Wiltshire Bus Services

[wiltshirebloke]

Thought that I would create a separate thread for general services within Wiltshire, I guess that 2017 will see a raft of changes with the council subsidy reduction coming up ....
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Thamesdown Transport has announced a number of changes to town services across Swindon to take effect from 8th January 2017.

Amongst the changes, passengers will see Services 1/1A and 16 combined to provide a service to the Great Western Hospital every ten minutes. Running as Service 1/1A the service will take an amended route and new timetable from Fleming Way to the hospital.

North Swindon residents will also see their buses change, with Service 12 extended with a new route to serve Blunsdon and Highworth. Passengers in Haydon End who previously used the Service 12 will be able to use an amended Service 15/15A.

Buses on Service 17 will also be increased to provide a service every 7/8 minutes from Penhill to Park North and vice versa. Swindon’s new housing developments of Badbury Park and Ridgeway Farm will also benefit from the 12 and 19/19A respectively being rerouted to serve these homes.

The changes taking place in January affect the majority of our services across Swindon so we would urge passengers to check the new timetables when they are available to see if their service times or numbers are changing.

 

[matt_splat]

will be very interested to see what happens with the 94 in trowbridge with libra pulling off the route it will certainly be interesting who picks the route up

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

will be very interested to see what happens with the 94 in trowbridge with libra pulling off the route it will certainly be interesting who picks the route up

Is it Libra pulling off the route or a reduction in the tender spec meaning it is being retendered?

I'm sure the usual candidates (Faresaver, Libra, Frome Minibuses) will be the favourites

 

[Marc]

Is it Libra pulling off the route or a reduction in the tender spec meaning it is being retendered?

I'm sure the usual candidates (Faresaver, Libra, Frome Minibuses) will be the favourites

libra quit the contract. im told that wilts havea tender out at the moment. one of ct coaches drivers told me they were going for it but thats probably just gossip.

-swindon-
stagecoach recently canceled some or all of their sunday dutys on thamesdown routes. i dont know swindon well enoguh to know if it was all of them but probably part of this changes.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

libra quit the contract. im told that wilts havea tender out at the moment. one of ct coaches drivers told me they were going for it but thats probably just gossip.

It may be gossip but CT Coaches are one of the others that you'd expect might be in for it.

 

[matt_splat]

I have been told that ct have not gone for the 94 but who knows it's a Wiltshire tender not sure if they are on the Wiltshire list

 

[NorthernSpirit]

What's happening with Sunday duty on the 265, are the four journeys to Warminster being kept or have their been cut?

As for the 94 in Trow its likley that Faresaver may end up with it as they took on the Town Service.

 

[Marc]

What's happening with Sunday duty on the 265, are the four journeys to Warminster being kept or have their been cut?

As for the 94 in Trow its likley that Faresaver may end up with it as they took on the Town Service.

trow town 60 / 260 carrys huge numbers. even on wiltshires crappy concession scheme it is worth doing it like faresaver do with a bus that also has peak time work.

94 is a different propesition - very long day - in baths awful traffic - and no possibility of the bus earning anything else.

i think wilts are retendering 265 and the other sunday services next year.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

trow town 60 / 260 carrys huge numbers. even on wiltshires crappy concession scheme it is worth doing it like faresaver do with a bus that also has peak time work.

94 is a different propesition - very long day - in baths awful traffic - and no possibility of the bus earning anything else.

i think wilts are retendering 265 and the other sunday services next year.

Wilts renumeration is still better than Dorset or Somerset

The 265 is largely commercial. I'm probably wrong but it's the evening journeys plus Sunday service between Trowbridge and Warminster? That'll rule out Faresaver!!

Given the challenges on funding, if they do have to trim Sunday services, the Warminster extension might be vulnerable given the parallel rail service

 

[TheWalrus]

Only the Stagecoach 11A and 19 on Sundays are being withdrawn, no plans to change 13/14 and 17 that I'm aware of.

 

[DaveHarries]

Thought that I would create a separate thread for general services within Wiltshire, I guess that 2017 will see a raft of changes with the council subsidy reduction coming up ....
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Thamesdown Transport has announced a number of changes to town services across Swindon to take effect from 8th January 2017.

[.....]

North Swindon residents will also see their buses change, with Service 12 extended with a new route to serve Blunsdon and Highworth. Passengers in Haydon End who previously used the Service 12 will be able to use an amended Service 15/15A.

I have often wondered why nothing has been done ages ago to provide Broad Blunsdon with a decent service. The current timetable for Broad Blunsdon (as Google Earth calls it) only has 5 journeys each way for the village (1 on the 24A, 4 on the 24) which, to my way of thinking, hardly seems adequate and I would have thought that the frequency to BB should be at least hourly so I am glad to see something being done here.

