Paper Bus Timetables - are they Back in Your Area?

[Hullian111]

Had occasional glances at Hull Paragon Interchange's travel shop, although I've had no reason to go in as of present, and though I can't pick out exactly which ones, East Yorkshire timetables are certainly stacked up in there. In fact, the operator came to the University of Hull the other week, and I got a decent haul of timetables from their stand!

Stagecoach in Hull, unfortunately, not so much. I've personally not come across a Stagecoach Hull timetable myself, not since the rebrand back in early 2020. A bit more concerningly, Stagecoach seemed more prepared to offer a build-your-own-Enviro200MMC net - which sadly got chewed up in my bag - over a timetable when they came to the University of Hull at the same time as East Yorkshire. Probably, well, because they don't directly serve the University, but it'd be good to advertise connections to the 4 and the 5 regardless.

Will there/is there a paper timetable for the Stagecoach East Scotland Autonomous Bus (AB1)?

On a similar note, quite annoyingly, the CAVForth website doesn't even display a timetable!

 

[OptareLover]

I wonder how many bus enthusiasts actually collect timetables; I've always done. Does anybody "watching" this thread not actually collect themselves?

I have two full boxes of them. Some would say that's crazy.

 

[peterblue]

I've got 4 drawers full of bus and rail timetables!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I'd just explain to them that I'm a bus enthusiast and not really care what they think lol.

I guess it can be embarrassing, but at the end of the day, if you want the timetables you want them!

I agree, yes, it's a pet peeve for me too.

In which case, what's the problem? If you want something, then just ask.


Perhaps it's me but I've never really got the obsession with having to have loads of timetables stuffed into a drawer or storage box, much as in the same way that I've never seen the need to tick off numbers or anything like that. I think the only ones I have are some Cornwall ones from last year (from on holiday), and probably the More one I used the other week.

Another big thing with enthusiasts is the timetable booklet, usually on the grounds on network connectivity. I can see the point in tourist spots but in many places, most people are simply wanting times for one service, perhaps two. Leaflets should suffice and I do think that those firms who don't publish timetables in hard copy are missing a trick. An example local to me is the Mendip Explorer routes from Bath to Wells - definitely a leisure/tourist element to those routes but don't publish anything now AFAIK

As for Arriva and routes like the Northumberland coast routes.... well, what can you say?

Ray Stenning design (is that the name)? also had a subscription scheme for publicity that he / they produced.

His firm is Best Impressions

 

[duncombec]

Back in the day, I think you could purchase complete sets of bus stop panel timetables from London Buses, likewise when there were graduated fares, you could purchase complete sets of fare tables from their Commercial Office.

Not sure if it’s possible to currently purchase complete sets of panel timetables from Tfl or at what cost or from which department.

Indeed you could. It was withdrawn some years before the ceasing of publicity, though.

Maidstone & District & East Kent Bud Club used to run a timetable and leaflet subscription scheme for its members.

We did! Unfortunately, we had to withdraw it earlier this year because of the lack of printed publicity (I understand Arriva don't print anything unless obliged to by BSIP or other partnership, and Stagecoach have taken a very selective approach), and also the scheme relied very much on the goodwill of the companies to both allow us an amount and deliver it to the distributors houses. We're likely to pick it up again, even if in part, if the situation changes.
Although there were plenty of local members who took part, it was particularly useful for members who had moved out of the area but still took an interest in operations to be able to follow the network changes.

Perhaps it's me but I've never really got the obsession with having to have loads of timetables stuffed into a drawer or storage box, much as in the same way that I've never seen the need to tick off numbers or anything like that. I think the only ones I have are some Cornwall ones from last year (from on holiday), and probably the More one I used the other week.

