Trivia: Most frequent buses in the country?

[ValleyLines142]

What are some of the most frequent buses in the country?

I'd have to say the 25, 38 and 521 in London must come pretty close, all about every 2-3 minutes.

Stagecoach Manchester's 192 and National Express West Midland's 50 are all at least every five minutes too.

Any others?

 

[Josie]

I've often heard it said - though I don't think I've seen it properly sourced - that Stagecoach Manchester's 192 is the most frequent service in Europe. (In a similar vein, it's also said that the Oxford Road route past the universities and hospitals is the busiest bus corridor in Europe, with several buses per minute albeit on different services).

 

[MCR247]

Nottingham's most frequent buses are NCT's Unilink 34 (every 5 mins during term time) and Trent Barton's Indigo which is every 5 mins as far as Beeston.

 

[Springs Branch]

If you consider Manchester's 42 and 142 as basically one service between Piccadilly & East Didsbury (42 operated by First & Stagecoach, 142 by Magic Bus), then this must be a contender.

 

[Tubeboy]

What about the W7 bus in North London, a 3 minute frequency. Interestingly a fair part of it runs near to the old Northern Heights formation from Finsbury Park to Muswell Hill.

 

[Deerfold]

I've often heard it said - though I don't think I've seen it properly sourced - that Stagecoach Manchester's 192 is the most frequent service in Europe. (In a similar vein, it's also said that the Oxford Road route past the universities and hospitals is the busiest bus corridor in Europe, with several buses per minute albeit on different services).

The 192 used to be the busiest but the frequency has dropped a lot now. When there were 4 operators departures could be up to every 30 seconds.

The 521 in London runs every 2 minutes (30bph) from Waterloo during the busiest morning peak hour. For the rest of the peaks, and in the other direction 24bph run.

During the morning peak the W7 runs at 19bph, almost every 3 minutes.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've often heard it said - though I don't think I've seen it properly sourced - that Stagecoach Manchester's 192 is the most frequent service in Europe. (In a similar vein, it's also said that the Oxford Road route past the universities and hospitals is the busiest bus corridor in Europe, with several buses per minute albeit on different services).

It used to be the case that Hamburg's 102 (number corrected), which is now a Metrobus with a different number, was the busiest single route, though probably not the most frequent. Whereas Oxford Road was the busiest corridor, with lots of numbers. Both are similar in connecting an area of large student population with the university. Don't know about frequency, though, you might be right on that - I think "busiest" related to passenger numbers.

Neil

 

[pne]

It used to be the case that Hamburg's 102 (number corrected), which is now a Metrobus with a different number, was the busiest single route

M5, previously 5. (And the bus route was numbered 102 because it replaced the tram 2, I believe.)

Also the only route in Hamburg to use doubly-articulated busses, in an attempt to cope with the demand.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It used to be the case that Hamburg's 102 (number corrected), which is now a Metrobus with a different number, was the busiest single route, though probably not the most frequent. Whereas Oxford Road was the busiest corridor, with lots of numbers. Both are similar in connecting an area of large student population with the university. Don't know about frequency, though, you might be right on that - I think "busiest" related to passenger numbers.

Neil

To be fair, the OP stated (and the thread was entitled) as the most frequent.

That said, you'd think the frequency was a reflection of passenger numbers and so most frequent may well be the busiest?

In the capital, I seem to recall this was mentioned relatively recently but can't recall which one was cited as running every 1-2 mins - was it the 38? If only there were some sort of larger vehicle with a higher capacity that could allow the headway to be reduced

The 192 does boast a frequency of up to 18 buses per hour.... or is that spin?

 

[Bletchleyite]

That said, you'd think the frequency was a reflection of passenger numbers and so most frequent may well be the busiest?

Possibly, or possibly not. There is an immense amount of excess capacity on Oxford Road - buses generally don't run full or anything like it. This is tremendously wasteful.

When I used it in 1999-2000 the Hamburg route was bendy buses every 5 minutes or so always full and standing, so the opposite extreme. Hence the double articulated buses that others posted about.

Neil

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

In the height of summer some places with multiple opentop bus operators have frequencies like every5mins but they runm more that they are supposed too. Scarborough has competing bus companies and Cleethorpes used too with 12 an hour before Coopers pulled out.
The 192 is typical of Stagecoach. They priced all the others out of business.

 

[Bletchleyite]

In the height of summer some places with multiple opentop bus operators have frequencies like every5mins but they runm more that they are supposed too. Scarborough has competing bus companies and Cleethorpes used too with 12 an hour before Coopers pulled out.
The 192 is typical of Stagecoach. They priced all the others out of business.

Or to look at it differently, it was Stagecoach's route, as descended from GMS Buses, from GMPTE/GMT before that. The others were just invaders looking for easy pickings who needed getting rid of.

