TRIVIA: Limited-stop bus services

Statto · 25 May 2018

Most of the Greater Manchester limited stop routes ran off peak as well as part of the GM Buses Express network, buses were painted in special livery with dual purpose seating,[buses were mostly Olympians, with a few MCW Metrobuses with Northern Counties body] but most got withdrawn in the mid to late 90s or converted to stop at all stops, the GM Express routes i remember are
9, Manchester-Bolton-Blackrod
18, Manchester-Oldham-Greenacres
20, Manchester-Rochdale-Bacup
32, Manchester-Wigan
34, Manchester-Liverpool
90, Manchester-Bury-Rawtenstall
104, Manchester-Wythenshawe
180, Manchester-Oldham-Greenfield
183/184, Manchester-Oldham-Uppermill
400, Bolton-Stockport
401, Wigan-Oldham, then became Bolton-Stockport
I know there was a Manchester-Glossop express service numbered between 215 & 219.

400 was under the Trans Lancs Express branding, 401 became part of that branding too, 400 did get extended from Stockport to Manchester Airport via Wythenshawe, the Airport extension then became summer Sundays only.

Of that network only the 34, 180, 184 still exist only the 180, 184 still mostly the same but now serves all stops, although the 184 has a Delph & Huddersfield extension, 34 is a shadow of it's former self with Arriva & Stagecoach operating 2 seperate sections, Arriva St Helens-Leigh, Stagecoach-Leigh-Manchester.

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daodao · 25 May 2018

Statto said:
I know there was a Manchester-Glossop express service numbered between 215 & 219.

The M/c-Ashton-Glossop LS service was numbered 6; it ran from LMS bus station, and was a joint service between MCT/SHMD/NWRCC. The section east of Ashton survives as route 236. The other M/c-Glossop service was numbered 125 and ran via Hyde Road. Bus numbers 210-219 inclusive were reserved for the trolleybus routes.

Ianno87 · 25 May 2018

daodao said:
The M/c-Ashton-Glossop LS service was numbered 6; it ran from LMS bus station, and was a joint service between MCT/SHMD/NWRCC. The section east of Ashton survives as route 236. The other M/c-Glossop service was numbered 125 and ran via Hyde Road. Bus numbers 210-219 inclusive were reserved for the trolleybus routes.

It also got a reincarnation in the mid 2000s as the X36 and X37. All stops Glossop to Ashton then limited stop to Manchester.

Statto · 25 May 2018

daodao said:
The M/c-Ashton-Glossop LS service was numbered 6; it ran from LMS bus station, and was a joint service between MCT/SHMD/NWRCC. The section east of Ashton survives as route 236. The other M/c-Glossop service was numbered 125 and ran via Hyde Road. Bus numbers 210-219 inclusive were reserved for the trolleybus routes.

This was GM Buses era, late 80s into the 90s well after trolleybuses were withdrawn, there was 2 services to Glossop the 236/237 as you mention there was also a limited stop service think may have been numbered 217/218, i have an old Peak District timetable book somewhere from the mid 90s which has these routes still limited stop.

Edit it wa 214/215 heres a pic of one on layover in Manchester. https://www.flickr.com/photos/selmerorselnec/40481494862

Ayman Ilham · 25 May 2018

Stagecoach Manchester has the 330 which runs all stops between Ashton and Stockport and then a nonstop extension to Manchester Airport from Stockport via the motorway. Skyline 199 by High Peak runs the exact same route between the Airport and Stockport and then all stops to Buxton. Transdev run the X41 and X43, which are both limited stop through Manchester and Prestwich before running nonstop on the M66 briefly and then getting off at Ramsbottom (formerly at Haslingden) or Rawtenstall respectively before becoming all stop (or maybe still limited stop, not sure tbh) to their respective destinations. The X43 also uses a dual carriageway bypassing Nelson between Burnley and Colne on the Skipton extension. On the other side of the Pennines, Stagecoach recently got new limited stop routes X10 Leeds to Barnsley followed by the X65 Barnsley to Meadowhall, using the M1 for most of the route, with the X10 service having received new Plaxton Elite coaches!