And this shows how not all bus enthusiasts are the same! I have a growing collection of publicity now extending back before I was born, over multiple boxes. Timetables are very useful for tracing back the history of routes, recalling lost operators, and in many cases, social changes. (Show a timetable from the 1950s to a teenager, and watch their surprise at the tiny villages that had an hourly service, or how there were Sunday journeys late into the evening, but very little before midday, for example. Show them an NBC timetable, and note how some corridors that carry a 'decker every 15 minutes nowadays used to be Leyland National operated once an hour with gaps at school times).
In similar vein, some collect thousands of photographs for vehicle references (I take my own, but don't buy those from others), or indeed will take photographs by the hundred, but only ever having reached that point by car and not actually riding the bus unless forced. There are numerous (largely teenagers, in my experience) who will happily film bus journeys, sometimes little more than the back of the seat in front of them, for the "sounds". I wouldn't know a Voith from a ZF gearbox if each of them boxed me around the ears in turn.
Then there are those who write very enjoyable trip reports here (when I get a chance to read them), actually using the bus for one of its intended purposes, and enjoying the scenery and the connections they offer, without being overly fussed what you're on. I am in awe of the pre-dawn starts, a long way from home, for some of the days out!
The preservationists who will present their historic vehicle polished to within an inch of its life, but regard anything with an engine at the back as "modern tin cans"....
As long as each 'type' of enthusiast respects the other, it's easy for us all to bounce off of each others interests (referencing the thread we had a couple of years ago on enthusiast etiquette)... our interest in general is niche in the eyes of the general public!

Another big thing with enthusiasts is the timetable booklet, usually on the grounds on network connectivity. I can see the point in tourist spots but in many places, most people are simply wanting times for one service, perhaps two. Leaflets should suffice and I do think that those firms who don't publish timetables in hard copy are missing a trick. An example local to me is the Mendip Explorer routes from Bath to Wells - definitely a leisure/tourist element to those routes but don't publish anything now AFAIK

The timetable book as a whole probably has had its day, unless in a heavily tourist area of with a small network. The leaflet is easy to carry, and when done well, can provide a sort of "mini booklet" over certain corridors. When Arriva printed publicity, I used to have the leaflet for my local service in my backpack, along with the train times, for easy reference at all times without needing a phone. Would I want to carry around a 200 page timetable for the whole of West Kent that I'd had to pay for? Probably not!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

And this shows how not all bus enthusiasts are the same!

As long as each 'type' of enthusiast respects the other, it's easy for us all to bounce off of each others interests (referencing the thread we had a couple of years ago on enthusiast etiquette)... our interest in general is niche in the eyes of the general public!

Indeed @duncombec - my comment was more to highlight that very fact; not everyone harvests timetables! Similarly, your views on the timetable book are very much the same as mine; it can be interesting to look at stuff on Timetable World (and it's a resource I have used) but some weighty tome like the old Durham Bus Times (up to 1986) is of little use to the general public. Certainly, the stuff that First/Best Impressions produce for Cornwall and Wessex is good and appropriate for the likely target market.

As for tolerance of alternative enthusiast pastimes... Well, as long as they're not being stupid (e.g. walking into premises unannounced, using flash on cameras, running across bus stations to get "that shot") then that's fine. I've just never been one for ticking off things.

 

[D6130]

Durham Bus Times (up to 1986)

I've still got one of those somewhere....it was very useful when visiting my grandmother on Teesside.

....and - talking of weighty tomes - I also still have two or three editions of the amazing 'Great British Bus Timetable', published by Southern Vectis in the 1990s, complete with the hilariously-detailed Besley cartoons on the front and back covers.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I've still got one of those somewhere....it was very useful when visiting my grandmother on Teesside.

....and - talking of weighty tomes - I also still have two or three editions of the amazing 'Great British Bus Timetable', published by Southern Vectis in the 1990s, complete with the hilariously-detailed Besley cartoons on the front and back covers.

The GBBTT is the ultimate in a publication that was great for the enthusiast but who else? IIRC, it was distributed to bus company offices and tourist information centres but was invariably out of date as soon as it was published, didn't feature local bus services, and the timetables showed only principal stops. It acts as an interesting reference piece though.

