The Best 'O' Leicester(shire) - 4

This Is Where We Came In ...

It was the late August (Tuesday 26th - Monday 25th is a "Bank" Holiday) resurrection of the former 159 between Coalville and Hinckley that drew the inquisitive fbb into an examination of happenings in the Fox County of Leicester. 

The pedantic will aver that you cannot have a "County" of Leicester"shire" as that is akin to using the phrase "County of Leicester County."

But, even a cursory glance at the County's rather badly organised bus information will show a whole panoply of bus routes with the prefix LC.

As well as a Journey Planner we are provided with a batch of timetable updates ...

... grouped by area.

But you will look in vain for a full set of bus timetables for the county. So that's a bonus point or three for Leicester City which tells you all! 

In its drive to encourage bus travel ...

... the county will tell you nothing of any commercial services operated in its territory. So you can only Choose How You Move if you are moving by tendered (subsidised) buses.

Poot!

There is, however a list of those tendered services which links to timetables. If the services are only subsidised a bit, you are sent to the operator website which, in the case of Arriva is a lesson in how not to inform your customers .

But the on-line information on LC services is of very high quality - well high quality timetables, at least.

Here, for example, you will find a PDF of the upcoming LC6.

At one stage, fbb found a different version (or maybe something in the obscure depths of the ordinary web site) which actually told you what numbers the Elsie routes carried before Elsie got to them.

Elsie = LC, gettit? GROAN!

But the timetables are good, clear and look very helpful, which is more than can be said for the rubbish put out by Arriva!

What is even more encouraging is this press picture of a Councillor holding ...

... timetable books!

Are these also available to download?  Well, if they are, fbb has not yet found them!

But at least the individual tables are readily available.

All the curious travel planner now needs is a good map.

There isn't one!

The county-wide diagram is poor; you will really need to know where places are to untangle the geographical inaccuracies. But it is better than nothing; and fbb waits with bated breath (he does a lot of breath-bating!) for the updated version from 26th August.

He may wait for some time!

Here are the timetables for a new town network in Melton Mowbray.

The timetables are in the same "house style" as above.

And a Sunday service, too. Wow.

And here is the list of services from the current on-line guide to all bus routes in the town.

Then we have, from the same source, a map for route 14, town service ...

... and, to the north of the town centre, route 15.

The MC services started in January 2025 and no map is provided!

Anyway, the positive news is that the County Council is spending some money promoting all the LC, MC and HC (Market Harborough) routes with FREE travel on Saturdays throughout August.

Maybe it would be a more useful promotion if the council got someone to draw you some accurate maps.

fbb will oblige for a VERY modest fee, paid to a charity of his choice.

fbb@xephos.com

So, assessment of Leicestershire's bus publicity ...

... but not very big good parts!

  Next Variety blog : Sat 9 Aug