Over in Wales, TrawsCymru T1C is limited stop the entire route from Aberystwyth to Cardiff (it recently got upgraded to a coach service last month) with the B7RLE that used to run the service now doing the T1S Carmarthen to Swansea which is nonstop dual-carriageway (A48) / motorway (M4) for almost the entirety of its route with a stop at Cross Hands. Other TrawsCymru routes are a mix of limited stop and all stop, serving as multi-purpose interurban routes throughout Wales, providing connections where rail links are missing, usually being limited stop within major towns and cities and sections of route duplicated by local services (e.g. the T4 between Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil), while being all stops in sections where it is the only regular route serving the corridor like a majority of the T3 route.

The North East has many limited-stop express bus services connecting the major towns and cities like various Arriva MAX routes such the X12 Middlesbrough to Newcastle via Durham and the X15 Newcastle to Berwick-upon-Tweed; X24 Newcastle to Sunderland operated by Stagecoach; and X9/X10 Middlesbrough to Newcastle direct by Go North East. A majority of these routes were operated by coaches in the past! Majority of express Stagecoach routes up in Scotland still use coaches (nowadays mainly modern Plaxton Elites) like the X74 Dumfries to Glasgow which mostly uses the M74, X7 Perth & Dundee to Aberdeen via the coast, X24 X26 X27 Glasgow to Fife, X54 Edinburgh to Dundee via Fife, etc. If only we still had more of that in England and Wales (like, a FULL network of limited stop bus routes operated by coaches, not just one or two in certain regions spread out across the country) but most of them have either been withdrawn (like the X61 Manchester to Blackpool via Preston) or downgraded to service buses! Would've been handy to have more coach-operated express "bus" routes, considering Megabus is advance booking only (no flexibility) and National Express fares from the driver can be even more expensive than the train, so you might as well book in advance online anyway!

Dentonian · 25 May 2018

Ayman Ilham said:
Stagecoach Manchester has the 330 which runs all stops between Ashton and Stockport and then a nonstop extension to Manchester Airport from Stockport via the motorway. Skyline 199 by High Peak runs the exact same route between the Airport and Stockport and then all stops to Buxton. Transdev run the X41 and X43, which are both limited stop through Manchester and Prestwich before running nonstop on the M66 briefly and then getting off at Ramsbottom (formerly at Haslingden) or Rawtenstall respectively before becoming all stop (or maybe still limited stop, not sure tbh) to their respective destinations. The X43 also uses a dual carriageway bypassing Nelson between Burnley and Colne on the Skipton extension. On the other side of the Pennines, Stagecoach recently got new limited stop routes X10 Leeds to Barnsley followed by the X65 Barnsley to Meadowhall, using the M1 for most of the route, with the X10 service having received new Plaxton Elite coaches!

Over in Wales, TrawsCymru T1C is limited stop the entire route from Aberystwyth to Cardiff (it recently got upgraded to a coach service last month) with the B7RLE that used to run the service now doing the T1S Carmarthen to Swansea which is nonstop dual-carriageway (A48) / motorway (M4) for almost the entirety of its route with a stop at Cross Hands. Other TrawsCymru routes are a mix of limited stop and all stop, serving as multi-purpose interurban routes throughout Wales, providing connections where rail links are missing, usually being limited stop within major towns and cities and sections of route duplicated by local services (e.g. the T4 between Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil), while being all stops in sections where it is the only regular route serving the corridor like a majority of the T3 route.

