Trips by Bus and Coach: Your reports

[carlberry]

Well, that's certainly a bit more intriguing than my getting stuck in Cranleigh @SouthEastBuses. Very interesting to hear that the challenges that we experience in the UK are similarly experienced in Italy.

And to think I thought that seeing Guildford Cathedral and distant Woking was a high point, whilst you're looking at the Vatican and the Tiber.... Seriously, thank you for sharing. It was a brief but interesting report.

However Italy isn't going to have anything to compare with Guildford Bus Station!

 

[RELL6L]

Well, did an Italian one for a change (finally!).

Went to Rome by train from a station near my village when I'm there. A rather cloudy day, but not too bad (no rain at least - unlike in the UK)!

I started the day in Termini railway station (main station of Rome), first catching a 223 towards La Giustiniana (2607 - MenariniBus Citymood 12). Not too bad, goes through very nice areas and can get some nice views.

Then a 303 to Prima Porta (265 - Iveco Daily Indcar Mobi). Now my favourite bus route in Rome, the route is absolutely stunning with beautiful views. And very rural too, the 303 makes you hard to believe that it's a Rome city bus route!

Before doing the next route of the day, the 200 to Mancini. I stopped for lunch, and had a delicious sausage/mushroom/cheese calzone. It was delicious (after all, we Italians don't joke with food!). Now for the 200, I first had 3374 (Iveco Urbanway 12). But when I was filming a timelapse, I had the extremely rare encounter of a driver claiming that filming was not allowed (usual bs). So at the next stop, got off and walked back to the terminus where I then finally filmed the timalapse of the 200 (albeit on 2625 - MenariniBus Citymood 12). 200 is alright but not really interesting.

And then, the 280 to Partigiani (505 - Irisbus Citelis 18). Lovely route, you can see Vatican City on it, and some lovely sections of the Tiber river too!

After that, to conclude my bus trip, the 77 to San Giovanni. Now this route is a rather interesting one, in that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ATAC (the public transport company in Rome) has subcontracted some least used routes to independent companies (so that their own buses can be used on the most frequent routes in order to aid with social distancing etc.). The 77 is in fact one of these, currently subcontracted to Calabresi and Reali Tours, and I had a Tourismo 10m coach on what is a 7-8 km city bus route! Nice sounding with manual gearbox, but completely unsuitable to a city route like the 77.

So yes, a lovely day today. So nice to finally be doing bus trips in Italy after so long (due to Covid restrictions).

Really interesting report, thank you. Always good to hear about different places. I've been to Rome and even on a bus to visit the Vatican with the family some years ago but not encountered the scenery like this. Another time. Sorry TGW, it does beat Guildford bus station!

A happy Christmas to all and lets look forward to some good trips in 2022!

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Well, that's certainly a bit more intriguing than my getting stuck in Cranleigh @SouthEastBuses. Very interesting to hear that the challenges that we experience in the UK are similarly experienced in Italy.

And to think I thought that seeing Guildford Cathedral and distant Woking was a high point, whilst you're looking at the Vatican and the Tiber.... Seriously, thank you for sharing. It was a brief but interesting report.

Really interesting report, thank you. Always good to hear about different places. I've been to Rome and even on a bus to visit the Vatican with the family some years ago but not encountered the scenery like this. Another time. Sorry TGW, it does beat Guildford bus station!

A happy Christmas to all and lets look forward to some good trips in 2022!

Was definetly fun! Always love riding buses in a different country, and after 2 years because of Covid restrictions, I was so glad to be able to do so!

More trips to Rome planned in the next weeks, and I also have plans to go to Naples, and maybe also Caserta, Salerno and Gaeta. I'm going to go to the Rome seaside suburb of Ostia next week, where they have Euro 3 Voith Citaros!

Don't forget I have family in Italy - that's why I go there so often (Bar covid restrictions).

However Italy isn't going to have anything to compare with Guildford Bus Station!

Of course. Guildford is nice, yes, but nothing ever beats Italian towns and cities. Yes we have so many problems but, ultimately, our cities are lovely places to visit.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

A quick resume of my 2021 trips out in @RELL6L style - after a slow start with lockdowns etc, got out and about, helped by having a surplus of holiday to use up, with Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Co Durham, (what was) Cleveland, North Yorks, West Yorks, Merseyside, Flintshire, Wrexham, Cheshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Herts, Beds, Kent, West Sussex (just), Surrey, Hants, (what was) Avon, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall (just), Dorset, Staffs and Guernsey!

1. Appledore - Barnstaple (train) - Exeter - Great Torrington - Bideford - Appledore
2. Appledore - Bideford - Hartland - Bude - Holsworthy - Bideford - Appledore
3. Ripon - Knaresborough - Harrogate - Skipton - Keighley - Leeds - Harrogate - Jennyfield - Harrogate - Ripon
4. Faverdale - Bishop Auckland - Tow Law - Consett - Blackhill Mill - Crawcrook - Corbridge - Newcastle - Gateshead - Norton - Stockton - Darlington - Faverdale
5. Branston - Lichfield - Stafford - Newcastle - Kidsgrove - Hanley - Uttoxeter - Burton - Branston
6. Frodsham - Chester - Wrexham - Mold - Queensferry - Chester - Frodsham - Warrington - St Helens - Prescot - Runcorn - Halton Lea - Frodsham
7. Swaffham - Cringleford - Wymondham - Norwich - Lowestoft - Gt Yarmouth - Norwich - Swaffham
8. Temple Ewell - Canterbury - Ashford - Tenterden - Maidstone - Sittingbourne - Canterbury - Temple Ewell
9. Poundbury - Weymouth - Wareham - Lulworth Cove - Wool - Bridport - Dorchester - Weymouth - Fiveways - Weymouth - Poundbury
10. Taunton - Minehead - Lynmouth (walk) - Lynton - Barnstaple - Tiverton - Taunton
11. Sandridge - St Albans - Hatfield - Welwyn GC - Hertford - Harlow - Ware - Stevenage - Luton - St Albans - Sandridge
12. Clevedon - Bristol Airport - Hengrove - Bristol - Portishead - Clevedon
13. Midsomer Norton - Wells - Glastonbury - Somerton - Taunton - Hockholler - Taunton - Burnham - Weston - Worle - Bristol - Bath - Midsomer Norton
14. Fermain - Guernsey Airport - Pleinmont (walk) - Fort Grey - St Sampson - St Peter Port - Fermain
15. Braintree - Colchester - West Mersea - Colchester - Maldon - Chelmsford - Broomfield Hosp - Braintree
16. Merrow - Guildford - Cranleigh - Guildford - Alton - Haslemere - Aldershot - Camberley - Guildford - Merrow

Plenty of interesting places, operators, people and occasionally some interesting rolling stock! Highlights and lowlights being....

Best trip - First's Exmoor Coaster from Minehead to Lynmouth is a superb ride out and credit to them for having the courage to do it and execute it so well; commendations for the Jurassic Coaster services but also (and less obviously) the Stagecoach Canterbury to Ashford service - gorgeous even if the Trident was a little careworn
Best operator - probably Go North East which was very impressive; a commendation for Midland Classic too
Worst trip - travelling from Hanley to Uttoxeter on a truly awful Scania Omnicity. Bad seats, no suspension, rattles - literally got off with a headache - appalling
Worst operator - Arriva Kent and Surrey; not awful but irredeemably lacklustre
Best place visited - Minehead
Worst place visited - Harlow (and I thought I'd never escape)

As I look forward to 2022, I hope that we can still get out and explore (but bearing in mind the latest guidance and keeping ourselves and others safe). I didn't make it to Scotland and as for Wales, a flirtation in Mold isn't that much and sounds awful!!! So hopefully there will be more North East stuff and a return to East Anglia/Essex and perhaps even a trip north of the Border?

