Tuesday 8th September 2026
I’ll try not to make this a full on habit every Tuesday – bringing news of on-the-road competitive skirmishes between two bus companies – but here’s just one more to add to the many I’ve already highlighted over the last few weeks and months. It’s almost as if the bus industry has stepped into a time warp back to the late 1980s, except I’ve yet to find one 2026 style battleground comprising an underserved or underperforming market with potentially lucrative results that would please a Finance Director.
This latest example is centred on the corridor between Boston, Sutterton and Spalding through south Lincolnshire’s finest flat sparsely inhabited rural landscape.
It kicked off a couple of weeks ago when Stagecoach used two buses to begin a new half hourly off-peak ‘shuttle’ type service between Boston and the village of Sutterton which lies on the A16 about midway on the route south to Spalding (highlighted in a red outline on the above maps). These journeys infill between two new peak hour journeys which cover the full route (Boston-Spalding) aimed at students attending Boston College.
Boston based independent operator Brylaine has been serving the Boston to Spalding market for many years operating two buses an hour comprising an hourly B3 complemented by an hourly B3X, the latter taking a more direct route by missing out a loop around Sutterton and the villages of Surfleet and Crossgate further south but in Spalding it serves the Springfield Outlet where a few minutes ‘stand time’ are taken before returning to Boston via the bus station.
Stagecoach’s route uses just plain number 3 and runs similar to the B3 except the peak journeys along the full route between Boston and Spalding also go via Gosberton, which is shown on the above maps north of Surfleet. As you can see from the timetable below the two northbound and two southbound peak hour journeys between Spalding and Boston include variations on college and school days, although I think there’s an error on the CD/CH designation on the northbound journeys, while the rest of the day has the infill half hourly journeys between Boston and Sutterton with an hour’s gap at lunchtime for a driver’s break.
This unashamedly competes with Brylaine’s half hourly B3/B3X timetable which I was pleased to see is promoted through having a supply of timetable leaflets on board its five buses committed to the route/s.
I took a look at the situation last Friday, arriving into Spalding bus station at around 11:10, to catch Brylaine’s 11:33 departure as a route B3X to Boston.
As I arrived the 11:00 departure (on route B3) was just leaving with only one passenger on board (above photo) but more passengers were waiting for a route B9 at 11:30 which also goes to Boston but via a longer route (via Donnington) taking 70 minutes. It only runs two-hourly but it struck me it looked to be a busier route.
I was initially fooled by that vehicle’s registration wondering how it could be a ’26’ plate before realising it was a ‘cherished’ plate from the old system and the vehicle dates from 2007 having seen previous service with First and Vision Bus in Manchester.
By 11:45 there was still no sign of the 11:33 B3X departure so I gave Brylaine’s telephone number a call and was answered almost immediately by a very helpful and pleasant woman who checked and advised the bus was on its way and would be with me shortly. It arrived at 11:49 with three passengers alighting, one remaining on board and me and another passenger boarding.
It’s not often you get to take a ride on a Dennis Trident in public service these days but we were soon heading off to Boston, leaving 17 minutes late and it soon became obvious why there was some late running…
… roadworks heading out of Spalding were causing diversions and delays.
… not helped by four-way temporary lights. It’s getting such a common thing these days. Roadworks and delays.
The driver did his best to make up time but it was a tough ask, although the Trident did enjoy the long section of route heading straight up the A16.
Passing buses heading south were not running too much behind schedule…
… and doing a quick head count I’d say there were no more than three or four passengers, if that, on board…
… indicating the journey I was on with just the three of us was fairly typical and indeed one of those alighted as we entered Sutterton leaving just the two of us for the rest of the journey.
We should have been passing through Sutterton at 11:56 but it was now 12:16 which meant we were following the Stagecoach bus which had just set off on its journey to Boston on its route 3 at 12:15. Not surprisingly we didn’t therefore pick up any more passengers into Boston, with just the two of us on board.
The route does include a deviation off the A16 to serve a residential area called Wyberton but no takers there…
… and then we suddenly turned right for another deviation through a new housing development…
… and although I looked very carefully as we travelled up and down this new section of road, I couldn’t see any bus stops yet installed so no passengers from there either. Stagecoach’s route 3 serves the Wyberton deviation but not this other one but I wonder if this new development is partly behind its thinking in adding these new journeys.
We arrived into Boston’s rather bleak and ultra sparse bus station at 12:37 (20 minutes late) and the driver departed almost immediately back to Spalding (due out at 12:30) with no takers.
Meanwhile sitting on the stand was one of the two Stagecoach buses on route 3 waiting for its departure at 12:45 to Sutterton. The second bus was also in the bus station on the extended lunch time layover with both drivers having a nice chat.
