maxbarnish
Member
- Joined
- 3 Oct 2017
- Messages
- 110
SWR were running replacement buses yesterday - Exeter to Yeovil Junction a semi-fast and a stopper. This comment relates to the stopper. Reports came to me via the bus co-ordinator that there'd been damage to several buses during the day - and that unsuitable vehicles were supplied. I've Tweeted SWR to alert for future planning if it helps at all. The issue was the choice of bus. Usually minibuses or small single deck service buses are used for the stopper. But yesterday it was a 59 seater large coach.
The problem - well there are a lot of single track - not single carriageway, I mean one lane shared by both directions - lanes in the area between Cranbrook and Honiton. It's not easy to drive in a car... The driver on the bus I was one was doing it for first time - he asked me for some advice re the route, and I offered - but he also dropped us at a much more sensible place in the centre of Cranbrook not the remotely located station saving 20 minutes walk so all good. I basically said there's no chance he could get down the access road to Whimple station - will have to park at road end and walk down it to see if any customers - never going to get a full size bus back out of that side road, it's very tight in a mini bus.
Whimple to Feniton will be really hard in a coach, via Talaton is so winding, the alternative is maybe out via A30 and then in via Fenny Bridges, but still not easy. I wished him all the best as I departed. Hoping drivers will report back to management about this - pretty dangerous. Any other traffic will just have to get out of the way.
Never seen these large coaches on that route before only the semi-fast which just runs up the A30 from Exeter to Honiton.
The problem - well there are a lot of single track - not single carriageway, I mean one lane shared by both directions - lanes in the area between Cranbrook and Honiton. It's not easy to drive in a car... The driver on the bus I was one was doing it for first time - he asked me for some advice re the route, and I offered - but he also dropped us at a much more sensible place in the centre of Cranbrook not the remotely located station saving 20 minutes walk so all good. I basically said there's no chance he could get down the access road to Whimple station - will have to park at road end and walk down it to see if any customers - never going to get a full size bus back out of that side road, it's very tight in a mini bus.
Whimple to Feniton will be really hard in a coach, via Talaton is so winding, the alternative is maybe out via A30 and then in via Fenny Bridges, but still not easy. I wished him all the best as I departed. Hoping drivers will report back to management about this - pretty dangerous. Any other traffic will just have to get out of the way.
Never seen these large coaches on that route before only the semi-fast which just runs up the A30 from Exeter to Honiton.