Thanks to correspondent Keith for spotting this in Colchester. But first, some background. Colchester has a splendid Park and Ride site; by public transport standards shiny and relatively new.
It is just off the A12 to the north of the town, lying opposite the JobServe Community Stadium.
In passing, note the name "Mile End" opposite the hospital at the foot of the Google aerial view.
Essex county have a jolly little leaflet ...
... with a map which implies that the site is to the west of the town.
It also serves the Hospital which is opposite "Mile End" on the aerial map.
Arriva runs the buses on behalf of Essex County Council and, surprisingly, they show "Park and Ride" on their electronic "blind" display.
The route follows a loop through the town as wrongly shown on the leaflet; it also serves the two railway stations, also wrongly shown on the leaflet.
They are on the "loop" as per this old Essex bus map (top left and bottom centre).
So not very helpful, Park and Ride Map!
Colchester has some jolly pretty "real time" (unreal?) signs round the loop. So what do you look for when seeking out your Park and Ride Stop for the Park and Ride Bus, showing Park and Ride on its blind?
No mention of Park and Ride - that would be silly. It is shown as service "P" to Mile End ...
... and to be even more helpful, it runs ...
But the best news of all is that the signs show the Arriva logo (silly) and if you take along your step ladder and "powerful binoculars" (German, of course, as per TV's "Allo Allo") you will spot that Arriva is a DB company - essential information for those returning to their limos somewhere a good distance beyond Mile End.
Web(b)erbus : Bus Company Returns?
Despite the evidence of its Twit site, Webberbus went phut in May 2016, having been a thorn in the side of First Bus (Buses of Somerset) for many a weary competitive year.
This is Tom Weber - no connection and less a "b".
He has ignored all advice and failed to take the pills. He has started a bus company.
He has come to an arrangement with Bedfordshire operator Grant Palmer. His shiny blue and black decker ...
... used to belong to Grant Palmer and Grant's "lads" repainted it for him.
And before that it was with Stagecoach in London.
He has got a bus route, which also used to belong to Grant Palmer ...
It takes school kiddies to Sharbrook Academy ...
... and brings them home again!
And he is fully booked.
The problem with schools work, even fully booked journeys, is that it is rarely enough to pay the bills; and finding stuff to do between school runs is not easy.
But all grist to his mill - Tom has made a start.
fbb, former MD of a small bus company, wishes him well!
Badgerline Re-Born
Just a quick note to say that First in Bristol have now had a "formal launch" of the new brand for Weston-super-Mud.
The Great and The Good were all there, including a former director of the original privatisation company. Pity they are obscuring the badger on the single decker.
Buxton Re-Visited
It was a surprise when Stagecoach won the tender for service 65 between Sheffield and Buxton. It was an even bigger surprise that they wanted a route which High Peak could not run profitably! It was a surprise when, via some positioning journeys between Chesterfield and Buxton, Stagecoach became all chummy with Hulleys and their route 66.
But the chumminess is real with interavailable tickets.
Would there be publicity at Buxton, way out on an operating limb? Answer yes. A joint poster in the timetable frame at the Sylvn Park terminus ...
... which includes details of the various day and weekly "rover" tickets.
Terms and conditions are displayed alongside the fares. Please note that £6.50 for a DAY for stagecoach is excellent value, allowing a spiffing round trip from Sheffield to Buxton, then to Chesterfield and back to Sheffield by any of four different routes. Ace!
Thanks to correspondent Julian for sending the poster picture.
He has come to an arrangement with Bedfordshire operator Grant Palmer. His shiny blue and black decker ...
And he is fully booked.
But all grist to his mill - Tom has made a start.
fbb, former MD of a small bus company, wishes him well!
Badgerline Re-Born
Just a quick note to say that First in Bristol have now had a "formal launch" of the new brand for Weston-super-Mud.
Buxton Re-Visited
It was a surprise when Stagecoach won the tender for service 65 between Sheffield and Buxton. It was an even bigger surprise that they wanted a route which High Peak could not run profitably! It was a surprise when, via some positioning journeys between Chesterfield and Buxton, Stagecoach became all chummy with Hulleys and their route 66.
Would there be publicity at Buxton, way out on an operating limb? Answer yes. A joint poster in the timetable frame at the Sylvn Park terminus ...
Thanks to correspondent Julian for sending the poster picture.
Next "Collection" blog : Sunday 19th August
The big question is whether the suburb of Colchester is called "Mile End" or "Myland", a debate that has raged for a few hundred years!
ReplyDeletePerhaps the Roundheads called it one thing and the Cavaliers the other?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure a clearly stylised map implies the site is on the west of town: it just shows it has been rotated to fit the page layout. It is clearly not geographical!
ReplyDeleteHow is the town loop shown wrongly? Looking at a map of mention of Colchester Town it seems accurate enough to me.
Does it serve Colchester Town Station? The Colchester Town stops are off the loop, so it may go near it, but hardly passes it.
Colchester Station is not on the loop at all, but on the panhandle, as shown.
Are you implying the service is a one way circular (which is not borne out by the timetable, https://www.essexhighways.org/uploads/docs/ar_pr.pdf)?
I simply really don't understand what is "wrong" here and what the complaint is. Please, what am I missing?!
Lots of things are wrong. Just one example. Are both stations on the loop or neither is just one question. Turning a diagram round to suit some "clever" (actually not very good) design is, at best, unhelpful; at worst off-putting.
ReplyDelete