Once the driver was back in the cab, I joined the one other passenger already on board and we set off on time.
We picked up two more passengers at the next stop by the main shopping area but that was it for the journey with one alighting on the deviation around Wyberton, one in Kirton and the third alighted with myself at the end of the route in Sutterton.
The stops there had real time departures incorporated into the flag and I didn’t have to wait long for a B3 bound for Spalding which arrived with five on board. Interestingly this southbound sign was (wrongly) showing the northbound departure on the Stagecoach route 3 going to Bus Station but it was on the other side of the road heading back to Boston bus station.
No one got on or off the B3 as we proceeded around the entire village of Sutterton but one alighted in Crossgate (south of Surfleet) and another in Pinchbeck where two boarded.
We then had to go on the lengthy diversion due to the roadworks mentioned earlier arriving into Spalding 14 minutes late at 14:02 with the next journey back to Boston due away at 14:00.
So, it’s all very tight.
But also not very well patronised and certainly not enough passengers for four buses an hour. And don’t try travelling on a Saturday. The B3, B3X and the 3, like a lot of routes in this part of the world, are Mondays to Fridays only.
Tough, if you want to travel on a Saturday.
Update: a Saturday service is operated as a tendered route 63 by PC Coaches. Thanks to Mitch who added this in the Comments.
Roger French
My thanks to blog reader John for letting me know about this and background information.
Blogging timetable: 06:00 TThS
BusAndTrainUser 
Whilst Brylaine and Stagecoach have had their spats over the years things seemed to have calmed down. I wonder what heinous act Brylaine has done to Stagecoach to provoke this, or has Stagecoach decided to reignite the battle which, as Roger has found, isn’t going to make them a fortune.
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Brylaine’s B6 in Skegness planned to operate during school holidays might have been the catalyst for Stagecoach running the 3. Brylaine ran the B6 for one week in May and then cancelled it.
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Yes, I think that may well have been the trigger, and perhaps this is just a warning to Brylaine not to play with the Big Boys. The loadings may well be sparse in this delightful part of the UK, but with virtually everything geared to huge school movements, the cost of these “games” is virtually just the fuel. The Drivers and vehicles are there anyway as a daytime glance at Spalding and Boston bus stations will confirm.
As pointed out, the Saturday position is in very stark contrast, and try getting a bus after 1900 on most routes!!
Terence Uden
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Roadworks again! The solution is fairly obvious: double the bus service, so that everyone – upstream and downstream of the works – at least gets a bus at the regular time. Who pays? – it should be the utility or whoever is doing the road works. Please, bus industry, I’m sure that between you all you can spare a person to sit on the ministers desk until this is sorted. The rewards will be national, and significant: people will start to trust that buses will turn up, and use them more. They will also – if this is publicised properly – feel that the industry is at last ‘Putting the Passenger First’.
Talking of publicity, the utility must also pay for advance notice about the roadworks: A – for other road traffic, so it can avoid the works and give buses a better chance; and B – at bus stops etc. so passengers at least know what is happening. For example, Roger only found out this time by seeing the actual roadworks …
Rick Townend
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The utility will just agree with the regulator to have it counted as an allowable cost and add it to the tariffs. Zero impact on shareholders and executive bonuses. A more structural solution is needed. The prime issue is that utilities have no incentive to think about any trade offs other than spending their capital allowance under our regulatory regime. Perhaps the Victorians had it right with utilities controlled by municipalities who also had responsibility for roads and (often) public transport.
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Pity First Bus can’t get some competition on our local X4 and X5 on which timekeeping is variable and gets very crowded at times especially on Saturdays
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Following on from Rick Townsend’s comment. Whereas whistling up extra buses and drivers for temporary interruptions like roadworks is easier said than done, there could be a lot more done to improve passenger information when services are disrupted/delayed by roadworks. If there was an obligation on roadworks promoters to finance and distribute such information then there would be an opportunity for independent niche specialists to remove the temporary information burden from the bus operators.
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Ultra-light loadings, low frequencies, late running, deficiencies in information….doesn’t bode well for the success of these services. Graham L.
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I suspect the roadworks are a bit of a moving feast shifting along the road at a nearly unplannable timescale progress of any detail , causing a mix of controlled delays and or route deviations.
The strange lack of what one would have thought to be shoppers or similar services on a saturday seems a little odd and I can only presume double deck buses used because they were cheap second hand or capacity needed for the schools.
Roads without bus stops – unless accepted as hail and ride normally promoted with smaller timetable point displays – are pretty useless for buses to serve – is this a council problem of not fitting them ? Indeed our much talked about local council / government reorganisation has been put on hold in most places by the govt, should the penciled in larger admin areas at least be formed by government into passenger transport authorities giving better legal powers of services accross an area including promoting rail ? or the more local working together of joint transport board where efficiencies in planning and procurement at least could be made for a wider area , it used to be done so why not now ?
