Monday 30th September 2019 The Omnibus Society marked its 90th anniversary over the weekend with its annual Presidential Weekend offering a brilliant programme of events based in the Solent area. Around a hundred members from all over the country attended the weekend hosted by this year's president, Andrew Wickham, managing director of Go South Coast.... Continue Reading →
Electric shock on rear seats
Thursday 26th September 2019 Metroline, the Singapore based ComfortDelGro owned bus company, which operates a large network of bus routes for TfL across north and north-west London has been in the news recently as they roll out an expensive new fleet of 67 all electric battery-rechargeable double deck buses. Having read glowing coverage in the... Continue Reading →
New trains into service in 2019 Part 8: TPE’s Nova 3
Monday 23rd September 2019 It's not often we get to travel on a brand new loco hauled inter-city train in the UK, but that's what's quietly being rolled out across the Pennines right now as First Group's Trans Pennine Express franchise soft launches its fleet of thirteen smart new Spanish built Nova 3 trains. Originally... Continue Reading →
Decent London route branding (at last)
Friday 20th September 2019 Well done UNO Bus, operator of TfL bus route 383 between Woodside Park and Barnet, for today's community led launch of the first decent route branding on a London bus route for a few decades. The 383 may be a backwater north London bus route which takes a circuitous route east... Continue Reading →
Only Connect in Kent
Monday 16th September 2019 Back in July I took a ride on Nu-Venture's route 58 between Maidstone, East and West Malling and villages and hamlets close to Wrotham Heath in Kent before it was transformed as part of one of Kent County Council's rural pilots. The idea was to cut the route back from the... Continue Reading →
Pods in the Park
Tuesday 10th September 2019 Readers will know of my scepticism concerning Demand Responsive Transport; I've made enough journeys to conclude there's no way such schemes will ever be commercially viable let alone more convenient for passengers over a fixed timetabled bus route. The Speke trial comprising a one bus fixed timetabled route (with passengers knowing... Continue Reading →
Britain’s longest bus* route
Tuesday 3rd September 2019 It's about 230 miles long. It takes 7 hours and 50 minutes. It's Scottish Citylink's route 915 (or 916) from Glasgow's Buchanan Bus Station all the way to Uig Pier on the Isle of Skye via Fort William and Kyle of Lochalsh. I've travelled along this route a few times, but... Continue Reading →
Ninety round Glasgow
Monday 2nd September 2019 I've ridden round Birmingham (on both NatEx's inner and outer circular bus routes); round Leicester with Centrebus; round Coventry before that city's circular route (neatly numbered 360) got the chop so I thought it was time to take a ride on First Glasgow's route 90, which almost completes an inner circuit... Continue Reading →