Most importantly, I hope it wasn't too self indulgent and that people enjoyed the trips and hearing about places they knew or perhaps it made them think about visiting somewhere different.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year and that, fingers crossed, 2022 will be better for us all.

 

[RELL6L]

Good to see your list of trips and overall thoughts for the year @TGW. Your 16 trips beats my 15 as listed in post 35. I have thought about my overall favourites too and set out some of the best sections of route in post 40.

My favourite overall trip was the first North East one including the 888 from Hexham to Alston and Penrith then on to Carlisle and back via Hadrian’s Wall.

My four best sections, in reverse order:
4) Haltwhistle to Hexham via Hadrians Wall;
3) Ladybower to Glossop via the Snake Pass
2) Moretonhampstead to Tavistock via the Dartmoor Explorer
1) Alston to Penrith over the Pennines on the 888

Worst section:
Hartlepool to Coxhoe on an asthmatic Arriva Dart, started on time but arrived 10 minutes late (missing a 9 minute connection) for no good reason. Scenery wise perhaps somewhere in South Wales.

Worst place:
Some candidates- Newton Aycliffe, Ashton under Lyne, Basildon, all nothing special
Second is Blackwood - of all the Welsh valley towns, if this has a redeeming feature then I haven’t found it;
The winner though is Canvey Island, all seemed monotonous with very heavy traffic and the waterfront area made very little of its potential.

Best place- still considering!

Wishing everyone a happy Christmas and lots of trips out in 2022!

 

[asb]

Just going back to GW's Guernsey report (sorry), I was there on a cruise a couple of years back. Quite a few of the passengers had caught on to the local buses, in particular the circular that went all the way round, to the extent that even when one bus left full, there were enough left in the queue to fill the next one already! Few locals, perhaps they avoided cruise days for that reason?

 

[route101]

Last one of the year surely! Angus Dayrider.

Dundee to Abroath X7

One of these interdeck coaches, 65 plate and was getting a bit grubby. I nearly went for the 39 but a more comfortable coach over a E300 swayed me.
This route is not really scenic, most of it is on the A92 dual carriageway.

Abroath to Forfar 27

New route for me. Surprised it was operated by a 17 plate E400MMC, was expected a solo or E300. Pleasent meander through Angus countryside and past RM Condor.

Forfar to Dundee 21

A busy service along the A90 to Dundee, E400MMC 15 plate so an old MMC!. If I started earlier I interested in going to Brechin and Kirriemuir.

 

[Ken H]

Been for run out up north today. Starting at Skipton, where I caught a train to Bradford. Time for a brew in a cafe then the Keighley Bus Company 67 to Keighley via Denholme.

At Keighley a quick change onto the Burnley Bus Company M4. It goes to Burnley but I got off at Colne.

2 high routes travelled.

Then the Wizz back to Skipton. The only double decker of the day

Buses and trains worryingly empty. But it was a soggy afternoon in December.

But the 3 bus rides were just £10 which is not bad.

Thoughts.
The 67 had the PA announce every stop. There were loads of them as we exited Bradford. Does every stop really need announcing? There was a display with the next stop and anyone visually impaired could have asked the driver when they got on to tell them when they got to their stop. But should an out of town bus stop at every stop in the city. Surely there should be city buses for the short distance traffic.

The M3 had no announcements but did have a display

The Wizz - no announcements and no display (at least not upstairs) I dont know if the road between Colne and Skipton is rough or not, but I felt every bump in the road. Wizz is a bit of a daft name seeing it trundles through Barnoldswick.

Burnley Bus Co on Bustimes was not showing the locations of buses on the maps. The 67 did.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

My final bus trip of this year was today was once again in Rome, and to the seaside suburb of Ostia as planned.

We start the day with ATAC Mercedes-Benz Citaro 7533, route 170 to Agricoltura. A nice route showing you the lovely Rome City Centre! The Citaro was not too bad, it was a 3 door 12m model with vertical engine (something non existant in the UK). The 170 only uses Citaros during the Christmas and Summer holidays - otherwise it uses either Irisbus Cityclass CNG or MenariniBus Citymood 12 CNG.

After that, RomaTPL Temsa Avenue LF 9705, route 763 to Castello della Cecchignola (I only caught it for 6-7 stops). A rather nice sounding bus, and the little I saw made me think that the 763 would be a route worth doing eventually. I quite like the Temsas!

Then, an ex-Rheinbahn Dusseldorf Solaris Urbino 12 (not sure the current fleet number - but the former Dusseldorf number was 8005, and the bus is currently operated by Maxima Travel) on route 070 to Cristoforo Colombo. Probably my favourite route of today, a lovely mix of urban, suburban and rural environment, and can be scenic too in some spots! Lovely sounding Voith too!

And then, once again on a Temsa Avenue LF but this time operated by Troiani, on rail replacement bus route RL4 to Ostia Lido Centro (RL4 is the rail replacement bus service of the Roma-Lido metro-style railway due to engineering works).

I quite like the seaside part of Ostia, but it's not really the best place out there, just a seaside suburb I guess (the only one in Rome, btw!). This is more evident from the bus I caught afterwards, the 01 to Gasparri L. (ATAC 2858 - MenariniBus Citymood 12), where all there is to see is high rise buildings and nothing else.

A long but enjoyable seaside walk then takes me back to Ostia Town Centre, where I then get the infrequent (by Rome standards - hourly at best!) C19 to Old Town Ostia cemetery (Cimitero Ostia Antica in Italian). The bus I had was RomaTPL 9635 - a BredaMenariniBus Vivacity 8. Bus is very badly maintained, with so much graffiti and drawings onboards. But was quite nice sounding I guess, and the C19 was definetly enjoyable.

Old Town Ostia (Ostia Antica) was very beautiful, so many hidden gems (Italy in a nutshell!). After that, two more routes - firstly the 018 to Stagni di Ostia then the 011 to Via Fiorelli and back. Just residential routes I guess, but you do get to see beautiful Italian villas! And, again, for both routes, I had a Vivacity (9633 on the 018 and 9608 on the 011). At least the other two I had were better maintained than 9635 on the C19. The 018 was an extremely rare working - it's supposed to be allocated with Iveco Urbanway 12.

And this concludes all my bus trips in 2021! 2022 here it comes!

EDIT: One thing I forgot to say, I didn't ride any Euro 3 Voith Citaros whilst I was in Ostia (7533 on the 170 was ZF, and that route goes nowhere near Ostia). Sadly, none were out on the day I went, though I did see one not in service at Ostia Lido Centro station.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Been for run out up north today. Starting at Skipton, where I caught a train to Bradford. Time for a brew in a cafe then the Keighley Bus Company 67 to Keighley via Denholme.

At Keighley a quick change onto the Burnley Bus Company M4. It goes to Burnley but I got off at Colne.

2 high routes travelled.

Then the Wizz back to Skipton. The only double decker of the day

Buses and trains worryingly empty. But it was a soggy afternoon in December.

But the 3 bus rides were just £10 which is not bad.

