Plymothian Transit: Totnes

22 January 2015

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

Dartmouth loses its shine for Stagecoach

Stagecoach X64

Back in November we had a couple of VOSA notices for Stagecoach:

PH1020951/46 - STAGECOACH DEVON LTD T/A Stagecoach South West, BELGRAVE ROAD, EXETER, EX1 2LB
Variation Accepted: Operating between Exeter Bus Station and Totnes Coronation Road
given service number X64
effective from 19-Jan-2015.
To amend Timetable.

PH1020951/199 - STAGECOACH DEVON LTD T/A Stagecoach South West, BELGRAVE ROAD, EXETER, EX1 2LB
Variation Accepted: Operating between Totnes Royal Seven Stars and Dartmouth
given service number X64
effective from 19-Jan-2015.
To amend Timetable

This last one gave at least a hint of the changes involved as from its registration back in July 2013 licence PH1020951/199 was route number "GOLD".

Well the changes from this week (19th January) are explained by Stagecoach:

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

The Stagecoach spin does seem to underplay the scale of the reduction in buses serving Dartmouth. Previously Dartmouth saw weekday departures to Totnes at 0655, 0930 1030 1130 1230 1330 1430 1530 1635 1735 1850 2010. So what do they have now?

Weekday departure from Dartmouth to Totnes (and beyond) are now 0618 0800 0925 1055 1255 1455 1655 1805 1905 1955. I guess its the last three departures which mean that Stagecoach can indeed claim a bus "up to every hour"!

Stagecoach X64 Timetable 19 JAN 2015

X64 Map Exeter to Totnes

X64 Map Totnes Dartmouth

X64 Map Totnes Salcombe

Photo credit: Barry Lewis under Creative Commons Licence.

Photo credit: Nick Rice under Creative Commons Licence.

There may be no more Gold for Dartmouth but the move does allow for a slightly better service on the main Gold route as we shall see tomorrow

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