The North East has many limited-stop express bus services connecting the major towns and cities like various Arriva MAX routes such the X12 Middlesbrough to Newcastle via Durham and the X15 Newcastle to Berwick-upon-Tweed; X24 Newcastle to Sunderland operated by Stagecoach; and X9/X10 Middlesbrough to Newcastle direct by Go North East. A majority of these routes were operated by coaches in the past! Majority of express Stagecoach routes up in Scotland still use coaches (nowadays mainly modern Plaxton Elites) like the X74 Dumfries to Glasgow which mostly uses the M74, X7 Perth & Dundee to Aberdeen via the coast, X24 X26 X27 Glasgow to Fife, X54 Edinburgh to Dundee via Fife, etc. If only we still had more of that in England and Wales (like, a FULL network of limited stop bus routes operated by coaches, not just one or two in certain regions spread out across the country) but most of them have either been withdrawn (like the X61 Manchester to Blackpool via Preston) or downgraded to service buses! Would've been handy to have more coach-operated express "bus" routes, considering Megabus is advance booking only (no flexibility) and National Express fares from the driver can be even more expensive than the train, so you might as well book in advance online anyway!

Yes. It seems incredible to think that Manchester to Blackpool was once the most frequent express bus service in the World - Summer weekend s in the 50s - and now the only road passenger transport is a few badly timed for day trips coaches. Still there's always the train.....lol

Statto · 25 May 2018

Dentonian said:
Yes. It seems incredible to think that Manchester to Blackpool was once the most frequent express bus service in the World - Summer weekend s in the 50s - and now the only road passenger transport is a few badly timed for day trips coaches. Still there's always the train.....lol

I remember the Stagecoach Express, X61 was Manchester-Cleveleys via Preston & Blackpool, there was also X51 Southport-Morecambe, X59 Preston-Burnley all used to connect with each other at Preston. X61 was always well used in the summer, improvements on the rail network combined with traffic done for the X61. X51 Preston-Morecambe has been withdrawn, Preston-Southport is now X2 & continues to Liverpool. X59 is 59 Preston-Blackburn & serves all stops.

Ayman Ilham · 25 May 2018

Dentonian said:
Yes. It seems incredible to think that Manchester to Blackpool was once the most frequent express bus service in the World - Summer weekend s in the 50s - and now the only road passenger transport is a few badly timed for day trips coaches. Still there's always the train.....lol

Why was the X61 withdrawn? Do most people just prefer to do the journey by train?

TheGrandWazoo · 25 May 2018

Ayman Ilham said:
Why was the X61 withdrawn? Do most people just prefer to do the journey by train?

Many different factors. The overall increase in car travel is one. The massive decline in visitor numbers (families preferring to holiday in the Med where sun is guaranteed) and that those that visit are different in their composition - fewer families, more stag and hen dos.

Ianno87 · 25 May 2018

Ayman Ilham said:
Why was the X61 withdrawn? Do most people just prefer to do the journey by train?

The only time I used it through to Blackpool in early 2002 (Day trip to Fleetwood on a dreary Saturday), it had a decent load on.

But most of the time, it was common to observe them on the East Lancs Road with only a handful of passengers on.

Towards the end of its life, a diversion through Adlington and Horwich was experimented with - I used it on a few occasions with my GM bus pass (a bargain for that service!), but wasn't successful.

I think the fact is the train was more frequent, has the speed edge without being 'stuck' on a bus (particularly in rush hour traffic) and the competing stations are well endowed with Park and Ride facilities.

mugam4 · 25 May 2018

samogers said:
Brighton & Hove Buses 28,29,29B (The 'Regency Route'), are limited stop between Brighton Churchill Square and Coldean Lane (just outside Falmer)

The 29X is a peak service that is limited stop for its whole journey between Brighton and Tunbridge Wells

The 28 is limited stop from Old Steine to Coldean Lane
The 29/29B is limited stop from Old Steine to Falmer Station
The 25X is limited stop from Old Steine to Stanmer Park
The 29X is limited stop from Old Steine to Lewes, and only serves the bus station in Uckfield

Ayman Ilham · 26 May 2018

Ianno87 said:
The only time I used it through to Blackpool in early 2002 (Day trip to Fleetwood on a dreary Saturday), it had a decent load on.

But most of the time, it was common to observe them on the East Lancs Road with only a handful of passengers on.