I had copies of the Durham CC book - one from 1978 and one from 1986. My dad worked for United and was usually issued the United North Yorkshire - Richmond, Ripon and Hambleton book as well. I think Northumberland also had a timetable book that continued through deregulation and, when I travelled about in the post de-reg era, I think I did have a copy for my excursions. The odd one might have survived in some box somewhere but I don't know.

As I say, in my locality, it would make sense for First to publish stuff for certain routes like the Mendip Explorer, or a Badgerline one for Weston, or perhaps the Bath to Bristol service where tourists form an important element of the clientele and it is a marketing tool. The case is less strong, for example, for Bristol city routes but I'd prefer to see them return.

That Arriva don't do it for stuff like... the Northumberland Coast, the X4/X93 in North Yorkshire, the North Wales routes like the 5 or 12... it's just a reflection on the apathy they have towards marketing in general.

 

[Lukeo2311]

I am an avid collector of all sorts of timetables, I am in an ongoing project to scan all of them (covers, I only scan full or extracts of timetables on request!) Various Timetables and other things if you follow the link you will see the various collections I have. I find it sad that printed timetables are getting harder to find or obtain as I much prefer to travel with one and plan a day out with them! I was recently in Germany / Austria and obtained printed rail timetables and that made me really happy!

 

[JD2168]

In Barnsley a new map & guide was available to pick up on Stagecoach buses for their services.

 

[318266]

Not seen a paper timetable for McGills (West of Scotland) for a long, long time. Given the recent extensive changes to their routes, and the high number of elderly (and therefore not necessarily computer-savvy) passengers on their buses, they would be extremely useful.

McGill's do distribute paper timetables on a limited basis onboard certain buses, contingent on the driver having been given them from the pile at the depot and then placing them in the box (which is often absent!)

 

[Redmike]

The GBBTT is the ultimate in a publication that was great for the enthusiast but who else? IIRC, it was distributed to bus company offices and tourist information centres but was invariably out of date as soon as it was published, didn't feature local bus services, and the timetables showed only principal stops. It acts as an interesting reference piece though.

I had copies of the Durham CC book - one from 1978 and one from 1986. My dad worked for United and was usually issued the United North Yorkshire - Richmond, Ripon and Hambleton book as well. I think Northumberland also had a timetable book that continued through deregulation and, when I travelled about in the post de-reg era, I think I did have a copy for my excursions. The odd one might have survived in some box somewhere but I don't know.

As I say, in my locality, it would make sense for First to publish stuff for certain routes like the Mendip Explorer, or a Badgerline one for Weston, or perhaps the Bath to Bristol service where tourists form an important element of the clientele and it is a marketing tool. The case is less strong, for example, for Bristol city routes but I'd prefer to see them return.

That Arriva don't do it for stuff like... the Northumberland Coast, the X4/X93 in North Yorkshire, the North Wales routes like the 5 or 12... it's just a reflection on the apathy they have towards marketing in general.

There was an Arriva guide last year for the X93/ X94. There was a map for the X4 but no times. I agree a guide for these services would be useful especially as there are so many tourist facilities in the area with racks of leaflets so why not have a bus guide on those racks to help visitors get around by bus? Or is it too much trouble to try and advertise your own services to new customers?!

 

[overthewater]

McGill's do distribute paper timetables on a limited basis onboard certain buses, contingent on the driver having been given them from the pile at the depot and then placing them in the box (which is often absent!)

They used to be timetable racks at the depots but they have disappeared. The timetable rack at Braehead has also disappeared.

 

[Statto]

I'm one of those who does collect timetables, maps, timetable books, mostly because of the history, i'm often fascinated when routes started up, or over a particular period, & what has happened to the routes since then, one site i go on now for route history & timetables, maps is this one

Timetables

RAILWAYMEDIA-British Railway Pictures

www.railwaymedia.co.uk

 

[Falcon1200]

McGill's do distribute paper timetables on a limited basis onboard certain buses, contingent on the driver having been given them from the pile at the depot and then placing them in the box (which is often absent!)

