Sunday 27 November 2016

Sunday Selection

More Civility, Please
Thanks to our senior Isle of Wight correspondent for some more pictures of the Victorian coach (without horses!) recently donated by English Heritage to the Bus and Coach Museum. Here is a view of the top deck.
The seats "On top" (literally!) have come separately and are seen here with the wonderful collection of harness.
The coach came with one temporary wheel ...
... but also with the original and one spare!
And the upholstery is still in remarkably good condition about 150 years after it (she?) was built.

We Told You So!
When the plans for Northampton's new bus station were announced, everybody except the Council knew that it would be too small. And it is! The stands in the Drapery are not the most effective, lacking suitable weather protection and adequate seating. Mixing busy bus stops with white van delivery man often leads to chaos and cloggage.

So the Council has come up with a brilliantly original idea. They are considering putting extra bus stands on Mercers Row.
Now where did that idea come from?
And possibly on Wood Hill ...
... which seems oddly familiar!
Of course, there is a huge site ripe for development at Greyfriars which could accommodate a bus station with plenty of stands for all the town's bus services, all in one place, and with undercover waiting and seating for all passengers.

Has no-one thought of that before?

Christmas is Coming
The GoTimetable Seaton App is now live and updated with a full list of Christmas and New Year arrangements. (click on the table to enlarge).
The season is complicated because of Christmas and New Year's Days' being on a Sunday; which means we have to have a couple of extra "Bank" Holidays (on 27th December and 2nd January) to compensate.

That means that routes which do not normally have a Sunday service (the usual Bank Holiday cop-out) will be bereft of buses for FIVE DAYS over the holiday period. Isn't Boxing Day now a big shopping day? Maybe; but don't try going anywhere by bus or train in Devon.

At least the residents of Seaton, Colyford, Colyton and Axminster now have access to the depressing but complete picture.

www.GoTimetable.com

Well, actually not yet completely complete. First Bus' whizzo Buses of Somerset has yet to reply to fbb. Apparently it takes up to 14 days to answer a simple question.
"Your feedback is important to us". Really?

In a stunning rail improvement, Axminster gets a 2020 from Waterloo on Saturdays. On Mondays to Fridays this train has run for a long time and continues to Exeter. Why the new Saturday version cannot squeeze enough juice out of the national grid to make it to the big city is not explained!

Sheffield Seasonal Surprise
Don't be silly, not a whisper about Christmas and New Year arrangements..

In a slick move, however First Bus have just printed leaflets for several city services, New comes via and email from John.
In the past, there services have had the pleasure of "Partnership" leaflets produced in ⅓ A4 format by Stagecoach. But these are most definitely First-like in every way except colour. Not that they are dated for September 4th, so like many buses, running a little late.

Have Stagecoach declined to print any more? Is the Sheffield Bus Partnership crumbling?

Assuming the same delivery schedule, we can perhaps expect Christmas publicity at the end of April 2017!

Does this new batch of old information ensure that printed timetables are now available for all bus services in the city? Could fbb walk up to one of the two information counters in the city centre and collect a leaflet for any route he chooses, except Christmas and New Year, of course?

What do you think?

 Next Blackpool blog : Monday 28th November 

5 comments:

  1. I don't think that the Class 158s or 159s use juice from the national grid - they carry it around with them. But perhaps not enough on Saturday nights.

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps FBB turns off his hearing aid and doesn't hear the motors.

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  2. Will be intresting to see what if any bus services are run on Boxing Day/ New Years Day in Sheffield this year and how they are funded

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  3. Full credit to morebus in Poole (fbb and I will know it better as Wilts & Dorset - or even Hants & Dorset as it was called when I worked there). Christmas arrangements on their website, including running the main route to Bournemouth on Christmas Day - this has been done for two or three years now.

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  4. Earlier last train from Salisbury to Exeter on Saturday nights: The crews are from Salisbury. On SUN to FRI nights the crew of last train down spend a rather lengthy PNB/break in the sidings at Exeter then work the first one back
    Up at 0510 on MON-SAT mornings, and just about manage to do all this and get back to Salisbury inside the maximum length possible turn. It's not possible on SAT night/sun morning as the service starts so much later on Sunday morning, more than 4 HOURS later, so the crew of the last one down to Exeter on SAT night returns straight away and no crew stays over in Exeter... hence the earlier last one down on SAT nights only!

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