Towards the end of its life, a diversion through Adlington and Horwich was experimented with - I used it on a few occasions with my GM bus pass (a bargain for that service!), but wasn't successful.

I think the fact is the train was more frequent, has the speed edge without being 'stuck' on a bus (particularly in rush hour traffic) and the competing stations are well endowed with Park and Ride facilities.

It's a shame really, cos now there are no coach services left that you can ride with day tickets anywhere in Greater Manchester, just NatEx and Megabus which have to be reserved in advance! Considerable lack of luxury buses to ride with my unirider over here! Wish I lived in Scotland, or at least any of the neighbouring cities to Manc (Chester, Liverpool, Preston, Sheffield, etc.) since Stagecoach Manchester has neither Gold nor coach-operated services with no plans for any in the future!

Statto · 26 May 2018

The X61 would often have the coaches replaced by deckers during the summer it was that busy, main problem nowadays the X61 would take at least 3 hours minimum were as the train takes around 90 minutes.

Just realised i have a full timetable set for Lancashire for 95/96 which has the Stagecoach Express timetable, X61 took 2 hours 10 minutes Manchester to Blackpool then, forgotten the X61 was extended to Fleetwood at one stage before being cut to Cleveleys , spring 96 most journeys Monday to Saturday went to/from Blackpool with some journeys to Cleveleys, Sundays the X61 went to Fleetwood

transmanche · 26 May 2018

Ayman Ilham said:
The North East has many limited-stop express bus services connecting the major towns and cities like various Arriva MAX routes such the X12 Middlesbrough to Newcastle via Durham and the X15 Newcastle to Berwick-upon-Tweed; X24 Newcastle to Sunderland operated by Stagecoach; and X9/X10 Middlesbrough to Newcastle direct by Go North East.

Yes, the North East is somewhat blessed with longer distance limited-stop express services. A number of them (e.g. Arriva's X21/X22 Newcastle to Ashington/Newbiggin by the Sea) are only limited-stop in Tyne & Wear and serve all stops elsewhere. Others (such as the aforementioned Arriva X15) do the same, but also have some non-stop runs on dual-carriageway roads such as the A1. There are even some more local routes (i.e. Stagecoach's X47 Newcastle City Centre to Kingston Park or X87/X88 to Newbiggin Hall) which do a short run non-stop along the A167 and then serve every stop.

But I was trying to think of any services which follow the old Green Line pattern of running along 'normal' roads, but only serving 1 in every 3-4 normal bus stops. The nearest I can think of is Go North East's X1 from Newcastle to Easington Lane. It runs like from Newcastle to Washington at least, but I'm not sure if it serves every stop at the southern end of its route or not. And it runs every 10 minutes too!

WY Bus Spotter · 26 May 2018

asw22 said:
X6 Leeds to Bradford is a limited stop on a 10 minute frequency which must be one of the most frequent limited stops in the UK?

Also don't forget x63 runs every 10 mins aswell between Bradford and Huddersfield

Wirewiper · 26 May 2018

Is a bus service still limited stop if it serves all the bus stops along the route, but there just aren't very many of them?

I'm thinking of the GOLD route between Torquay and Plymouth which falls into this category - it serves all bus stops along the line of route, but it runs along stretches of the A38 where there are no bus stops.

Ayman Ilham · 26 May 2018

Wirewiper said:
Is a bus service still limited stop if it serves all the bus stops along the route, but there just aren't very many of them?

I'm thinking of the GOLD route between Torquay and Plymouth which falls into this category - it serves all bus stops along the line of route, but it runs along stretches of the A38 where there are no bus stops.

Yeah, if it has any nonstop dual carriageway / motorway sections on the route, then it counts!