Thanks, however I cannot recall the last time I saw paper timetables available on a McGills bus!

I should add, last week I took a trip on the Autonomous Bus across the Forth and there were various Stagecoach paper timetables available at the Ferrytoll terminus.

 

[route101]

Thanks, however I cannot recall the last time I saw paper timetables available on a McGills bus!

I should add, last week I took a trip on the Autonomous Bus across the Forth and there were various Stagecoach paper timetables available at the Ferrytoll terminus.

Not seen McGills West timetables anywhere. Sometimes you see McGills East timetables at Stirling Bus Station.

 

[Deerfold]

Transdev Keighley seemed to have them all back, but didn't have new timetables at Keighley bus station for the 62/64/66/72 on the last day the information office was open before the change. They offered to print off times for the 64/72, but said the others hadn't changed much.

I've not had time in the bus station to check if they appeared last week.

 

[Typhoon]

Apologies if I have missed it but I ventured into Essex last week and picked up an Ensignbus timetable (which I used),

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Sullivan Bus had Route 84 Timetables on Bus on Friday
 

 

[LothianBusesPh]

Will there/is there a paper timetable for the Stagecoach East Scotland Autonomous Bus (AB1)?

Just curious

There is a paper leaflet but it's more about the bus and not the route itself, and I don't know if they do it anymore.

 

[Falcon1200]

There is a paper leaflet but it's more about the bus and not the route itself, and I don't know if they do it anymore.

They do still do it (AB1 bus leaflet), I picked one up at Ferrytoll last week, and it gives a lot of information, including the timetable and fares.

 

[341o2]

Go South Coast prints details of the Breezer and New Forest Tour, presumably for publicity purposes, while Yellow Buses had printed timetables up to the company's demise

 

[Wychwood93]

Go South Coast prints details of the Breezer and New Forest Tour, presumably for publicity purposes, while Yellow Buses had printed timetables up to the company's demise

They have done the full booklet - we have a copy here.

Edit: We were told they were available in the main office in Poole, and they no doubt were/are, but they do appear on random buses - as well as assorted leaflets.

 

[route101]

They do still do it (AB1 bus leaflet), I picked one up at Ferrytoll last week, and it gives a lot of information, including the timetable and fares.

I was in Ferrytoll yesterday and they had the AB1 leaflets and Dunfirmline/ Dalgety Bay area guides.

 

[Deerfold]

Transdev Keighley were a bit slow with their new timetables (arriving after the changes), but they've 2 new area guides.

The Keighley Bus Guide has times for Keighley bus station and the other end of each route for all local services with complete times for the K4, K14, K15, K16 and a summary timetable between Keighley and Airedale hospital on the 66 and M4.

The other one is titled "Greetings from Ilkley and Skipton" and contains times for the 59, 62, 64, 66, 72 and M6 along with Council run service 72A and Upper Wharfdale Venture's 72B and Sunday Dalesbus services 862, 864, 873.

It contains a map showing all operators' services to Skipton and Dalesbus services that run close by and has contact details for the other operators.

 

[341o2]

They have done the full booklet - we have a copy here.

Edit: We were told they were available in the main office in Poole, and they no doubt were/are, but they do appear on random buses - as well as assorted leaflets.

Thanks, I would like to get hold of a copy

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Stagecoach East Midlands in Mansfield Bus Station have Fold Out Mansfield Town Maps/Times as well as those for Trent Barton

 

[WibbleWobble]

They have done the full booklet - we have a copy here.

Edit: We were told they were available in the main office in Poole, and they no doubt were/are, but they do appear on random buses - as well as assorted leaflets.

I know they're also available from selected outlets across the conurbation, including the council travel office at Bournemouth Interchange.

