Go Ahead Grabs All (3)

Frustrations At Falmouth Part 1

A Song And Dance At Helston

But not the traditional Furry Dance as extolled incorrectly as the Floral Dance by the late Terry Wogan.

It's  about the buses, innit!

According to transport historians, there has been a bus service from Penzance to Falmouth via Helston for over 100 years. For many of those years it has carried the number 2. Around a quarter of a century ago the main service ran between Penzancec and Helston ...

... with only occasional trips going all the way.

The major 'traffic objective' at the Falmouth end developed as the campus of various bits of assorted Universities. The site is now massive!

Most students and staff approach from Truro and Falmouth, but the link from Penzance soon became hourly all the way.

Note for later reference; the running time is one hour and forty minutes! With the expansion of services to the campus, the 2 became U4.

Buses were given a Universities blue design complete with route diagram for U4, with U1 and U2. For a brief time there was a U3!

Needless to say, other liveries appeared from time to time ...

... thus devaluing the brand ...

... sadly all too typical of First's management. But at least the hourly frequency remained stable ...

... until last year's competitive attacks from GoAhead. Go went ahead with an hourly bus from Penzance to the Sainsbury store ...

... just outside Helston; plus an hourly short working to Goldsithney.

GoAhead revived the route number 2.

Everyone said that it would not last and it hasn't.  First is walking away from Cornwall, leaving it all to the relative newcomer, from 15th February.

But the new turntable is less than satisfactory. It seems innocuous enough as you read the incoming operator’s  blurb.

But look carefully and you will see two route numbers.  Helston to Falmouth trips are to become service 3 but not from the town centre. The timetable explains all.

The former competitive journeys to Goldsithney remain, but the through journeys would appear to be split at Helston. (Ignore the SD schooldays 'specials'). Service 2 terminates at Sainsbury's a nd route 3 runs from Sainsbury's to Falmouth.

But are they through journeys?

If they are split, then anyone from the Falmouth direction wanting to get to the real Helston has to change buses at Sainsbury's before arriving at The Seven Stars hostelry in the town centre. 

Whether the bus runs through or not, a five minute wait until proceeding into town will be really annoying,

And look at the running time for the whole route. It is now two hours and four minutes. Not many will travel all the way, but a penalty of up to ten minutes for passing Go at Sainsbury's will surely encourage passengers to Stop using the bus!

Where's  A Copper When You Need One?

Buses between Falmouth and Redruth (originally continuing to Camborne) were, before the U 'turn' numbered as route 41.

It ran erratically but mainly hourly with extras. By the time it became the U2 it was every 30 minutes to Redruth only, but coordinated with the U1 to run every 15 between Falmoith and the Universities.

But the U2 was later reduced to every hour despite being branded 'Copper'.

Again, when First remembered, the buses were also branded.

Here is a section of the current network map.

GoAhead chose not to compete with First's  U2 so the change from next month is minor.

The new 33 is remarkably similar to its coinage coloured predecessor.

Through journeys are still hourly but where have the 33A shorts appeared from? Does that represent a service improvement from the newcomer?

For that, our excited reader will have to wait until tomorrow.

  Next GoAhead (plus) blog : Sat 24th Jan