Devon & Cornwall Transit 2023: Week 3

The weekly look back on what has been published on the Registered Local Bus Services site over the last week. As always click through for more details including timetables and maps.

Plymouth Citybus Ltd

• A few changes to tendered services have been announce this week. 13,13S and 59 change on the 30th January. The Yelverton based services 55 56 and 98 change from the 20th February – no details published on these so far

Licence	Route	Start Point	End Point	Effective	Notes	Timetable
PH0000135.288	13	Holly Park, Lakeview Close	Plymouth City Centre, Royal Parade	30-Jan-2023	Following detailed discussions with Citybus, a new service 13 from Holly Park and Ringmore Way, providing links to West Park, St Budeaux and the city centre, will also begin from the end of the month. This route partially replaces the 44A between Holly Park and St Budeaux. The new service will comprise four journeys a day in each direction, Monday to Friday. The service will be more limited than what was provided before and will be run on a commercial basis. Plymouth Citybus will be reviewing its use after six months to ensure that it is financially viable.	T002267
PH0000135.289	13S	St Budeaux	Kings Tamerton	30-Jan-2023	Retimed by 2 mins to enable change on PH0000135/288
PH0000135.312	55	Milton Combe	Tavistock Bus Station	20-Feb-2023	Route & Timetable Change	T002268
PH0000135.313	56	Tavistock Bus Station	Tavistock Bus Station	20-Feb-2023	Route & Timetable Change	T002269
PH0000135.314	59	Plymouth City Centre, Royal Parade	Roborough	30-Jan-2023	The 59 service is a route that Plymouth Citybus currently operates under contract to Devon County Council.  The new extension will begin on Monday 30 January and partially replaces the previous route 19. It will operate four journeys a day in each direction, reinstating links for Merafield residents to both the Ridgeway and the city centre, as well as expanding travel to Sparkwell, Shaugh Prior and Bickleigh. The timetable also has a peak time journey to and from the city centre, which will hopefully help generate commuter numbers on this route.	T002270
PH0000135.315	98	Yelverton, Roundabout	Tavistock Bus Station	20-Feb-2023	Route & Timetable Change	T002271

This Coming Week

No new timetables this week

social media

Others have finished their work with us and are awaiting disposal… pic.twitter.com/Z6eEbHLKJd

— Marc Huws (@MarcMorganHuws) January 19, 2023

Our offices are now closed and will reopen again at 0900 tomorrow.
Have a fantastic evening.
You can still email us ask@plymouthbus.co.uk
Tonight a visitor to the depot today one of our first batch of Dennis Dart single decks next to the last of the type still in the fleet. pic.twitter.com/MeT45kMFDM

— Plymouth Citybus (@plymouthbus) January 20, 2023

If you are planning a trip to Exmoor this year, click below to read this fantastic article from @visitexmoor for @BBCCountryfile which features a whole host of ideas and inspiration 👇https://t.co/X0LMkFIj1B pic.twitter.com/2GptRvdSPs

— Adventuresbybus (@adventuresbybus) January 17, 2023

Sway

Experimenting with a new Microsoft service. Please let me know if this works for you!

Timetables: 30 January 2023

Two of the local bus routes that were withdrawn due to low customer usage and extreme pressures on Plymouth City Council’s finances will be partially reintroduced at the end of the month.

Go to this Sway

Coach makeover

Plymouth Citybus have been making changes to their coach fleet. Along with the recent additions to the fleet they are having a bit of a makeover. YX14SFE is seen here in the paint shop as a bit of a teaser! 

It shouldn't be too long to wait for the new look which seems to be white based rather than the current blue.

Thanks James!

Two Plymouth Routes Saved

Two of the local bus routes that were withdrawn due to low customer usage and extreme pressures on Plymouth City Council’s finances will be partially reintroduced at the end of the month.

Last November, the Council had to make the difficult decision to withdraw subsidies for five of the 14 ‘non-commercial’ bus routes in Plymouth.

This was one of a number of proposals to address the unprecedented £37.6m shortfall in the Council’s revenue budget for next year and followed a procurement exercise where all tenders came back over-budget.

