Buses where the driver has a choice of route

[PermitToTravel]

Hi all,
I've been wondering about how many buses there are in the UK where the driver can just between two or more separate routes without missing out any stops. I can think of a two, both TfL routes:



Buses on the X68, on the non-stop Waterloo to West Norwood run, might follow the stopping 68's route via Elephant and Castle and the A215 through Camberwell and Herne Hill, or might alternatively take the much straighter route past Lambeth North station, along the A23, and down Tulse Hill, much like a 58 would. There are some other semi-sensible routes that a double decker bus will fit down, but I have never seen any of these to be used (I don't use the X68 frequently enough that this means much, though)

A very much smaller potential variation: buses on the 331 can traverse Denham Roundabout in either direction. TfL's data says that buses in both directions travel clockwise, but in practice buses in either direction can go round either way, and I've never been able to figure out how the drivers choose. In my opinion buses should always go round anti-clockwise as this will always involve one set of signals, not two.



Can anyone else think of any examples, either where buses theoretically could reasonably choose between two routes, or ones where they actually in practice do vary in routes?

 

[TheWalrus]

On the 49 in Trowbridge when going round the one way system from Stallard Street to Manvers Street you can cut a corner by going in between some houses. I realise this isn't accurate but don't really know how to describe it!

 

[PermitToTravel]

Would that be by turning right here?

 

[Qwerty133]

the X6 From Leicester to Coventry is often seen going through sainsburys car park near fosse park, but should continue to the traffic lights and turn left at the junction.

 

[Shrimper]

As far as I am aware, any service designated as an express service is permitted to use any route between designated stops - though in the case of most X routes I'm aware of in Manchester the stops are still fairly close together and stick to main roads anyway!

 

[Alistair G.]

the X6 From Leicester to Coventry is often seen going through sainsburys car park near fosse park, but should continue to the traffic lights and turn left at the junction.

The x6 is also permitted any route after narborough road south that it wants to take to reach st. Margarets, the only exception being when somebody has requested a stop (I like to request upperton road, drivers hate it when I do as it's considered a slower route... Especially on football day!)

 

[gnolife]

Ive known routes 199 (Mancr Airport - Buxton) and X5 to avoid the M60 when its been particularly bad traffic - Both go down the A560 to Gatley, from which point, the 199 follows route 44 to the Airport, and the X5 follows route 11A to Sharston, then normal route.

 

[transmanche]

Stagecoach Newcastle's service 100 (Monument-Metrocentre) can take a variety of routes depending on traffic - I've even been on it going via Scotswood Bridge before. But that's fairly easy as it's a limited stop route - running express from Central Station to Metrocentre.

Similarly, in the past, GNE's X66 (Gateshead Interchange-Metrocentre) would often vary its route depending on traffic conditions. But I don't think it needs to since the riverside busway was constructed.

 

[Techniquest]

Not sure whether this counts, but on occasions when Whitecross jams up in Hereford, the 461/462 will sometimes divert via Grandstand Road to get into the city centre. I suppose technically it misses a couple of minor stops, including the one I usually use to get to work quicker, but not the ones most people use.

 

[MikeWh]

Going back to TfL, the 96 runs non stop between Bluewater and Dartford. They either follow the 492 route via Greenhithe or the 428 route past Darent Valley Hospital. The only thing they can't do is use the dedicated Fastrack bus lanes.

 

[Aictos]

When there's engineering works on the Hertford Loop, there's three routes between Hertford North and Stevenage which avoid Watton At Stone, so 4 routes in total: one driver last week wanted to take a coach on the A1 then A1000 (A1000 is a winding country road) until I suggested taking the A1 then the A414 instead

Where rail replacement services are concerned, I guess it helps if you have some local knowledge of the local roads.

 

[cuccir]

Stagecoach Newcastle's service 100 (Monument-Metrocentre) can take a variety of routes depending on traffic - I've even been on it going via Scotswood Bridge before. But that's fairly easy as it's a limited stop route - running express from Central Station to Metrocentre.

Similarly, in the past, GNE's X66 (Gateshead Interchange-Metrocentre) would often vary its route depending on traffic conditions. But I don't think it needs to since the riverside busway was constructed.

