Way Back In 73
This ran hourly but via
Kirby Muxloe rather than
Groby.
Service 635 was the short route to Kirby. But that was history and stable bus history at that.
And More Recently?
Roll on to more recent times and the route via Botcheston becomes part of a group of services following the
A50 to
Coalville.
The presentation was well designed as shown on this leaflet, dated 2012.
26 was the number for Botcheston and Coalville...
... and the 28 locally to far reached parts of Groby; and the 29s ran to Coalville via the main road.
A later 2014 leaflet still shows some stability along the Groby Road.
A map, for which fbb has no date, shows some variation on the 29 corridor ...
The terminus of the 28 is just off the map bottom right.
We have to assume that the "Groby" group was not "performing to expectations" because, at some stage in the recent past, service 26 was withdrawn and replaced by an extension of service 28 taking on the route via Botcheston.
Naturally the on-line situation is unhelpfully confusing with a timetable for the withdrawn 26 ...
... and the current 28 being readily available to the unwary enquirer!
So greater Groby and Ratby lose one bus an hour with tinkered routes remaining whilst our beloved Botcheston retains an hourly service.
But not for long!
At the beginning of this month Arriva posted this announcement.
Buses will continue to operate between Leicester, Groby and Ratby. Whittington Drive will now be served by route 28 rather than route 27.
The section of route between Ratby and Coalville will now be served in different ways to reflect lower customer demand:
• Thornton and Bagworth will be served a by a revised route LC15 operated under contract to Leicestershire County Council. The County Council will also be providing new routes LC15A and LC15B catering for scholar and commuter movements, details of these services will be confirmed at choosehowyoumove.co.uk shortly.
That helps with the villages nearer to Coalville
• Customers travelling from Botcheston should contact Leicestershire County Council through their website choosehowyoumove.co.uk with details of their journey needs in order to shape a ‘demand responsive’ service here.
So Botcheston, you ain't gettin' nuttin!
• Customers travelling from Ratby to Coalville can use routes 27/28 a short distance to Leicester Road in Groby to connect with routes 29/29A.
And Ratbyites can now pay TWO fares instead of one and have an inconvenient change in Groby village.
• Our 153 service continues to serve Newtown Unthank every hour Monday to Saturday.
And athletic people from Botcheston can walk a mile to Newtown Unthank for the 153 ...
... which will be an excellent alternative to a reasonably comfortable shelter in the village!
Residents chorus "Unthank? No thanks!"
So that is the problem in a fairly convoluted nutshell.
Arriva cannot afford to run the 26 (now 28) commercially despite reductions.
The Council has filled part of the gap with the LC15.
The few Ratby to Coalville passengers will be inconvenienced and pay more.
Bocherston residents can walk a mile.
There is one alternative, of course.
The council could subsidise the original 26, or even run it themselves as an LC route and everyone would be happy with the status quo. Would that really be a more expensive solution that the present mess?
It will be even mote expensive if the council is forced, politically, ro reinstate a bus service via Botcheston!
You can see why some politicians want to take charge of ALL he bus services in their area. But things will not get much better, whatever the politics, until someone finds the money.
It looks as if that someone will not be Rachel!
Tomorrow we go to a city that changed its name in 2017.
PLEASE NOTE
Parts of tomorrow's blog may have appeared at odd times yesterday, due to some mis-mamagement of the new technology. fbb is getting better at understanding and using Linux versions of software but mistakes can still happen.
Next Metro blog : Friday 15 Aig
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