The home of anything and everything to do with transport in and around Plymouth for EIGHTEEN YEARS!
We hit April with a massive number of timetable changes across Cornwall and Devon although only a few services within Plymouth itself are affected this time.
April should also see an uplift in the number of posts appearing here. As always feel free to comment or send anything you feel would be interesting to readers.

©did by graham


Plymouth Citybus 018 R118OFJ

25 September 2023

Last week a day later...

Sorry this is late as I ran into technical problems over the weekend…

It was fairly quiet last week with just a few new notices:

Alansway Coaches Ltd – Country Bus

new timetables apparently for the 88 although nothing new has been published from this date

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH1017984.138 88 Newton Abbot, Sherborne Road Totnes 18-Sep-2023 Changes to timetable (No new timetable on Traveline)
PH1017984.139 88A Newton Abbot, Sherborne Road Newton Abbot, Sherborne Road 18-Sep-2023 Changes to timetable (No new timetable on Traveline)


Dealtop Ltd – Dartline

Yet another old one from a couple of weeks ago!

 Licence  Route  Start Point  End Point  Effective  Notes
PH0005305.074 TG003 Digby, Russell Way Torquay Grammar School 04-Sep-2023 timetable vary


Plymouth Citybus Ltd Go Cornwall

Yep, more old ones including the last of the Argyle services from August!

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH0000135.236 36 36A Truro St Keverne 03-Sep-2023 0740 Devoran to Richard Lander School withdrawn. Provision for schoolchildren made by Cornwall Council
PH0000135.307 40 40A 36S Truro Redruth 03-Sep-2023 correction to day code on 0745 ex Truro, which does not operate on schooldays, but is replaced by 36S
PH0000135.344 173 Looe Callywith College 07-Sep-2023 Monday to Friday during working days of Callywith College. Not on Traveline as at 18/09 (or any site!)
PH0000135.342 PA4 Home Park Coypool P&R 05-Aug-2023 New Service to operate on Plymouth Argyle home match days. For evening fixtures, the journeys are timed to arrive a the ground 45 minutes bewfore the match and depart 20 minutes after the match


Stagecoach Devon Ltd

a very minor change – different bus stands at Paignton Bus Station from last week

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH1020951.198 GOLD Paignton Plymouth 17-Sep-2023 Paignton Bus Station Stand for GOLD bus moved from Bay 12 to Bay 3.


Coming up

There is only the one chnage due this coming week:

Filers Travel Ltd

Service 655 cancelled

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH1066351.029 655 Swimbridge, Hooda Close Barnstaple Bus Station 27-Sep-2023 Cancelled

Sorry for the delay. Hopefully now I have sorted my technical issues I can get in a few more post's this week…



17 September 2023

Odds and Ends

This last week has seen a few more service changes registered:

Alansway Coaches Ltd Country Bus

The dates on the timetables dont match the dates on the service registration but a new timetable is in place from 4th September

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH1017984.014 176 Newton Abbot, Sherborne Road Denbury, Down Lane 07-Aug-2023 Timetable variation. Traveline has the new timetable in operation from the 4 September 

Dealtop Ltd Dartline

Another late notice for a service transferred to Stagecoach 2 weeks ago

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH0005305.033 355 Exeter, Sidwell Street/ Cheeke Street Tiverton Bus Station 03-Sep-2023 Cancelled. Service to Stagecoach under Devon CC Tenders

Filers Travel

One for two weeks time!

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH1066351.029 655 Swimbridge, Hooda Close Barnstaple Bus Station 27-Sep-2023 Cancelled


Plymouth Citybus Ltd

Two more of the Plymouth Argyle services have now come through (from the beginning of August!) PA4 is still to come through

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH0000135.339 PA1 Home Park Saltash 05-Aug-2023 "New Service to operate on Plymouth Argyle home match days. For evening fixtures, the journeys are timed to arrive a the ground 45 minutes bewfore the match and depart 20 minutes after the match. We will be providing services directly to Argyle Football Club for every home game for the 23/24 championship season.
The services will be running from several locations around the city, providing a connection to the ground both before and after the match.
You can purchase your ticket either on the bus or via our app and you are able to use your return part of the ticket on any normal service in order to get back home."
PH0000135.341 PA3 Home Park George P&R 05-Aug-2023 "New Service to operate on Plymouth Argyle home match days. For evening fixtures, the journeys are timed to arrive a the ground 45 minutes bewfore the match and depart 20 minutes after the match. We will be providing services directly to Argyle Football Club for every home game for the 23/24 championship season.
The services will be running from several locations around the city, providing a connection to the ground both before and after the match.
You can purchase your ticket either on the bus or via our app and you are able to use your return part of the ticket on any normal service in order to get back home."


