1BWS Ticket - North Wales

[splashoutradio]

As an English visitor to Wales how should one pronounce 1Bws? What's '1' in Welsh?

@mmh's transliteration and advice is pretty sound. I've also heard someone who had a Liverpudlian accent ask for a "one Bus Ticket", without any issues.

 

[krus_aragon]

"A day ticket please"
I doubt anybody has ever asked for an "1 Bws", but it you do need to the English / transliteration version of it is something like "een boos."

Asking for a 'day ticket' is likely to get you an operator-only (e.g. Arriva) ticket instead.

I'd suggest using either the transliteration, or just saying "one bus". It should be universally understood.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Further up the thread, it was mentioned that the 1bws ticket was valid in Cheshire West and Chester.
That's only true for through journeys on cross-border buses from Wales, which terminate at Chester and Ellesmere Port.
There used to be others (eg Broughton to I think Leasowe on the Wirral), but not sure if that still runs.
These are the same rules as for the Welsh concessionary bus pass.
For instance you can't use 1bws to travel from Hough Green (just in England) to Chester Station on the same bus as those who boarded in Wales.
English concession tickets are valid for that trip, but not Welsh ones!

The reason for the Welsh spelling of "bws" is because if it stayed as "bus" the Welsh would pronounce it as "bis".
It's the same for words like "ambiwlans" for "ambulance".
It's not difficult, they are same words in Welsh orthography.
Granted, it gets more complicated for plurals and place names, and anywhere that demands mutations....

 

[eastend43]

There used to be others (eg Broughton to I think Leasowe on the Wirral), but not sure if that still runs.

The 811 from Broughton to Moreton via Birkenhead still runs (3 early morning journeys to Broughton, 2 late afternoon journeys to Moreton with one extended to Leasowe). It's a 'JobLink' service which I think fits in with shift patterns with employers in Deeside/Broughton. Leaving Birkenhead at 4.30 am doesn't really connect with any other bus in Flintshire. The 6.30 am from Birkenhead could, with connections, get someone to Rhyl at about 9.00 am or Llandudno at 10.30 am. So a day trip to Rhyl or a long lunch in Llandudno for £5.70 would be possible if the ticket could be used on this A2B service, which I doubt.

I wish I knew more about the 811 (fares etc.) as it stops at my nearest bus stop, but can't see me (or anyone else who doesn't work in Deeside/Broughton or the industrial estates it goes through on the Wirral) getting it.

 

[markymark2000]

The 811 from Broughton to Moreton via Birkenhead still runs (3 early morning journeys to Broughton, 2 late afternoon journeys to Moreton with one extended to Leasowe). It's a 'JobLink' service which I think fits in with shift patterns with employers in Deeside/Broughton. Leaving Birkenhead at 4.30 am doesn't really connect with any other bus in Flintshire. The 6.30 am from Birkenhead could, with connections, get someone to Rhyl at about 9.00 am or Llandudno at 10.30 am. So a day trip to Rhyl or a long lunch in Llandudno for £5.70 would be possible if the ticket could be used on this A2B service, which I doubt.

I wish I knew more about the 811 (fares etc.) as it stops at my nearest bus stop, but can't see me (or anyone else who doesn't work in Deeside/Broughton or the industrial estates it goes through on the Wirral) getting it.

Standard Merseytravel Tendered service fares.
£2.10 adult.
£1 child
Flat fare, don't think they do returns.

The 1bws isn't valid on the 811 though. I checked it with Merseytravel.

 

[mmh]

Asking for a 'day ticket' is likely to get you an operator-only (e.g. Arriva) ticket instead.

I'd suggest using either the transliteration, or just saying "one bus". It should be universally understood.

In my experience that isn't the case. Neither Arriva nor Llew Jones have sold me anything but a 1Bws since they were introduced. I don't think they even have their own daily tickets any more. It'll be no coincidence that it's the same price as the former Arriva only day ticket was.

Although perhaps that might mean Llew Jones still have their own ticket as if I remember right that's a 20p increase for them. If they do, I imagine they only sell it to people boarding where they're the only operator. They certainly don't seem to offer one if you board between Llandudno and Conwy, which seems sensible as it's highly unlikely someone would want a restricted ticket there.

 

[Llandudno]

In my experience that isn't the case. Neither Arriva nor Llew Jones have sold me anything but a 1Bws since they were introduced. I don't think they even have their own daily tickets any more. It'll be no coincidence that it's the same price as the former Arriva only day ticket was.

Although perhaps that might mean Llew Jones still have their own ticket as if I remember right that's a 20p increase for them. If they do, I imagine they only sell it to people boarding where they're the only operator. They certainly don't seem to offer one if you board between Llandudno and Conwy, which seems sensible as it's highly unlikely someone would want a restricted ticket there.

Yep, the return Bus fares even for the shortest journeys are quite expensive, the default ticket is the £5.70 1BWS ticket!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yep, the return Bus fares even for the shortest journeys are quite expensive, the default ticket is the £5.70 1BWS ticket!

It's fairly common for bus companies to set the day ticket as slightly below the cost of two average singles and has been for ages.

 

[mmh]

@mmh's transliteration and advice is pretty sound. I've also heard someone who had a Liverpudlian accent ask for a "one Bus Ticket", without any issues.

Thanks

And of course in much of North Wales the default accents are variations of a North Wales Welsh dialect mixed with varying degrees of Liverpudlian. Indeed, there are placenames where pronouncing them to a strict Welsh ruleset will instantly mark you out as not local, as neither Welsh nor English speakers use that pronunciation. e.g. The area of Llandudno called Craig y Don is universally pronounced as in the English "crag."

 

[markymark2000]

In my experience that isn't the case. Neither Arriva nor Llew Jones have sold me anything but a 1Bws since they were introduced. I don't think they even have their own daily tickets any more. It'll be no coincidence that it's the same price as the former Arriva only day ticket was.

Although perhaps that might mean Llew Jones still have their own ticket as if I remember right that's a 20p increase for them. If they do, I imagine they only sell it to people boarding where they're the only operator. They certainly don't seem to offer one if you board between Llandudno and Conwy, which seems sensible as it's highly unlikely someone would want a restricted ticket there.

I've heard very different about Arriva. Many drivers tried to avoid selling 1bws and kept trying to issue their own ticket because of course they get all the revenue for that. My friend only noticed it as the price is slightly different and it shows on the Ticketer machines

 

[krus_aragon]

In my experience that isn't the case. Neither Arriva nor Llew Jones have sold me anything but a 1Bws since they were introduced. I don't think they even have their own daily tickets any more. It'll be no coincidence that it's the same price as the former Arriva only day ticket was

I stand corrected, and also find that I was mis-remembering my last bus journey: While I did get (and wanted) an operator day ticket from Arriva, it was a local zonal one, rather than the old "all Wales" one. Mea culpa.

The area of Llandudno called Craig y Don is universally pronounced as in the English "crag."

With that specific example, I think you'll find opinions differ. (Most people raised west of Llandudno would probably say "craig".)

Your point about porous borders and blending dialects is spot-on, especially toward the east.