Thoughts.
The 67 had the PA announce every stop. There were loads of them as we exited Bradford. Does every stop really need announcing? There was a display with the next stop and anyone visually impaired could have asked the driver when they got on to tell them when they got to their stop. But should an out of town bus stop at every stop in the city. Surely there should be city buses for the short distance traffic.

The M3 had no announcements but did have a display

The Wizz - no announcements and no display (at least not upstairs) I dont know if the road between Colne and Skipton is rough or not, but I felt every bump in the road. Wizz is a bit of a daft name seeing it trundles through Barnoldswick.

Burnley Bus Co on Bustimes was not showing the locations of buses on the maps. The 67 did.

Years since I did the run over the top from Denholme to Keighley or from Skipton to Colne. Very nice bits of scenery though.

I do find Next Stop Announcements a bit cloying at first but then I think I just zone out.

 

[LucyP]

And how many announcements of "We're clean, safe and ready to go" and "Please wear a face covering on board" and "If you paid with cash for your journey we'd love it if you used contactless or a mobile ticket next time" did you have to endure?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

My final bus trip of this year was today was once again in Rome, and to the seaside suburb of Ostia as planned.

We start the day with ATAC Mercedes-Benz Citaro 7533, route 170 to Agricoltura. A nice route showing you the lovely Rome City Centre! The Citaro was not too bad, it was a 3 door 12m model with vertical engine (something non existant in the UK). The 170 only uses Citaros during the Christmas and Summer holidays - otherwise it uses either Irisbus Cityclass CNG or MenariniBus Citymood 12 CNG.

After that, RomaTPL Temsa Avenue LF 9705, route 763 to Castello della Cecchignola (I only caught it for 6-7 stops). A rather nice sounding bus, and the little I saw made me think that the 763 would be a route worth doing eventually. I quite like the Temsas!

Then, an ex-Rheinbahn Dusseldorf Solaris Urbino 12 (not sure the current fleet number - but the former Dusseldorf number was 8005, and the bus is currently operated by Maxima Travel) on route 070 to Cristoforo Colombo. Probably my favourite route of today, a lovely mix of urban, suburban and rural environment, and can be scenic too in some spots! Lovely sounding Voith too!

And then, once again on a Temsa Avenue LF but this time operated by Troiani, on rail replacement bus route RL4 to Ostia Lido Centro (RL4 is the rail replacement bus service of the Roma-Lido metro-style railway due to engineering works).

I quite like the seaside part of Ostia, but it's not really the best place out there, just a seaside suburb I guess (the only one in Rome, btw!). This is more evident from the bus I caught afterwards, the 01 to Gasparri L. (ATAC 2858 - MenariniBus Citymood 12), where all there is to see is high rise buildings and nothing else.

A long but enjoyable seaside walk then takes me back to Ostia Town Centre, where I then get the infrequent (by Rome standards - hourly at best!) C19 to Old Town Ostia cemetery (Cimitero Ostia Antica in Italian). The bus I had was RomaTPL 9635 - a BredaMenariniBus Vivacity 8. Bus is very badly maintained, with so much graffiti and drawings onboards. But was quite nice sounding I guess, and the C19 was definetly enjoyable.

Old Town Ostia (Ostia Antica) was very beautiful, so many hidden gems (Italy in a nutshell!). After that, two more routes - firstly the 018 to Stagni di Ostia then the 011 to Via Fiorelli and back. Just residential routes I guess, but you do get to see beautiful Italian villas! And, again, for both routes, I had a Vivacity (9633 on the 018 and 9608 on the 011). At least the other two I had were better maintained than 9635 on the C19. The 018 was an extremely rare working - it's supposed to be allocated with Iveco Urbanway 12.

And this concludes all my bus trips in 2021! 2022 here it comes!

Thanks again for more Roman rambling. If you like Temsas, you'll have to go to Teesside and experience the UK versions operated by Arriva. I may be wrong but not certain if Redcar has quite the ambience of Ostia....

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Three more Italian trips scheduled for the new year - another one in Rome (but this time we go east, to Centocelle!), and two in Naples. After that, back in the UK, and I plan to do Wantage & Didcot, High Wycombe & North West London, Chipping Norton & Witney, and Swindon (to begin with).

Thanks again for more Roman rambling. If you like Temsas, you'll have to go to Teesside and experience the UK versions operated by Arriva. I may be wrong but not certain if Redcar has quite the ambience of Ostia....

By the boldened part, I'm not sure what you mean? By types of buses there or the town itself?

If by the town itself, then I'd say not. I think, for Ostia, the closest UK comparison would be Bournemouth.

For types of buses, again no, the RomaTPL Temsas don't go anywhere near Ostia. As I said, Troiani's RL4 is temporary rail replacement bus service that will cease to operate once that section of the Roma-Lido metro line reopens.

Roma TPL does run routes in Ostia but they use either the bus that was once your profile picture (BredaMenariniBus Vivacity+ 8 on route C19) or Iveco Urbanway 12 (on route 066).

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

By the boldened part, I'm not sure what you mean? By types of buses there or the town itself?

If by the town itself, then I'd say not. I think, for Ostia, the closest UK comparison would be Bournemouth.

I was suggesting that whilst Redcar has Temsa Avenues (and is on the coast), the parallels with Ostia probably end there. It doesn't have the climate nor the overall feel of anywhere other than a post-industrial town in the North of England!

Well done for remembering my previous avatars... I struggle to. I had to google BredaMenariniBus Vivacity to see which one you meant.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

I was suggesting that whilst Redcar has Temsa Avenues (and is on the coast), the parallels with Ostia probably end there.

Ah yes, the X4 and X93. The main routes that the Arriva North East Temsa Avenues run iirc. And iirc, I think First (not sure where though, probably Leeds or Bradford?) also had a Temsa Avenue LF demonstrator, now also with Arriva.

It doesn't have the climate nor the overall feel of anywhere other than a post-industrial town in the North of England!

Of course - Mediterranean weather for the win! Heck, when I went, winter was effectively non existent - it really felt like a lovely day in late March/early April!

Well done for remembering my previous avatars... I struggle to. I had to google BredaMenariniBus Vivacity to see which one you meant.

The Vivacity in question was, judging by the livery, most likely one in Tuscany (probably CTT Nord in Livorno or Pisa).

 

[DragonEast]

Excellent and interesting report. Not too long at all!

I am glad you have seen the delights of Coggeshall, I started a trip about 4 years ago as I had seen how attractive it was. Also West Mersea, although when I went I dropped back a trip to take time to visit the beach. And Maldon is an absolute delight. last time I went there - 2 years ago - the buses were utterly in chaos due to road works - three way lights at a crucial junction - maybe the same works! I took the bus to Heybridge Basin and walked back into Maldon on that occasion but previously had been to the most attractive part which is on the southern side of the estuary just east of the town centre, near the church. I do recommend a visit to the area in summer and continue along the 31s to Burnham on Crouch which is also delightful. The only way out is the same as the way in or on the train. Alternatively the more remote parts of the Dengie peninsula - Bradwell etc - are good but need careful planning.

