operated by Midland Red South?

And to an extent, still are!

The legal lettering etc is still MRS for those depots incl. Rugby but not Banbury (which is SC Oxfordshire). The other part of Midlands was hewn from United Counties of which the Northants ops (Northampton, Kettering, Corby and associated outstations) sit with SC Midlands, and the Bedfordshire ops that sit with SC East. Think that's right??

 

[Man of Kent]

Correct - the X89 is really again two routes - Northampton to Towcester and Towcester to MK. The only "cross Towcester" volume are those people heading from the Towcester estates through the town to Northampton.

And to an extent, still are!

The legal lettering etc is still MRS for those depots incl. Rugby but not Banbury (which is SC Oxfordshire). The other part of Midlands was hewn from United Counties of which the Northants ops (Northampton, Kettering, Corby and associated outstations) sit with SC Midlands, and the Bedfordshire ops that sit with SC East. Think that's right??

There are three Midland Red South Ltd operating licences: a West Midlands licence covering the Warwickshire depots, an Eastern licence covering the Northamptonshire (former United Counties) depots, and a Western Traffic Area licence covering Banbury. But, as TGW observes, Banbury is indeed managed as part of Stagecoach Oxford (i.e. Thames Transit Ltd) though buses bear legal lettering showing MRS's old head office in Rugby, not the current Northampton address shown on the rest of the MRS fleet.
It is somewhat puzzling that Banbury has not been consolidated into the Thames Transit O-licence.

 

[Silver Cobra]

[1] I guess ENCTS and people who don't live near the station populate it, mostly? I can't see why I would, if not driving, even consider anything other than the train for that journey.

I'll admit that, around 2-3 years ago, I did do the full journey on the X7 from Milton Keynes to Leicester. I held an East Megarider Gold ticket, which I used to get from where I live in Bedfordshire to Milton Keynes, so decided to take a punt on the journey seeing it wouldn't cost me anything extra to do it. The near 3-hour journey was pretty draining I'll admit, which is why I've never repeated this, choosing to catch the X7 from Northampton instead for future journeys (which I did at the end of October this year, in order to save paying EMT or National Express £30+; the cheap NX fares from MK Coachway had already sold out at the point I planned the journey). Remembering back to this journey, only myself and an elderly couple made the full through journey, with everyone else from Milton Keynes alighting at Northampton.

As another 'sad' thing, before it was curtailed to start at Northampton, I also did the full journey from Milton Keynes to Peterborough on the X4. Thankfully, I had the sense to use the train from Peterborough back to Arlesey to get home

 

[Teflon Lettuce]

I'll admit that, around 2-3 years ago, I did do the full journey on the X7 from Milton Keynes to Leicester. I held an East Megarider Gold ticket, which I used to get from where I live in Bedfordshire to Milton Keynes, so decided to take a punt on the journey seeing it wouldn't cost me anything extra to do it. The near 3-hour journey was pretty draining I'll admit, which is why I've never repeated this, choosing to catch the X7 from Northampton instead for future journeys (which I did at the end of October this year, in order to save paying EMT or National Express £30+; the cheap NX fares from MK Coachway had already sold out at the point I planned the journey). Remembering back to this journey, only myself and an elderly couple made the full through journey, with everyone else from Milton Keynes alighting at Northampton.

As another 'sad' thing, before it was curtailed to start at Northampton, I also did the full journey from Milton Keynes to Peterborough on the X4. Thankfully, I had the sense to use the train from Peterborough back to Arlesey to get home

I used to do the X4 full length this time getting from Spalding to Luton... I always had to get off at either Corby or Northampton for a break

 

[LiIo75]

Hi. Can anyone tell me which Stagecoach routes are run from Nuneaton depot?

 

[hst43102]

Hi. Can anyone tell me which stagecoach routes are run from Nuneaton depot?

Stagecoach Midlands

bustimes.org

Here's a good list of services run by Stagecoach Warwickshire - please note it also contains Rugby and Leamington depot routes.

 

[cnjb8]

Quack77 - Stagecoach Midlands fleet list

quack77.uk

Stagecoach Midlands fleet list will help, you can use the fleet list on bustimes to see which of Nuneatons vehicles are used on which services

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

To be fair, anything that's Nuneaton or Tamworth is Nuneaton depot. It's pretty segregated from the rest of the old Midland Red South business (and always was)

 

[LiIo75]

Thanks for the replies, I'll take a look at those links.

 

[EnviroExplorer]

As stated above all Stagecoach buses in Nuneaton and Tamworth will be Nuneaton based. Additionally they operate the 60 & 703 services in Coventry, taken on from Travel De Courcey last year

 

[Stagecoachmids]

I have noticed that some ex-London driver training Dennis Darts have been relocated to Northampton.