Christmas and New Year Bus Services 2022

[busestrains]

Brighton & Hove (Go Ahead) have just announced that Christmas Day bus services will run for the first time this year:

Christmas Day Bus Service

This year we are supporting essential workers and keeping you connected with loved ones with a brand-new Christmas Day service.

www.buses.co.uk

Christmas Day Bus Service​

Yesterday Wed 12th Oct 2022


This year we are supporting essential workers and keeping you connected with loved ones with a brand-new Christmas Day service.

We know it's essential for you to be able to travel across the city 365 days a year, that's why this year we have introduced this special Christmas Day service on routes 1/1A, 5B, 7 and 49.

The routes will operate with the below frequencies:

ROUTE	Christmas Day frequency
1/1A	Every 30 mins
5B	Every 60 mins
7	Every 30 mins
49	Every 60 mins

Full timetables will be available soon.

Brighton has never had any Christmas Day bus services before so interesting to see them running this year and i wonder what other cities will have them this year.

 

[Busaholic]

Brighton & Hove (Go Ahead) have just announced that Christmas Day bus services will run for the first time this year:

Christmas Day Bus Service

This year we are supporting essential workers and keeping you connected with loved ones with a brand-new Christmas Day service.

www.buses.co.uk

Brighton has never had any Christmas Day bus services before so interesting to see them running this year and i wonder what other cities will have them this year.

Interesting - I guess there are quite a few staff who aren't too fussed about working on Christmas day for appropriate remuneration. Not being familiar with their bus routes, is there likely to be interworking? I wonder if the services will continue into the evening, something that has hardly ever happened in this country other than the odd hospital route or ones to major airports.

 

[GusB]

Interesting - I guess there are quite a few staff who aren't too fussed about working on Christmas day for appropriate remuneration. Not being familiar with their bus routes, is there likely to be interworking? I wonder if the services will continue into the evening, something that has hardly ever happened in this country other than the odd hospital route or ones to major airports.

There is a timetable available now, and it looks like there's nothing running beyond 19.40. It's still good to see services running, though.

 

[Gloster]

Southern Vectis seem to be using the same timetable again this year: five routes, three hourly and two with five services each during the day. First two buses out 08.00, last two in 23.55.

 

[busestrains]

Interesting - I guess there are quite a few staff who aren't too fussed about working on Christmas day for appropriate remuneration. Not being familiar with their bus routes, is there likely to be interworking? I wonder if the services will continue into the evening, something that has hardly ever happened in this country other than the odd hospital route or ones to major airports.

I doubt there will be any interworking. All of those routes are cross city routes that start and finish in completely different places. Looking at the frequencies i estimate they will need between eight to ten vehicles out on this day depending how tightly they time the routes. As there is hardly any traffic on this day i reckon eight vehicles would probably be enough.

Brighton & Hove have been running Boxing Day bus services for over fifteen years and these all run from 10:00 to 18:00 only. So i reckon these new Christmas Day bus services will be the same. They can probably then just use one driver per vehicle for the entire day so only about eight drivers probably. The routes mentioned are run from three different depots but i guess that on Christmas Day they will choose one depot and run them all out of that as i can not imagine them opening three depots for such a limited service.

Their sister company Metrobus has been running the 10 (Bewbush to Crawley to Gatwick Airport) at least every half hour 24 hours a day on Christmas Day (and this bus even runs all throughout the nights of the 24th/25th and 25th/26th too) for over fifteen years. So they have some experience of running Christmas Day bus services with this route.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Oct 2022 ==

There is a timetable available now, and it looks like there's nothing running beyond 19.40. It's still good to see services running, though.

Many thanks for posting that. Slightly earlier start and slightly later finish then what i expected. But nothing in the evenings really with most last journeys being around 17:30 to 18:30 departures.

So it looks like the vehicles required will be:

• 1/1A - 4 vehicles
• 5B - 2 vehicles
• 7 - 3 vehicles
• 49 - 2 vehicles

Total PVR - 11 vehicles

They have given some very generous timings there considering on how quiet the roads will be. The buses will be waiting at bus stops a lot. They could have easily lowered the PVR by tightening up the timings.