Totally with you on the Braintree corridors. The 70 was every 20 minutes for a long time which provided adequate coverage both to Chelmsford and Colchester, then they reduced it and ended up with a horrible mess on the Chelmsford leg, combining city and country services like the various versions of the 42 really doesn't work. Going back further the Chelmsford leg of the 70 wasn't connected to the Colchester leg, I'm not sure there's any benefit in it being a through service since there are depots at either end and not many passengers through Braintree. But then there used to be other sections they could combine with, all of which have been given away now - Chelmsford went through to Halstead, I think it was the 352, which still survives for a few tendered journeys, and Colchester to Bishops Stortford. I have done Maldon to Witham and Witham to Braintree on Stephensons, once great Eastern National strongholds, as were the routes to Halstead and Dunmow. Stephensons seem to have carved out a good niche in the area with routes that ought to work but have been discarded by First.

Putting things together in Colchester would be a good idea, very bitty with First, Arriva and Go Ahead, but whether this could happen in the current environment - doubtful I'd say. I recall the 61 and 62 group being relaunched with relatively new deckers a few years ago with a good service to Wivenhoe and on to Alresford, although Brightlingsea was run by an independent, Cedric Coaches?, with Cummins engined Olympians that flew along. That's another small town worth a visit.

The 100 shouldn't need reinvigorating, it had a relaunch not so long ago with the Volvo 7900s running every 15 minutes through to Lakeside. But then they started nibbling away at it, now it is two separate services at a reduced frequency and more variety of vehicles on it, while the Volvo 7900s look very scruffy.

But above all Chelmsford - which ought to be good bus territory - is such a mess. Services all over the place and very complex with terrible traffic congestion in the rush hours. Needs input from local authorities as well as First. Assuming it is not profitable then it ought to be addressed soon! And without doubt there is a pressing need for a fleet refresh.

Chelmsford always has a major constraint, which is the tight Green Belt boundary around the south and west, which means all the new housing is pushed to the north and east, where Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park form virtually a new town, without the corresponding facilities. (A previous incarnation of the same thing can be seen along the hospital routes).

The council's magic (pre-Covid) solution is the Beaulieu Park Station, which is slowly progressing through the usual hurdles, at the usual rate, and might arrive at the end of this decade, after a 20 year wait. Meanwhile the multiple bus routes are the developers (temporary) solution, with both temporary route and fare subsidies (free tickets for new residents) which accounts for a lot of the complexity. It's the problem with the planning (gain) system. No co-ordination, and of course traffic chaos, as we need to build the houses to collect the money for the road improvements; now belatedly starting to happen. More chaos.
For the time being therefore the south of the town has to make do with interurbans and a single dedicated route (45) in the snarl ups, supplemented by the multiple northern route extensions, caught in the traffic, north and south. Day to day management of the bus network (or the highway network for that matter) is an impossible job.

First are rather caught, trying to keep everyone happy, not least ex-London residents expecting city-type services. Everyone is disappointed.
It needs simplification, but don't expect too much, too soon. So I expect that they have to make the best with whatever resources they have been able to lay their hands on. And for the level of traffic chaos, and comparatively in the south east (think Cambridge for a comparitor), apart from the lack of investment, they're not doing too badly. But with the extraordinarily high cost of their generous service levels (a result of trying to give us what we ask for, apart from later evenings when subsidies are meagre) there is little case. So we still need our own car in our increasingly multiple-person households; and they struggle on.

Ensign and Stephensons have the luxury of being choosy. Arriva Herts, and even Stagecoach East are regularly stuck in the same sort of mire, but with the benefit of having had more investment (at least in the past) and being spread out over more territory. First Essex have concentrated chaos, and I think, probably, it can only get worse. In some ways I think having more operators helps, think of it as sharing the burden.
It'll be interesting to see what the Cambridgeshire Mayor makes of his ambitious plans. It's a useful precedent, but we shouldn't expect anything similar from ECC any time soon. They're still boasting of their low Council tax.

And in wider Essex, don't forget the virtual new towns planned either side of Colchester, held up by Inspectors ironically (and unsurprisingly) for the Councils to address transportation issues! A bus opportunity, perhaps (if anyone needs one)?
Finally, apologies this is all a bit heavy. So, Jan 1st or April 1? For light relief, it appears someone at Arriva has drunk too much Xmas sherry and drawn a new regional fare zone map, which takes in both Stephensons routes based from Haverhill, and mid-Essex up to Suffolk, including urban Chelmsford, Colchester and Tendring, though it excludes Basildon, Southend, Canvey, South Woodham Ferrers, and Maldon! A very strange boundary!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Ah yes, the X4 and X93. The main routes that the Arriva North East Temsa Avenues run iirc. And iirc, I think First (not sure where though, probably Leeds or Bradford?) also had a Temsa Avenue LF demonstrator, now also with Arriva.

IIRC, the Temsas tend to be kept on the "more local" services, not least because of their rather basic level of comfort. You might find one on the X4 but not that often. More likely on the 63/64 Middlesbrough to Redcar services.

The X93 tends to be B9TLs

The Vivacity in question was, judging by the livery, most likely one in Tuscany (probably CTT Nord in Livorno or Pisa).

You know your machines.... It was in Pisa!

 

[route101]

Latest trip.

Booked Birmingham to Southampton on Megabus M34. £12.

A 63 plate interdeck. Pretty smooth journey on M6, M42, A34 and M3. We encountered heavy traffic coming out of Oxford.

The coach is a good alternative to the high fares of Cross Country but there is not many services on the M34/ Nat Express 160 corridor.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

My first two trips of 2022 is in the beautiful Italian city of Naples! Yes, the city of pizza!

DAY 1 - 04/01/2022

2022 starts with ANM LM004, a MenariniBus Citymood 12 CNG on the 151 to Piazzale Tecchio. A rather nice bus and not too bad as a route, goes through a lot of lovely areas such as Chiaia.

Next up, we have N065 (funnily enough, I had the exact same bus back in August 2019 when I filmed the C21), another Citymood but this time 10m diesel - on the 181 to Scarlatti. Your typical spectacularly scenic Naples bus route. The views are epic!

After that, I had planned to get the C38. But remember when I said about buses that don't bother turning up in Italy? Well, for the C38, I have been a victim of that issue, because those idiots at ANM (Naples public transport company) did not bother telling on Twitter or other social media that the C38 would not be running. So, I have no choice but to get Metro Line 1 to the Hospital areas (where the C38 terminates).

But at least I was able to ride the next route, the 139 to Dante. Once again, Citymood 10m, but N170. Another typical scenic Naples bus route.

Again I have been a victim of a bus that didn't bother turning up for the C52 (at least I was able to ride the C52 the following day though!). So I end up getting a 147 (another Citymood 10m, N087) to Tanucci where I then walk to nearby Nicolini.

From Nicolini, I ride, for the first time, on an Irisbus Europolis: V212 on the C63 to Dante. Again, another typical beautiful Naples bus route.

And this concluded my first bus trip of 2022!

DAY 2 - 05/01/2022

After a lovely night in a B&B in the City Centre, we begin this lovely, warm sunny day (typical in Naples - we don't have winters!) on a trolleybus (yes, Naples has trolleybuses!): AnsaldoBreda F19 / Breda MenariniBus M240 F9081 on the 204 to Pansini. The 204, is, once again, another typical scenic route in Naples. 204 is also the newest trolleybus route in Naples - having only began in June 2021 (previously, it was numbered R4 then 604 in the era of diesel buses, and used Irisbus Citelis 10m. These trolleybuses are very epic sounding too (they sound exactly the same as an AnsaldoBreda Sirio, Manchester Metrolink T-68A and Midland Metro T-69!).