 

[duncombec]

Quick recap of my findings in a week in Scotland - some may almost certainly been mentioned before, but here's what I found.

Carlisle: Lakes book in the train station, but nowhere else. "Local" services in the inspector's office at the bus station (along with a tourist leaflet rack), with a few at the Tourist Information Centre, including one Cumbria CC leaflet. Top marks!

Glasgow: No leaflet rack at Buchanan Bus Station like "in the old days", so just Citylink available there. Didn't use any First buses, but no McGills leaflets on any of the journeys on the 38 I used. Airlink 500 leaflets available in the hotel and other tourist racks, along with City Sightseeing. City Sightseeing Bute also in the TIC. (iCentre).

Dundee: Xplore available in the travel centre, at least those they had (three services missing). Network maps not on show, but perhaps behind the counter. iCentre had network maps if you asked, but I think they'd been hidden because of the strike. The Travel Centre had the Tour bus maps, but I also picked those up elsewhere - I think at the Discovery Centre. Interesting to wonder why Stagecoach weren't supplying things here, as surely it would make sense for a one stop shop? (But see also below - by the same vein, Xplore could also send some leaflets to the bus station, at least for those services stopping outside). There was still a pre McGills network map at the stop outside the station though... not good.

Stagecoach here were... interesting. Most double-deckers had leaflet racks. Sometimes they were knee-bashers under the ticket machine, sometimes they were on the back of the wheelchair back rest, in "magazine rack" style, clearly designed for the old A5 books. Single deckers seemed to have only V-shaped racks that were usually empty. However... not all buses had timetables. Most buses that did have timetables didn't have those for the route the bus was on, even if branded. The Arbroath local 30/30A leaflet seemed to be on every bus, but those on the 73 (including those branded) seemed to have the 20/21, or the 42 (?). Sometimes, leaflets were also thrown into the Metro bin. I eventually found a 73 timetable on a bus on the 20. All of them seemed to have been run over by a bus before being put on board - I've long held that this is down to the dark blue, which rubs off very easily. It's like newsprint, so you barely need to rub two leaflets together and they look "damaged". The new colour navy is even worse than the mid-blue of Beachball leaflets. So in short, the rack could be in two places, leaflets could be in three, and they may or may not be for the service the bus is on! Still, can't complain.

For buses that came from Perth (I assume), the situation was much "worse" than those from (I assume) Arbroath. Only one bus seemed to have any on. I didn't actually get to Perth proper to see if things were available 'static' there.

Aberdeen: Zilch. Nichts. Niente. Nothing. Empty racks at the bus station, nothing in the iCentre. According to the inspector I spoke to later in the evening, the (Stagecoach) travel office would "print you one off" if you asked, but said "some areas were coming back with leaflets", so I wonder if that will change. Unlike Dundee, couldn't see any racks on buses, but I didn't actually have cause to travel to look closer. The irony of a sign on one departure bay saying there were problems with the electronic signs, so please refer to paper notices at bus stops was not lost on me at all...

St Andrews: The shining light. Nothing in the iCentre, but a full rack of Stagecoach leaflets at the bus station. Top marks again! Interesting that the former A5 stapled books have been replaced by perfect-bound DL books. Perfect binding is usually more expensive to produce.

Edinburgh: Likewise, nothing at the bus station now. The enquiry desk may have had something, but the gentleman did not seem the friendliest of types, so I didn't ask, especially as I wasn't a "legitimate traveller". The iCentre had nothing useful, but the Lothian office had maps, and leaflets for sightseeing buses, Lothian Country and East Coast buses, albeit nothing for City services.

Moffat and Williamson: Didn't see anything anywhere (Dundee or St Andrews), and nothing on board. Then again, their drivers always seemed to be in a hurry, barely pausing long enough to take a photo, let alone see if there were any leaflets on board. Unless they are included in the Stagecoach leaflets/books, (haven't checked yet), this seems a little disappointing.

Border Buses: Didn't see anything on board.

