Lothian Buses - Pair to travel on all 48 services - 9th Jan '13

[Zoidberg]

Sorry if this has already been posted but I couldn't see an existing thread.

This may be of interest to some ...

From the Edinburgh Evening News at http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.c...on-all-48-services-of-lothian-buses-1-3262204

Two friends are today taking on a unique challenge – attempting to ride every route on the Capital’s extensive bus network.

Chris Dunn and Neil Gregory, who dreamt up the idea over a pint, were departing on a 113 this morning – and plan to be on the buses until they complete their epic journey by taking a trip on the number 1 at 10.30 tonight.

...

“It’s going to be test to see if we can do the whole thing. If we do, we’ve said that we’ll do it as a charity fundraiser in future.

Updates are being provided on Twitter, @LothianBusGeek, hashtag #edinbusgeek.

EDIT: ... and from the Twitter hashtag thread, it seems that the guys are making money for charity.

 

[duncanp]

There was a similar story from London last year, where three retired ladies set out to ride every London bus route.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19254318

However this challenge was to ride the entire length of each route in numerical order and there was no time limit.

So it was somewhat different from the challenge that these two guys in Edinburgh are undertaking, where they only have to stay on the bus for five stops and don't have to do the routes in numerical order.

I hope they succeed. When I lived in Edinburgh I found the bus service to be quite good, although prone to traffic delays, and some routes have a much higher frequency than others.

 

[Zoidberg]

...

So it was somewhat different from the challenge that these two guys in Edinburgh are undertaking, where they only have to stay on the bus for five stops and don't have to do the routes in numerical order.

I hope they succeed. When I lived in Edinburgh I found the bus service to be quite good, although prone to traffic delays, and some routes have a much higher frequency than others.

The Edinburgh guys are doing it in numerical order, albeit reversed, starting with the 113 and working backwards.

Interesting article about the London ladies.

 

[CallySleeper]

Surprised LB PR aren't all over this like a fat kid + chocolate at Christmas. Anything to distract from the android app disaster.

 

[MCR247]

Whats the problem with the android app?

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Whats the problem with the android app?

To be fair what's right with it, a £10 minimum spend applies before you can even use the app....

Say if I was wanting to use the app for example a £1.50 single or £3.50 All Day Ticket, I would need to load it with £10 before I could even use it. Even Arriva with their M-Ticketing app don't have such draconian measures...

 

[ECML180]

I'm not familiar with the app, but I'd assume it's targeted at regular users? If so the £10 minimum spend doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

 

[CallySleeper]

There was a ten pound minimum spend I believe i.e. you had to actually buy ten pounds worth of tickets when you got it.

But the other LB app, (there are two! one for your tickets and one for everything else) you're lucky if you get past the splash screen without it freezing or dying. When you did, I found that the layout was very poor, for example, on a dialogue box to input a date or time, the + and - buttons were mostly cut off by the edge of the box (i.e. the size was wrong). It was very much an alpha or beta version which had been released.

 

[ECML180]

Sounds to me like a bit of a bodge job then! I'm certainly in agreement that making you buy £10 worth of tickets is not the best way to get the word or smartcards out in circulation!

 

[Royston Vasey]

There was a similar story from London last year, where three retired ladies set out to ride every London bus route.

Isn't that what most of the old folks with free bus passes do already?!

 

[Zoidberg]

From the Edinburgh Evening News at http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.c...s-routes-bid-makes-pair-celebrities-1-3263742

...

Starting at 6.50am, the pair set off on their public transport odyssey on the 113, intent on taking every service – with the exception of the 69 – for at least five stops.

Although all did not go exactly as planned, with the duo being forced to omit the 20, 15 and 2 from their schedule, they soldiered on, wearily stepping off a number 1 at Easter Road at 11.45pm, almost 17 hours later.

Over the course of the day they became minor celebrities, trending on Twitter in the Lothians having attracted more than 1000 followers who became glued to their nail-biting updates.

By this morning [10th January], they had also raised £2000 for cancer charity It’s Good 2 Give through a page a fan had set up in their honour, with some of the more than 140 benefactors giving the price of a few single fares but one stumping up £100.

...

Well done guys.

 

[Eagle]

"For at least five stops"

I assume that means they mainly stayed in the city centre. Which is the sensible way to do it, because otherwise it would be awkward getting from, say, Clerwood (terminus of the 26) to Riccarton (terminus of the 25). As well as having to go out to Gorebridge three or four times, which would be soul-destroying for anyone :P

 

[90019]

Gorebridge three or four times, which would be soul-destroying for anyone :P

It's worse when you have to drive the bus there three times in a day.

 

[Blindtraveler]

It's worse when you have to drive the bus there three times in a day.

Id have thought endless trips on the 69 would be further soul destroying

 

[Zoidberg]

"For at least five stops"

I assume that means they mainly stayed in the city centre. Which is the sensible way to do it, because otherwise it would be awkward getting from, say, Clerwood (terminus of the 26) to Riccarton (terminus of the 25). As well as having to go out to Gorebridge three or four times, which would be soul-destroying for anyone :P

Well, if I've read the reports correctly, it seems that at one stage they ran from Shandwick Place up Comiston Road to catch a Service 16. That after a run in the morning from Dalkeith to the Infirmary to catch, I think, a 38.

 

[oldman]

Well, if I've read the reports correctly, it seems that at one stage they ran from Shandwick Place up Comiston Road to catch a Service 16. That after a run in the morning from Dalkeith to the Infirmary to catch, I think, a 38.

Part of the challenge was to run from each route to the next, i.e. they couldn't make extra positioning journeys. The worst were 39 to 38 and 19 to the 18 at Fairmilehead.

 

[alexf380]

the 40 to the 39 would be an easy one to make, but the 41 to the 40 is a totally different story. I'd like to find out all the moves they made, would be interesting to see how they did it.

 

[Blindtraveler]

well I have them on my radio show on volunteer run communitty radio station East Coast FM in Hadington today at 25 past 2. 107.6fm in the Lothians and on
www.ecfm.co.uk

 

[St Rollox]

Well done to the guys.
48 buses.
Even in a small city like Edinburgh (says the weegie) that's some going.
They can do the tram later this year, i think.

 

[Deerfold]

They can do the tram later this year, i think.

Won't take long to do all the tram routes

 

[Eagle]

Won't take long to do all the tram routes

Depends how delayed the opening is, of course. :P

 

[Deerfold]

Depends how delayed the opening is, of course. :P

Once it's open, it won't take long.