As a side thought, following the loss of the 64 (Carterton - Swindon), anyone know if Stagecoach (or any other operator for that matter) has given thought to a service between Lechlade and Swindon? Either an extension of the 77 (although this, I note, now runs Highworth to Cirencester instead of Lechlade to Cirencester as of the last timetable revision of 20-Nov-2016 so there is at least the opportunity to change buses between the 7 and 77) with extra journeys Lechlade to Swindon. Or, dare I suggest it, revision to Service 7 to run one per hour from Highworth to Lechlade?

Dave

 

[lightning76]

I have often wondered why nothing has been done ages ago to provide Broad Blunsdon with a decent service. The current timetable for Broad Blunsdon (as Google Earth calls it) only has 5 journeys each way for the village (1 on the 24A, 4 on the 24) which, to my way of thinking, hardly seems adequate and I would have thought that the frequency to BB should be at least hourly so I am glad to see something being done here.

As a side thought, following the loss of the 64 (Carterton - Swindon), anyone know if Stagecoach (or any other operator for that matter) has given thought to a service between Lechlade and Swindon? Either an extension of the 77 (although this, I note, now runs Highworth to Cirencester instead of Lechlade to Cirencester as of the last timetable revision of 20-Nov-2016 so there is at least the opportunity to change buses between the 7 and 77) with extra journeys Lechlade to Swindon. Or, dare I suggest it, revision to Service 7 to run one per hour from Highworth to Lechlade?

Dave

Blunsdon had a half-hourly service by the 12 until TT's last major changes. Obviously the natives failed to support it sufficiently.

I am surprised that no operator has stepped in to provide a replacement, or partial replacement, for the 64; it always seemed well-loaded when I saw it running. I should have thought a one-bus operation should pay its way. Extending the 7 is a non-starter though - that route is hellish enough to operate reliably as it is and certainly doesn't need complicating!

 

[TheWalrus]

Extending the 7 wouldn't work and probably wouldn't be worth it.

If it was worth running the 64 Pulhams would have continued running it on a commercial basis.

At least now lechlade has more than 2 connections per day to Swindon and through ticketing is bow available.

 

[DaveHarries]

Blunsdon had a half-hourly service by the 12 until TT's last major changes. Obviously the natives failed to support it sufficiently.

There is Blunsdon, aka. Blunsdon St. Andrew (hence references to "St. Andrew's Ridge" on buses: the Wallis Drive stop is the current terminus AFAIK) and there is Broad Blunsdon which is the other side of the A419.

It is the latter I am referring to: the road to Highworth is the B4019 which runs along the bottom of what is referred to as Broad Blunsdon. I guess the extension will go through the village rather than straight down the B4019. I attach a screenshot from Google Earth. The blue stop markers in Broad Blunsdon indicate where the 24/24A currently serves: the 12 will replace those routes.

Dave

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Two new e400MMC seen on M42 on delivery to GSC. Liveried up for X3 Cathedral to Coast

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

What's happening with Sunday duty on the 265, are the four journeys to Warminster being kept or have their been cut?

As for the 94 in Trow its likley that Faresaver may end up with it as they took on the Town Service.

Looks like Libra are continuing but 94 loses Sat service

https://mobile.twitter.com/WiltshireBuses/status/811177674433589248

 

[matt_splat]

Apl have gone out of business

So far only route to be confirmed to have a new operator is x33/33 to faresaver

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Apl have gone out of business

So far only route to be confirmed to have a new operator is x33/33 to faresaver

APL only have a few market day service now that I think are run off a school contract. The 33/X33 is the big one to cover; they've run it for quite a time. 15-20 years?

 

[THarris123]

APL only have a few market day service now that I think are run off a school contract. The 33/X33 is the big one to cover; they've run it for quite a time. 15-20 years?

From Traveline it says APL ran 60/61/62, 91, 95 and X/33. 33/X33 is, as Grandwazoo says, the only big one that needs covering - the others just work off school work. Not sure if Faresaver will cover the school work too.

 

[Hophead]

In 2016, I walked the Thames Path from Cirencester to Lechlade, using buses to connect with Swindon at both ends. While the 51 continues much as before (although without an evening service?), the other end has been utterly decimated. I had a choice of journeys, operated by either Pullmans (think that's right) & APL, neither of which now operate the route and it seems only possible to make the trip by changing en route and with an inconvenient and infrequent timetable at that. The only consolation is that the Lechlade service and the connection at Highworth is now operated by Stagecoach, which might offer the possibility of a network ticket.

It doesn't bode well for planning the next stage on from Lechlade and the diminution of the service in that part of the world is both astonishing and depressing. Having said that, the 16:10 departure that I took attracted little interest (just a handful of us and only 2 handing over actual cash).

