Devon Transit

Devon Transit 002

Alternates with Cornwall Transit every Tuesday. ( Previous report: Devon Transit 001) .

Stagecoach

A small batch of new timetables started from the 19th January:

• 19 JAN 2015 Service X46 Exeter - Torquay - Paignton We're also introducing a new X46 timetable. We've retimed journeys to to better take into account the delays we have encountered during to the construction of the South Devon Link Road and Splatford Split widening. To provide the necessary time and maintain the current frequency, daytime buses will no longer serve Paignton as easy connections with the 12, 22 and Stagecoach Gold between Torquay and Paignton are readily available. Several journeys will still run to/from Paignton at the start and end of the day for commuters into Exeter.

Photo credit: Nick Rice under Creative Commons Licence.

It was way back in 2007 that these impressive beasts could be found on the X46. Nowadays you might get a Gold Scania if you are lucky...

• 19 JAN 2015 Service X64 Exeter - Newton Abbot - Totnes - Salcombe The X64 will be extended from Totnes to Dartmouth to replace the Totnes - Dartmouth section of Stagecoach Gold and give Dartmouth residents direct, through connections to Totnes, Newton Abbot and Exeter up to every hour Monday to Saturday. For commuters travelling from Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton to Exeter, there will also be a later evening journey back from Exeter bus station which will depart at 1915. Some morning journeys will leave earlier to allow more time to get through the roadworks at Splatford Split. The new X64 timetable keeps all of the key morning and evening connections between Dartmouth and Totnes that are currently part of the Gold timetable. This has already been covered on Plymothian Transit.
• 19 JAN 2015 Service GOLD Torquay - Paignton - Totnes - South Brent - Plymouth From 19th January 2015 we're increasing our Sunday service between Torquay, Totnes and Plymouth to every hour. Stagecoach Gold will also no longer serve Dartmouth. Instead customers will be able to use our X64 service which will also provide an additional link direct to Exeter. The revised Gold route will also no longer serve Dukes Road in Totnes. Customers can continue to catch Gold from Higher Westonfields which is a short walk away and local community operator, Bob the Bus, will still operate along Dukes Road. As with the X64 this has already been covered by Plymothian Transit
• 19 JAN 2015 Service 110 Torquay - Paignton - Totnes . No details but a New timetable introduced for this schools service

• 19 JAN 2015 Service 13 Paignton - Brixham . Route 13 The 1650 and the 1805 from South Devon College and 1625 and 1715 from Brixham will no longer run. New timetable

• 19 JAN 2015 Service 23 South Devon College - Goodrington - Paignton. Service 23 The Mon-Fri 1740 service from South Devon College will no longer run. New timetable

Stagecoach M&S

Stagecoach have taken on the Marks & Spencer services from the 19th January previously operated by Countrybus:

• MS1 Dawlish - The Willows Torquay New timetable
• MS2 Kingsbridge - The Willows Torquay New timetable
• MS3 Totnes - The Willows Torquay New Timetable
• MS4 Brixham - The Willows Torquay New timetable
• MS5 Brixham - The Willows Torquay New timetable

VOSA

The 21st January saw one VOSA notice posted by Stagecoach

PH1020951/167 - STAGECOACH DEVON LTD T/A Stagecoach South West, BELGRAVE ROAD, EXETER, EX1 2LB

Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Exeter St Davids Station and Exmouth Bus Station given service number 56/56A effective from 23-Feb-2015. To amend Timetable.

Turners Tours

A short notice registration appeared on VOSA for a service 859

• 05 JAN 2015 Service 859 South Molton - Chittlehamton

Greens Play Politics

13 JAN 2015 Exeter Express and Echo GREEN Party Leader Natalie Bennett is to visit Exeter and talk with Stagecoach bosses about the party’s policies on public transport. It follows the announcement last week of a Green manifesto pledge to reduce public transport fares by 10 per cent. Ms Bennett, members of Exeter Green Party and transport campaigners also hope to discuss the growth of Exeter and development of the new bus station and the impact it will have on bus services for the area. "Like other major transport operators, we have hedging arrangements in place which fixes the price of our fuel in advance. This is designed to protect customers and our business from fluctuations in the price of oil and provide greater certainty in financial planning. Almost all of our fuel requirement in the current 2014-15 financial year is already fixed at a level that is significantly higher than the current market price, which has dropped considerably in recent months. That means we get virtually no benefit from recent falls in the price of oil

Crediton Cut Backs

25 JAN 2015 Mid Devon Gazette SHOPPERS in Crediton are to lose a bus service which provides a vital lifeline for hundreds of people as funding to run the route is withdrawn. The 341 and 342 service which provides a link to the town's Tesco store from various parts of the town via the railway station, is to cease from Saturday, March 14. Devon county council figures show the route carries fewer than 1,000 one-way passenger trips a year. The services currently complete around 9,750 one-way passenger trips a year -an average of 31 per day – at a total cost of £64,974.

