Due to a combination of loss of internet last weekend, and a power failure in my computer room, and the length and complexity of this route, it has taken me two weeks to get this one ready. I chose Target Travel 39 for number 7 in the series because I found myself waiting for a bus home from the City Centre and noticed a ‘new’ Dennis Dart on Royal Parade. I went to investigate and it was Target Travel and the Dart was newly acquired and still running in red and grey. The photo will follow in the week ahead. Seeing as I had plenty of time I decided to catch the 39 to Asda as I had never been on that route before. The driver warned me it took a long time to get there – which just made it all the more fun for me.
The route video below is the longest of the series so far as it really does go around all the houses. It is a real test for the driver as you can see on the video there are a few places where there is very little room. All it takes is one badly parked car and the bus would be stuck. The section by Austin Farm was great fun and we did have to wait for one van driver to move his van up a bit so we could get passed.
So if you find yourself with a lot of spare time on your hands I would recommend a ride on the 39…
Go-Ahead Group aims to further improve the passenger experience on its buses by becoming the first major UK bus operator to carry out an annual independent customer satisfaction survey. Andys Bus Blog
fbb has never been to New York (although all three sons have) but this blog-reader interest prompted the old codger to have an on-line look at public transport in that spectacular and challenging City. Public Transport Experience
Who was it who speculated that during the restructure programme one of the areas New First might cut lose during was Cornwall. OK, I did. I may have been wrong. Omnibuses
I hope that when this post goes live it will show the next route video, this time Plymouth Citybus 22 from the City Centre - Lipson Vale - Plympton St Maurice - Chaddlewood.
Vimeo have changed their embeded codes, and Live Writer refuses to recognize the new code so I am having to do this the hard way through Googles own editor!
You can't tell from this shot, but there are patches that are starting to show her original identity of the very vivid green/indigo Trevithick Link livery she used to carry while at work at Truronian.
PTOTPA
So before the snow arrived gritting was underway and this includes bus routes and access to garages. It did come down in London quite quickly but in general we kept services moving.
Leon Daniels
O.K., its only four bus shelters and a myterious blue totem pole thingey, but South Yorkshire PTE thinks it's an "interchange", their euphemism for a bus station.
Public Transport Experience
“Can you please enlighten us as to what this second fare rise in a few months is paying for? "
Dorset Bus Blog
It’s arguable whether First could claim that its buses now have a true “local identity” simply by applying a city’s name on the side.
Omnibuses
Indications were that 1995 would be the final year for the open-toppers so a running day was arranged in late summer to mark this. For once I can state that every bus that you see in a report will be roofless.
Transport Illustrated
Bus Routes Video Number 5 is now ready. This shows the current Plymouth Citybus route 21 from the City Centre to Chaddlewood. It also highlights the new terminus at Chaddlewood from the 4th March when the Steer Park extension is dropped so the video remains current after the route change next month. As usual all of this is documented on my Route 21 page on PT Extra so you can see the evolution of this route over the last few years.
There were three (now only two) means of public transport to the Island; possibly the oldest being the Hayling ferry that runs from Ferry Point near the Ferry Boat Inn on Hayling Island to Eastney Beach, Portsmouth, across the mouth of Langstone Harbour Public Transport Experience
But First didn’t have enthusiasts in mind when yesterday it unveiled its new identity. There’s one reason and one reason only why an operator goes to the trouble and expense of a redesign and that’s part of a general rebranding exercise that will improve the bottom line. Omnibuses
As promised I have now completed the video for the new route taken by the 20 as from 4th March. I have added this video along with the latest notes and timetables to my Route 20 page here so you can view both befor4e and after videos if you so wish. You can see from these videos just how tight and congested it is around the Woodford and Crossway areas.
So the key question remains. What happens at Silverwood Cottages every night at 2328? And, when it's finished happening, how do those who take part get home? Public Transport Experience
It’s all about the new livery sported by Helm’s Chester station to city centre service, what Helm’s is now calling—ouch—the “Inter-the-City” link. Omnibuses
Here's our friend, soaking up the South Devon rains during some bus moving earlier on. 270KTA
Whilst the original plan was to work through all the routes in numerical order I want to make sure that I keep up with any route changes as they occur so I have before and after versions ready as the route changes happen. The first batch of route changes have been announced as being Plymouth Citybus 20 to 22 so we present the first of these routes this week with the current route 20:
Plymouth Bus Routes No3: Plymouth Citybus 20
We start with the City Centre loop and then proceed down Exeter Street, Embankment Road on to Marsh Mills. Then enter Plympton Woodford, Crossway, Newnham Road, and up through Moorland Road to Mudgeway and Ridgeway ending up at St Mary Bridge.
I will shortly complete the new version of this route and detail the changes due in March.
Regular blog readers will remember the outbreak of chumminess in Sheffield, whereby a group of bus services was branded "Optio Orange" Public Transport Experience
The Optare Alero was possibly the best-looking minibus ever built. It looked more like an inflated MPV than a bus. Omnibuses
But, of course, for the height of omnibological light entertainment, we need to go to the former Wood Green depot of the Eastern National Omnibus Company. This provided the depot for 'Luxton and District' Public Transport Experience
a reminder that the VOSA registrations teams, whether regionally or now in Leeds, have never been particularly renowned for their spelling or geographical interpretation. Omnibuses
Part two of my series looking at the current bus routes in Plymouth covers route 1A Plymouth to Latchbook (Saltash).