Tayport: Honourable mention for Tayport library: in the foyer was a Fife council stand, labelled "to be removed", still full of 2020 pre-Covid timetables. Needless to say, I made sure I removed a few! Such was my excitement (I hadn't been to St Andrews then), I actually forgot to check if they had any current ones!

As well as being pleased to come back with more than expected, I couldn't help but notice there seemed to be a willingness to print leaflets for "special tourist services" - e.g. City Sightseeing, airport services, maps - but less willingness to print for regular services that tourists could use - I can understand why you might not print for every city and town service, but Aberdeen surely has links to Peterhead, Inverness, Braemar, etc., where a tourist might benefit from a piece of paper.

Seagate (Dundee) was a bit of a disappointment, even more so in comparison to St Andrews. It reminded me a little of something transplanted from East Germany. Someone clearly comes along and opens and closes the public loos, so why not take down the message that the travel office will be "temporarily closed" from March 2020, or a sign from 2021. The paper covering the Citylink ex-enquiry window also just looked poor. Put some proper blinds or vinyls up. Tidy the place up a bit. An empty wall opposite the old travel office: stick a whacking great network map or two on it (e.g. https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/RouteMaps/East Scotland/ESCOT_MAP_DundeeCity.pdf), with perhaps another one for the 73, add a few leaflet holders, and hey presto, unstaffed enquiry facility. It had to be a better look than a local youth lounging on the counter with his vape, as I discovered on one occasion I stuck my head around the corner...
Also feels like there should have been some to compliment the next buses display in the station, but then again, the station didn't have any leaflet rack at all... why dirty itself with such a thing, even for railcard applications!

Aberdeen may not have had any leaflets, but it was a surprise and a pleasure to see a staffed enquiry office. The First office in Union Street seemed t have a broken pane of glass in the door and still had posters inside from when it was closed.

 

[route101]

Quick recap of my findings in a week in Scotland - some may almost certainly been mentioned before, but here's what I found.

Carlisle: Lakes book in the train station, but nowhere else. "Local" services in the inspector's office at the bus station (along with a tourist leaflet rack), with a few at the Tourist Information Centre, including one Cumbria CC leaflet. Top marks!

Glasgow: No leaflet rack at Buchanan Bus Station like "in the old days", so just Citylink available there. Didn't use any First buses, but no McGills leaflets on any of the journeys on the 38 I used. Airlink 500 leaflets available in the hotel and other tourist racks, along with City Sightseeing. City Sightseeing Bute also in the TIC. (iCentre).

Dundee: Xplore available in the travel centre, at least those they had (three services missing). Network maps not on show, but perhaps behind the counter. iCentre had network maps if you asked, but I think they'd been hidden because of the strike. The Travel Centre had the Tour bus maps, but I also picked those up elsewhere - I think at the Discovery Centre. Interesting to wonder why Stagecoach weren't supplying things here, as surely it would make sense for a one stop shop? (But see also below - by the same vein, Xplore could also send some leaflets to the bus station, at least for those services stopping outside). There was still a pre McGills network map at the stop outside the station though... not good.

Stagecoach here were... interesting. Most double-deckers had leaflet racks. Sometimes they were knee-bashers under the ticket machine, sometimes they were on the back of the wheelchair back rest, in "magazine rack" style, clearly designed for the old A5 books. Single deckers seemed to have only V-shaped racks that were usually empty. However... not all buses had timetables. Most buses that did have timetables didn't have those for the route the bus was on, even if branded. The Arbroath local 30/30A leaflet seemed to be on every bus, but those on the 73 (including those branded) seemed to have the 20/21, or the 42 (?). Sometimes, leaflets were also thrown into the Metro bin. I eventually found a 73 timetable on a bus on the 20. All of them seemed to have been run over by a bus before being put on board - I've long held that this is down to the dark blue, which rubs off very easily. It's like newsprint, so you barely need to rub two leaflets together and they look "damaged". The new colour navy is even worse than the mid-blue of Beachball leaflets. So in short, the rack could be in two places, leaflets could be in three, and they may or may not be for the service the bus is on! Still, can't complain.