Recommended Reading

• Norwich Buses: Odds and ends
• Ian Visits: Layout maps of Kings Cross tube station
• Richards Tram Blog STATFOLD BARN RAILWAY
• East Anglian Rail Scene: Weekly Update.
• Fylde Bus Blog: News Round Up
• Public Transport Experience: Daring Doings in Doncaster's Dunscroft [5] Dunscroft Direct
• Focus Transport: CROSSRAIL INFRASTRUCTURE AWARDS PLUS CROSSRAIL 2
• Steves Bus and Train Page: The Launch Of Lynx
• Norwich Buses: Notes from Norwich

No Go Bretonside

Go Cornwall VOSA

Plymouth Citybus have registered some changes to their recently acquired Cornish services:

• PH0000135/161 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Launceston, Westgate Street and Bude, The Strand given service number 576 effective from 08-Feb-2015. To amend Timetable.
• PH0000135/162 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Plymouth, Royal Parade and Launceston, Westgate Street given service number 576 effective from 08-Feb-2015. To amend Route and Timetable.
• PH0000135/163 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Liskeard, Barras Street and Polperro, Crumplehorn given service number 573 effective from 08-Feb-2015. To amend Route and Timetable.
• PH0000135/164 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Plymouth, Royal Parade and West Looe given service number 572 effective from 08-Feb-2015. To amend Route and Timetable.
• PH0000135/165 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Liskeard, Barras Street and Callington, New Road given service number 574 effective from 08-Feb-2015. To amend Timetable.
• PH0000135/166 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA Variation Accepted by SN: Operating between Plymouth, Royal Parade and Liskeard, Ballas Street given service number 593 effective from 08-Feb-2015. To amend Route and Timetable.

I will wait for the full announcement from Plymouth Citybus to give the full run down of these changes but they seem to be fairly minor time tables changes presumably to improve running rather than anything more major. The other change being that all services now start from Royal Parade and no longer serve Bretonside Coach Station. © Richard Smith

In The News

• Bristol Post : Bus not turned up? Tell someone who cares - prank stickers taking swipe at First placed at bus stops around Bristol

Recommended Reading

• Public Transport Experience: Daring Doings in Doncaster's Dunscroft [4] Along the Main Road to Thorne
• Focus Transport: MALTA UPDATE
• Steves Bus and Train Page: Random Jottings 23.1.15
• East Anglian Rail Scene: Class 456's.
• Random Streets: Elephant & Castle, UK
• Public Transport Experience: Stagecoach : Do We Run Buses in Seaton? And which way do they go?
• Focus Transport: WOES AT LOTHIAN
• East Norfolk Bus Blog: Latest First News :
• Humber Transport: First Doncaster-Goole changes
• Steves Bus and Train Page: Weekly News Round Up
• Ipswich Bus Blog: EASTERN COUNTIES SECOND LIVES
• East Anglian Rail Scene: Further Afield ~ Day Trip to Eastleigh.
• East Anglian Rail Scene: Eastleigh
• Public Transport Experience: Exciting Expedition to Exmouth A Robust Riposte to Recent Remonstrations
• Focus Transport: Passengers Carried on Prototype 379 Battery-powered train
• Dennis Basfords Rails Roads and Runways: ‘Scene’ in Torbay’

The Future of Our History

Plymouth History Centre

A project I am following with interest as it has the potential to be a great resource for the City.

The partners of Plymouth’s History Centre have reached out to the world’s best designers and invited them to submit tenders for the exhibition design for the new History Centre. A couple of weeks ago many of these designers visited the site on North Hill to see the scope of the opportunity for themselves and to experience the partners’ enthusiasm first hand. During their visit, they had an inspirational introduction to the project by Leader of the Council, Tudor Evans who explained what the project really means to the city. They also had a tour of the Central Library building, St Luke’s Church and the existing Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, which helped them understand the space and the collections. Staff from the partner organisations, were on hand to talk about the wider historic collections and their aspirations for the project.

The exhibition designer have now been given a detailed brief, which clearly reflects the consultations that have already taken place with the public, the extensive workshops with staff and meetings with interested parties. The brief also suggests some key themes that the designers could use in their development of the centre, they include: resilience, adventure, vision and community. Deputy Leader of the Council Pete Smith said that the design brief which has been compiled by Ralph Applebaums, world renowned design consultants “is a fantastic piece of work, it manages to convey the passion and the will of the partners in the History Centre, and sums up the complexity of combining buildings, objects, images, films, art and archival material. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we want to shine a light on Plymouth and its incredible stories.”

The tendering companies have also been told that the partners hope the centre will create a “new experience deeply rooted in Plymouth’s cultural fabric” and for it “to inspire visitors to look at Plymouth in new ways”. Programme Director Paul Brookes said “A lot of people have a stake in the History Centre, it is going to be very important to a lot of people, from the local residents of Plymouth, to those who commute into the city, from children and their families, to students, researchers and visitors from afar. We know what we want to achieve, now we need a fantastic, inspirational interpretation and creative company to help us achieve it”.

