Saturday Variety

 Another fbb Bludner

In yesterday's blog the above timetable was incorrectly shown shown as 88. It should have been 304, the same as the 1973 route number. The operator is Centrebus and yesterday' blog was corrected at 1015 (yesterday!)

Service 88 between Hitchin and Luton the wiggly way ...

... was service 364/364A in the 1960s but did not appear to exist in 1973, certainly not in the London Country timetable book. But it has re- manifested itself in recent times as .. 

Hitchin to Luton 88

This is operated by Red Eagle.

The main line route between Hitchin and Luton (currently 100/101 running from Stevenage via Hitchin and onwards) does not feature in any of the London green us information. Its old equivalent may have been a United Counties service.

fbb's pathetic excuse for this error is that both the timetables have the same "shape" and were deceptive to the old man's "detail vision" problems.

Tea Green (on route 88) offers no tea (?) but has a pub and a water tower ...

... and a delightful people shelter buried in a hedge!

It also has a good well-equipped timetable frame ...

... with timetable.

Memo : must try to find the United Counties timetables to check one or two things. Maybe hire a small JCB for the search!

Baffling Bus Banished

Readers may remember the utterly mystifying town service at Lyme Regis, operated by Damory a brand of GoAhead's More Bus operation.

It baffles no longer because it no longer exists.

What has happened is that Damory have lost  a school contract in the Lyme Regis area. Dorset Council has awarded it to their own in-house bus operation, presumably to save a pound or two.

The 71 operated in between those two school runs and Damory cannot afford to operate the town service on its own and Lyme Regis Council cannot afford to pay the higher charge required with no school pennies to help.

Ergo, saving a few clods has caused considerable distress to the residents of Lyme Regis and would, if the money could be found, cause considerable distress to the Councils budget.

It is called joined up thinking!

This Is Called "Selling"

The UK bus industry has taken the years of privatisation to realise that its is selling a product, namely a bus ride and NOT providing a service. The media and a large percentage of the travelling public has yet to grasp this. After 40 years articles still appear demanding a bus service with no thought of how the provider is to get paid.

But here is Reading Buses a few week back.

And the explanation.

fbb is plagued with Flash Sale adverts for model railway stuff. No week goes by without some manufacturer or retailer seeking to improve long term sales by offering a short term cut price.

Sadly, fbb has never seen an offer for totally free models!

In a sense the Reading offer was not totally free, but a two day offer to encourage patronage.

Did it work?

Diversification For The Bearded One?

Another powerful business practice is to diversify. You aim to develop  new markets and services that can use surplus resources to make bit more lolly. Pubs have quiz nights or curry nights, veg shops offer frozen food or baked goods

So whilst enjoying a rest during one of his typically understated PR shoots, it appear that the Bearded Bus Beautifier from the Bush has moved into sports equipment, albeit in a small way. With the blessing of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews, this almost royal and numerically ancient design guru is offering ...

... packs of persoanlised golf balls.

Sadly, fbb thinks that the projenitor of these weirdly alluring fimpled spheres is a different Best Impressions.

But there must be some good ideas there.

Stenning false beards?

Stenning subdued clothing?

Stenning multi-coloured funerals?

The possibilities are endless.

The "other" company will also sell you a Pitchfix. No, neither does fbb!

Green Line (Green Bus) Gallery

Some readers may not be aware that Green Line operated double deck vehicles. The livery was a smart deep green and the Green Line logo was often displayed between top and bottom deck.

In service they usually had black on yellow blinds ...

... and, latterly, Routemaster "coaches" were in operation on some services.

What were never operated were six wheel Routemasters ...

... or Green Line Borismasters!

Doubtless this would be called AI now!

Whist exploring this topic, fbb came across this.

It is a lowbridge country bus (NOT Green Line) parked outside of Staines West station.

The main buildings  still stand.

fbb feels a "proper" blog coming on!

Plunger Puzzle Picture Part 2

Should do the trick. The fbb's downstairs WC might be working soon.

Hmmm?

And, tomorrow, discover some fbb recommended reading matter?

Perhaps not!

 Next Variety blog : Sunday 1st September 

London Country Revisisted : Hitchin (3)

An fbb Bludnet - Nay A Howler!

Above is all tht is left of the now-closed hospital in Hitchin. Until 1972 it was called The Lister Hospital. In 1964 is was served by a London country bus route 808 as duly recorded in yesterday's blog. In that fateful year of 1972, the hospital in Hitchin was renamed as The Hitchin Hospital - neat name, eh?