Deerfold · 26 May 2018

Statto said:
Most of the Greater Manchester limited stop routes ran off peak as well as part of the GM Buses Express network, buses were painted in special livery with dual purpose seating,[buses were mostly Olympians, with a few MCW Metrobuses with Northern Counties body] but most got withdrawn in the mid to late 90s or converted to stop at all stops, the GM Express routes i remember are
9, Manchester-Bolton-Blackrod
18, Manchester-Oldham-Greenacres
20, Manchester-Rochdale-Bacup
32, Manchester-Wigan
34, Manchester-Liverpool
90, Manchester-Bury-Rawtenstall
104, Manchester-Wythenshawe
180, Manchester-Oldham-Greenfield
183/184, Manchester-Oldham-Uppermill
400, Bolton-Stockport
401, Wigan-Oldham, then became Bolton-Stockport
I know there was a Manchester-Glossop express service numbered between 215 & 219.

400 was under the Trans Lancs Express branding, 401 became part of that branding too, 400 did get extended from Stockport to Manchester Airport via Wythenshawe, the Airport extension then became summer Sundays only.

Of that network only the 34, 180, 184 still exist only the 180, 184 still mostly the same but now serves all stops, although the 184 has a Delph & Huddersfield extension, 34 is a shadow of it's former self with Arriva & Stagecoach operating 2 seperate sections, Arriva St Helens-Leigh, Stagecoach-Leigh-Manchester.

The 17 and 24 used to be limited stop too.

In West Yorkshire, last Saturday saw the start of the smallest limited stop service I've seen. The X22 runs Halifax - Keighley 3 times each way on a Saturday, stopping at just 7 stops on the way. Other services run over all the route though you have to change to get end to end. The service is run with 15-seater minibuses by South Pennine Community Transport. On its first day of operation they were running duplicates.

Statto · 26 May 2018

I remember Go North East when they were Wear Buses has express buses in a different livery

Deerfold said:
The 17 and 24 used to be limited stop too.

In West Yorkshire, last Saturday saw the start of the smallest limited stop service I've seen. The X22 runs Halifax - Keighley 3 times each way on a Saturday, stopping at just 7 stops on the way. Other services run over all the route though you have to change to get end to end. The service is run with 15-seater minibuses by South Pennine Community Transport. On its first day of operation they were running duplicates.

Yep there used to be a few more limited stop routes in GM area but used standard buses rather than the express buses, i remember the 320 Liverpool-Wigan being limited stop but used standard Atlanteans & Olympians.

Ianno87 · 26 May 2018

Deerfold said:
The 17 and 24 used to be limited stop too.

In West Yorkshire, last Saturday saw the start of the smallest limited stop service I've seen. The X22 runs Halifax - Keighley 3 times each way on a Saturday, stopping at just 7 stops on the way. Other services run over all the route though you have to change to get end to end. The service is run with 15-seater minibuses by South Pennine Community Transport. On its first day of operation they were running duplicates.

There were a few GM Buses routes that were limited stop but were not GM Express branded - I think the 12 [then] from Bolton to Manchester fell into this category, for example.

Dentonian · 26 May 2018

Statto said:
The X61 would often have the coaches replaced by deckers during the summer it was that busy, main problem nowadays the X61 would take at least 3 hours minimum were as the train takes around 90 minutes.

OTOH, The train will be a Sprinter (or was on the two recent occasions I used it) and quite apart from the current (much delayed & criticised) work on the this line, Summer weekends see regular widespread suspension of rail services from Manchester - and I'm guessing elsewhere. I'm not sure what the coach fare would be now, but generally when I've compared (past or surviving) coach services from Manchester to other major northern cities/towns, with rail, rail is/was c.50% more expensive.

radamfi · 26 May 2018

Deerfold said:
The 17 and 24 used to be limited stop too.

Minor correction. There were limited stop versions of the 17 and 24, 16 and 23 respectively. The 17 has always been all stops. Whilst the 24 used to be limited stop itself, the 23 had even fewer stops, running non-stop from Royton to Manchester.

Dentonian · 26 May 2018

Ayman Ilham said:
It's a shame really, cos now there are no coach services left that you can ride with day tickets anywhere in Greater Manchester, just NatEx and Megabus which have to be reserved in advance! Considerable lack of luxury buses to ride with my unirider over here! Wish I lived in Scotland, or at least any of the neighbouring cities to Manc (Chester, Liverpool, Preston, Sheffield, etc.) since Stagecoach Manchester has neither Gold nor coach-operated services with no plans for any in the future!