 

[TheWalrus]

In 2016, I walked the Thames Path from Cirencester to Lechlade, using buses to connect with Swindon at both ends. While the 51 continues much as before (although without an evening service?), the other end has been utterly decimated. I had a choice of journeys, operated by either Pullmans (think that's right) & APL, neither of which now operate the route and it seems only possible to make the trip by changing en route and with an inconvenient and infrequent timetable at that. The only consolation is that the Lechlade service and the connection at Highworth is now operated by Stagecoach, which might offer the possibility of a network ticket.

It doesn't bode well for planning the next stage on from Lechlade and the diminution of the service in that part of the world is both astonishing and depressing. Having said that, the 16:10 departure that I took attracted little interest (just a handful of us and only 2 handing over actual cash).

Explorer available for £6.70 and Swindon-Service 76/77 transfer single £4.

Service 51 is largely unchanged except as you say no late evening services.

 

[wiltshirebloke]

Salisbury Reds/Wilts & Dorset service changes from 4th Feb :

From 4 February, there are changes to certain rural routes as a result of Wiltshire Council withdrawing the funding. There are also some minor changes to early evening journeys on Park & Ride routes 7, 9 and 15. Below is a summary of the changes taking place:

2 – On Saturdays the 0900 Great Wishford to Salisbury journey will now also run via the Wilton Park & Ride site. There's no change to the Monday – Friday timetable.

25 – Timetable changes to weekdays and Saturday journeys. Some Saturday buses will extend to Wincanton replacing those on route 28 which are withdrawn and some journeys are replaced by new route 26A.

25A – This service is being withdrawn. Alternative journeys serving Heath Farm at Barford St Martin will be provided on revised route 26.

26 – The 0914 Charlton to Salisbury journey will now serve stops between Charlton and Tisbury only on Tuesdays and Fridays. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays this bus will now start at Tisbury at 0935. Times of most other journeys will also be revised. On Saturdays journeys to Shaftesbury will no longer run and others will be replaced by new route 26A.

26A – New Saturday service linking Hindon, Tisbury, Chilmark and Salisbury replacing some journeys on both routes 25 and 26. 27 – Minor timetable changes to assist reliability

28 – Saturday journeys will be withdrawn and be partially replaced by route 25 journeys extended to/from Wincanton. Tuesday journeys will still run (operated by Tourist)

37 – All Saturday journeys and the 1010 journey from Salisbury/1047 from West Dean on weekdays will be withdrawn. Some Saturday morning journeys will be partially replaced by extra journeys on X7 between Whaddon and Salisbury.

84 – Saturday journeys will be withdrawn. Tuesday journeys will still operate (operated by Tourist)

X7/X7R – Extra journeys will be added between Whaddon and Salisbury on Saturday mornings to partially replace journeys withdrawn from the 37.

PR7 – 1724 and 1750 journeys on weekdays from Salisbury will be retimed to run 3 minutes later.

PR9 – On Saturdays the 1800 journey from the City Centre will no longer continue to Downton and Woodfalls and the 1833 from Woodfalls to the City Centre is also withdrawn.

PR9/PR15 – Certain Saturday evening journeys will be retimed to match the weekday timetable.

 

[freetoview33]

Salisbury Reds/Wilts & Dorset service changes from 4th Feb :

All said and done, not too bad, could of been much worse.

 

[wiltshirebloke]

Reported by the Swindon Advertiser

COUNCILLORS will meet in secret next week to discuss the future of Thamesdown Transport amid rumours of a takeover bid.

The Adver reported last week that an emergency board meeting was planned to decide the future of one of the few remaining local authority-owned bus companies in the country.

Swindon Borough Council, which owns the firm, has declined to comment on claims that national chain Go-Ahead is interested in buying it.

But it now appears that change is definitely afoot as the council has decided to schedule a cabinet meeting at short notice for next Wednesday.

There is only one item on the agenda – an update on issues concerning Thamesdown Transport.

The discussion between senior councillors will be held behind closed doors after the council decided that the information was commercially sensitive. The press and the public will be kept outside.

In a further unusual step, suggesting a level of urgency around the discussions, the emergency cabinet meeting is to be immediately followed by a meeting of the scrutiny committee.

 

[wiltshirebloke]

It's now been confirmed that the sale has gone ahead to Go South Coast.
https://www.swindon24.co.uk/news/thamesdown-transport-sold-major-bus-operator/

 

[Marc]

i heard earlier this week that stagecoach have registered at least one of thames downs routes in swindon since the goahead sale. fairly reliable source but i cant find any details. has anyone seen or heard anything??

== update ==

ive since found this - https://www.vehicle-operator-licens...registered-local-bus-services/details/498651/ - anyone know any more??

