TLC Travel - Hebden Bridge local routes

[Welshman]

Does anyone know if the Hebden Bridge local routes [Old Town, Heptonstall, etc] are settling-down now after being taken-over by TLC Travel last weekend?

They certainly had problems under the last two incumbents, and, unfortunately I am house-bound for the next month or so, so cannot get over and see for myself.

 

[Deerfold]

Does anyone know if the Hebden Bridge local routes [Old Town, Heptonstall, etc] are settling-down now after being taken-over by TLC Travel last weekend?

They certainly had problems under the last two incumbents, and, unfortunately I am house-bound for the next month or so, so cannot get over and see for myself.

I've not had a chance to try them (and probably won't until at least March).

So far I've mostly heard negative comments about the increased price of tickets for those leaving the Hebden Bridge Area (or using services 900/901 - 901 is run part by TLC (short journeys to Cragg Vale), part by K-line (journeys to Huddersfield) - although the C and 900/901 were run by different companies the C ran all day every day).

For them a day ticket has gone up from £2.80 for a Hebden Bridger Ticket or £3.80/£4.80 for a FirstDay to £5.40 for a MetroDay (which has much greater validity but is a lot more if you're not using that).

A single through ticket has been introduced at £3 for anywhere on the Hebden Bridge network to Halifax but if you're coming back it's still cheaper to get a MetroDay.

For those making local journeys a day ticket is now 5p cheaper and some local single fares have dropped from £1.40 to £1.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Wasn't Tyrer Bus from Nelson involved with the Hebden Bridge town routes at one time ?

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Wasn't Tyrer Bus from Nelson involved with the Hebden Bridge town routes at one time ?

They were at one point until there were some rather odd cancellations on certain routes. Then over a weekend Community Transport Calderdale, FirstGroup and Tyrer were running the Hebden Bridger and Todmorden Town routes until First got the contract and now TLC of Bradford has it, I do like the way they have kept the numbering following on from the 590 and 594.

The thing that irritates me is that the Sunday K-Line 900 has been scrapped and replaced with the 901, so if I'm wanting to go for a trek around Scammonden. I now won't be able to.

 

[Welshman]

They were at one point until there were some rather odd cancellations on certain routes. Then over a weekend Community Transport Calderdale, FirstGroup and Tyrer were running the Hebden Bridger and Todmorden Town routes until First got the contract and now TLC of Bradford has it, I do like the way they have kept the numbering following on from the 590 and 594.

From personal experience and reading several complaints in the archives of Hebweb [the Hebden Bridge Community Website], I know there has been dissatisfaction with these local services for some time.

Problems have involved the Optare buses breaking-down [I personally was on one which refused to go up the steep hill to Heptonstall and we had to get off and complete the journey on foot], buses simply not turning-up as per timetable and drivers having difficulty in negotiating the sharp left-hand turn at Mount Skip, meaning the Old Town services ran a very convoluted route in the amended timetable prior to 26th January.

Deerfold has already commented on the changes in fares, and I can understand the residents of Heptonstall and Old Town lamenting the loss of their hourly through services to Halifax, hence I was wondering if the running of the local services had now settled-down under TLC.

 

[34D]

I struggle to understand why tiny solos now have to be used on routes that were previously leopards and fleetlines. Anyone?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I struggle to understand why tiny solos now have to be used on routes that were previously leopards and fleetlines. Anyone?

On areas such as the narrow road with houses on both sides with no pavements through the top part of Heptonstall that leads onwards to Blackshaw Head and in other areas where parked domestic traffic is a problem in narrowing the available roadway, I can see the reason for the use of a smaller bus for operational purposes.

The problem will occur when the more limited capacity of these vehicles are used at certain busier times of the day when loadings will be higher.

 

[Welshman]

I struggle to understand why tiny solos now have to be used on routes that were previously leopards and fleetlines. Anyone?

I agree that leopards and fleetlines used to be used on services such as the Heptonstall and Old Town via Pecket Well routes - indeed until 25th January this year First's full-size double and single decks operated the through hourly service from Halifax to both these villages.

The problem has been with the local Hebden Bridge services to Dodd Naze and then continuing via Mount Skip to Old Town, where even the smaller Optares have experienced difficulties.