RD & SC Ryder

I am not sure about this one, does anyone no if it really has been running up till 24 August?

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH0006937.001 910 NEWQUAY AIRPORT SUMMERCOURT 24-Aug-2023 Cancellation. Probably a clean up exercise for a service which ceased years ago? 

Stagecoach Devon Ltd

Goose fair service for October and a new timetable from this week for the Exeter UNI service

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH1020951.252 300 Yelverton Airfield Tavistock 11-Oct-2023 Operates on Wednesday 11 October 2023 to provide a shuttle service for the Tavistock Goose Fair
PH1020951.411 301 Tavistock Whitchurch Down 11-Oct-2023 Operates on Wednesday 11 October 2023 to provide a shuttle service for the Tavistock Goose Fair
PH1020951.334 UNI University of Exeter Streatham High Street and University of Exeter St Lukes 17-Sep-2023 A new term time timetable begins from week commencing 17 September 2023. The timetable is revised on all days of operation to improve punctuality of the service. The night service will return for the new academic year, operating on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights only.

bla blah blah

13 September 2023

Putting the pride back into Park and Ride?

Park & Ride expansion is still on the cards:

Plans for a new park and ride service to serve Plymouth and the new town of Sherford remain on track. The scheme is part of the refreshed Plymouth Bus Service Improvement Plan which is under scrutiny this week.

The plan aims to deliver bus services that 'people need, can be proud of and enjoy using'. The vision is to create a thriving bus network with services that are frequent, reliable, fast, affordable, safe and clean, which will also help Plymouth to achieve its net zero goals by 2030.

As part of that plan, an expansion to the existing park and ride provision serving Plymouth is in the cards. In addition to the existing sites at Coypool, The George, and Milehouse, a fourth site, to the south of the A38 and west of Deep Lane junction, is planned.

Outline planning permission for the scheme was granted in 2013 as part of the Sherford new community. This site will initially have 500 spaces, increasing to 1000 spaces later during the development, with the initial phase due to be complete ahead of 1,100 occupations

In relation to park and ride, the Bus Improvement Plan says: “Whilst the level of service currently provided meets demand, given the planned expansion of the George Park and Ride site, and our longer term proposal to expand the Coypool Park and Ride site, as set out in our delivery plan, we want to improve our park and ride offer to a seven day week operation at a 10 minute frequency so that passengers know they can just turn up and go.

“A further P&R site, to the south of the A38 and west of Deep Lane junction, was granted outline planning permission in 2013 as part of the Sherford new community. This site will initially have 500 spaces, increasing to 1000 spaces later during the development, with the initial phase due to complete ahead of 1,100 occupations.”

The proposed creation of the public transport hub in and around Sherford would help to unblock roads around the eastern corridor and serve commuters living in Plympton, Chaddlewood and new town Sherford, offering them an alternative way to get to work that doesn't cause gridlock.

The outline plan for the Deep Lane Park and Ride site added: “The potential for a Park and Ride site at Deep Lane on the A38 has been identified as a core requirement in association with the Sherford development. No constraint has been placed on the capacity at Deep Lane within the modelling exercises, with the forecasting being used to determine the likely demand for the site.

“The site will also represent the initial terminus for the high quality public transport service in the eastern corridor, retaining the potential to extend services to Langage. However, the site should not be promoted as a service for employees of Langage,when more conventional bus services already exist to this site.”

It continued: “The BRT service assessed within this study operated at a frequency of 12 buses an hour, with a return journey time of 50 minutes. This would require a bus fleet of 11 vehicles.