As inferred the stops within GM on the X61 were only in existance for a short time, and with all due respect you should try travelling in east Manchester if you aren't happy with the "luxury" aspect available on a Unirider ticket. At least the MagicBus E400s were re-upholstered before transferring from mainstream full fare routes.

As for Gold etc. Greater Manchester does not provide the relevant market. Buses in GM are used by people who have to use them (ie. the car-less), so they get basic provision. Also, chronic traffic congestion and appalling traffic management, combined with the type of journeys local bus users normally make, means routes aren't very long. There are exceptions to all these rules, as the various characteristics apply more to the east of the county than to the west, at least off-peak. .

Dentonian · 26 May 2018

Dentonian said:
As inferred the stops within GM on the X61 were only in existance for a short time, and with all due respect you should try travelling in east Manchester if you aren't happy with the "luxury" aspect available on a Unirider ticket. At least the MagicBus E400s were re-upholstered before transferring from mainstream ops!

As for Gold etc. Greater Manchester does not provide the relevant market. Buses in GM are used by people who have to use them (ie. the car-less), so they get basic provision. Also, chronic traffic congestion and appalling traffic management, combined with the type of journeys local bus users normally make, means routes aren't very long. There are exceptions to all these rules, as the various characteristics apply more to the east of the county than to the west, at least off-peak. .

radamfi said:
Minor correction. There were limited stop versions of the 17 and 24, 16 and 23 respectively. The 17 has always been all stops. Whilst the 24 used to be limited stop itself, the 23 had even fewer stops, running non-stop from Royton to Manchester.

Ah! I did wonder. I doubt it genuinely is now, but the 17 was always amongst the top trio* of GMT services in the 1980s (347 & 582 were the others), and I was sure no LS services featured.

*In terms of operating surplus/profit.

radamfi · 26 May 2018

Dentonian said:
Ah! I did wonder. I doubt it genuinely is now, but the 17 was always amongst the top trio* of GMT services in the 1980s (347 & 582 were the others), and I was sure no LS services featured.

*In terms of operating surplus/profit.

Under GMT, the 16 and 23 were peak only. After deregulation, the 16 ran in the daytime as well. If I recall correctly, under GMT the 16 ran non-stop from Middleton to Manchester.

Ayman Ilham · 26 May 2018

Dentonian said:
As inferred the stops within GM on the X61 were only in existance for a short time, and with all due respect you should try travelling in east Manchester if you aren't happy with the "luxury" aspect available on a Unirider ticket. At least the MagicBus E400s were re-upholstered before transferring from mainstream full fare routes.

As for Gold etc. Greater Manchester does not provide the relevant market. Buses in GM are used by people who have to use them (ie. the car-less), so they get basic provision. Also, chronic traffic congestion and appalling traffic management, combined with the type of journeys local bus users normally make, means routes aren't very long. There are exceptions to all these rules, as the various characteristics apply more to the east of the county than to the west, at least off-peak. .

I actually lived in East Manchester with a pretty good variety of routes (enjoyed riding to many places during my first year of uni) until I moved to a better house in Oldham, where the 76 is pretty much the only Stagecoach route in the area but it goes behind my house while the much nicer and more direct First routes are a considerable walk away, so I have no other alternative! The new MMCs that have the leather seats and all that are extremely rare on the 76 and the dedicated buses for the route have no WiFi which is very rubbish, especially considering I have a 40 minute long commute to the city through boring residential suburbs with hardly any main road sections! Although given how quiet the bus often is until Newton Heath, I'm surprised they run deckers up to every 10 minutes throughout the day, since I can sometimes have the whole top deck to myself!