It will certainly be interesting to see what the usage is like and whether this will be successful.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Oct 2022 ==

Southern Vectis seem to be using the same timetable again this year: five routes, three hourly and two with five services each during the day. First two buses out 08.00, last two in 23.55.

For many years the Isle Of Wight has always had the best Christmas Day bus services in the UK. I have always been so surprised at the extensive service operated on Christmas Day there even late in to the evenings. It is not really somewhere you would expect to have such a good Christmas Day bus service.

 

[Robertj21a]

Brighton & Hove (Go Ahead) have just announced that Christmas Day bus services will run for the first time this year:

Christmas Day Bus Service

This year we are supporting essential workers and keeping you connected with loved ones with a brand-new Christmas Day service.

www.buses.co.uk

Brighton has never had any Christmas Day bus services before so interesting to see them running this year and i wonder what other cities will have them this year.

Excellent stuff from one of the best bus companies in the UK.

 

[davehsug]

There is a timetable available now, and it looks like there's nothing running beyond 19.40. It's still good to see services running, though.

Buses running at 19.40 on any day would be like Christmas in Stoke!

 

[Gloster]

For many years the Isle Of Wight has always had the best Christmas Day bus services in the UK. I have always been so surprised at the extensive service operated on Christmas Day there even late in to the evenings. It is not really somewhere you would expect to have such a good Christmas Day bus service.

I reckon they will need six vehicles: four (two in each direction) working the 3 and 9, one on the 5 and 7, and one on the 1. However, it is quite possible that vehicles might be swapped around during the day as the 1 has a fairly long layover at Newport.

 

[alex397]

For many years the Isle Of Wight has always had the best Christmas Day bus services in the UK. I have always been so surprised at the extensive service operated on Christmas Day there even late in to the evenings. It is not really somewhere you would expect to have such a good Christmas Day bus service.

It would be interesting to know what patronage is like. Must be fairly good if Southern Vectis continue to do this every year. I’d imagine there are workers that use it, but also leisure use for those visiting a pub for Christmas lunch or accessing walks.

With Brighton, I’m fairly surprised to hear about this, especially for this year with the cost of living issues (less people potentially going out) and the declining UK bus usage generally. Of course, with Brighton & Hove being a city I’m sure there will be people using it. It will be interesting to know if this is fully commercial or with some local authority input?

Out of all places, you’d think London would at least have a skeleton service on Christmas Day by now.

 

[InOban]

Edinburgh has a substantial service. After all staff have to get to work in care homes and hospitals . And there are a lot of visitors and several attractions are open.

 

[Statto]

Merseyside has a few routes operating Christmas Day, normally 12pm to 5pm.

 

[johncrossley]

Edinburgh has a substantial service. After all staff have to get to work in care homes and hospitals . And there are a lot of visitors and several attractions are open.

However, the biggest reason by far for travelling on Christmas Day is to visit friends and family. Bizarrely, it is assumed there is no demand for that whatsoever, so that market is left entirely to the private car.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Merseyside has a few routes operating Christmas Day, normally 12pm to 5pm.

They're normally centred around hospitals and visiting hours. Is that the case elsewhere?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Oct 2022 ==

However, the biggest reason by far for travelling on Christmas Day is to visit friends and family. Bizarrely, it is assumed there is no demand for that whatsoever, so that market is left entirely to the private car.

I think the argument there is that you can do that on other days, whereas people don't stop being sick because it's Christmas. Most would choose the car anyway absent a full public transport service - hourly for 6 hours of the day isn't going to be enough. And the roads are notably quiet on Christmas Day.

 

[RT4038]

However, the biggest reason by far for travelling on Christmas Day is to visit friends and family. Bizarrely, it is assumed there is no demand for that whatsoever, so that market is left entirely to the private car.

Hardly bizarre, the market for travelling to visit friends and family is so diffuse that it is unlikely that the usual public transport network would be in any way convenient for all but a tiny minority of public transport users, which would render the provision of such service totally uneconomic.

In this time of staffing shortages, using staff resource on such an uneconomic activity (which would generate 'days off in lieu' to be taken on days when many more would be travelling) would not be a sensible business decision.

 

[johncrossley]

Out of all places, you’d think London would at least have a skeleton service on Christmas Day by now.

