So is this just the front or the overall livery will change to green?
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What about the route numbers which are similar - U1 and U18 in Bath and 22 and 222 in Bristol - if you misread it by 1 number you get charged a different companies fares.
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It's interesting in Westbury. I don't think for 1 minute that we'll see that interworking at the end of the year. I wonder if we might see a similar service to 234 introduced, running from Devises to Westbury to Frome and they then make all 272s into 271s. Probably would involve an extra 2 buses, so they'd have 11 Maxs for 265 and something like 6/7 B7s (69253, 66881-6). I doubt it'll happen. I can't see them shrinking Westbury though very much.
I'm pretty certain you'll not see a Devizes to Frome service. Both the 58 and 87 are tendered and will be subject to Wiltshire Council cuts this year anyway.
As for people misreading service numbers.... well, there is only so much you can do. It doesn't happen often and we've often had a lot of services grouped with similar numbers (e.g. 3** in Bristol). The one daft one I can think of was the two First ones in Bristol - sorted by making the Weston one into W1.
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It had nothing to do with 'Mr Nicholas' and it was a decision taken by someone without any suggestion from anyone else at all!
Hi there
Quick question? Is this just a temporary livery alteration so that people aren't confused and can be out their "green BoS" bus on competing corridors (Taunton to Burnham/Somerton/Wellington) until such time as they can get into the paintshop and get full livery?
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Ah yes, the old X4/X5 Bristol to Salisbury. Before my time in Bath so don't remember that service. What route did it take to Bristol? Was it run out of Westbury o/s using 66937-61?
And on the subject of Westbury, do we think the current arrangement of 265/267/272 interworking is sustainable? I realise the loss of other routes such as 234 left vacancies for staff based there, rather than move to Bath, but long term I wonder if Westbury o/s might only be 265.
Bit of a long story and our Wiltshire correspondent and Mr Swifty will probably put me right on the finer details or those that I've just got plainly wrong
The service wasn't a through service but was two routes. 264/5 Trowbridge to Bath and 241 Trowbridge to Salisbury until 1983. Latter was a joint op between BOC and W&D. Both used REs as the Wilton bridge was supposed to be an issue for LNs - it isn't now so have they dug the road down?
With the closure of Trowbridge bus station/depot in 1983, the services were combined for operational reasons and the X41 Salisbury to Bath was created. W&D now reaching Bath! It was at de-reg (ish) that it was extended to Bristol. Joint operation continued despite Badgerline now having invaded Poole and Salisbury against W&D. The X4 route was two hourly Salisbury to Warminster then hourly westwards. The route was the same as now except via North Bradley, but from Bradford it went via Monkton and Sally in the Woods to Bath. From Bath, it ran as per the X39 - there were two X39s per hour plus an X3 from Frome (as per 267) and the X4 to give a 15 min service. Usual vehicles - Duple Lasers (W&D) and LN2s (Badgerline). This was my first experience of it albeit never to Bristol - mainly because I'd have been on a Wiltshire Day Rover into Bath.
It was however cut back to Bath by 1993 as it was getting very unreliable (getting out of Bristol and across Bath), and three buses per hour from Trowbridge was too many so it was rerouted via Winsley to replace the 264. The headway was still hourly with 2 hourly projections - no Sunday service (and evening service every 90 mins on 265). Two Badgerline vehicles (I think) - one from an expanded TE outstation on Canal Road and one from Bath - two from W&D Warminster o/s. Think it was W&D Plaxton Premieres (Volvo?) and First Volvo B10Ms
The change in headway came with RBC funding (2001/2?) and hence the doubling of services east of Trowbridge with the 265 being absorbed. It created the X4/X5 (and later the X6 to reflect splitting of the service for EU rules) and that's what we see today in terms of the headways. W&D had an extra vehicle as did First. First had some ex Leicester Scanias by this point?
2005 saw both the companies get new fleet with First's 66937 etc, and W&D Citaros. However, by 2009 (?), the problems of running long routes and the start of remuneration challenges saw W&D pull out. The route was severed at Warminster with the 265 being with First. W&D retained the Salisbury end as the 24 on a short term contract but it was then won by Hatts who operated it until 2013 when First decided to re-extend the route commercially.
Like I say, there will be a few dates/things I've got wrong but think it's broadly like that.