Tuesday 7th October 2025 Both TfL and Brighton & Hove Bus Company introduced a new high profile express bus route last week. It was interesting to take a ride on both to compare and contrast. TfL's much hyped route BL1 began on Saturday 27th September providing a quicker alternative for passengers travelling by bus between... Continue Reading →
Sunday 31st August 2025 Sorry readers, it's another one of those blogposts containing pure personal nostalgia. But, don't worry, more normal topics return this coming week with lots happening to report on. But this coming week .... 60 years ago in September 1965 .... also saw a major milestone in my life as I started... Continue Reading →
Saturday 1st March 2025 It's not just Eastenders and Comic Relief's Red Nose Day celebrating a 40th anniversary this year. I am too, and more pertinently, today. 1st March 1985 saw the mighty Southdown bus company, whose buses and coaches had reigned supreme across Sussex and East Hampshire since formation in 1915, reorganised into six... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 9th July 2024 Two very different new bus routes began operating on Sunday and I’ve taken a ride on both. First up, thanks to Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding, is a cross-city limited stop route in Brighton and Hove. New route 1X links the residential area of Mile Oak (in the north west... Continue Reading →
Thursday 16th May 2024 This week has seen Stagecoach South East re-enter the Brighton-Eastbourne market competing directly with both Brighton & Hove (B&H) and Southern Rail in East Sussex while in neighbouring West Sussex, B&H's sister company, Metrobus, has revved up its route 273 to better serve the Crawley-Brighton market. The Stagecoach South East initiative... Continue Reading →
Thursday 21st March 2024 Bus passengers travelling along the coast road between Brighton and Eastbourne are enjoying superb comfort from the brand new buses now entering service with Brighton & Hove Bus Company as part of a substantial order of 44 ADL Enviro400 MMC buses. 38 of the new intake are destined for the hugely... Continue Reading →
Saturday 24th June 2023 There are currently 1,183 parkrun events taking place on Saturday mornings across the country. This got me wondering how many bus routes ‘run’ inside parks? I know of two. I’ve previously featured Richmond Park’s route RP1 but today’s blog is about another delightful park bus route - one which has been... Continue Reading →
Saturday 25th March 2023 The Mayors of Hove and Brighton launch the new look Brighton & Hove in late 1985 (they were two independent towns). I can hardly believe it’s ten years ago this weekend I walked out of Brighton & Hove’s Conway Street, Hove head office for the very last time and entered the... Continue Reading →
Saturday 15th October 2022 Tunbridge Wells is situated on the south western fringes of Kent just over the border from East Sussex. The town has a population of around 56,000 which is roughly half the number living in the wider Tunbridge Wells Borough Council area including Paddock Wood, Goudhurst, Cranbrook and Benenden. Like Leamington Spa,... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 20th September 2022 Last Thursday was a sad day for Lewes, the county town of East Sussex. The town’s centrally located bus station closed its non existence gates after 68 years of service. Southdown first opened the bus station in March 1954 with the adjacent garage building coming on stream a few months later.... Continue Reading →
Sunday 27th February 2022 In last Tuesday's blog about the Brighton Main Line blockade I mentioned a rail replacement bus was providing a direct journey between Seaford and Uckfield. As that seemed an unusual link - something not normally possible either by bus or train without changes and extended journey times - I thought I'd... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 26th November 2019 It's good to see more and more bus companies playing payment systems catch-up by accepting contactless cards as an alternative to cash. I'm not convinced the transaction time is quicker, and indeed could well be slower in the hands of a proficient and experienced cash handling driver, but it's the way... Continue Reading →
Friday 19th April 2019 It's not often a completely new bus route starts up. Usually changes to bus services see variations to long standing routes featuring improvements or reductions to frequencies and journey times or diversions to routes to serve new developments. The last new route launch I can recall was Stagecoach's brave investment decision... Continue Reading →
BusAndTrainUser 