Unknown to fbb :mini blog (3) ...

It's A Ferry, Innit?

There it is on a map, running from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf. It may be an unknown but it is a known unknown that London's extensive river bus service ...

... has a stop at Canary Wharf.

It is a stop served by the river bus route that runs from Barking all the way to central London and a bit beyond; now branded "Uber" ...

... a k a Thames Clippers.

But the ferry from the former Nelson Dock doesn't look at all like that as it grazes at the end of the gangway from the Doubletree Hotel reception area.

This little video is of a "sail" from Canary Wharf to Rotherhithe, arriving at the distinctive gamgway.

The video is dated 2014, so this unknown trip has been known for sime time. Apparently it started as a courtesy service run for hotel guests, to transport them from the relative obscurity of Rotherhithe to the fleshpots of Canary Wharf and was later taken over by Transport for London.

The YouTube vlog says that it is still free for hotel guests.

Access on the north side of the river is obtained from the huge Westferry Circus roundabout c/w tunnel underpass for through traffic. Sadly Google Streetview has been too afraid to explore this bit of Docklands and photographs of the Circus (lacking clowns and elephants) are rare. Open Streetmap is a cartographic version.

The parallel dotted lines represent the Jubilee underground line tunnels.

The pontoon is accessed by the obligatory gangway, needed because the Thames is tidal and the pontoon rises and falls with the tide.

This leads to a large departure/arrival area ...

...with several gates for the different services calling there. Ironically most of the pictures collated by Wikipedia show the Doubletree Ferry and not the bigger Uber boats. Here she (it?) is at Gate C ...

... and here a more distant view of the vessel approaching its stand!

Like the big boats it is operated by Thames Clippers and is due to receive an all-electric new-build in the near future. This news item appeared a year ago, so March "next year" should be March this year.

It should be looking more like a boat by now.

And, in case you wondered, ferry RB4 is published in TfL's list of waterbus routes.

Despite this, fbb cannot find a "proper" timetable, but the general opinion is that it runs every ten minutes.

But how many passengers use this very generous ten minute TfL oddity?

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Hulleys Replaced - Or Not?

Did he jump or was he pushed?

The news that Derbyshire's re-tenders of Hulleys routes start today, the day after the company closed, begs some questions. Did Derbyshire know, or was the confirmation of new operators the final straw that broke Alf Crogts omnibological back?

We nay bever know. But here is he result.

And here they are ...

... a mixed bunch, presumably those who could provide the services at short noice within their existing resources. Doubtless these tenders are short-term with a fuller rethink from the County in due course.

But what of Hulley's commercial services?

They are as follows:-

6 - a Chesterfield local : schooldays ONLY

55 - Chesterfield to Alfreton - taken over when Stagecoach withdrew

170 - Chesterfield to Bakewell

272 - Sheffield to Castleton (a minority joint operator with First.)

As of 1500 yesterday, the interebnet revealed this:-

Hooray, Julian Peddle's High Peak buses step in to save the 170. Bakewell folk will have a sign of relief as they will still wend their way to Chesterfield Market.  

Started yesterday!

But then we turn to the Stagecoach Chesterfield web site.

There is the tendered 63 as above but, wowsers!

Stagecoach also started a service 170 yesterday. But Stagecoach's 170 is not the h same as the outgoing Hulleys 170. Here is Hulleys ..

It is hourly from Chesterfield Hospital with an occasional school journey yo Bakewell Grammar School (Lady Manners).

And here is Stagecoach 170.

It does not serve the hospital but starts from the railway station.

But High Peak 170 is almost exactly the same as Hulleys.

Stagecoach will be tunning a few minutes after High Peak, but it is daft, isn't it?

And it has happened once before when High Peak and Stagecoach both registered services between Sheffield and Buxron. High Peak gracefully withdrew! (Maybe not gracefully)

If any news filters through about the other commercial services fbb will have added a note below, either before beddy-byes or early this morning.

Otherwise we just wait.

We must congratulate Derbyshire County on their prompt response to Hulleys demise but the uncertainty with the commercial services is a poor reflection on the UK's weird transport policy.

SIGH!

Addditions at 2200 yesterday:

South Yorkshire PTE implies not extra 271/272 journeys to fill the gaps left by Hulleys.

Derbyshire Council adds the 170 to its list if operators for the tendered services with no mention of High Peak.

Hs the High Pak service been withdrawn before it started?

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 Ardgartan final trip blog : Fri 28 Mar