Another 204 trolleybus, F9108, to go the Cardarelli terminus. From there, I ride the 144 to Marano Pianura, onboard an Indcar Mobi bodied Iveco Daily (P304). 144 is another lovely route worth riding! And very suburban too, considering that the houses on the route start to become more single family detached ones with gardens.

And then, I walk for about 2 km to get to the closest bus stop on the 143, which is what I then ride next. But, although the timetable said the bus was scheduled to arrive at 12:17 (I had arrived at 12:14), I had narrowly missed the bus because it was 3 minutes early. Unacceptable. Ah well, I walk a further 2 km to get to 5-6 stops from the 143 terminus in Marano Quarto, where I then ride the 143 to the terminus and then back to the other terminus in Cardarelli Hospital. The bus I had was MenariniBus Vivacity 8 C104 (a new Euro 6 model, having only entered service in December 2016!). Lovely sounding bus, and the route, was, once again, spectacular to say the least.

Metro Line 1 back to city centre, and at last, on this day, the C52 was actually running, with an Otokar Centro 5m minibus (P007). C52 (Piazza Cavour - Ospedale San Gennaro), another good route but not in terms of scenery - but because it travels through the lovely narrow streets of Naples city centre with so many good pizzerias and shops!

Back in Piazza Cavour I am and I get Metro Line 1 to Municipio. I then ride onboard one of Naples' new hybrid buses: LH008 (Iveco Urbanway 12m Hybrid) on the R2 (the busiest route in Naples!) to Brin Park & Ride. R2 is quite nice but unfortunately it is the exception of the typical lovely scenic bus routes in Naples.

Same thing with the 116, which is my last bus of the day, which I then get for 3-4 stops to go from the Park & Ride to the central station. Once again I also have an Iveco Urbanway, but this time a 10m CNG model, which has quite nice sounds. And a nice interior too!

And this concludes my Naples trips.



Naples bus routes are so scenic that it makes the UK's scenic bus routes like Brighton & Hove Coaster 12 or Southern Vectis Needles Breezer look boring in comparison!

And so, a great start to 2022 that was! Now back in the UK, and, having read recent news about its planned withdrawal, my next bus trip will instead involve riding the whole First Bath D1 bus route from Bath to Salisbury.

 

[Deerfold]

Been for run out up north today. Starting at Skipton, where I caught a train to Bradford. Time for a brew in a cafe then the Keighley Bus Company 67 to Keighley via Denholme.

At Keighley a quick change onto the Burnley Bus Company M4. It goes to Burnley but I got off at Colne.

2 high routes travelled.

Then the Wizz back to Skipton. The only double decker of the day

Buses and trains worryingly empty. But it was a soggy afternoon in December.

But the 3 bus rides were just £10 which is not bad.

You might have been able to do it for even less. A £4.50 (£5.00 before 0930 Mon-Fri) K-Day would have covered everything but the Wizz between Colne and Barnoldswick.

The Wizz - no announcements and no display (at least not upstairs) I dont know if the road between Colne and Skipton is rough or not, but I felt every bump in the road. Wizz is a bit of a daft name seeing it trundles through Barnoldswick.

The Wizz and the X43 before it were unusual in recent times for buses between Skipton and Burnley for not serving both Barnoldswick and Earby.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

My first two trips of 2022 is in the beautiful Italian city of Naples! Yes, the city of pizza!

DAY 1 - 04/01/2022

2022 starts with ANM LM004, a MenariniBus Citymood 12 CNG on the 151 to Piazzale Tecchio. A rather nice bus and not too bad as a route, goes through a lot of lovely areas such as Chiaia.

Next up, we have N065 (funnily enough, I had the exact same bus back in August 2019 when I filmed the C21), another Citymood but this time 10m diesel - on the 181 to Scarlatti. Your typical spectacularly scenic Naples bus route. The views are epic!

After that, I had planned to get the C38. But remember when I said about buses that don't bother turning up in Italy? Well, for the C38, I have been a victim of that issue, because those idiots at ANM (Naples public transport company) did not bother telling on Twitter or other social media that the C38 would not be running. So, I have no choice but to get Metro Line 1 to the Hospital areas (where the C38 terminates).

But at least I was able to ride the next route, the 139 to Dante. Once again, Citymood 10m, but N170. Another typical scenic Naples bus route.

Again I have been a victim of a bus that didn't bother turning up for the C52 (at least I was able to ride the C52 the following day though!). So I end up getting a 147 (another Citymood 10m, N087) to Tanucci where I then walk to nearby Nicolini.

From Nicolini, I ride, for the first time, on an Irisbus Europolis: V212 on the C63 to Dante. Again, another typical beautiful Naples bus route.

And this concluded my first bus trip of 2022!

DAY 2 - 05/01/2022

After a lovely night in a B&B in the City Centre, we begin this lovely, warm sunny day (typical in Naples - we don't have winters!) on a trolleybus (yes, Naples has trolleybuses!): AnsaldoBreda F19 / Breda MenariniBus M240 F9081 on the 204 to Pansini. The 204, is, once again, another typical scenic route in Naples. 204 is also the newest trolleybus route in Naples - having only began in June 2021 (previously, it was numbered R4 then 604 in the era of diesel buses, and used Irisbus Citelis 10m. These trolleybuses are very epic sounding too (they sound exactly the same as an AnsaldoBreda Sirio, Manchester Metrolink T-68A and Midland Metro T-69!).

Another 204 trolleybus, F9108, to go the Cardarelli terminus. From there, I ride the 144 to Marano Pianura, onboard an Indcar Mobi bodied Iveco Daily (P304). 144 is another lovely route worth riding! And very suburban too, considering that the houses on the route start to become more single family detached ones with gardens.

And then, I walk for about 2 km to get to the closest bus stop on the 143, which is what I then ride next. But, although the timetable said the bus was scheduled to arrive at 12:17 (I had arrived at 12:14), I had narrowly missed the bus because it was 3 minutes early. Unacceptable. Ah well, I walk a further 2 km to get to 5-6 stops from the 143 terminus in Marano Quarto, where I then ride the 143 to the terminus and then back to the other terminus in Cardarelli Hospital. The bus I had was MenariniBus Vivacity 8 C104 (a new Euro 6 model, having only entered service in December 2016!). Lovely sounding bus, and the route, was, once again, spectacular to say the least.

Metro Line 1 back to city centre, and at last, on this day, the C52 was actually running, with an Otokar Centro 5m minibus (P007). C52 (Piazza Cavour - Ospedale San Gennaro), another good route but not in terms of scenery - but because it travels through the lovely narrow streets of Naples city centre with so many good pizzerias and shops!

Back in Piazza Cavour I am and I get Metro Line 1 to Municipio. I then ride onboard one of Naples' new hybrid buses: LH008 (Iveco Urbanway 12m Hybrid) on the R2 (the busiest route in Naples!) to Brin Park & Ride. R2 is quite nice but unfortunately it is the exception of the typical lovely scenic bus routes in Naples.

Same thing with the 116, which is my last bus of the day, which I then get for 3-4 stops to go from the Park & Ride to the central station. Once again I also have an Iveco Urbanway, but this time a 10m CNG model, which has quite nice sounds. And a nice interior too!

And this concludes my Naples trips.



Naples bus routes are so scenic that it makes the UK's scenic bus routes like Brighton & Hove Coaster 12 or Southern Vectis Needles Breezer look boring in comparison!

And so, a great start to 2022 that was! Now back in the UK, and, having read recent news about its planned withdrawal, my next bus trip will instead involve riding the whole First Bath D1 bus route from Bath to Salisbury.

