Public Transport Experience: Pickering Pottiness Part 3

Friday, 5 September 2025

Pickering Pottiness Part 3

Aggressor Repulsed - Vehemently?

fbb was hoping to reveal the GoAhead East Yorkshire response to the intrusion of new competitor Viscount on the 128 between Pickering and Scarborough. But detail is sadly lacking.

Thanks to in-built delays in the rather sluggish bus service registration system (It's all on line), EYs response on the road will perforce be delayed by a week or so. But the first "envoi" comes with fares deals staring immediately.

Unlike in the regulated past, you do not have to register fares or be called before the Traffic Commissioners to have any price changes approved - or not..

So here is the on-line panel in question.

Of course, as individual fares remain a state secret, it is not easy to work out how advantageous these deals are for Pickering folk.

Assuming EY participates in HM Government's fare cap, a return from Pickering to Scarborough will be £6, so the only bonus would be "free" jaunts on the Scarborough town locals.

The £2 "Winter Warmer" single will be a better deal for occasional travellers and maybe even for commuters.

A reminder of Viscount's fares:-

As we can see, the new EY day saver matches Viscount's ditto, but the weekly and monthly deals are better.

The £2 "Winter Warmer" is a bit more aggressive.

Will Viscount respond and will it then get really very silly. Is EY's £2 offer "until November 30th" because the company confidently expects the intruder to die quietly before then? It all depends on how fully Viscount's piggy bank is or, more likely, how quickly it will run out.

Fairly soon, fbb suspects.

EY promises extra journeys on their 128 plus a brand spanking new X3 which appears to be the Scarborough local 3 to Hutton Buscel ...

... extended to Pickering.

Thinks! Was that always the plan but was the extended 3 due to be renumbered X28? Have the gurus in EY control bunker changed their minds?

Sadly, we don't even get a crude computer generated map for the 3 so only locals will know where it goes. Fortunately Traveline gives us a better timetable for the 3 ...

... and a map confirms that it whizzes straight long the main A170 road

Does the 128 go the same way?

But no, the 128 runs via Seamer, NOT direct.

Which way does Viscount's X28 go?

Answer; both ways. Certain journeys run via Seamer but the main service mirrors the X3 via the direst route.

But it has all happened before.

And this company was involved!

Way back in 1987, in the heady days of post privatisation crazy competition, EY was under attack! It didn't last and the intruder was quickly snuffed out by the incumbent. Details are sparse unless you are a very well-read Scarborough enthusiast and student of the unpredictable days of daft competition.

But fbb will offer a brief overview as part of his usual weekend variety blogs.

In the meantime we are all agog for EY's eagerly awaited new timetables. For the time being we have to be satisfied with a very basic departure list from each of the termini.

Not much help if you are at Hutton Buscel, East Ayton or Seamer!

Enjoy!