fbb is blogging from somewhere in Cornwall, easily located on the above map extract.
So here goes with a possibly prophetic posting about ...
GoAhead won the contract to operate ...
... Fastrack, based on Dartford in Kent. For those unfamiliar with the scheme, it was a network of bus only roads, bus gates and bus priorities along a riverside strip which includes vast swathes of housing ...
... Bluewater Shopping Centre ...
... the huge Darent Valley Hospital and, later ...
... an Amazon mega warehouse.
The latter was the cause of a big bus bludner when GoCoach of Sevenoaks won a contract to provide enhanced services for Amazon ...
... route AZ. Largely this was a frequent service in addition to the equally frequent Arriva network.
... whilst the 'normal' Fastrack A service (RED) was diverted to call at Amazon.
It was all a bit of a disaster darling!
The AZ was dramatically cut back to a shift change 'works' service ,...
Then, in November 2024, GoAhead took over with a 15 year contract. Initially the company used vehicles from other fleets ...
SN61 BKZ (above) was from GoAhead London.
But the contract was for trendy "ieTram" vehicles (they are not trams!) ...
... which eventually appeared; although the articulated version did not find favour, or more importantly, budget!
But they are electric with rooftop charging gubbins ...
... so even more trendy.
The present network from Dartford is straightforward, with the original A and B routes ...
... now reduced ro every 12 min ... joined by the 'works' AZ and a half hourly night services N ...
... all bring well publicised in the latest map.
Services to the east have changed as the development developed, but, as this was supposed to be a brief blog to enable fbb to at least acknowledge the presence of his hosts (!), further nformation will follow in due course.
But, in tomorrow's posting, the old bloke speculated on this question.
With a substantial presence in Dartford for Fastrack, what might the opportunities be for GoAhead to continue to go ahead with its Kent business?
Next Dartford Plus blog : Mon 9th Nov
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