Saturday Variety

 Hythe Ferry's Hopeful Future

This lengthy and unhappy saga seems to be taking on yet another plot development.

fbb is not sure what the "assets" might be, but the article implies that the boat is one of the assets. fbb doubts it!

The Pier Company is most famous for the wacky pier train.

Again we don't know how strong the "foundation" might be. The local Councillor is upbeat ...

... but there is a long, long way to go.

Cross With Cross Country

The trouble with CrossCountry is that its services interact with so many other operations as its trains run, for example, from Penzance to Edinburgh.

The slightest disruption at Plymouth can be turned into a huge disruption by Newcastle.  And, all too often, it is!

In his more active past, your noble blogger has travelled occasionally from Exeter to Birmingham and Sheffield and an on-time journey throughout its length was as rare as some of these.

Here are some if the actual figures.

Could do better?

Confusing Comment

The picture is of a vehicle on the Hereford Zipper service. This runs, free of charge, in a complex circuit of city centre destinations, usefully calling at the railway station.

The service is currently operated by the troubled Yeomans, which is most definitely "a private firm".

So what is going on?

Yeomans is the holder of the contract to run the service which is "owned" by Hereford City Council. The Council cannot really afford it as, these days, councils struggle to afford anything.

The idea may be to get "a private firm" to own and run the service. If the route is to remain free, someone needs to find the money. That'll be the Council, then?

So what's different?

Loopy Loop Labelling

A recent arrival in the Lynx Bus catalogue of Kings Lynn bus services is route 44, called "The Loop".

Because it isn't!

Buses start from the bus and train stations and run to Tesco after making a 120 degree obtuse angle turn top right on the above map. The two ends of the loop are never joined. It is a straight line route but with a very sharp bend in the middle.

So why us the timetable shown like this.

The summary route description at right angles to the tinetable does not imply anything loopy.

It would help the eternally confused passenger if the timetable were shown as separate outbound ...

... and inbound tables,

The on-line software-generated timetable is equally confusing ...

The little black blobs are symbols of outstanding  helpfulness to the enquiring passenger. They tell you that passengers are only permitted to board the bus at the start of the journey (no changing your mind and getting off) and then, full of disappointment, they must alight at the end of the timetabled journey.

Disappointing?

Going Bats About Stats?

Wots This About Bots?

The above is a screenshot from the statistics of fbb's blog taken at about 1600 yesterday. The grey numbers summarise a log of "page reads", i.e. if any one or any thing looks at the blog, however briefly, it registers as a "page read".

A few days ago the blog generated ...

70,215

... page reads, an utterly ridiculous number

In recent weeks a high percentage of these "readers" came from Singapore and Hong Kong, but, yesterday ...

.... Google generated the above pie chart of weekly page reads. The majority of are now from ...

... a territory called "Other".

No 1 son, who knows about all this, tells fbb that the pages are being 'read' by "bots", little bits of electronics that gather data and store it in gigantic AI data warehouses.

This data, partly sucked from fbb's blog, will allow "AI" to generate unreliable results for us all to enjoy - and using huge amounts of power threatening the stability of the National Grid.

Good, innit?

One thing is 100% certain; any statistic relatung to on-line use is total nonsense.

Anyway, fbb has been able to secure a picture of these data devouring "bots".

Scary, with some being more scary than others.

Be afraid, be VERY afraid!

  Next Variety blog : Sunday 21st June 

fbb Thinks Of Links To Lynx (2)

It is a real delight to receive a Lynx timetable book. fbb is continually baffled by bus companies that cannot be bothered to advertise their product in a form which is easy to access without a device and without good wifi!

Lynx gives us a superb network map ...

... and Kings Lynn in detail ...

... Hunstanton in detail ...

.... despite the routes being somewhat straightforward.

The former Norfolk Green Coasthopper was split, with Lynx running the western end ...

... and Sanders taking in the rest. The Coastliner page, cognisant that service 36 is a draw for tourists, adds stop locations in the main towns.  Several chocolate peanuts are due here!