Retaining all 14 routes could have cost up to £1m a year and, given the severe financial pressures, it was simply not affordable.

Since this time, the Council has been working with Devon County Council and local bus operators to look at whether there are any options to reintroduce services.

At today’s Cabinet meeting (17 January), Councillor Jonathan Drean announced that officers had been successful in finding a solution that will extend the number 59 bus to Merafield and onto the city centre via Marsh Mills (to partially replace the original 19 service) and the launch of a new commercial service from Holly Park and Ringmore Way to the city centre (which will partially replace the 44A service).

Both of the services come at no cost to the Council.

Councillor Drean said: “We face huge financial challenges. The tender returns would have resulted in nearly £1m to be found to retain all the existing routes. It is simply not affordable and many of the routes require high subsidies due to the low overall patronage.

“I know that this was disappointing and behind the scenes Council officers and myself have been working really hard to see if there was any way that some of the routes, albeit partially, could be reintroduced.

“I would like to express my thanks to Devon County Council and Plymouth Citybus for working with us on finding a solution. But I need to emphasise to people who live on those routes that bus services can only operate if they are commercially viable. Therefore, if you don’t use them, you will unfortunately lose them.”

The 59 service is a route that Plymouth Citybus currently operates under contract to Devon County Council.  The new extension will begin on Monday 30 January and partially replaces the previous route 19.

It will operate four journeys a day in each direction, reinstating links for Merafield residents to both the Ridgeway and the city centre, as well as expanding travel to Sparkwell, Shaugh Prior and Bickleigh. The timetable also has a peak time journey to and from the city centre, which will hopefully help generate commuter numbers on this route.

In addition, following detailed discussions with Citybus, a new service 13 from Holly Park and Ringmore Way, providing links to West Park, St Budeaux and the city centre, will also begin from the end of the month. This route partially replaces the 44A between Holly Park and St Budeaux.

The new service will comprise four journeys a day in each direction, Monday to Friday. The service will be more limited than what was provided before and will be run on a commercial basis. Plymouth Citybus will be reviewing its use after six months to ensure that it is financially viable.

It looks like the 13 is extended from the existing 13 while the 59 will no longer serve Derriford Hospital according to the service registration which has been published. More details will follow when available

Source:

https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/two-local-bus-routes-partially-restored?fbclid=IwAR0Vu1NFRfL8zlD5VElcYn1sEYiry2_r5t9Xm8HvBT7-awp_AzEew_7IZWk

Library Copy

Further to my posting on the 11th Peter Heath helpfully points out a typo:

Graham, further to your yesterdays post, there is a fourth solo lettered for PCB 1806 NL63XZW.  I think the other 2 are NL63XZX and NL63XZV which would make 11 but they were well hidden in the multitude of buses in the compound so can't be 100%sure.  Also is there a typo should YX14SFY be 323?

Thanks Peter!

Devon & Cornwall Transit 2023: Week 2

The weekly look back on what has been published on the Registered Local Bus Services site over the last week. As always click through for more details including timetables and maps.

Berrys Coaches (Taunton) Ltd

The Superfast service no longer serves Tiverton

Licence	Route	Start Point	End Point	Effective	Notes	Timetable
PH0007049.001	SF1	Tiverton, Phoenix Lane	Bridgewater Coach Station	11-Jan-2023	Timetable variation. (Withdrawn from Tiverton)	Not published on Traveline

Stagecoach (Devon) Ltd

Late notice for change back on 3rd January.

Licence	Route	Start Point	End Point	Effective	Notes	Timetable
PH1020951.249	1 x1	Plymouth	Tavistock	03-Jan-2023	Vary timetable.	T002266

This Coming Week

No new timetables this week

social media

👍 Pay less to travel this winter and get out and about this weekend! 👍

Until the end of March, all single fares* will be capped at £2 as part of a Government scheme to help with the cost of living crisis.

*exclusions apply - full info here https://t.co/6wmJb1iD7T pic.twitter.com/W4AlVmuQmZ

— Plymouth Citybus (@plymouthbus) January 14, 2023

Britain’s most scenic bus route? https://t.co/hJtBTTk28m

— Marc Huws (@MarcMorganHuws) January 13, 2023