TfL run quite a decent network at 3 o'clock on a Monday morning when not many people are travelling or even awake. Christmas Day is way busier but they run nothing.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Oct 2022 ==

Hardly bizarre, the market for travelling to visit friends and family is so diffuse that it is unlikely that the usual public transport network would be in any way convenient for all but a tiny minority of public transport users, which would render the provision of such service totally uneconomic.

In this time of staffing shortages, using staff resource on such an uneconomic activity (which would generate 'days off in lieu' to be taken on days when many more would be travelling) would not be a sensible business decision.

It's pretty normal for people in London to visit friends and family by public transport, except on Christmas Day of course.

 

[RT4038]

It's pretty normal for people in London to visit friends and family by public transport, except on Christmas Day of course.

But on Christmas Day the bus network does not have other activities to bulk up the number of passengers travelling to a more economic level. Outside London, visiting friends and family by bus happens proportionately less I would expect.

Both in London and outside London there are staff and finance shortages, so increasing the quantity of uneconomic services is unlikely at the present time.

 

[RELL6L]

There are a handful of places where public transport is sufficiently good that it is possible to live one's normal life without a car. Oxford is one, Edinburgh too, the Isle of Wight (for some), I would say Brighton is probably another. In these places some basic Christmas Day public transport is desirable. I am not saying that would be a decisive factor in whether or not to have a car but it would weigh. The most significant place one could live without a car is London because the public transport (for all its faults) is actually good. But only 364 days a year. There ought to be coverage on Christmas Day, at least say the night bus network running all day. I am sure there are volunteers, especially non-Christians, in other places - London of all places ought to manage this.

 

[johncrossley]

But on Christmas Day the bus network does not have other activities to bulk up the number of passengers travelling to a more economic level.

But they run buses in the middle of the night when far fewer people are travelling.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Oct 2022 ==

The most significant place one could live without a car is London because the public transport (for all its faults) is actually good. But only 364 days a year.

There are loads of places that have a proper bus service 365 days a year, but not in the UK.

 

[InOban]

I'm frankly astonished that London doesn't have buses on Christmas day. The population density is so high that there's bound to be a market even for family visits. How on earth do hospital staff get to work? All of them cycle?

 

[Bletchleyite]

How on earth do hospital staff get to work? All of them cycle?

There is another mode of transport available - the one that is used for far and away the majority of journeys across the world.

They go by car. If they don't have one, they'll share taxis with colleagues.

 

[johncrossley]

I'm frankly astonished that London doesn't have buses on Christmas day. The population density is so high that there's bound to be a market even for family visits.

If buses ran on Christmas Day I wouldn't be surprised to see overcrowding in inner London because of the lack of tubes. However, running buses in London is always a cost, even heavily used buses, so TfL save money by not running.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

However, the biggest reason by far for travelling on Christmas Day is to visit friends and family. Bizarrely, it is assumed there is no demand for that whatsoever, so that market is left entirely to the private car.

Yes, but travelling to visit friends and family is the most fragmented and diverse set of journeys to cater for.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Oct 2022 ==

There are a handful of places where public transport is sufficiently good that it is possible to live one's normal life without a car. Oxford is one, Edinburgh too, the Isle of Wight (for some), I would say Brighton is probably another. In these places some basic Christmas Day public transport is desirable. I am not saying that would be a decisive factor in whether or not to have a car but it would weigh. The most significant place one could live without a car is London because the public transport (for all its faults) is actually good. But only 364 days a year. There ought to be coverage on Christmas Day, at least say the night bus network running all day. I am sure there are volunteers, especially non-Christians, in other places - London of all places ought to manage this.

The fact that London doesn't have Christmas Day services is anomalous in the extreme. You'd think that there would be some justification for bus services for hospitals and the like. As you say, if one place should be able to manage it, it should be London

 

[markymark2000]

Merseyside has a few routes operating Christmas Day, normally 12pm to 5pm.

And what a waste of money they are. Because planks in the PTE refuse to charge fares, the buses are free, and even then, the routes don't follow the core bus network, brand new network solely for Christmas day. Subsidising passengers journeys by £42 PER TRIP in 2019, or £106 PER TRIP in 2020. A figure which wouldn't ever be seen at any other time of the year. Biggest waste of money there is.

 

[Deerfold]

After 20-odd years of Christmas Day services until 2019, it looks like Keighley's 3 routes won't be returning.

