Yes, 'they' is Stagecoach. I was originally replying about the Stagecoach website back in post 51 (https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/xmas-bus-timetable.294737/page-2#post-7573060) and that is where the confusion then came from as 'they' (stagecoach) had put on the website no services in Cheshire.
Goodness me, that's a surprising set of routes. The 102 I get, but the rest?
My thoughts entirely. The 102 I could see the point but not the others... And yes, BSIP sprang to mind but you've got stuff that is Bucks AND Berks (9 and 37B) so I think they might not be.
www.stagecoachbus.com
Just checked the MB Festive info again and there’s a link to the early run-ins posted under the 29th and 30th which you would normally expect on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.Details of the McGill’s Bus Group operations are now available on the respective websites.
Winter with McGill's 2025
The festive season is here, so we’ve put together a handy guide to get you around! Find out more here!www.mcgillsbuses.co.uk
Winter with Midland Bluebird 2025
The festive season is here, so we’ve put together a handy guide to get you around! Find out more here!www.mcgillsscotlandeast.co.uk
All largely the same as in previous years.
Christmas with Xplore Dundee 2025
Get around this festive season with Xplore Dundee!www.xploredundee.com
Important to note that no services on Christmas Day except service 276, and no service on New Year’s Day except services 276 & 727
Maybe not exactly the same but Brighton & Hove Buses run 12 journeys (hourly) linking Brighton and Eastbourne via Seaford on route 12, which is probably a similar length.
I'm just surprised Midland bluebird don't try to operate some extra buses on Boxing day and 2nd Jan to test the waters, especially since they running the X38. Maybe have the X38 extended from Linlithgow to FVRH, and maybe have one bus doing Granagemouth then another going Labart and the Hospital, plus maybe X37.ServiceUpdatesArticle
Stagecoach East and West Scotland have published their festive information and all is contained in this link.
As usual, nothing on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
On Boxing Day and 2 January, some core routes and tenders will operate within reduced operating hours.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Just checked the MB Festive info again and there’s a link to the early run-ins posted under the 29th and 30th which you would normally expect on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Surely that’s an aberration?
They won’t do anything unless funding becomes available from local authorities. If MB was a double digit margin business, which I doubt it is, then they could explore running the X36, X37 and maybe something to Alloa and Bo’ness on Boxing Day and 2nd Jan.
No council funding is also why there are no buses running in Midlothian on Christmas Day or in the Scottish Borders on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Ne'erday and 2nd January. Bus companies are not charities and I very much doubt there'd be sufficient passenger levels to justify running the X36/X37 commercially on Boxing Day or 2nd January.
I think most people who are knowledgeable of the bus industry know that operators aren’t charities.
There is definitely some revenue risk involved, but a lot of the Christmas Day network is operating with some financial support from Heathrow Airport and/or local authorities.
My comment about bus companies not being charities was aimed at overthewater, as he implied that Midland Bluebird could run buses off its own back on Boxing Day. It's not that simple, of course - as you say it's all down to councils to subside them as well as the financial performance of the operators involved.
Interestingly, fledgling independent Viscount are running on both Boxing Day and New Year's Day, with the X28 having 5 journeys each way between Scarborough and Pickering/Malton.
www.facebook.com
There are trains on Boxing day although the Hospital is some distance from Larbert Station
Not sure if First are at their usual level of competence, but there's timetables for the 20a and 24 for Christmas Day, but I can't see any for Boxing Day.First South Yorkshire has published details on how they're running over the festive season, with buses running on both Boxing Day & New Year's Day:
Keeping you moving over Christmas and New Year
Get ready for Christmas in South Yorkshire It’s that magical time of year again, and we’re here to help plan your festive travels. From markets to local events or panto to shopping, there’s so much to see and do in South Yorkshire over Christmas. We've put a handy guide together below.www.firstbus.co.uk
For me, a Saturday service means a later start, but a better peak service as the same number of buses are given more time on each run on weekdays.
I suspect that based on experience there will be many fewer people working on the Monday to Wednesday as assume that schools and colleges in your area like mine will have broken up the previous Friday. What surprises me is that some operators are running a full weekday timetable on January 2nd.
They’ll be a lot of lightly loaded buses then, such as on the guideway where weekday peaks have a very high frequency in the peaks and the extra V4 journeys
That line about some services finishing but no clarity is a bit daft with no link to anything
Next year (ie 2026) 2 January falls on a Friday. A number of operators are providing a Saturday service no doubt as they assume (probably correctly) that a large number of people will take the day off work and the schools won’t have returned.
