Bournemouth's Beleaguered Buses (2)

Then & Now : 2022 and 2026

The above is the Yellow Bus map (for want of a better word) that accompanied the self destructive network change under Transdev or RATP ownership. It is not clear which branch of the French government actually invented the scheme. This was the scheme using helpful (?) prefix letters rather than simple route numbers.

The map is of poor quality and its rule was short-lived; quickly replaced with a "back to normal" scheme. To avoid hurting his own brain and those of his readers, your considerate blogger will concentrate on the main services.

So we have (anti clockwise from right to left):-

P routes : Bournemouth to Christchurch and beyond.

R routes : Poole Bournemouth (two routes to ...) Hospital

B routes : four variants one of which goes to Bearwood

V routes : Bournemouth (two routes to ...)  Kinson

U Routes : A mixture of everything via University

This has involved a certain amount if guesswork! Apologies if fbb is getting it wrong - but his tolerant readers will get the rough idea.

Next we see the routes that MoreBus took over very promptly after Yellow Buses failed! That gives us some idea of the normality that replaced potty peculiar prefixes.

Again we move from right to left, anti clockwise.

Buses via Christchurch, still coded purple, are now 1, 1A and 1B.

Obviously, Morebus will leave Poole to Bournemouth to its frequent m1 and m2 routes, which serve the Hospital and Somerford respectively. So the two former R routes are now 2 and 4 from Bournemouth only

MoreBus also stepped in to the one-time V routes to Kinson as 5 and 5A.

The GoAhead company had won the tenders for the University services before Yellow Bus failed ...

... so the takeover only involved route 6 and 6A. 

Some routes, like 18, had escaped the prefix policy and More absorbed a few more of the subsidiary services after the above map was distributed on-line.

As the last four years have progressed, the "Saviour of Bournemouth Buses" has integrated the former municipal routes into a cohesive network. This has involved replacing duplicated route numbers and removing some areas of complication.

So we can now look at the Bournemouth network today.

Keen observers can still see the main constituents of the old Yellow Bus system, but there have been many detailed changes.

Here is the anti-capitalist survey today.

In essence, the group if services via Christchurch is very similar ...

... but with notable extensions. At one stage, a few years ago, Burton was served by one of the original "m" branded "more" routes, m2.

The Hospital now has routes 12 and 22 ...

... supplemented by the frequent m1.

The former 15 minute headway on the 5 and 5A is now concentrated entirely on the 5 which now runs at a doubled headway of every 15 minutes.

Other services, like the 14, fill the gaps.

The 6 is largely unchanged but no longer red.

The muted blue still runs to Wimborne.

There are, if course, numerous "lesser" routes in Bournemouth, some serving new areas of housing.

Despite nostalgic regrets, it does appear that the demise of Yellow Bus has brought stability from MoreBus and, in many places, a better service.

fbb is minded to take a more detailed look at the m1 and m2 and their history and development, but the project depends very much on what information us still out there. fbb's memory is a bit fuzzy, certainly on the detail.

He does remember, however that there were more "more" branded routes from Poole than just the m1 and m2. So what happened to them?

The 1, 1A, 1B and 1C network also warrants a closer look. 

Maybe not this week, however, as the old bloke is wrestling with his failed tiny computer ...

... and thus some equally failed backups!

Hey ho, such are the joys of modern technology!

 Next Beautiful bridges blog : Fri 4 Sept