Two years ago, fbb was exploring and offering some guarded opinions (?) on Cornwall's bus services operated by First Kernow. One particular concern was the complexity of services between Penzance and Lands End (click on map below to enlarge).
One worry, from a visitor's point of view, was the complexity of routes and route numbers between Penzance and Newlyn ...
... especially when school journeys are included.
The grey dotted lines are the roads used when serving the schools.
One bugbear were the services to and via Paul. These were a combination of terminating journeys which performed a simple loop ...
... but buses continuing to Lamorna and, occasionally, to Lands End travelled in both directions via Paul.
So if Paul wanted to travel to or from Paul he could, potentially, be looking for a service 1, 1A, 1B or 1C.
Previous changes (last year?) have improved the situation by numbering the journeys via Paul as 5 ...
... and withdrawing all buses from the narrow lane to Lamorna, although buses never made it to the beach but turned at The Wink.
Yes, it is a very ancient pub about halfway down the lane.
The 1C variant still runs, but numbered unapologetically a suffix-less 5. 1 and 1A buses still ran via Paul in both directions at certain times. But one of the set of route numbers has gone.
This bank holiday weekend came the next change. Here is the map of the former 1 and 1A between Penzance, Lands End and Sennen Cove.
And here is the revised version that has just started for First Kernow's summer season.
Journeys that continued northwards from St Buryan to join the A30 ...
... and serve Crows-an-Wra have disappeared.
This community is hardly large but will be unserved under the new scheme.
The former 1A becomes the A1 (neat reversal of characters?) and will operate every hour seven days a week.
The DARKER PINK dot is for a journey which runs direct via the A30 to St Buryan, a trip which has been in the timetable for some time. The last two journeys from Penzance still run via Paul.
The diversion at these times shown by the PALER PINK and PALE GREEN dots ...
... but, surely, one combined note would do. But pretty Paul is now down to just TWO route numbers.
For the record, A1s and 5s are still shown on a combined table, but it is much less confusing than it was in its previous manifestation.
In this case, the dots are the schoolday variants and the green box is their Saturday replacement.
Back in the day (about ten years ago) the service to Paul was numbered ...
...5!
What goes around, comes around.
In 2011 (the date on Google Streetview) the only number on the flag at Paul was 504 ...
... a competitive service operated by Western Greyhound. First's number was a state secret.
Tomorrow we shall see why the new service to Lands End is numbered A1 and we can also see what has happened to services beyond Lands End via Sennen shown as A3.
Next A1 blog - Wednesday 31t May
"But pretty Paul is now down to just TWO route numbers." Not quite - it and Sheffield served by the M6 in the evenings, in the opposite direction the daytime 5.
ReplyDeletethanks, Steve. I forgot the evening service! It used to be the 6A.
ReplyDeleteLast week FBB had three days of Weymouth Wanderings when he referred to Damory's 101 service. We learn today on the Vehicle Licensing website that the due date is the end of July when the school holidays start. There were some 20 odd cancellations from Damory and a few from Shaftesbury & District. How very convenient of Dorset CC - many parts of Dorset will from this time have no bus service.
ReplyDelete