 

[Deerfold]

They were at one point until there were some rather odd cancellations on certain routes. Then over a weekend Community Transport Calderdale, FirstGroup and Tyrer were running the Hebden Bridger and Todmorden Town routes until First got the contract and now TLC of Bradford has it, I do like the way they have kept the numbering following on from the 590 and 594.

The thing that irritates me is that the Sunday K-Line 900 has been scrapped and replaced with the 901, so if I'm wanting to go for a trek around Scammonden. I now won't be able to.

Kept the numbering? I think people are going to confused by the second renumbering in recent years - from H1-H8 to A-I (latterly just A-E) and now to 595-599 & 900. Odd that Todmorden has remained T1-T9 over the same period and other local minibus networks that have been renumbered have all got new 9xx numbers.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Kept the numbering? I think people are going to confused by the second renumbering in recent years - from H1-H8 to A-I (latterly just A-E) and now to 595-599 & 900. Odd that Todmorden has remained T1-T9 over the same period and other local minibus networks that have been renumbered have all got new 9xx numbers.

The Hebden Bridge H1-H8 will have been renumbered because of the Holme Valley Minibus also using the then H1-H10 (now H1-H7) numbering.

What I mean by keeping the mumbering is to keep with the sequence, so after 594 its only logical to continue on from 595 to 599, still I do think that Metro should have kept the Hebden Bridger map inside the timetable so that it would help people understand the changes.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The Hebden Bridge H1-H8 will have been renumbered because of the Holme Valley Minibus also using the then H1-H10 (now H1-H7) numbering. What I mean by keeping the numbering is to keep with the sequence, so after 594 its only logical to continue on from 595 to 599, still I do think that Metro should have kept the Hebden Bridger map inside the timetable so that it would help people understand the changes.

The last time that I was in Hebden Bridge, the local town area minibuses were alphabetically lettered from "A" to "E". I had not realised, from what you say above, that they were then subsequently shown as "H" prefix numerical series, before this new changing-over to routes 595 to 599.

When did the short-lived "H" prefix routes start being shown as such for the town area minibuses?

 

[Deerfold]

The Hebden Bridge H1-H8 will have been renumbered because of the Holme Valley Minibus also using the then H1-H10 (now H1-H7) numbering.

What I mean by keeping the mumbering is to keep with the sequence, so after 594 its only logical to continue on from 595 to 599, still I do think that Metro should have kept the Hebden Bridger map inside the timetable so that it would help people understand the changes.

Hebden Bridge and Holme both used the Hx numbering for years at the same time with very little confusion for passengers.

If it's logical to carry on from 594 (which no longer exists) why does Todmorden keep its Tx numbering?

Almost everywhere else in West Yorkshire has lost its lettered routes in preference for 9xx route numbers (Keighley lost its M1-6 in preference for 915-918, Wharfedale its W1-11 for 940 and 96x).

The cynical might say the renumbering is to make it less obvious when routes have been withdrawn.

The last time that I was in Hebden Bridge, the local town area minibuses were alphabetically lettered from "A" to "E". I had not realised, from what you say above, that they were then subsequently shown as "H" prefix numerical series, before this new changing-over to routes 595 to 599.

When did the short-lived "H" prefix routes start being shown as such for the town area minibuses?

The H series was before the A-I (later A-F and later still A-E) routes and dates from the 80s.

A-I were introduced when the rural bus grant was used to expand the size of the minibus network, using an extra bus.

 

[Welshman]

What I mean by keeping the mumbering is to keep with the sequence, so after 594 its only logical to continue on from 595 to 599, still I do think that Metro should have kept the Hebden Bridger map inside the timetable so that it would help people understand the changes.

Sorry, but I disagree about introducing the 595-599 numbering.

Routes 590 & 592 are now used for the increased through service from Halifax through the Calder Valley to Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Burnley/Rochdale, and a numbering in that sequence could suggest the Heptonstall and Old Town services are also through from Halifax, as indeed some were until First withdrew them in order to provide a more frequent service along the main trunk route to Todmorden.

The old system of A-E made it clearer that a change of buses was required in Hebden Bridge - ironically something about which I gather the residents of Heptonstall and Old Town are now unhappy.

I do agree, though, that keeping the old Hebden Bridger map inside the new timetables would have been useful, but I suppose when it was planned that TLC would take-over the local Hebden Bridge routes there was uncertainty as to whether through fares from Halifax, etc, would still be available.