Without other routes being shown in context I could not say if the Wyberton area be better served by a smaller bus from Boston on a circular route covering the south west bit of the local area, but maybe it is needed for the college or school runs to be on the main road service and provide some consistency.
Brylaine livery seems to be very close to the old Metroline colours in London some years back.
Maybe give the routes until the end of may and Burnham Bus Fares come in = though if the wider economy is getting kicked with the impact mainly of rising unavoidable taxes on businesses (Corporation Tax always used to be with skill the tax that was never due or payable) there may be fewer people to travel at £2 by the end of the financial year
JBC Prestatyn
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The real time sign on the bus stop was correct. Stagecoach has registered the journeys to Boston to serve the Bell More Road stops on both sides of the road – opening the “all stops” version of the timetable on Bustimes shows this
https://bustimes.org/services/3-spalding-boston
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Boston Spalding used to be Lincolnshire route 59 I think. How can Stagecoach justify this current situation at Spalding and why does Brayline run frequent services midweek but no service at all on Saturdays. I’m sure Boston’s car parks aren’t empty on Saturdays. A train journey takes around 75 mins, with a 30 min connection / wait at Sleaford. Let the train take the strain, at least on Saturdays, and maybe midweek too although not at £3 single.
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In post Covid times, there was a substantial (and nationwide) shortage of bus drivers; often because elderly drivers didn’t want to risk their health by returning to work.
Brylaine suffered several months of unreliable operations in 2021-2022 before closing down Saturday timetables, in order that weekday timetables could become reliable.
They have only recently restarted some limited Saturday services.
@Rick T … cracking idea, Grommet!! Even in London, where there are “always” spare buses and drivers available at short notice (not!); frequencies are widened to allow extra time around roadworks without needing extra resources.
Simply throwing extra buses and drivers at the problem will not necessarily fix it … do you really think operators don’t consider this?? Especially when roadworks move up and down roads … sometimes sitting and suffering is the best way … especially when car drivers are sitting in the same traffic.
The only real solution is to allow extra recovery time at each terminal, so at least next trips can start on time … however, thus will also need extra buses and drivers for no increase in revenue.
Circular Argument Alert!!!
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thanks. surprised though about Stagecoach not looking at Saturday Service
For drivers its part why I suggested minibus sized routes where 18 year olds can drive such smaller vehicles locally are there untapped capable younger people for that part of the industry ?
JBC Prestatyn
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Former retail staff were a target labour source for minibus drivers back in the day. The lower minibus wage was higher than retail, plus they had actual customer service skills. Harry Blundred was quoted as saying it was easier to train ex retail staff to drive what we’re big cars (Fird Transits) than it was to teach big bus drivers customer service skills.
So this got me thinking. High Street retail is declining, and there’s a big issue with NEETS (not in employment, education, or training) with young people and apparently also over 50s. So there’s a potential Labour supply for urban minibuses. As for the vehicles we have various Sprinter based products up to Mellor Strata size. Of course the decline in high streets as retail destinations also means the bus industry should look to other markets than shoppers. Hospitals, colleges, retail parks, industrial estates, and dare I say railway stations are all destinations needing frequent bus service.
Pete
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I suspect this may be a tit-for-tat response by Stagecoach for a planned Brylaine incursion into this year’s summer traffic at Skegness – which Brylaine (wisely?) withdrew before the promulgated date of introduction . . .