Certainly true of the extremely disreputable UK North (t/a GM Buses), who were only finished when they managed to kill somebody through incompetent driving.

Neil

 

[radamfi]

The Manchester 192 is effectively three routes in one:

Manchester to Stockport
Manchester to Stepping Hill
Manchester to Hazel Grove

Each runs every 10 minutes, so you have 18 buses per hour between Manchester and Stockport, 12 between Manchester and Stepping Hill, and 6 between Manchester and Hazel Grove.

In 1994, Stagecoach (through its Ribble subsidiary, using the then new 'Stagecoach Manchester' fleetname) competed on the 192 against GMS Buses just after GM Buses had been split into two. They started with new Volvo B6 short single deckers which were replaced shortly after with full size single deckers in the form of Volvo B10Ms. GMS were still using Atlanteans/Olympians. GMS retaliated by running coaches up to Burnley for 99p return against the then Ribble X43 service.

Another contender for busiest route in terms of passengers but not necessarily frequency might be the U-OV service between Utrecht and the university/hospital at the eastern edge of the town which runs every few minutes with three-part bendy buses. Capacity is further enhanced by open boarding and dedicated busways. However, the route will be replaced by a tram which is currently under construction. The reason why UK cities seems to be well represented by high demand bus corridors compared to mainland Europe is because outside the UK these routes would generally have been converted to tram or metro long ago.
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Possibly, or possibly not. There is an immense amount of excess capacity on Oxford Road - buses generally don't run full or anything like it. This is tremendously wasteful.

The same could be said for many other corridors into the city centre, and probably other cities as well. It is a well known feature of deregulation that main routes are run at higher frequency than necessary as a deterrent against new competition. I wouldn't be surprised if TfGM look into this shortly after re-regulation.

 

[PermitToTravel]

I've often heard it said - though I don't think I've seen it properly sourced - that Stagecoach Manchester's 192 is the most frequent service in Europe. (In a similar vein, it's also said that the Oxford Road route past the universities and hospitals is the busiest bus corridor in Europe, with several buses per minute albeit on different services).

If you consider Manchester's 42 and 142 as basically one service between Piccadilly & East Didsbury (42 operated by First & Stagecoach, 142 by Magic Bus), then this must be a contender.

Arguably, buses between Withington and the University are effectively used as though they were one service - routes 42, 43, 141, 142, 143, and more. The frequency is probably something like 3 buses per minute on average (I've not tried to work it out)

 

[Busaholic]

To be fair, the OP stated (and the thread was entitled) as the most frequent.

That said, you'd think the frequency was a reflection of passenger numbers and so most frequent may well be the busiest?

In the capital, I seem to recall this was mentioned relatively recently but can't recall which one was cited as running every 1-2 mins - was it the 38? If only there were some sort of larger vehicle with a higher capacity that could allow the headway to be reduced

The 192 does boast a frequency of up to 18 buses per hour.... or is that spin?

The London 38 is now every 3 minutes in peaks, from Victoria to Hackney: it was every 2/3 minutes on conversion from artic, but has lost quite a few buses since then. Perhaps the Borismaster is not so popular.

 

[deltic]

is London's 29 bus route the most frequent night bus with 8 services an hour? Birmingham's 50 bus route claimed to be the busiest outside London at one time - it appears to run every 4-5 mins

 

[Busaholic]

is London's 29 bus route the most frequent night bus with 8 services an hour? Birmingham's 50 bus route claimed to be the busiest outside London at one time - it appears to run every 4-5 mins

You've correctly identified the route, the N29. but the figure is EIGHTEEN buses an hour Charing Cross to Wood Green on Friday and Saturday nights! Enfield Town at the other end of the full route has to make do with 6 buses an hour through the night.

 

[tbtc]

The OP asked for "frequent bsues", so I don't know whether these count (since the whole routes don't see the full frequency and the routes are shared between two operators, but the 52 and the 120 in Sheffield both run every four minutes.

BUT, do these meet your criteria?

The 52 is more straightforward - both operators running the same route from Hillsborough through Broomhill, the City Centre, Darnall and out to Ballifield, where they go their separate ways... then Badger Road (where they run in opposite directions) and terminate at different termini in Woodhouse. So 95% of the route sees a bus every four minutes (but with a slight difference at the eastern end). Best explained by this map:

http://www.sy-transport.co.uk/files/symap.pdf

The 120 is a different beast - during the daytime its two overlapping services with the one number. Stagecoach run Halfway - Crystal Peaks - Manor Top - City Centre - Hallamshire Hospital every eight minutes whilst First run Crystal Peaks - Manor Top - City Centre - Hallamshire Hospital - Broomhill - Fulwood every eight minutes (i.e. four minutes from Crystal Peaks to the Hallamshire, but with one common route and a co-ordinated timetable). Evenings and Sundays sees a combined service of every ten minutes to both termini though.