Sounds great - compared to that, I fear Warminster may not meet your expectations

 

[alex397]

A good little circuit trip I’ve done a few times in East Kent is Canterbury-Whitstable-Faversham-Canterbury.

I travelled today (Thursday 6th Jan 2022).

1) Bus route 5 on 10.50 from Canterbury to Whitstable. The Triangle (or the 4) are more frequent and quicker, but the hourly 5 is more quirky, with a scenic route through the Blean Woods, then around a big housing estate in South Tankerton. After Whitstable it continues to the brilliantly named Seasalter (although the terminus is not as interesting as it sounds - it’s a rundown estate).
Travelled on Scania/Enviro400 15903. Like many Stagecoach East Kent routes, double-deckers are not really needed during the middle of the day, but certainly needed for the peaks mainly for school traffic.

2) Dart/Pointer 34438 on 11.56 route 638 from Whitstable to Faversham. An increasingly rare route that is pretty much guaranteed a Dart which are becoming rarer. I believe they have slightly better clearance than an Enviro200 which do appear on the route but quite rarely.
The route is fairly busy serving an very tight estate in Whitstable, the Estuary View Medical Centre, then Seasalter. After that, the route gets very quiet, and I was the only passenger. But this is where it gets most scenic, with VERY narrow lanes, picturesque villages, hop fields and orchards.

Unfortunately the driver had one of his enthusiast friends standing at the front blocking the door way. When elderly ladies walked up to get off and very politely said ‘excuse me’ he very rudely said ‘I’m aware!’ in a stern voice right in their face, much to the shock of the old ladies. He did it a few times. Some enthusiasts really are such a nuisance, and seem to treat other non-enthuasiast passengers with contempt. The bus driver did nothing to stop him being rude.
Other passengers might have assumed he was a member of staff, so it doesn’t reflect well on to the company at all.


3) Enviro200MMC 26243 on route X4 from Faversham to Canterbury (route starts way back in Maidstone). A well loaded bus, and a quick trip down the A2 taking just 20 mins into Canterbury. These long E200 MMCs are a vast improvement to the original E200 - lass rattles, a comfier ride, and I believe this batch have a more powerful engine.

 

[Titfield]

Just going back to GW's Guernsey report (sorry), I was there on a cruise a couple of years back. Quite a few of the passengers had caught on to the local buses, in particular the circular that went all the way round, to the extent that even when one bus left full, there were enough left in the queue to fill the next one already! Few locals, perhaps they avoided cruise days for that reason?

Spoke to a friend in Guernsey. Yes was the answer!

 

[route101]

My first two trips of 2022 is in the beautiful Italian city of Naples! Yes, the city of pizza!

DAY 1 - 04/01/2022

2022 starts with ANM LM004, a MenariniBus Citymood 12 CNG on the 151 to Piazzale Tecchio. A rather nice bus and not too bad as a route, goes through a lot of lovely areas such as Chiaia.

Next up, we have N065 (funnily enough, I had the exact same bus back in August 2019 when I filmed the C21), another Citymood but this time 10m diesel - on the 181 to Scarlatti. Your typical spectacularly scenic Naples bus route. The views are epic!

After that, I had planned to get the C38. But remember when I said about buses that don't bother turning up in Italy? Well, for the C38, I have been a victim of that issue, because those idiots at ANM (Naples public transport company) did not bother telling on Twitter or other social media that the C38 would not be running. So, I have no choice but to get Metro Line 1 to the Hospital areas (where the C38 terminates).

But at least I was able to ride the next route, the 139 to Dante. Once again, Citymood 10m, but N170. Another typical scenic Naples bus route.

Again I have been a victim of a bus that didn't bother turning up for the C52 (at least I was able to ride the C52 the following day though!). So I end up getting a 147 (another Citymood 10m, N087) to Tanucci where I then walk to nearby Nicolini.

From Nicolini, I ride, for the first time, on an Irisbus Europolis: V212 on the C63 to Dante. Again, another typical beautiful Naples bus route.

And this concluded my first bus trip of 2022!

DAY 2 - 05/01/2022

After a lovely night in a B&B in the City Centre, we begin this lovely, warm sunny day (typical in Naples - we don't have winters!) on a trolleybus (yes, Naples has trolleybuses!): AnsaldoBreda F19 / Breda MenariniBus M240 F9081 on the 204 to Pansini. The 204, is, once again, another typical scenic route in Naples. 204 is also the newest trolleybus route in Naples - having only began in June 2021 (previously, it was numbered R4 then 604 in the era of diesel buses, and used Irisbus Citelis 10m. These trolleybuses are very epic sounding too (they sound exactly the same as an AnsaldoBreda Sirio, Manchester Metrolink T-68A and Midland Metro T-69!).

Another 204 trolleybus, F9108, to go the Cardarelli terminus. From there, I ride the 144 to Marano Pianura, onboard an Indcar Mobi bodied Iveco Daily (P304). 144 is another lovely route worth riding! And very suburban too, considering that the houses on the route start to become more single family detached ones with gardens.

And then, I walk for about 2 km to get to the closest bus stop on the 143, which is what I then ride next. But, although the timetable said the bus was scheduled to arrive at 12:17 (I had arrived at 12:14), I had narrowly missed the bus because it was 3 minutes early. Unacceptable. Ah well, I walk a further 2 km to get to 5-6 stops from the 143 terminus in Marano Quarto, where I then ride the 143 to the terminus and then back to the other terminus in Cardarelli Hospital. The bus I had was MenariniBus Vivacity 8 C104 (a new Euro 6 model, having only entered service in December 2016!). Lovely sounding bus, and the route, was, once again, spectacular to say the least.

Metro Line 1 back to city centre, and at last, on this day, the C52 was actually running, with an Otokar Centro 5m minibus (P007). C52 (Piazza Cavour - Ospedale San Gennaro), another good route but not in terms of scenery - but because it travels through the lovely narrow streets of Naples city centre with so many good pizzerias and shops!

Back in Piazza Cavour I am and I get Metro Line 1 to Municipio. I then ride onboard one of Naples' new hybrid buses: LH008 (Iveco Urbanway 12m Hybrid) on the R2 (the busiest route in Naples!) to Brin Park & Ride. R2 is quite nice but unfortunately it is the exception of the typical lovely scenic bus routes in Naples.

Same thing with the 116, which is my last bus of the day, which I then get for 3-4 stops to go from the Park & Ride to the central station. Once again I also have an Iveco Urbanway, but this time a 10m CNG model, which has quite nice sounds. And a nice interior too!

And this concludes my Naples trips.



Naples bus routes are so scenic that it makes the UK's scenic bus routes like Brighton & Hove Coaster 12 or Southern Vectis Needles Breezer look boring in comparison!

And so, a great start to 2022 that was! Now back in the UK, and, having read recent news about its planned withdrawal, my next bus trip will instead involve riding the whole First Bath D1 bus route from Bath to Salisbury.

The D1 is a nice run. Shame it features single deckers.

A good little circuit trip I’ve done a few times in East Kent is Canterbury-Whitstable-Faversham-Canterbury.

I travelled today (Thursday 6th Jan 2022).