For buses that came from Perth (I assume), the situation was much "worse" than those from (I assume) Arbroath. Only one bus seemed to have any on. I didn't actually get to Perth proper to see if things were available 'static' there.

Aberdeen: Zilch. Nichts. Niente. Nothing. Empty racks at the bus station, nothing in the iCentre. According to the inspector I spoke to later in the evening, the (Stagecoach) travel office would "print you one off" if you asked, but said "some areas were coming back with leaflets", so I wonder if that will change. Unlike Dundee, couldn't see any racks on buses, but I didn't actually have cause to travel to look closer. The irony of a sign on one departure bay saying there were problems with the electronic signs, so please refer to paper notices at bus stops was not lost on me at all...

St Andrews: The shining light. Nothing in the iCentre, but a full rack of Stagecoach leaflets at the bus station. Top marks again! Interesting that the former A5 stapled books have been replaced by perfect-bound DL books. Perfect binding is usually more expensive to produce.

Edinburgh: Likewise, nothing at the bus station now. The enquiry desk may have had something, but the gentleman did not seem the friendliest of types, so I didn't ask, especially as I wasn't a "legitimate traveller". The iCentre had nothing useful, but the Lothian office had maps, and leaflets for sightseeing buses, Lothian Country and East Coast buses, albeit nothing for City services.

Moffat and Williamson: Didn't see anything anywhere (Dundee or St Andrews), and nothing on board. Then again, their drivers always seemed to be in a hurry, barely pausing long enough to take a photo, let alone see if there were any leaflets on board. Unless they are included in the Stagecoach leaflets/books, (haven't checked yet), this seems a little disappointing.

Border Buses: Didn't see anything on board.

Tayport: Honourable mention for Tayport library: in the foyer was a Fife council stand, labelled "to be removed", still full of 2020 pre-Covid timetables. Needless to say, I made sure I removed a few! Such was my excitement (I hadn't been to St Andrews then), I actually forgot to check if they had any current ones!

As well as being pleased to come back with more than expected, I couldn't help but notice there seemed to be a willingness to print leaflets for "special tourist services" - e.g. City Sightseeing, airport services, maps - but less willingness to print for regular services that tourists could use - I can understand why you might not print for every city and town service, but Aberdeen surely has links to Peterhead, Inverness, Braemar, etc., where a tourist might benefit from a piece of paper.

Seagate (Dundee) was a bit of a disappointment, even more so in comparison to St Andrews. It reminded me a little of something transplanted from East Germany. Someone clearly comes along and opens and closes the public loos, so why not take down the message that the travel office will be "temporarily closed" from March 2020, or a sign from 2021. The paper covering the Citylink ex-enquiry window also just looked poor. Put some proper blinds or vinyls up. Tidy the place up a bit. An empty wall opposite the old travel office: stick a whacking great network map or two on it (e.g. https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/RouteMaps/East Scotland/ESCOT_MAP_DundeeCity.pdf), with perhaps another one for the 73, add a few leaflet holders, and hey presto, unstaffed enquiry facility. It had to be a better look than a local youth lounging on the counter with his vape, as I discovered on one occasion I stuck my head around the corner...
Also feels like there should have been some to compliment the next buses display in the station, but then again, the station didn't have any leaflet rack at all... why dirty itself with such a thing, even for railcard applications!

Aberdeen may not have had any leaflets, but it was a surprise and a pleasure to see a staffed enquiry office. The First office in Union Street seemed t have a broken pane of glass in the door and still had posters inside from when it was closed.

Citylink timetables should be in stock at Edinburgh Bus Station. If I recall the Travel Hub on Shandwick Place never had any timetables which I found strange.

Borders Buses would be a good area to have a timetable guide.