However, neither the 52 nor the 120 meet the "all journeys running the full length" definition that you may want to apply to this kind of thread. Still the most frequent in Yorkshire, as far I can see.

Historically, the most frequent service in Sheffield was the 52 in the early 1990s, running every three minutes with one operator (SYT) plus competing journeys run by Yorkshire Terrier, SUT, Sheffield & District (plus Sheffield Omnibus running evening/Sundays only) - i.e. five operators running the same service.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

What about the Leeds to Killingbeck section of the A64, surely there must be at least 15 buses per hour.

 

[Deerfold]

What about the Leeds to Killingbeck section of the A64, surely there must be at least 15 buses per hour.

If you're looking at route corridors rather than individual routes, that's peanuts, even outside London.

In Nottingham, QMC to Canning circus sees at least 40 buses an hour.


I'll also mention that if people are going to list every bus that's at least every 5 minutes this is going to become a very long thread.

 

[pne]

The reason why UK cities seems to be well represented by high demand bus corridors compared to mainland Europe is because outside the UK these routes would generally have been converted to tram or metro long ago.

Hamburg could probably also do with a tram, at least on the M5 route.

But politicians are against it and would rather make the city more car-friendly. There was a study for a possible tram service but it got shelved.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Hamburg could probably also do with a tram, at least on the M5 route.

Or an U-Bahn - the big wide roads it runs on could do for a cut and cover job. And this isn't blue-sky - they have added substantially to the U- and S-Bahn of late.

But politicians are against it and would rather make the city more car-friendly. There was a study for a possible tram service but it got shelved.

Why would a tram (rather than an U-Bahn) make the city more car friendly?

Neil

 

[Qwerty133]

I'm sure I've seen 3 50s literally one after another, on multiple occasions...
Oh this is meant to be scheduled in which case the above is only every 20 mins.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

I've often heard it said - though I don't think I've seen it properly sourced - that Stagecoach Manchester's 192 is the most frequent service in Europe. (In a similar vein, it's also said that the Oxford Road route past the universities and hospitals is the busiest bus corridor in Europe, with several buses per minute albeit on different services).

I would hazard a guess that Oxford Street is FAR busier for buses than Oxford Road.

 

[Deerfold]

I would hazard a guess that Oxford Street is FAR busier for buses than Oxford Road.

Although I suspect the busiest part of Oxford Street may win, I don't think it'll by the sort of margin you're suggesting.

 

[MCR247]

Does Oxford street really count as a bus corridor though, as thats what I was under the impression Oxford Road was?

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Although I suspect the busiest part of Oxford Street may win, I don't think it'll by the sort of margin you're suggesting.

I base it having strolled along both at different times of day and that Oxford Street is a bus and taxi only street and is quite often a sea of buses which I have never witnessed on Oxford Road. I would base the FAR busier when you compare both roads at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday morning.
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Does Oxford street really count as a bus corridor though, as thats what I was under the impression Oxford Road was?

You could probably pick a dozen corridors - Edgware Road, Bayswater Road, Holloway Road, Finchley Road in fact pretty much any arterial road out of London which are pretty much as busy as Oxford Road, Just thought it an odd claim to be 'Europe's busiest bus corridor'.

 

[Deerfold]

I base it having strolled along both at different times of day and that Oxford Street is a bus and taxi only street and is quite often a sea of buses which I have never witnessed on Oxford Road. I would base the FAR busier when you compare both roads at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday morning.

If you'd mentioned you were thinking of 0200 on a Tuesday I'd probably agree with you as Manchester night buses are fairly sparse midweek. However, oddly enough, I was considering during the daytime.

On Oxford Street during the day the traffic moves far more slowly so you will see far more buses at any given time.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

If you'd mentioned you were thinking of 0200 on a Tuesday I'd probably agree with you as Manchester night buses are fairly sparse midweek. However, oddly enough, I was considering during the daytime.

On Oxford Street during the day the traffic moves far more slowly so you will see far more buses at any given time.

To measure a bus corridor in buses per hour just for the peak times isn't really a measure of it's overall use by buses. Surely the busiest bus corridors are those that are busiest over a 24 hour period ?

 

[Deerfold]

To measure a bus corridor in buses per hour just for the peak times isn't really a measure of it's overall use by buses. Surely the busiest bus corridors are those that are busiest over a 24 hour period ?

Who mentioned peak times?

I'll admit I was thinking of daytimes rather than nighttime.

Only measuring at 0200 seemed to be a fairly random way of measuring the overall business of a bus corridor too.