As well as removing the 28 from the network of buses via Groby, the main road routes (29A/29X), continuing (maybe, maybe not) to Burton as 9/9A, are revised. On Mondays to Fridays, the non-express 29X is withdrawn and replaced by a third journey each hour on the "normal" 29 route via Whitwick.
The 29 via Groby now becomes a clock-face every 20 minutes, less confusing than now. But, most significantly, two of the hourly trips run through to Burton, retain their route numbers all the way and, once and for all, make it easy to understand.
Well done Arriva!
Let's hope the full service appears on the web site.
It looks as if the 26 still cycles with the "short" 29 via disparate stops in Coalville.
It leaves Coalville from Marlborough Square four minutes after the 29 arrives; but arrives at Memorial Square ...
at 12 minutes past whence the 29 leaves at 28 minutes past.
So on Mondays to Fridays, they could cycle. But on Saturdays there is no third journey on the 29!
Well done Arriva!
Let's hope the full service appears on the web site.
It looks as if the 26 still cycles with the "short" 29 via disparate stops in Coalville.
So what does the 26 do then, poor thing? It doesn't cycle! 46 minutes in lovely Coalville (?) seem extravagant. Perhaps the sleepy 26s nip of and do a bit of work on the Coalville local services whose timetables have also changed.
The 26 has also been diverted to run via Amazon ...
... but not that "Amazon", silly; this Amazon:-
... a mega-mega distribution warehouse just off the original route. Some 29s have been nipping in from the other end for several months.
The excellent new map in the Arriva leaflet makes it all surprisingly clear.
Where once there was open country ...
... along the B591 Beveridge Lane, there are now acres and acres of warehouses and the like. Below is Amazon under construction, to the west of the railway line between Leicester, Coalville and Burton on Trent.
There has been local pressure to re-open this line to passengers, but the men in grey suits at DaFT say there aren't enough pennies in the piggy bank.
Not only that, but the right hand turn south of Leicester station (arrowed) ...
... has been obliterated by an industrial estate.
So fat chance!
But back to Groby.
With the demise of the 28 (the wiggly estates route) the 26 has been diverted vi a one of the wiggles, shown schematically in blue on the new map.
Could you divert the 26 via the other (larger) wiggle?
Clearly there is time for the extra bit, but Arriva doesn't seem keen.
Arriva is considering this suggestion from County Councillor O'Shea that the 26 continues to serve more of the withdrawn 28 route. A spokesperson for Arriva confirmed that the route they are looking at would mean that the 26 from the City would turn into Pymm Ley Lane, Glebe Road, Highfield Road and Oak Tree Close. When it reaches Ratby Road it would then turn right past the allotments and then left to serve Stephenson Way, Martinshaw shops and Woodbank Road before continuing towards Ratby. “We are nervous of the amount of time this will take.” he added. “That is why we are waiting to see how the first few days go to determine if we can do this or not.”
The 26 has also been diverted to run via Amazon ...
The excellent new map in the Arriva leaflet makes it all surprisingly clear.
Not only that, but the right hand turn south of Leicester station (arrowed) ...
But back to Groby.
With the demise of the 28 (the wiggly estates route) the 26 has been diverted vi a one of the wiggles, shown schematically in blue on the new map.
Arriva is considering this suggestion from County Councillor O'Shea that the 26 continues to serve more of the withdrawn 28 route. A spokesperson for Arriva confirmed that the route they are looking at would mean that the 26 from the City would turn into Pymm Ley Lane, Glebe Road, Highfield Road and Oak Tree Close. When it reaches Ratby Road it would then turn right past the allotments and then left to serve Stephenson Way, Martinshaw shops and Woodbank Road before continuing towards Ratby. “We are nervous of the amount of time this will take.” he added. “That is why we are waiting to see how the first few days go to determine if we can do this or not.”
This revision would make the 26 turn left here, just short of the post office and village centre ...
... and creep into the estates via the back door, as it were. Not a good idea as it would not take people where they want to go. But, although there would appear to be time for this extra wiggle, it would make cycling with the 29 (Mondays to Fridays) unworkable.
Likewise doing anything with the 27 would present similar problems.
Of course, the 27 could be reduced to hourly and the bus used to replace the 28. The residents of Ratby would really appreciate that! But do the estates of Ratby ...
... really deserve two buses an hour and a third to the village centre? Near identical Groby ...
... (spot the difference?) will have none from Saturday onwards. Like Ratby today, it used to have a half hourly service on route 28.
fbb is pleased to end this little series with a bit of omnibological nostalgia. Buses to Ratby itself were in the hands of Astill and Jordan's "Ratby Service".
Astills ran regular, reliable bus services from Ratby to Leicester and the surrounding areas as well as providing school transport, contract work, private hire, tour and excursion work, for a total of more than 65 years. Astill and Jordan finally sold out to Midland Fox in November 1988.
There is a splendid book on the company ...
... copies of which can be obtained (£21.95) from a certain company served by Arriva 26 and 29. Maybe pop round and ask the the front counter?
Perhaps not!
We move round the compass a little to take a look at anther Arriva Route from Leicester and, if fbb is really brave, he might even try to explain the printed timetable for the aforementioned 27 to Ratby.
There is a splendid book on the company ...
Perhaps not!
We move round the compass a little to take a look at anther Arriva Route from Leicester and, if fbb is really brave, he might even try to explain the printed timetable for the aforementioned 27 to Ratby.
Next Arriva blog : Thursday 16th February
Nowadays there is a fine line between running buses via every little estate that "might" produce a few passengers every hour and avoiding said estates where the additional few minutes might disrupt the finely balanced timetable and need an extra bus into the cycle (which would mean extra drivers and so it goes).
ReplyDeleteIn addition, buses need to run as close to time as possible, and whilst adding in an extra mile might work on paper, if it makes the timetable less than robust it probably isn't worth the risk.
I used to work on the less than memorable mnemonic E-R-R-E - a schedule needs to be Efficient-Reliable-Robust-Earner. Ideally all of these together makes a profitable schedule; it is sometimes necessary to balance one of these against another, so an efficient schedule should always be reliable, but if traffic is unpredictable then extra cycle time to make it robust is a good thing, as long as it doesn't adversely increase costs thereby reducing earnings!
Of course . . . . we're always being encouraged to exercise more, so is a walk to the main road always a bad thing?