Sunday 5 November 2017

Some Sunday Stagecoach Stuff

But First ...
Heavy rain yesterday morning had encouraged the autumn leaf fall, leaving rich oranges and browns on trees and verges. It was particularly beautiful as fbb drove from Seaton to Thorncombe to help at the Railway Club's annual exhibition.
A very enjoyable amble through the country lanes and delightfully relaxing in advance of a busy exhibition.

Sadly, the exhibition is next week on Saturday 11th.

The drive back was equally pleasant!

And Second ...
Whilst strolling along Underfleet in Seaton, your forgetful author realised he was in time to photograph the X52 First Bus Not Jurassic Coaster to Exeter. The only bit of the Jurassic Coast it serves is between Lyme Regis and Seaton and there is no view of "The Coast" between the two settlements.

Mondays to Fridays they only allocate one of these ...
... because it is worked by a Woodroffe School (Lyme Regis) bus; but on Saturdays, sometimes, it is a real full size single decker, as it was yesterday.
Obviously something bigger is needed to cope with heavy loadings, i.e. one passenger! But, more importantly, the frame at the "to Exeter" stop, which last week revealed nothing of the X52, has now gained a copy of the timetable.
But questions still remain. There is a time point at Paris Street, outside the open-and-closed now open bus station. Is this correct? Or is it part of the revised registration from when the service was re-registered because the bus station was closed (which is now open again)?

Happy Hip-Hop Happening
On Wednesday, Stagecoach is doing a launch and a photo shoot on Paignton sea front for a batch of new buses.
fbb hopes they are not expecting someone to drive this one from depot to sea front!
Don't panic dear, It's just an advert!
And a timetable extract for Hop 12:-

Similar Scene for Staincross
Sadly, Stagecoach cannot manage an on-line timetable of its own for Barnsley service 1, but it runs every ten minutes ...
... on a route which Travel South Yorkshire calls a "circular". fbb is amused by a "frequency" panel covering just ONE omitted journey between 0850 and 0910 - daft! - but the route does run every 10 minutes Mondays to Fridays, every 12 on Saturdays and every 30 on Sundays.

It isn't a circular - it's a lollipop with a one-way loop at Staincross ...
... but it, too, has just been given a shiny new fleet.
Note the "Townlines 1" branding on the side.

Back in January 2016 Townlines 11 ...
... and route 22X gained new vehicles. 

The 22X is a newer and bigger route. It’s an important spine service for Stagecoach serving lots of important places and employment hubs, such as Manvers, and more than a million passengers each year so we are proud to be improving this route.

Goody!

Talking Of 22X ...
Here is some of the branding for this "important spine service". Front end with just the route number ...
... and side with lots more.
Good, strong branding for an "important spine service". Impressive eh?
Every 15 minutes between Rotherham and Barnsley!

Except that the bus was running between Sheffield and Doncaster Airport!

Exeter Employs the Experts
Exeter City Council has not covered itself with glory in its incompetent management of the Bus Station project. Its real time information was so unreliable that it was switched off and the replacement is not much better. The High Street is de facto "buses only" with runs of shelters in a boring grey and glass style.
Labelling on these shelters is poor (see upper left).

Something needed to be done to improve matters. Exeter City Council has come up with a jackpot idea as to how to do a good job.

Get someone else to do it! Even better, get someone else to do it for nothing.

Accordingly, Stagecoach (heard of them?) are improving the shelters by adding more of their own branding and big bright panels telling you what stops there.
Excellent work : the less local authorities get involved with public transport, the better it seems!

Tomorrow we go to Stocksbridge, Sheffield - also with Stagecoach.

Meanwhile ...

fbb Mansions Nature Notes No 247
Mrs fbb is, quite rightly, keen to encourage our feathered friends to visit the car park area to the rear of fbb mansions. The well-stocked snack bar is very popular ...
... but the free accommodation has been assiduously ignored by the passing flocks.
The latest arrival, a really naff plastic bronze-effect bathing facility, arrived yesterday.
A formal opening ceremony is scheduled for this afternoon. Jacko the cat was far too busy to make any comment.

  Next Supertram Blog : Monday 6th November  

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