Similarly, the X21 Newcastle-Bishop Auckland runs non-stop from Gateshead to Chester-le-Street and usually runs up the A167 through Low Fell but will sometimes head to the A184 and Western Bypass if traffic dictates.

 

[34D]

Going back to TfL, the 96 runs non stop between Bluewater and Dartford. They either follow the 492 route via Greenhithe or the 428 route past Darent Valley Hospital. The only thing they can't do is use the dedicated Fastrack bus lanes.

Why not? They're just signed as 'bus lane' aren't they?

 

[MK Tom]

The X5 will sometimes leave Oxford to west by way of Botley Road and take the A34 around the side instead of sitting in endless queues on Woodstock Road. The few times I've known it do this it's been faster than the normal route.

The X5's route from MKC station to the MK Coachway varies a lot too, switching between H6 Childs Way and H5 Portway, sometimes running through Campbell Park and sometimes not doing. Stagecoach drivers on all three X routes into MK seem unsure whether to take Midsummer or Avebury Boulevard within CMK.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Arriva 8 (Oxley Park-Walnut Tree) in Milton Keynes can take two different routes between Childs Way and Milton Keynes Central station, either Grafton Gate or round the back of the old ice rink alongside the up slow (there are no stops), this is even shown on the town bus map

 

[NeilWatson]

Hi all,
A very much smaller potential variation: buses on the 331 can traverse Denham Roundabout in either direction. TfL's data says that buses in both directions travel clockwise, but in practice buses in either direction can go round either way, and I've never been able to figure out how the drivers choose. In my opinion buses should always go round anti-clockwise as this will always involve one set of signals, not two.

I'm intrigued by this - can you explain a little more please?

 

[plymothian]

It's a larger version of Swindon's magic roundabout, a magic gyratory.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The Compass Bus number 99 (Petworth to Chichester) has numerous officially-approved diversions that are allowed should certain very rural stops not be pre-booked by intending passengers.

I remember one of their drivers telling me this when my wife and I used their Tuesday and Fridays only solitary 1207 service 96 from Midhurst to Petworth (to visit Petworth House) that took us around quaint tiny villages and hamlets that we never knew existed when holidaying in West Sussex in previous years.

 

[dvboy]

Any bus that uses the Aston Expressway can use Lichfield Road without missing any stop.

 

[ilkestonian]

In Derby, the TrentBarton Spondon Flyer has two options when on the A52 Derby bound. It can leave at the Wyvern exit and head towards Derby past the Costco(?) warehouse, down a bus only road and continue past The Meadows, coming out at the Pentagon roundabout, or it can continue on the A52 to the Pentagon. The former option being attractive in the rush hour when queues leading to the Pentagon are at their worst.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Along with the 49, There is one outside of Trowbridge (Staverton) where the Faresaver ZigZag route goes to Holt. You either go up a narrow lane hill, which is more of a shortcut, or take the main road out and come back again (only a couple of minutes difference).

The route taken depends on

A) If the narrow road is flooded, which is often if it's raining or

B) Depending on the driver, not all of them are confident up the lane, as it is tight, and gets tighter at the top where you need to drive literally against the hedges to let cars past

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

On the 49 in Trowbridge when going round the one way system from Stallard Street to Manvers Street you can cut a corner by going in between some houses. I realise this isn't accurate but don't really know how to describe it!

Those houses are where the bus depot used to be until 1983!

 

[paddington]

I'm not entirely sure because I was a bit drowsy, but I got the impression that the 575 (once a day) took a different route from Romford to Lakeside to the return journey.

Of course there is no way to check since it now goes from Harlow to Romford...

 

[Trainfan344]

First Suffolk & Norfolk's X1 Bus has two routes that it can take into peterborough bus station.

 

[northwichcat]

As far as I am aware, any service designated as an express service is permitted to use any route between designated stops - though in the case of most X routes I'm aware of in Manchester the stops are still fairly close together and stick to main roads anyway!

In the case of Stagecoach's X41 it is slower end to end than Arriva's 263.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

The Compass Bus number 99 (Petworth to Chichester) has numerous officially-approved diversions that are allowed should certain very rural stops not be pre-booked by intending passengers.