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I assume Roger has or will try out the new london SL12 route around Romford. It is sort of relevant for covering new areas and also part competing with other routes in the area. Observations of a mid Saturday afternoon were rather interesting (there are plenty of morning and later YT vlogs to get other flavours including some looking at the consultation and responses to it by TfL). I think it is the first superloop route to launch with brand new buses ? still had the new car smell in them even after I guess driver and route training. I am told they are Wright Electroliners Mk2 with some differences – a panel of 5 cooling fans against an inner white painted panel at the rear shows how the risk of overheating is being mangaged for these over 13tonne vehicles. Starting at Gants Hill some of the local area route diagrams were dated 1st August 2026 thus omitting the 5th September introduction of the route , again I dont think other routes were amended in route or running time and the green theme of the SL12 was evident in bus stop publicity about the new route including zero fare charged for the first week ie until the end of this Friday. none of the bus shelters appeared to have new superloop roundels apart from one at Elm Park Station and the route publicity had not appeared on the new bus stops at Rainham Station South and Ferry Lane (they could also do with area maps as the pedestrian signposting to Rainham station is hard to see particular at night)
Part forming a X66 to Romford in a way the green line diagram branding reminded me of both the single deck green days of the 66 under LRT franchising and the much earlier Green Line services that would go to Aldgate from the Brentwood Area. Setting off a bit behind a 369 ? despite the brisk progress passing some unsuperlooped stops (those without the E plate and long plate) the bus duplicated the Central Line to call next at Newbury Park Bus Station thus adding to the rather less numbers of routes than maybe original planned for at what is probably Britains Biggest Bus Shelter. We caught the 369 as it was waiting for lights to exit the Bus Station back onto the main road. Of next interest was King George V Hospital which is not directly served so a bit of a walk accross a dual carriageway to find the eastbound bus stop. Noteworthy too were the building proposals and some started of new houses along the road, unusual as other developments along the route appeared to be mansion blocks but Barking council knows what it needs I guess. Into Romford and the route does not appear to serve the stop at the bus garage but does serve one town centre stop and the rail station. There was some confusion with would be passengers asking if the route accepted oyster cards / freedom passes and if fare was the same (something I have been asked by others about other Superloop routes . one wonders if a premium fare could be charged for such services (the 3X on the blog . maybe not) on hearing that they were a small family got on board and the mum mentioned to grandma that the buses were nice and that she would probably stop using her car for getting to Romford (they alighted at Elm Park) during the week. Away from the 66 and the routing to Rainham Tesco was all a bit confusing for me but the Tesco was where most folk alighted and a couple borded for what was mainly more the curious to the Ferry Lane Terminus , oddly one lady had travelled from Gants Hill then got on the next departure back – there are no shelters at the two new stops and Coldharbour Lane is not named that for nothing but the 12min frequency daytimes of the route seems to match a 15? min layover which should mean anyone arriving at the terminus for onward travel has a nice warm bus to get on to wait on. she didnt look like a blogger so maybe trying the route to see how the nearly 1 hour route time would help her for getting to work. I too took the next bus back around no other stops – the big warehouses and factory units dont really have entrances on the part around the thamesside so got off at Rainham Station South which I didnt really know where to find but a large family appeared to have got off an SL12 heading south at the stop on the other side and so I followed them on the rather up and over HS1 connection route to the rail station which really needs better than every half hour service . Walking to the station I also noticed a London General Private Fleet vehicle full displaying X2 as a route that I assume is a shift change at one of the factories which rather makes one of the local MPs comment that the SL12 provides new public transport for a former 30min walk slightly incorrect though technically works contracts are not fully publically accessible transport.
Final couple of thoughts that the Queens Hospital (which has taken services from Barking Hospital over recent years) has quite a busy bus station with appearing adjacent to that what looks like more housing development to come so these routes do look to have a future increased passenger demand.
At Ferry Lane I did wonder if the SL12 should head west along the A13 to Dagenham and Barking to serve both industry and housing arising in that area (indeed could follow one of the EL routes back to Gants Hill and give a full loop superloop.
JBC Prestatyn
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I think the foregoing will be a more appropriate comment for when a blog about new TfL route SL12 appears in due course so perhaps any further comments could wait until then.
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Brylaine took the decision in late 2021 to withdraw most of their Saturday services from the start of 2022 and made the following refreshingly honest statement:
This later became a permanent cancellation. From my observations from using the Biston to Skegness corridor, Brylaine have a strong local support and when using their services at the tine the decision was taken, I heard passengers sympathising with the company rather than criticising them. I feel the reaction would have been very different if the decision had been taken by Stagecoach.
Let’s not forget of course that thus territory was largely abandoned by Lincolnshire Road Car Company many decades ago. I could go even further back and point out that a 12 mile section of the A16 between Boston and Spalding was built on the formation of the former Great Northern Railway Lincolnshire Loop Line in the 1990s, making it one of the longest railway to road conversions in the UK.
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The Saturday service is a Lincolnshire Tender. It passed from Black Cat Travel to PC Coaches from the 29th of August and is operated as service 63. https://www.pccoaches.co.uk/media/jfydtzfq/63-effective-29082026.pdf
Mitch in Notts
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Many thanks for this Mitch. Pity it’s not referenced in the Brylaine leaflet! I’ve added an update to the blog.
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A Lincolnshire contract.
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I recall seeing Brylaine buses plying between Boston and Spalding back in the 1990s & noting even then, that apart from school journeys, they seem to run virtually empty most of the time.
If people are forced to use their cars to get into Boston on a Saturday, it’s not surprising that the buses are poorly utilised Monday to Friday.
No doubt a conundrum, for all concerned.
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Not sure this is a big competitive strike.
I assume that having won a school/college contract this is just a question of finding something for the vehicles and drivers to do during the day, hoping the fares cover the extra fuel costs..
If the contract is lost in the future this new service will likely also disappear.
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One day the Lincolnshire railway mainline might reappear in some form. Spalding-Boston would be part of it….
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