I start this time at Fairmead Road, Latchbrook and do the Latchbrook loop before returning through Saltash towards Plymouth. I have also included the whole of the Plymouth City Centre loop so we end at North Cross Roundabout as it heads back towards Saltash.
Plymouth Bus Routes Part Two
Route 1A Latchbrook to Royal Parade operated by First Devon & Cornwall
And yes, I have noticed the spelling mistake at the beginning! (Only after the half hour it takes to upload the video!!)
Under the new purple guise this is Ex-FGW 142068, my personal favorite of the Devonian Pacers while she operated from Exeter. PTOTPA
One thing certainly not in short supply was dedication and enthusiasm as the Friends of King Alfred Buses staged their annual extravaganza. Transport Illustrated
On one such occasion fbb's brother-in-law-to-be, as the junior member of staff on the bus, was ordered to clamber up a railway embankment to check that the double decker really would go under the bridge. Public Transport Experience
Waterstone’s the bookshop is dropping its apostrophe, is it? It’s not the end of the world but, for a pendant (sic) like me, it comes pretty, pretty close Omnibuses
Former Hants & Dorset, but now Crosville Motor Services of Weston-Super-Mare, Lodekka SRU981 is making good progress at the BusWorks. Busworks Blog
Your writer has fond memories of trips on open top Bristol FSF Lodekkas operating on the Llandudno to Colwyn Way sea front service in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Busworks Blog
One of my main aims for 2012 is to get a better view of the bus services operated in and around Plymouth. I have been slowly building up details on the sister Plymothian Transit Extra site but I really need to get a bit more organised and keep up to date with current changes as well as add in older archive material for routes.
With this in mind I have been playing with various Google Maps but I have now finally found a better way to show off a full route in a quick and easy format. The Google Street view Time-lapse video. Well, I say quick and easy way. In fact its proved to be a real pain in the neck as I have tried various bits of software but I have now finally produced my first video….
Plymouth Bus Routes Part One
Route 1 Royal Parade to St Stephens Saltash, operated by First Devon & Cornwall.
The whole video lasts just under 4 minutes. It does look a bit odd in places as the Street View does not always keep to the obvious path and occasionally it crosses to the wrong side of the road. There are also quite a few places where the weather changes dramatically several times along the same stretch of road. Google have clearly just used what they consider to be the best image they have for each section. Most of these images were taken in 2009. Hopefully the video will serve as a guide to the route and is a but more interesting than a plain map.
Now I have streamlined my production methods to something more manageable the aim is to work my way through each route in turn, roughly one a week all being well. I have seen a few areas I can improve on so hopefully future parts will be slightly tidier around the edges!
Hopefully the embedded video above will work for most of you. If for any reason it doesn't try using the Vimeo link below and selecting the video from there.
Each StopArea has the equivalent of a CommonName - and generally this should be the same name as that which is used as the CommonName for each of the stops in the StopArea. AlternativeNames can also be assigned to stop areas for ease of finding them in Gazetteers: and all names are associated with a language to allow for multi-lingual naming where relevant. Public Transport Experience
If there’s one thing that’s likely to come around as often as the bus itself, it’s an increase in fares. Omnibuses
For those who feel that the new Go South Coast broom has acted improperly, remember that we live in a deregulated world where operators are free and able to (and do) protect themselves and their businesses Dorset Bus Blog
The origin of the name Malin Bridge is obscure but the most probable explanation is that the name derived from Malin Stacie, who was Lord of the Manor of Owlerton (which lies ¾ mile to the NE) between 1607 and 1652. It is possible that Stacie built the bridge or was responsible for its upkeep and it was therefore named after him. Public Transport Experience
It suddenly occurred to me this afternoon that Monday marked a momentous occasion in the UK's transport calendar, for it was on 2 January 1981 that British Railways ran its last Deltic-hauled passenger train A Transport of Delight
Bus managers are busy people. Networks to run, meetings to attend, forms to fill in, problems to resolve, bosses to placate, even payroll and HR (unless you’re unlucky enough to have to do it yourself). Omnibuses
The story behind the 347/387 is that, following retendering, Bournemouth Transport (RATP Yellow Buses) won the route, along with First's 31 from Weymouth to Axminster, Dorchester town services and more. Yellow Buses were expanding west, threatening First and Go South Coast land. Southern England Bus Scene
This photo of Tamerton Foliot, probably taken in the early 1960s, really reminds me of my childhood Plymouth Local History Blog
2011 was a landmark year for 270 KTA, one in which fortunes were reversed, and a poorly SUL of old returned to the road once more. 270KTA
Yesterday's blog examined the replacement arrangements, using modified existing services, in the north of the City. For the other (western) end of the former tram route, the solution was different but even more controversial. Public Transport Experience
This month, Optare has announced that it is to retire the venerable Solo, in favour of the Solo SR. The SR is the restyled, more modern looking version, with the Solo’s signature windscreen sweeping up the roofline, without an awkwardly protruding destination box to disrupt the lines. Omnibuses
Yesterday I went on my first Norfolk Explorer tour of 2012, my plan was to sample the new konectexpress ADL Enviro400's and also their recently aquired Mercedes Benz Citaro bendybuses... Andys Bus Blog
Further to my post at the end of last year Target Travel are continuing to invest in their fleet to bring it up to date ready for the low floor DDA regulations looming ever closer. PTOTPA