Talking of tourists, there is plenty of information on places to see and visit.

Very tempting!

And, if His Maj is anxious to do a bit of shopping on the chauffeur's day off or when the limo is in for its MOT, he can catch the bus from and to Sandringham.

Welcome on board, Your Extra Highness!

Oh, yes, there are timetables as well!

The trunk route is every 15 min between Kings Lynn and Hunstanton.

The 36 Coastliner continues along the shore every hour to Wells ...

... then turns inland to Fakenham ; a glorious ride by any standards!

Some of the Kings Lynn locals manage a very respectable frequency ...

... some less so!

fbb's favourite Lynx links are provided by route 60.

This is the modern equivalent of the iconic Wisbech and Upwell tramway ...

... freight as well back then.

Of course the incumbent there was Rev Wilbert Awdry who used his tramway as the model for Toby and Henrietta ...

... versions of which occasionally trundle around fbb's Peterville layout.

But the sadness is with what isn't in the book.

The Lynx timetable book is produced by the operator and thus leaves out some significant services provided by other non competing companies.

There is no Stagecoach 505 ...

... there is no First Bus Excel ...

.... no Coach Services 88 and 89 ...

... and no Go To Town community bus network.

There may be others!

If our society and its politicians at all levels really mean what they say about the "Green Agenda" and encouraging the use of public transport, then why isn't there one timetable book for the totality of Kings Lynn buses?

Well, now ... back in the day ...

But Lynx deserves our approbation for a suoeb advert for its well presented and well managed network.

  Next Variety blog : Saturday 20th June 

fbb Thinks Of Links To Lynx (1)

 Historic Links To Lynx

As well as his latest book, fbb received a copy of the above-mentioned and from Keith Shayshutt, for which many thanks. Operations are centred on Kings Lynn ...

... but Lynx is a relatively recent arrival in the town.

Historically the dominant operator in the area was ex Tilling group Eastern Counties Omnibus.

Here is part of the above, enlarged for Kings Lynn.

So you would expect Kings Lynn bus station to be full of red buses!

Independents running Market Day and shopping services joined the red, the latter becoming poppy red as the National Bus Company corporate image took over.

Eastern Counties was sold to its management which retained a red paint scheme ...

.... but with a touch of primrose. Management continued with the dreaded bread van minibus craze for a while.

The company was bought by First Bus and passengers soon enjoyed Barbie colourways.

Lurking in the Norfolk reed beds was an upstart newcomer called Norfolk Green. This was a start up in the hands of ex Stagecoach man, Ben Colson.

As Ben's bus business burgeoned, it came as no real surprise when he bought First's operating unit, depot and local routes in Kings Lynn.

The vehicles were all well turned out, publicity was excellent and there were sone impressive route developments, notably along the coast ...

... from Kings Lynn to Cromer!

Sadly, Ben had health problems and he decided to retire, selling his successful business to his erstwhile chums at stagecoach.

Bus watchers were surprised because Stagecoach was going through a process of "re-evaluating" its more rural operations and ...

... the possible was a fact. Stagecoach walked away!

BUT ...

Lurking in the Norfolk reed beds was an upstart newcomer called Lynx. This was a start up in the hands of Stephen Challis and Andrew Warnes who had just sold their Konnect Bus business ...

... to GoAhead.

Today's Links: Not Just Lynx

Whilst Lynx us now the major operator in Kings Lynn, it is by no means alone.

Stagecoach is still there with its 505 to Spalding ...

... and First is still there with its high quality Excel ...

... running from Peterborough to Norwich.

More "local" is Coach Services ...

... to Thetford; and Kings Lynn town services by ...

... the appropriately named "Go to Town".

fbb will look at these two and the Lynx timetable book in tomorrow's blog.

In the meantime the old bloke has started work on a map ...

... as a contribution to his convalescence!

   Next Lynx Links blog : Friday 19th June