1) Bus route 5 on 10.50 from Canterbury to Whitstable. The Triangle (or the 4) are more frequent and quicker, but the hourly 5 is more quirky, with a scenic route through the Blean Woods, then around a big housing estate in South Tankerton. After Whitstable it continues to the brilliantly named Seasalter (although the terminus is not as interesting as it sounds - it’s a rundown estate).
Travelled on Scania/Enviro400 15903. Like many Stagecoach East Kent routes, double-deckers are not really needed during the middle of the day, but certainly needed for the peaks mainly for school traffic.

2) Dart/Pointer 34438 on 11.56 route 638 from Whitstable to Faversham. An increasingly rare route that is pretty much guaranteed a Dart which are becoming rarer. I believe they have slightly better clearance than an Enviro200 which do appear on the route but quite rarely.
The route is fairly busy serving an very tight estate in Whitstable, the Estuary View Medical Centre, then Seasalter. After that, the route gets very quiet, and I was the only passenger. But this is where it gets most scenic, with VERY narrow lanes, picturesque villages, hop fields and orchards.

Unfortunately the driver had one of his enthusiast friends standing at the front blocking the door way. When elderly ladies walked up to get off and very politely said ‘excuse me’ he very rudely said ‘I’m aware!’ in a stern voice right in their face, much to the shock of the old ladies. He did it a few times. Some enthusiasts really are such a nuisance, and seem to treat other non-enthuasiast passengers with contempt. The bus driver did nothing to stop him being rude.
Other passengers might have assumed he was a member of staff, so it doesn’t reflect well on to the company at all.


3) Enviro200MMC 26243 on route X4 from Faversham to Canterbury (route starts way back in Maidstone). A well loaded bus, and a quick trip down the A2 taking just 20 mins into Canterbury. These long E200 MMCs are a vast improvement to the original E200 - lass rattles, a comfier ride, and I believe this batch have a more powerful engine.

Need to get myself over to Kent. Hardly explored this corner of England. Quite expensive to reach by train for a day trip from South Hampshire.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Unfortunately the driver had one of his enthusiast friends standing at the front blocking the door way. When elderly ladies walked up to get off and very politely said ‘excuse me’ he very rudely said ‘I’m aware!’ in a stern voice right in their face, much to the shock of the old ladies. He did it a few times. Some enthusiasts really are such a nuisance, and seem to treat other non-enthuasiast passengers with contempt. The bus driver did nothing to stop him being rude.
Other passengers might have assumed he was a member of staff, so it doesn’t reflect well on to the company at all.

Pre-covid, people standing at the front blocking the door was very normal in Italy! It was even allowed by law! As a result, where possible, I have decided to film bus routes in Italy from the rear window instead so that other passsngers don't ruin my video. Imo the UK gets right on not allowing passsngers to stand at the front. Drivers need their vision. I'm pretty sure that's the case in other European countries too, with Italy being very much the exception.

But since Covid, with the exception of Veneto, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, the front area is completely barricaded. In fact, people cannot even board or get off through the front door! This practice was also used on TfL buses in London during the first lockdown back in April 2020.

 

[Ken H]

You might have been able to do it for even less. A £4.50 (£5.00 before 0930 Mon-Fri) K-Day would have covered everything but the Wizz between Colne and Barnoldswick.

The Wizz and the X43 before it were unusual in recent times for buses between Skipton and Burnley for not serving both Barnoldswick and Earby.

Didnt realise K-days covered non KBC buses. Thanks

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The D1 is a nice run. Shame it features single deckers.

It is a lovely run but with the low bridges at Wilton and Limpley Stoke, it can't accommodate deckers and, being honest, loadings never justify them anyway

Need to get myself over to Kent. Hardly explored this corner of England. Quite expensive to reach by train for a day trip from South Hampshire

If you can, I'd recommend it. The coastal runs in the East but also out into the Weald are really pleasant. Canterbury is naturally quite nice for a historic cathedral city and somewhere like Whitstable or Tenterden is an interesting destination. Less enthused about Dover and Ashford to be honest.

First are rather caught, trying to keep everyone happy, not least ex-London residents expecting city-type services. Everyone is disappointed.
It needs simplification, but don't expect too much, too soon. So I expect that they have to make the best with whatever resources they have been able to lay their hands on. And for the level of traffic chaos, and comparatively in the south east (think Cambridge for a comparitor), apart from the lack of investment, they're not doing too badly. But with the extraordinarily high cost of their generous service levels (a result of trying to give us what we ask for, apart from later evenings when subsidies are meagre) there is little case. So we still need our own car in our increasingly multiple-person households; and they struggle on.

Ensign and Stephensons have the luxury of being choosy. Arriva Herts, and even Stagecoach East are regularly stuck in the same sort of mire, but with the benefit of having had more investment (at least in the past) and being spread out over more territory. First Essex have concentrated chaos, and I think, probably, it can only get worse. In some ways I think having more operators helps, think of it as sharing the burden.
It'll be interesting to see what the Cambridgeshire Mayor makes of his ambitious plans. It's a useful precedent, but we shouldn't expect anything similar from ECC any time soon. They're still boasting of their low Council tax.

Thanks for your reply and apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I take what you say on the development pattern etc and can't say one way or another about how lopsided things are. However, thought I'd focus on these two paragraphs as that's perhaps easier for me to comment on, and having had another visit (I'll share in due course), I do have some sympathy for your views.

The Chelmsford network is particularly confusing and some simplification is needed; the 57/57A/57B/57C being an example. Rather than rafts of route variations, it needs to have a much simpler approach. This is not just confined to urban routes - the 31 group to Burnham and Maldon equally has 5 different service variations. Nor is it Chelmsford only - the South Essex network is equally confusing and they have a lot to do to unpick it. That said, having had a second experience in a month, I was again surprised by the loadings on services - surprisingly high (though that may not be reflected in either the farebox or the revenue/cost balance). Again, I return to something that I've said before...the challenges in Essex are no different to many places (e.g. car centric development policies, congestion, staff costs) but at least it's a buoyant economy (excusing Tendring which they've already vacated) and there's a lot more potential to shape a business there than in some post-industrial spot such as Rotherham or Oldham.

Stephensons and Ensign have succeeded because they can be choosy but ultimately, they have managed to expand into areas often taking on services that weren't classed as viable by First (or Arriva in some cases). Perhaps their cost base is an advantage but also, they have focussed on simple, quality bus provision. In respect of First, the fleet is pretty aged. Aside from a pre-DDA splurge on new fleets resulting in some hybrids, and a lot of e200s and Streetlites, the fleet suffered as did many provincial fleets in a lack of investment over years and it still is. Sadly, they are still reliant on cascades of older vehicles, replacing 2002 Tridents now with 2006 e400s from Weston super Mare that are both still quite luxurious yet have been worked very hard. Perhaps with the loss of Chelmsford P&R to Vectare (if that is confirmed), that fleet could be redeployed and with some mid-life cascades from across the group, perhaps they can make a start at sweeping away the substantial numbers of elderly Eclipses that are still in front line service.

However, before we get too excited about rolling stock or marketing strategies, they need to get the network sorted and the fundamentals of the operation. Perhaps that, and the ongoing operational pressures that all operators are struggling with, explain the slow apparent progress thus far.

 

[DragonEast]

It is a lovely run but with the low bridges at Wilton and Limpley Stoke, it can't accommodate deckers and, being honest, loadings never justify them anyway

If you can, I'd recommend it. The coastal runs in the East but also out into the Weald are really pleasant. Canterbury is naturally quite nice for a historic cathedral city and somewhere like Whitstable or Tenterden is an interesting destination. Less enthused about Dover and Ashford to be honest.


