30th September 2018 The turnaround of fortunes for First Bus in Cornwall is quite remarkable. You can't fail to be impressed by the huge investment in new vehicles, eye catching colourful branded liveries, smartened up bus stops, shelters and bus station waiting rooms and an attractive book packed full of timetables of lovely bus routes... Continue Reading →
Spiralling decline in London
Friday 28th September 2018 TfL's much leaked cuts to central London's bus routes were officially published today as a six week public consultation is launched. As expected the plans involve removing parts of or whole bus routes along busy roads also served by other routes on the grounds the overall capacity supplied by the combined... Continue Reading →
Which Ipswich bus station?
Tuesday 25th September 2018 There aren't many towns of Ipswich's size (circa 150,000 population) with two bus stations. Many similar sized towns don't even stretch to having one bus station these days let alone two. For example down the road and over the Suffolk/Essex border, Colchester rather cheekily calls its somewhat unexciting on-street bus stops... Continue Reading →
Out in the Outer Hebrides
Saturday 22nd September 2018 I've been travelling by bus around the Outer Hebrides over the last few days. What an amazing bus adventure it's been. Scenery to die for. Never mind Coastliner 840 across the North York Moors being voted Britain's most scenic bus route - come up to the Isle of Lewis and Harris... Continue Reading →
Feeling healthy on the bus?
Thursday 20th September The Westminster Parliament's Transport Select Committee have been inviting comments for their Inquiry into the health of the bus market. As Monday's closing date for feedback is fast approaching I thought I'd better gather a few thoughts for them. The Inquiry's scope sounds worthy enough... Personally I prefer the Easy Read booklet... Continue Reading →
A peek into my inbox
I've received some interesting promotional emails from the new breed of ride sharers recently. Arriva Click sent an enticing personalised message on Thursday proclaiming some 'great news' for me. It seems Click now accepts concessionary passes. Amazing. Arriva certainly know how to rub salt into the wound of being in that frustrating cohort having to... Continue Reading →
Gliding on Glider
Ever wondered what around £100 million will buy in the way of Bus Rapid Transit? I popped over to Belfast today to find out. The idea of creating a metro style cross city transit route has been discussed in the City for some years and as always with projects of this kind, (like in Bristol),... Continue Reading →
Seven steps to simpler rail fares. Sorted.
Tomorrow is the last day to give feedback for the Rail Delivery Group’s review of rail fares with the aim of making them much easier to understand. They’ve produced a simple clickable online survey which, if you don’t make any additional comments or suggestions, only takes around five minutes to complete, so is well worth... Continue Reading →
LT’s reshaping began 50 years ago today
I won’t say I remember it as if it was yesterday, as that really would be an exaggeration but it seems impossible to believe today marks the 50th anniversary of London Transport’s revolutionary Bus Reshaping Plan hitting the streets of Wood Green and Walthamstow as well as a plethora of new Red Arrow routes criss-crossing... Continue Reading →
Three Counties Circular
There's a great bus ride to be had in that part of England where Lancashire meets Cumbria meets North Yorkshire. I recently took a circular trip from Lancaster (Lancashire) taking in Kirkby Lonsdale (Cumbria) and Ingleton (North Yorkshire). I highly recommend it. Stagecoach run the 80/81 from Lancaster to Ingleton (80) and Kirkby Lonsdale (81). While... Continue Reading →
Bristol’s latest metrobus m2 begins
The second of the three new metrobus routes began operating in Bristol yesterday. The m2 links the Long Ashton Park & Ride site (south west of the city) via some impressive newly constructed exclusive busway road to the city centre where the bus does a large anti-clockwise circuit. It's been controversial and way behind schedule.... Continue Reading →
I Didn’t Get Gett
Having been plagued for some weeks by marketing emails from the London black cab App organisation called Gett, I finally relented yesterday and headed up to London to use up the £10 credit (with an expiry of 31st August) they'd recently added to my account in a last ditch attempt to entice my return custom.... Continue Reading →