Trivia : Historical/Current services that duplicate school/colleges

[Simon75]

Are there many examples of school/college services that duplicate 'open' services,

 

[Flange Squeal]

Are you looking for dedicated school/college routes in their own right with separate numbers but which parallel a regular route, or just school/college duplicate journeys that run alongside a service bus? If the latter then there are a few local examples to me:-

• Stagecoach South 71 (Guildford to Woolmer Hill) has term time duplicates of the 0705 Guildford to Woolmer Hill and 1535 Woolmer Hill to Guildford journeys, between Woolmer Hill School and Chiddingfold.
• Compass Travel 25 (Guildford to Cranleigh) has term time duplicates of the 0720 Cranleigh to Guildford and 1510 Guildford to Cranleigh journeys, between St. Peter’s School and Cranleigh.
• Compass Travel 42 (Guildford to Cranleigh) has term time duplicates of the 0730 Ewhurst to Guildford and 1555 Guildford to Ewhurst between Godalming College and Cranleigh.

If the former, then I don’t have any specific examples off the top of my head but Safeguard Coaches 690 (Woking College to Worplesdon) runs alongside Falcon Coaches 28 (Woking to Guildford) for much of its length, particularly before the 28 was removed from Pirbright Camp. I’ve often wondered if the lightish loadings on the 28 could see the 690’s journeys incorporated into that (I believe the 28 now receives some council subsidy having been commercial under Arriva/Buses Excetera/when Falcon first took it over, and the 690 is a council contracted service). It would require the similarly timed 28 journeys to divert via Woking College rather than running into/out of town past Morrisons though.

 

[Eyersey468]

The 901 between Elloughton and South Hunsley School used to run alongside the 155, now there is a short 55 working alongside the regular 55, I'm not sure if this is the kind of thing the OP had in mind

 

[nw1]

One example I remember for a time was the 1530-ish 219 Midhurst Convent School to Aldershot (Alder Valley).

This was supposed to be a double-decker (you could tell that, as it was routed to avoid the low bridge at Shottermill), but for a time (summer/autumn 1984) was frequently operated by two single-deckers instead, the second I think being a duplicate.

It was always a bit puzzling, this service. The diagram number for the regular bus (not the duplicate) was H15 (Hindhead 15), which would indicate single-decker (as double-deckers were in the H101-110 range) yet it was routed to avoid Shottermill bridge. On one occasion it was in fact a double-decker. On another occasion it was one single-decker. And on other occasions it had a duplicate, as noted above.

From January 1985 it was always a double decker (diagram H104, which went empty to Midhurst all the way from Godalming, IIRC, having worked various Guildford-area services earlier in the day).

 

[158756]

There are a bunch of these in Lancashire.

There's an 864 in Rossendale which duplicates the route of the 464.

According to bustimes there's a 927 between Earby and West Craven school in Barnoldswick which follows the route of the M5, and a 926 which runs between the same towns with all it's stops having access to the school either by the M5 or Pendle Wizz. There's also a 944 which duplicates the M5 in the other direction, from Barnoldswick to a school in Colne. And while it does cover other stops beforehand, there is a V44 which duplicates the Pendle Wizz all the way from Colne to Skipton.

The Ribble Valley has this as well - the public route 22 is duplicated by a school bus 637 between Clitheroe and Billington, an 856 from Blackburn to Billington, and routes 860 and 862 which serve part of the 22 route where they presumably fill up before running fast to the schools in Clitheroe. Plus several other routes which are 90% duplicates of public services.

I've seen complaints on operator's social media about students having to use a public bus because the school one is full - is this thinking not rather back to front?

 

[henryb]

Stagecoach 6A has a duplicate in term time now

 

[Deerfold]

Stagecoach 6A has a duplicate in term time now

In what area?

 

[Jordan Adam]

At First Aberdeen the 31 duplicates the 3/3A, 62 (shown on the buses as "62 (1)" or "62 (2)" duplicates the 1/2 and the 183 duplicates the 18.

 

[henryb]

In what area?

Stagecoach South West, apologies

 

[LancasterRed]

Preston Bus formerly operated services 31 and 88 at peak times that entered the grounds of local schools. I believe the 88 is still in operation but no announcement has been changed as to whether the new 48 will replicate this. (typical Rotala)

Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire operate the 940 and 941 services which replicate the 40 and 41 but enter schools.

First Dorset have formerly diverted the X53 to serve Colfox School at peak times and operate other services that enter Woodroffe School, Weymouth College and...Colfox again, some public, some private, including the C1 which I have rode and felt incredibly awkward doing so.