Thanks for your reply and apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I take what you say on the development pattern etc and can't say one way or another about how lopsided things are. However, thought I'd focus on these two paragraphs as that's perhaps easier for me to comment on, and having had another visit (I'll share in due course), I do have some sympathy for your views.

The Chelmsford network is particularly confusing and some simplification is needed; the 57/57A/57B/57C being an example. Rather than rafts of route variations, it needs to have a much simpler approach. This is not just confined to urban routes - the 31 group to Burnham and Maldon equally has 5 different service variations. Nor is it Chelmsford only - the South Essex network is equally confusing and they have a lot to do to unpick it. That said, having had a second experience in a month, I was again surprised by the loadings on services - surprisingly high (though that may not be reflected in either the farebox or the revenue/cost balance). Again, I return to something that I've said before...the challenges in Essex are no different to many places (e.g. car centric development policies, congestion, staff costs) but at least it's a buoyant economy (excusing Tendring which they've already vacated) and there's a lot more potential to shape a business there than in some post-industrial spot such as Rotherham or Oldham.

Stephensons and Ensign have succeeded because they can be choosy but ultimately, they have managed to expand into areas often taking on services that weren't classed as viable by First (or Arriva in some cases). Perhaps their cost base is an advantage but also, they have focussed on simple, quality bus provision. In respect of First, the fleet is pretty aged. Aside from a pre-DDA splurge on new fleets resulting in some hybrids, and a lot of e200s and Streetlites, the fleet suffered as did many provincial fleets in a lack of investment over years and it still is. Sadly, they are still reliant on cascades of older vehicles, replacing 2002 Tridents now with 2006 e400s from Weston super Mare that are both still quite luxurious yet have been worked very hard. Perhaps with the loss of Chelmsford P&R to Vectare (if that is confirmed), that fleet could be redeployed and with some mid-life cascades from across the group, perhaps they can make a start at sweeping away the substantial numbers of elderly Eclipses that are still in front line service.

However, before we get too excited about rolling stock or marketing strategies, they need to get the network sorted and the fundamentals of the operation. Perhaps that, and the ongoing operational pressures that all operators are struggling with, explain the slow apparent progress thus far.

I agree the problems are by no means unique. But I think there is a problem with Essex, which is neither metropolitan nor Shire, but a rather strange mix of both. Which is why both First and Arriva struggle. Stephensons and Ensign don't anything like as much, perhaps because of what they don't do, as much as what they do. For instance Stephensons have taken over much of the mid-Essex First network, but on the whole kept out of Chelmsford.
Similarly I don't know how far out of the town you got, but with a few exceptions (70/100) loadings quickly drop, after the urban core. In peaks, one thing First do very well is the commuter traffic, so it is an exception, looking beyond the chaos at the railway lay-by.
This was something I noticed in Cambridge (where the urban core is bolstered by tourist traffic) but on the estates and inter urbans, Stagecoach quickly drop from 10/15 minute frequencies to hourly, to persistent passenger complaints, over decades. Their justification, we don't have the resources. First do?
As you have mentioned, First do seem to be wedded to cross town routes, rather than shorter routes encountering less congestion, which seem to be the norm, regionally. Resources again, perhaps.
Interestingly, their latest service revisions, do mention a slight increase in resources, against the threat of cutbacks as an alternative! I do find your views as a visitor interesting, so thank you for your persistence. On the whole, although First haven't made it any easier for themselves over the last two decades, I think public transport in Essex is a difficult nut to crack. Not, of course, helped by the hands-off approach of the local Councils "bang 'em a few bob and let' em get on with it".

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I agree the problems are by no means unique. But I think there is a problem with Essex, which is neither metropolitan nor Shire, but a rather strange mix of both. Which is why both First and Arriva struggle. Stephensons and Ensign don't anything like as much, perhaps because of what they don't do, as much as what they do. For instance Stephensons have taken over much of the mid-Essex First network, but on the whole kept out of Chelmsford.
Similarly I don't know how far out of the town you got, but with a few exceptions (70/100) loadings quickly drop, after the urban core. In peaks, one thing First do very well is the commuter traffic, so it is an exception, looking beyond the chaos at the railway lay-by.
This was something I noticed in Cambridge (where the urban core is bolstered by tourist traffic) but on the estates and inter urbans, Stagecoach quickly drop from 10/15 minute frequencies to hourly, to persistent passenger complaints, over decades. Their justification, we don't have the resources. First do?
As you have mentioned, First do seem to be wedded to cross town routes, rather than shorter routes encountering less congestion, which seem to be the norm, regionally. Resources again, perhaps.
Interestingly, their latest service revisions, do mention a slight increase in resources, against the threat of cutbacks as an alternative! I do find your views as a visitor interesting, so thank you for your persistence. On the whole, although First haven't made it any easier for themselves over the last two decades, I think public transport in Essex is a difficult nut to crack. Not, of course, helped by the hands-off approach of the local Councils "bang 'em a few bob and let' em get on with it".

Thanks for the response.

I have tried to mix it up a little in my two trips. Yes, the 70 and 100 have featured in my journeys. However, I was surprised to catch a mid-afternoon 351 to Brentwood with only one other passenger leaving the bus station but by the time we were out of the town centre and by a VW showroom, we must have been nearly half full. Before Christmas, I sampled another mid pm run from Colchester to Maldon and that was nearer 2/3 full - both were rather mature Eclipses. I was even surprised that having caught a 54 (for a bit of local colour) from Broomfield at 1420, it too was fairly busy (not with schoolkids) into the centre - not what I was expecting.

Aside from the 42, which I can see the logic of a North-South axis to Broomfield, I'm not convinced that through running is that sensible. My take was that it might be more because of the constraints of the bus station and limitations in terminating routes there so instead, they have through routes.

I don't think Essex CC are that bad. I mean, it should be a race to the bottom for who can be the worst local authority but in comparison to other counties (e.g. Cumbria, Somerset, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire), Essex at least do something.

 

[alex397]

If you can, I'd recommend it. The coastal runs in the East but also out into the Weald are really pleasant. Canterbury is naturally quite nice for a historic cathedral city and somewhere like Whitstable or Tenterden is an interesting destination. Less enthused about Dover and Ashford to be honest.

They are certainly places that are well worth a visit. Tenterden, in the Weald, is a lovely market town, and a good base for some scenic routes. The 12 from Maidstone, and 2 or 2A from Ashford (the 2A being particularly impressive, taking a much different route to the 2). The jewel in the crown is probably the 297 though, run by Hams Travel which gives a very scenic run all the way to Tunbridge Wells - on schooldays, one of the two all-day workings is run by a double-decker too. There’s also some interesting once-a-week shoppers buses here too.

Ashford is, in my opinion, a very boring place, but it is a good base for some interesting rural routes, such as the 1X, 2/2A, 11/a/b, 123. Good for train connections too.

I will always try to stick up for Dover though - it’s a very run down place (the high street being particularly eye-opening!) but the history here is absolutely fascinating. Not many places with a Roman Lighthouse! Some interesting walks by the docks and up to the White Cliffs too. For buses, the local routes I find fairly interesting as they can be very hilly, particularly the suburbs of River and Temple Ewell which look more like a Northern village than a place in Kent.
The route to Deal is interesting past Dover Castle (and you can get a glimpse of France if you catch the journeys via St Margarets) and the Wave 102 starts here and is scenic to Folkestone (and continues down to Rye).