175mph · 26 May 2018

Although through the day the Hornsby's number 4 Scunthorpe to Brigg isn't limited stop, the first ever journey of the day on the timetable shows it beginning straight from their depot instead of the bus station, skipping out Lakeside retail park and Broughton and going straight down the A18 all the way to Brigg.

It's done as a positioning journey before they take the chicken factory workers from Brigg to their early morning shift.

Dentonian · 26 May 2018

Ayman Ilham said:
I actually lived in East Manchester with a pretty good variety of routes (enjoyed riding to many places during my first year of uni) until I moved to a better house in Oldham, where the 76 is pretty much the only Stagecoach route in the area but it goes behind my house while the much nicer and more direct First routes are a considerable walk away, so I have no other alternative! The new MMCs that have the leather seats and all that are extremely rare on the 76 and the dedicated buses for the route have no WiFi which is very rubbish, especially considering I have a 40 minute long commute to the city through boring residential suburbs with hardly any main road sections! Although given how quiet the bus often is until Newton Heath, I'm surprised they run deckers up to every 10 minutes throughout the day, since I can sometimes have the whole top deck to myself!

At my age, I'm not too bothered about Wi-Fi. That said, its very hit & miss on the MMCs anyway. Don't forget also, that the dedicated E400s on the 76 are only 6 years old, and as you concede, the seats aren't fully utilised off-peak anyway. The ones elsewhere - and certainly on Hyde Road corridor - are now approaching 10 years old and some sections of route (eg. Stockport-Reddish) can be heavily loaded for large portions of the day/week.

158756 · 26 May 2018

Ayman Ilham said:
Transdev run the X41 and X43, which are both limited stop through Manchester and Prestwich before running nonstop on the M66 briefly and then getting off at Ramsbottom (formerly at Haslingden) or Rawtenstall respectively before becoming all stop (or maybe still limited stop, not sure tbh) to their respective destinations. The X43 also uses a dual carriageway bypassing Nelson between Burnley and Colne on the Skipton extension.

All stops from Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall, except a handful of peak journeys on the X43 which stop only 3 times between the last Burnley stop and Shudehill. It used to be limited stop in Burnley as well. The dual carriageway bypassing Nelson is another motorway, albeit managed by the council rather than Highways England.

Ayman Ilham said:
If only we still had more of that in England and Wales (like, a FULL network of limited stop bus routes operated by coaches, not just one or two in certain regions spread out across the country) but most of them have either been withdrawn (like the X61 Manchester to Blackpool via Preston) or downgraded to service buses! Would've been handy to have more coach-operated express "bus" routes, considering Megabus is advance booking only (no flexibility) and National Express fares from the driver can be even more expensive than the train, so you might as well book in advance online anyway!

The key problem is what market would they serve? Car ownership is so high, the train is faster, more comfortable, has a toilet etc. If the X61 still existed, making maximum use of the motorways, it'd probably take well over 2 hours, and you can bet on an hour plus delay at least once a week, some weeks every day. Plus no one goes to Blackpool anymore. I don't understand why anyone paying the full fare sits on the X41 (and in this case obviously neither could the people of Blackburn) or X43 beyond Rossendale, they might be shinier but I'd rather a Merseytravel Pacer than risk the car park that is Manchester and the M60. At least if you drive you can choose an alternative route.

transmanche · 27 May 2018

Statto said:
I remember Go North East when they were Wear Buses has express buses in a different livery.

Well, Wear Buses was just one of the local brand names that GNE (or Go-Ahead Northern, as they were then) used from the early 1990s. Wear Buses in Sunderland and East Durham, VFM Buses on South Tyneside, Go-Ahead Gateshead in Gateshead, Coastline in North Tyneside and Northern in West Durham.

But you're right; some buses used a variant of the standard livery, branded 'Wear Express'

2532 19950803 Sunderland & District {Wear Buses} C659 LJR by CWG43, on Flickr
1994-10-29 C683 JGR Leyland Tiger-Plaxton of Wear Buses (Go-Ahead), Newcastle Newgate St by John Carter, on Flickr

TRIVIA: Limited-stop bus services

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