The buildings and architecture that will make up the History Centre present the potential designers with another unique opportunity. They will have the use of the existing historic architecture of the Museum, Art Gallery and Library, and St Luke’s Church. In other spaces the architecture will be formed from a new contemporary extension. The partners are looking forward to seeing how the bidders propose to use these spaces to their full potential, to maximize the users experience and to create an “exceptional immersive and fun environment”. In addition to the collections, the brief points the designers to the city itself: “steeped in history and heritage and vibrant with new culture. The city tells many stories, past present and future”. All of this connects deeply to the collections and it is important to the partners that the chosen designers understand this. The new designers will be chosen by April 2015.

Plymouth City Council

As custodians of collections at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, the Plymouth West Devon Record Office and the Plymouth Local Studies Library, the City Council is leading on the History Centre Project. They recognise the need to preserve, make available and tell the rich and varied history of the people of Plymouth. From the valued historical artefacts, to the pictures, the moving footage and the written word, Plymouth has more heritage than it is currently possible to display.

South West Film and TV Archive

SWFTA is the official Film and TV archive for the South West of England. All of their outstanding collections will be brought under the management of the Plymouth History Centre. The unique collections include the news and programme libraries from Westward Television and TV South West, together with footage which dates back to the late Victorian era. Supported by a large team of volunteers who catalogue, copy, digitize and manage the footage, SWFTA hopes to make more of the footage, more available, to more people.

South West Image Bank

SWiB is currently the custodian of 170 individual collections and close to 1 million negatives dating back to the 1870s. The archive collectively exists as the largest body of photographic records in the region. The Plymouth History Centre will benefit greatly from having access to these collections.

The University of Plymouth

The partners within the University of Plymouth include the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and Peninsula Arts. They are the official partner responsible for providing expertise to ensure the centre attracts and appeals to both students and researchers from around the country. Their vision for the centre is to create a learning hub, as well as a visitor attraction.

I will be following future developments over the coming years.

In The News

• Bus and Coach Further £27million for Bristol rapid bus network Bristol’s planned MetroBus network has received confirmation of a further £27million grant from the government today to support the construction of 3.1 miles of busway for the South Bristol Link. The move follows an award of £34.5million in September 2014 for the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads scheme which is due to start construction shortly

Recommended Reading

• Public Transport Experience: Daring Doings in Doncaster's Dunscroft [3] Talking of Printing Your Own
• East Norfolk Bus Blog: Early Morning Changes to the 8 :
• Steves Bus and Train Page: The 379 Prius Hits The Tracks
• Ipswich Bus Blog: 32494 IN SERVICE
• Dennis Basfords Rails Roads and Runways: A Day out to Loughborough
• Lancaster Omnibus: County Council to Maintain Bus Subsidies for Next Three Years
• Ian Visits: Weekly round-up of London’s railway transport news

Bit more Bling on Sundays

Stagecoach Gold

We continue with the look at the recent service changes introduced by Stagecoach this week (19th January). We saw yesterday that the GOLD service was no longer going to be serving Dartmouth leaving just the main Plymouth - Totnes - Paignton - Torquay route. The main weekday service does not change but the Sunday service gets a boost:

• PH1020951/197
• STAGECOACH DEVON LTD T/A Stagecoach South West, BELGRAVE ROAD, EXETER, EX1 2LB
• Variation Accepted: Operating between Torquay Strand and Totnes Royal Seven Stars
• given service number GOLD
• effective from 19-Jan-2015.
• To amend Timetable.
• PH1020951/198
• STAGECOACH DEVON LTD T/A Stagecoach South West, BELGRAVE ROAD, EXETER, EX1 2LB
• Variation Accepted: Operating between Totnes Royal Seven Stars and Plymouth
• given service number GOLD
• effective from 19-Jan-2015.
• To amend Timetable.

From 19th January 2015 we're increasing our Sunday service between Torquay, Totnes and Plymouth to every hour. Stagecoach Gold will also no longer serve Dartmouth. Instead customers will be able to use our X64 service which will also provide an additional link direct to Exeter. The revised Gold route will also no longer serve Dukes Road in Totnes. Customers can continue to catch Gold from Higher Westonfields which is a short walk away and local community operator, Bob the Bus, will still operate along Dukes Road. New timetables will be available shortly.

New Timetable GOLD

Recommended Reading

• Great Yarmouth Bus Page: Special Post Coming Soon ~ Buses from the past up to present
• Public Transport Experience: Daring Doings in Doncaster's Dunscroft [2]
• Focus Transport: Liverpool to Newcastle in One Hour Less
• The Circle of London Blog: Former London Buses in Norfolk
• Steves Bus and Train Page: Before It Was Local
• East Anglian Rail Scene: Pretendolino ~ Test Run
• East Norfolk Bus Blog: Service Alterations Registered :
• East Norfolk Bus Blog: Local Fleets Magazine Features :
• Norwich Buses: Oddball Wednesday - B948ASU
• Norwich Buses: New First flat fare between the UEA and the N&N Hospital