The newly opened hospital at Stevenage was named The Lister Hospital. (This Lister guy gets around a bit. There'a another one in Chelsea, London!)

So fbb's reference to a 1973 bus route 800 ...

was misplaced, erroneous and more wally-featured that most of the old man's occasional slip ups. The 1973 800 was taking its out and in patients out to the new Lister Hospital and in Stevenage and had nothing to do with Hitchin.

Sorry, pardon!

1973 Versus 2024!

fbb will start with the easy ones first.

304

This becomes Hitchin to St Albans 304 ...

... but running to a much more understandable timetable, albeit reduced in frequency.

Centrebus is the operator.

Yep! That's all the easy ones! The 364 had disappeared from the green bus collection by 1973 and the 386 ...

...  had gone soon after 1973.

So we can now tackle the 303

No such through route exists today. You now need FOUR separate services to complete the old 303 excursion if you were foolish enough to want to get from Hitchin to New Barnet by bus!

Hitchin to Stevenage 100/101

The two offer a bus every 15 minutes compared with 1973's every 30. Arriva is the operator.

To add to the fun, Stagecoach is operating their 9B once an hour over a similar route as far as Stevenage.

Stevenage to Hatfield 301

Another Arriva Operation ...

... but running "through" only every hour compared with the 303.

Hatfield to Potters Bar 610

This is in the hands of Uno ...

... although with better vehicles these days! Again only hourly.

Potters Bar to High  Barnet 84B

Central Connect is the operator ...

... and if you wish to continue to New Barnet Station, like the 303, you will  need a Transport for London bus. As a weary slacker, fbb could not be bothered to battle with TfL's poor information to add the details.

So FIVE bus routes from FOUR different operators replace one simple London country bus service.

It is good to enjoy the benefits of modern public transport!

383

This one hurt fbb's brain! 

Sometimes, even back in green bus days, bus schedulers  knitted together lots of unprofitable bits of bus route in the hope that the sum of the parts would make a shilling or two, or perhaps lose a bit less. 

fbb thinks this 383 is one such operation.

A few buses started from Stevenage (usually n7mbered 386)  and found their way to Great Wymondley, where Church Green has a large amount of twee.

The 383 itself started in Oakfield Estate where the 1964 route, back then the titular 383, ran via Nine Springs Way.

Buses then trundled into Hitchin and back out again to Purwell Lane estate which just creeps into the 1973 Hitchin town map ...

... above, centre right. Occasional journeys then continued as on the 1963 map to the village of Weston, also served direct from Stevenage by an 807 back then.

Stevenage to Weston 391

Centrebus 91 ...

... goes thataway, but on Saturdays only, terminating at the Red Lion where Hertfordshire thoughtfully provides a stop with flag, a shelter and a very small layby.

The lady is walking dogs and baby, not waiting for a 391.

Hirchin to Oakfield Estate 80

Oakfield Estate now gets a respectable and tidy service of hourly buses to both Hitchin and Stevenage, much better than in 1973.

Again Centrebus does the honours. Which leaves us with Purwell Lane Estate.

Hitchin to Purwell Lane 97

/

Puwell Lane Estate has expanded significantly since 1973 and the time point is noted as "opp Chaucer Way" where there is little evidence of any "facilities" like, say, a bus stop sign or little luxuries like a timetable.

Arriva provides the 97 ...

... on this route with a number that looks suspiciously like that applied on a former United Counties scheme in the same area.

Again it is a much better service, tidier and easier to understand, than the former 383.

Conclusions

It would be fair to say that (almost) everywhere served by London's country buses in 1973 still has a service is 2024.

Most services offer something better than 50 years ago which should be encouraging.

The problem, however, is the mess of different operators exacerbated by the devious wiles of the tendering authority, Hertfordshire.

There is little evidence of a printed route map and printed timetables.

The mess definitely needs a rethink to re-establish an obvious network that fits together and makes sense to newcomers to Hitchin and its district bus travel.

Perhaps network franchising really is the answer - if the money is available which, according to Rachel, it isn't!

fbb has every intention of looking at buses radiating from Watford in a later series of blogs. That will be after a week in the sanatorium to recover.

And a reminder. There is no Green Line 716 these days.

Sigh, again!

 Next Variety blog : Saturday 31st August