So

Do we think we will ever get this? It sounds good but we have had decent quality Park & Ride before and now look at it. Decent Park & Ride requires money and genuine commitment to the service from the council. Hopefully we will get the latter but we will get the money? will we get 11 decent buses for the service? and more importantly will we keep them. We had an excellent service with very high quality buses in a decent livery which was instantly recognised as being the park & Ride. Over the year these buses were replaced with newer but less luxurious buses in a plain bland livery. These days we have standard buses operating a standard bus service that pretends to be a park and ride service. Now is a good opportunity to prove that Plymouth can lead the way again. will we take it?

What do people think? will we get it, do we need it?

First 33417 WA56FTP 22 February 2011


10 September 2023

A week of catching up

As expected most of the new notices coming through at the moment are for changes that have already happened last week, although some of these are back from August. The Plymouth Argyle services are just 2 out of the 5 that started at the same time so I guess the others will come through this week…

First Hampshire & Dorset Ltd

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH0006159.414 X53 (X51) Bridport Coach Station Axminster Rail Station 22-Oct-2023 Introduction of winter timetable


Kingdom Tours Ltd

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH0002864.002 TIV 53 STOODLEIGH BOLHAM SCHOOL, Tiverton 21-Aug-2023 Cancellation

Plymouth Citybus Ltd

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH0000135.166 11 11A 179 Plymouth Padstow 03-Sep-2023 Timetable variation

A revised timetable will be introduced providing an hourly headway between Plymouth and Trerulefoot with service 10.  A reduced two hourly service will operate between Trerulefoot and Bodmin Parkway Station. An hourly headway will operate between Liskeard and Trago Mill with service 77.

The 30-minute service is retained between Bodmin Parkway and Wadebridge with buses extended to Padstow hourly.  Times have been adjusted across the day to provide better connections with rail services at Bodmin Parkway
PH0000135.265 128 218 219 Marhamchurch Poughill 03-Sep-2023
Journeys on 129 which continue to Stratton Hospital and Kilkhampton will be renumbered 219 throughout to prevent customer confusion.

Timetable to show 219 operating via Valley Road. The first journey from Poughill to Hartland will operate 5 minutes earlier to improve connections at Hartland with services to Bideford.
PH0000135.283 808 809 810 Mannamead Coombe Dean 03-Sep-2023 Revise times for reliability
PH0000135.340 PA2 Home Park Plympton 05-Aug-2023 New Service to operate on Plymouth Argyle home match days. For evening fixtures, the journeys are timed to arrive a the ground 45 minutes bewfore the match and depart 20 minutes after the match
PH0000135.343 PA5 Home Park Elburton 05-Aug-2023 New Service to operate on Plymouth Argyle home match days. For evening fixtures, the journeys are timed to arrive a the ground 45 minutes bewfore the match and depart 20 minutes after the match

Stagecoach Devon Ltd

 Licence Route Start Point End Point Effective Notes
PH1020951.316 89 Tavistock The Tors / Embden Grange 03-Sep-2023 Service 89 will operate from Tavistock Bus Station and provide links to the new housing developments in Tavistock, The Tors and Embden Grange while still serving Courtlands and journeys between approximately 0900 and 1400 additionally serving Morrisons.  The new timetable will operate Monday to Saturday at least hourly between approximately 0700 and 1900.

Service 89 will no longer serve Whitchurch, however, new Service 86 will provide a service to and from Whitchurch.
PH1020951.277 372 Bradworthy Barnstaple 03-Sep-2023 timetable vary. Following a tender award by Devon County Council, there will be some enhancements to the timetable of Service 372, with four additional journeys operating Monday to Friday, including the extension of some journeys to and from Holsworthy.
PH1020951.417 646 Holsworthy Ashwater 03-Sep-2023 NEW: Following a tender award by Devon County Council, a new Service 646 will be introduced between Holsworthy and Ashwater via Clawton.

Service 646 will provide two journeys in each direction Monday to Friday.
 
PH1020951.402 SD1 Coypool Park and Ride South Devon College 10-Sep-2023 monday to Friday
Several new services will commence operation on behalf of South Devon College during College term times only
PH1020951.403 SD2 South Devon College Noss on Dart Marina 10-Sep-2023 Several new services will commence operation on behalf of South Devon College during College term times only. 


Other than the SD1 and SD2 above there are no timetables coming up this week. There should be a few more postings coming up this week as well now I have just about caught up with the new timetables…