Where Is Andy Going? (Part 2)

Hello Yellow : What's Changed?

The big change in Manchester, following the take-over of deregulated bus operation by the modern equivalent of a municipality, has been the use of lots of yellow paint - everywhere. To fbb's eyes it is a rather watery yellow, but it is distinctive.

What is lost is any attempt at local or route branding, and fbb's interest in recent blogs has been the demise of the Stagecoach "Magic Bus" promotion along the Wilmslow Road.

The answer to the question, "What has changed?" is; "Not a lot!"

There has been no real change in routes throughout the whole of Greater Manchester (with just one minor exception). The route map of the main services along the Wilmslow Road hasn't changed.

Actually there isn't such a map! fbb has quickly produced the above which shows "normal" routes 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C and 43 plus the two really mega former Magic Bus routes 142 and 143.

But we do have the appearance of yellow buses on the various routes. Here are three examples ...

 42 - Stockport 

 142 - East Didsbury 

 41 - Sale 

Of the two no longer magic routes, the 143 (West Didsbury) timetable is, to an outsider's eye, the same; unchanged from Magic Bus days.

But the 142 ...

... seems to be much more complex. Why the two routes are treated differently by the new management is not clear - but a more complex 143 may well appear in due course.

Note that each day set has a table for University term times and Uni holiday times; so there are eight tables in all.

Eight?

Should you wish to enlarge these tables, a simple click will make them biggerer. For full tables, you will need to go online; but "Bee Network (route number) timetable" will take you straight there.

So here, for the timetable perusers, is Monday to Thursday.

The main difference does not really show up on these extracts as the daytime service, seven days a week is "at least" every ten minutes. The "at least" derives from the fact that, if your service is more frequent than every ten, you do not need to submit a detailed timetable to the Traffic Commissioners. So you can run extras on busy days.

During term times, late night journeys are more frequent.

And both versions of Friday

Although not visible on this fbb extract, buses are even more frequent late of Friday nights when revelry and the rich aromas of curry keep academe from its beauty sleep.

Ditto Saturday

But look at the Sunday freuency!

Again we read "up to every 10 min". Maybe higher frequency for hospital visiting? fbb thought students used Sunday to sleep off the effects of Saturday!

Even on Sunday, extra buses are run late at night. 

Generally, the term time service continues until an 0319 departure, on some days every 10 minutes.

Unusually, compared with London's vast swathe of Night Buses, there is a gap of about two hours when no Wilmslow Road shorts run - indeed only the Airport 43 runs anything like a full night service.

Come on, Boss Burham, surely you should be running a full 24 hour service along the Wilmslow Road?

It Seemed A Good Idea ... 

... At The Time (Again!)

Readers,  with a memory only slightly smaller than a planet**, will remember fbb's report on the demise of long-standing X84 limited stop service from Leeds to Otley.

Yes, fbb knows the blind shows a short lived variant, X85, but you'll get the idea. The limited stop X84 was replaced by all stops routes that were between 10 and 20 minutes slower, sort of integrated with all the other routes vias Headingley.

The orange 25 and 26 were VERY unpopular despite First Bus telling us all what a good plan it was.

Of course it wasn't.

So, from 23rd February ...

... it appears to be going back to what it was!

fbb awaits a look at the new timetable so see if it really is back to what it was.

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Today the fbbs are off for their family multiple Birthday gathering. It is to be in Coleford; not the same as the Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Gloucs or the Coleford near Crediton, Devon. The fbb's' Coleford is in West Somerset, near Shepton Mallet.

The gaff looks great ...

... and comfortable.

The village is quaint, BUT ...

... there is no public transport.

What will fbb blog about?

 Next Odd Bus blog : Sat 8th Feb