I remember one of their drivers telling me this when my wife and I used their Tuesday and Fridays only solitary 1207 service 96 from Midhurst to Petworth (to visit Petworth House) that took us around quaint tiny villages and hamlets that we never knew existed when holidaying in West Sussex in previous years.

They also run the 99A which on one journey out and back runs via Bignor Roman Villa.

When the 20 ran between Barnsley and Holmfirth, depending on the weather it use to omit Dunford Bridge but waited at the top of the hill at the junction of Dunford Road / Windle Edge. I've used the service when we had servere snow a few years back and on the six out of the eight oocations I used it, it didn't go to Dunford Bridge.

Another is going to be the 951 on the 6th July this year because of the Le Tour. As far as I'm aware, it will run to Flouch and then down to Glossop the same on the way back.

 

[PermitToTravel]

I'm quite surprised that there are so many of these! It's quite a rarity here in London for bus stops to be sufficiently far apart to permit this

I'm intrigued by this - can you explain a little more please?

The Denham "Roundabout" (Google Maps) was originally built as a conventional roundabout. It was later converted to a "magic roundabout", that is to say a roundabout that can be traversed in either direction, by converting the circulatory carriageway into a two-way road, that has many junctions with the roads that were previously the arms of the roundabout. Most of these junctions are further roundabouts, but the A40/M40 slip roads are signalised T junctions.

The Denham Roundabout is not a true magic roundabout due to these signalised T junctions. A better example with physical sub-roundabouts is that at Hatton Cross (Google Maps), but the original at Swindon uses mini roundabouts:

There's a good article about the original Magic Roundabout here

 

[Welshman]

The Compass Bus number 99 (Petworth to Chichester) has numerous officially-approved diversions that are allowed should certain very rural stops not be pre-booked by intending passengers.

I remember one of their drivers telling me this when my wife and I used their Tuesday and Fridays only solitary 1207 service 96 from Midhurst to Petworth (to visit Petworth House) that took us around quaint tiny villages and hamlets that we never knew existed when holidaying in West Sussex in previous years.

There are quite a number of "demand responsive" services like that.

For example, there's one near us:-

GHA Coaches Service 70 departing Ruthin at 1345, 1620 and 1720, will stop at Bontuchel, Cyffylliog, Clocaenog, Clawddnewydd, Derwen, Melin y Wig, & Bettws GG, either to set-down passengers on the bus from Ruthin or to pick-up those who've pre-booked. Presumably the driver is free to use any suitable route between the hamlets requested.

Also, the Hebden Bridge local services [recently taken-over by TLC Travel of Bradford - let's hope they have better luck than the previous operators!] have a late-night service from Hebden Bridge station and Hope St to Dodd Naze, Old Town, Pecket Well, Crimsworth and Heptonstall [and Blackshaw Head on Fridays and Saturdays], depending on demand - again I presume the driver is free to decide the routing [although how one gets from Pecket Well to Heptonstall without going back into Hebden Bridge I don't know!].

I sometimes wonder how well-patronised that service is. I suppose the driver is hoping there will be no takers, for if no-one boards at the station or Hope St, the service doesn't run, and presumably s/he returns light to the depot for an "earlier" finish.

 

[Kuyoyo]

Stagecoach Newcastle's service 100 (Monument-Metrocentre) can take a variety of routes depending on traffic - I've even been on it going via Scotswood Bridge before. But that's fairly easy as it's a limited stop route - running express from Central Station to Metrocentre.

Similarly, in the past, GNE's X66 (Gateshead Interchange-Metrocentre) would often vary its route depending on traffic conditions. But I don't think it needs to since the riverside busway was constructed.

X66 depends on the vehicle operating the route - deckers cannot use the 'Centrelink' (the name for the busway) due to the low Metro bridge (which some single deckers can only just fit under themselves).

 

[dzug2]

The Stagecoach 99 Cheltenham Racecourse to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital can take two routes into Cheltenham town centre - via Albert Road or Evesham Road - the latter is more common and the official route. No intermediate stops to worry about.

Albert Road has traffic calming to hold it up - Evesham Road more traffic lights
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And there's a fair few rural services in the Cotswolds and probably elsewhere that have entries

R Serves this point by request, to set down only.

Pulhams 804 from Andoversford has one departure where every stop is thus marked