 

[TheWalrus]

i heard earlier this week that stagecoach have registered at least one of thames downs routes in swindon since the goahead sale. fairly reliable source but i cant find any details. has anyone seen or heard anything??

== update ==

ive since found this - https://www.vehicle-operator-licens...registered-local-bus-services/details/498651/ - anyone know any more??

New service up to every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 20 minutes Sunday from Abbey Meads to Hospital via Asda, 13/14 route to fleming way, queens drive, walcot east, park north, park south then to Great Western Hospital.

 

[wiltshirebloke]

More details of the new services as mentioned, and also trimming of others due to the council reduction in subsidy...


3: Abbey Meads & Moredon to Park & Great Western Hospital

new service runs every 10 mins on Mondays to Saturdays and every 20 mins on Sundays connecting the Orbital Centre, Designer Outlet, town centre and Great Western Hospital.


5: Salisbury & Marlborough to Swindon (Sundays only)

Following poor patronage and changes in subsidy from Wiltshire Council, this service will be withdrawn and replaced by a new 2-hourly Sunday service on 80 between Swindon and Marlborough only.

9: Wroughton & Wichelstowe to town centre

We’ll be running a brand new hourly Sunday service from Wroughton and Wichelstowe to make it even easier to get out and about at the weekend.


10: Freshbrook to Kingsdown

We're changing our route into the town centre from Freshbrook to serve Commercial Road and Regent Circus to make it even easier to get to and from the shops. We're also extending some of our morning and afternoon journeys into Windmill Hill Business Park to help our daily commuters


13 & 14: Haydon Wick & Eldene to town centre (Sundays only)

Stagecoach journeys on this service will no longer operate. Our new 3 will run every 20 mins from Abbey Meads, Orbital Centre, Haydon Wick and Moredon to the town centre, continuing to Park North & South and Great Western Hospital.


17: Penhill & Park North to town centre (Sundays only)

Stagecoach journeys on this service will no longer operate. Our new 3 will run every 20 mins through Park North & Walcot East to the town centre, as well as to Great Western Hospital, Designer Outlet and the Orbital Centre.


49: Trowbridge & Devizes to Swindon

Following poor patronage and changes in subsidy from Wiltshire Council, a small number of early morning and late evening journeys will be withdrawn. Sunday buses will now run every 2 hours between Devizes and Swindon only and will no longer serve Kellsboro Avenue in Wroughton. Most other journeys have been retimed to improve our punctuality.


51: Cheltenham & Cirencester to Swindon

Most journeys have been retimed to improve our punctuality. Due to changes in subsidy from Swindon Borough Council, early morning journeys will no longer serve Blunsdon and will revert to normal daytime from between Cricklade and Swindon.


53: Cricklade & Purton to Swindon

This service is currently out to tender by Wiltshire Council who will make an announcement about any route or timetable change in due course. Please contact Wiltshire Council directly for any further enquiries.


55: Chippenham, Calne & Royal Wootton Bassett to Swindon

Most journeys have been retimed to improve our punctuality. Evening and Sunday journeys running as 55A will revert to normal 55 route and no longer serve Freshbrook or the Link Centre. Due to poor patronage and changes in funding from Wiltshire Council, the last departure from Swindon will no longer run.

66: Oxford & Faringdon to Swindon

We’ll be adding extra journeys and running up to every 20 mins all day Monday to Saturday as well as every 30 mins on Sundays. We hope you’ll enjoy our luxury Stagecoach Gold experience and look forward to welcoming you on board soon!



80: Ludgershall, Marlborough & Chiseldon to Swindon

81: Wroughton, Thorney Park & Chiseldon to Swindon

Most journeys have been retimed to improve our punctuality. A new 2-hourly Sunday service will be introduced on 80 between Marlborough and Swindon. Saturday morning and late afternoon journeys have been retimed to improve connections for shoppers and commuters

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

New service up to every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 20 minutes Sunday from Abbey Meads to Hospital via Asda, 13/14 route to fleming way, queens drive, walcot east, park north, park south then to Great Western Hospital.

See some of the effects on Wiltshire tendered services are also evident. The 49 drops to 2 hourly and the 5 goes altogether so losing the service between Marlborough and Amesbury (save the X4 placement journeys).

On the plus side, the 66 gets enhanced to every 20 mins through the day.

 

[TheWalrus]

See some of the effects on Wiltshire tendered services are also evident. The 49 drops to 2 hourly and the 5 goes altogether so losing the service between Marlborough and Amesbury (save the X4 placement journeys).

On the plus side, the 66 gets enhanced to every 20 mins through the day.

49 is going to be every two hours on Sunday but surely not during the week?

Correct the 5 is going but is replaced with the 80 running every two hours to Marlborough.