 

[Ken H]

I wonder if Black prince will run their preserved buses in Leeds on Christmas day like they have before, seeing First, Transdev and Arriva won't be.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And what a waste of money they are. Because planks in the PTE refuse to charge fares, the buses are free, and even then, the routes don't follow the core bus network, brand new network solely for Christmas day. Subsidising passengers journeys by £42 PER TRIP in 2019, or £106 PER TRIP in 2020. A figure which wouldn't ever be seen at any other time of the year. Biggest waste of money there is.

They are specifically designed to allow people to visit hospital patients on Christmas Day, and thus have a very significant social value. I'm not sure that it would make much difference if you charged a fare and reduced the £42 to £40, plus you'd have the cost of all the accounting of the small number of fares they would take (it's likely most users would be passholders anyway, which means a bit of a pointless money-go-round from the Council to themselves).

2020 was an odd case due to hospital visiting restrictions meaning there'd be limited call for them.

On the other hand there may be cheaper, better options that could be considered given their purpose, e.g. arranging free or heavily subsidised taxis for those booked for a hospital visit, or using the hospital transport in some way for this. These may of course already have been considered and the buses be cheaper. However I think the principle is a very important one. I think if I was in hospital on Christmas Day I'd like my partner to be able to visit, and some have no other realistic option for transport, not being able to drive, being too infirm to walk or cycle, and being unable to afford a taxi particularly at marked-up Christmas Day rates if they can even find one.

 

[markymark2000]

They are specifically designed to allow people to visit hospital patients on Christmas Day, and thus have a very significant social value. I'm not sure that it would make much difference if you charged a fare and reduced the £42 to £40, plus you'd have the cost of all the accounting of the small number of fares they would take (it's likely most users would be passholders anyway, which means a bit of a pointless money-go-round from the Council to themselves).

It's actually mostly used by bus spotters who are bored, not that much by people visiting others in hospital. Some of the routes have 0.3 passengers per journey. The 194/195 h2/h3 are the same bus. The 44 is someone who takes their partner with them, logs them on each trip. I'd do the same if they were offered but of course, taxpayers shouldn't be funding bored enthusiasts. In fairness, if the empty routes got cut, the subsidy per passenger wouldn't be as bad and I would support it a lot more but it's a network which Merseytravel refuse to change despite the dismal usage.

2020 was an odd case due to hospital visiting restrictions meaning there'd be limited call for them.

Hence I included 2019 figures.

On the other hand there may be cheaper, better options that could be considered given their purpose, e.g. arranging free or heavily subsidised taxis for those booked for a hospital visit, or using the hospital transport in some way for this. These may of course already have been considered and the buses be cheaper. However I think the principle is a very important one. I think if I was in hospital on Christmas Day I'd like my partner to be able to visit, and some have no other realistic option for transport, not being able to drive, being too infirm to walk or cycle, and being unable to afford a taxi particularly at marked-up Christmas Day rates if they can even find one.

Given the subsidy level, you could run this with minibuses and save money rather than demanding normal buses (H2/H3 run with solos, rest with full size buses). That would save a fair bit of money to start with.

 

[Bus Lightyear]

Not sure about Christmas Day but I would've thought there's at least a case for running a limited service in most towns and cities on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

 

[Gloster]

Not sure about Christmas Day but I would've thought there's at least a case for running a limited service in most towns and cities on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

On the Isle of Wight it is a normal bank holiday service on Boxing Day, New Years Day and the substitute bank holidays. Christmas Eve is a normal Saturday timetable except for no night buses: last bus in 01.26 Christmas morning.

 

[busestrains]

Not sure about Christmas Day but I would've thought there's at least a case for running a limited service in most towns and cities on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Boxing Day is slightly better with a few more bus services running but in most places it is the same as Christmas Day with no bus services at all.

New Years Day is normally just a full Sunday service on most bus operators (at least in the South East on the operators i mainly use it is always a full Sunday service but i think other parts of the country often have no service at all).

Ireland is even worse. They have no buses or coaches or trams or trains or airplanes for all of Christmas Day and Boxing Day over there. The entire public transport shuts down 100% for two days. Taking a taxi is the only way to get anywhere on these two days.