From Elliot, Director, Torbay Bus Routes:
For those of you who are unaware, I am currently at Bristol Royal Hospital after a collapse just over a week ago at Torquay Strand whilst on Stagecoach work experience.
Thank Lord, there was a paramedic and a nurse on a bike in the immediate vicinity.
After being rushed to Torbay Hospital intensive care, where I spent 4 days, I was then on the ward for a further 3 days.
I have now been at Bristol after being transferred on a very pleasant ambulance ride since last Wednesday (20th July).
The staff, nurses and doctors along the way have all been amazing.
So a normal Twitter service should reserve by the end of this week, if not by Thursday or Friday.
Over and out.
Monday, 25 July 2011
Monday, 4 July 2011
Slight Reduction In TBR's Twitter Service & TBR - Live From London!
Dear Torbay Bus Routes Live Bus Update User,
Between Tuesday, 5th July and Sunday, 10th July, 2011, there will be a slight reduction in Torbay Bus Route's Twitter service, which provides live bus updates throughout the day, every day, frequently.
This is due to one out of two TBR Tweeters (Elliot) being away on holiday, meaning that he's unable to tweet for Torbay/South Devon.
However, Allan will still be here for this period, with updates for the Paignton and King's Ash area.
In addition, there will be a daily "TBR - Live From London" will be available daily for this period. We hope these will add some diversity and interest for bus enthusiasts, as London's bus network is simply huge and very interesting.
We can't wait to be live from London. However, please note that we won't be providing any live updates from London. We're just going to go with the flow!
We look forward to resuming a full service once again from Sunday this week.
Thank you for your continued support.
Many thanks,
Torbay Bus Routes.
Between Tuesday, 5th July and Sunday, 10th July, 2011, there will be a slight reduction in Torbay Bus Route's Twitter service, which provides live bus updates throughout the day, every day, frequently.
This is due to one out of two TBR Tweeters (Elliot) being away on holiday, meaning that he's unable to tweet for Torbay/South Devon.
However, Allan will still be here for this period, with updates for the Paignton and King's Ash area.
In addition, there will be a daily "TBR - Live From London" will be available daily for this period. We hope these will add some diversity and interest for bus enthusiasts, as London's bus network is simply huge and very interesting.
We can't wait to be live from London. However, please note that we won't be providing any live updates from London. We're just going to go with the flow!
We look forward to resuming a full service once again from Sunday this week.
Thank you for your continued support.
Many thanks,
Torbay Bus Routes.
Monday, 27 June 2011
Tweenaway Roadworks And Impacts On Buses
With the road works to improve Tweenaway and Claylands Cross in Paignton, there is a severe impact on all bus services travelling along King's Ash Road or in the Tweenaway area.
Below is a list of each bus service affected, the section of road where it becomes delayed, and which areas along the route are likely to be affected.
- Stagecoach 5
- The Paignton circular is affected between Ramshill Road and Fernicombe Road when traffic backs right up along King's Ash. This can cause delays in extreme circumstances of up to 30 minutes. However, delays are most likely to be between 5 and 10 minutes.
- Stagecoach 12A
- This service becomes delayed along Totnes Road and Brixham Road past Paignton Zoo and Bookers Cash & Carry. Delays are more severe towards Paignton and Torquay from South Devon College, as it travels down Brixham Road to Tweenaway Cross. Delays are less severe in the other direction because it operates via Borough Road. This has an impact on people travelling to/from college, so extra time should be allowed.
- Stagecoach 12C
- Although not directly affected, as services throughout the day commence from what was a 12A (continuing as a 12C from the College), it becomes delayed as a result of this. This has an impact on people travelling to/from college, so extra time should be allowed.
- Stagecoach 66
- This service gets caught in the traffic towards South Devon College from Newton Abbot as soon as it leaves Foxhole. It then crawls all the way to Great Parks, where it cuts up round the back. When it rejoins the main road, it then proceeds slowly past the Zoo until reaching the cross and turning left up Brixham Road. This is the same situation on the return journey. Delays to the 66 are around 10 minutes on average.
- First X80 and X81
- Both of these services crawl along from Collaton St.Mary to Paignton Zoo. Delays of up to 45 minutes have been reported towards Plymouth. It is probably best to decide on a service and then take the journey before that one.
- Stagecoach 88
- This service experiences delays from Paignton from as far back as Colley End. Journey times have exceeded 20 minutes from Colley End to the traffic lights - the average journey time being 3 minutes. Towards Paignton, delays have sometimes been up to 25 minutes from Newton Abbot. This has the knock on effect of services not connecting in Buckfastleigh for Plymouth and Exeter on the Stagecoach X38. There is no way round this, as the X38 is only every 2 hours. Advice would be to use Stagecoach X64 from Totnes to Exeter or First X80 from Totnes to Plymouth.
- Rail River Link 100
- Even with already very tight timetabling, delays to this service aren't as much as you may think. They've been around 10 minutes late most of the time, but some have been up to 30 minutes late. However, due to the route that cuts through Penwill Way towards Paignton, it is likely to be the quickest journey for Totnes to Paignton.
- Local Link 108 and 109
- These two circular services have experienced delays of around 10 to 15 minutes. Some have been observed departing Paignton almost 30 minutes late. They usually get caught between Kings Ash between Luscombe Drive and Waterleat. Some journeys also hit traffic at Cotehele Drive and Spruce Way. However, that is only likely when the traffic is very bad. If you plan on getting a 108, then it may be a good idea to take the 109 timetabled 30 minutes before and vice versa.
As traffic seeks alternative routes, all services out of Paignton are liable to some delays due to traffic through Cecil Road, Victoria Park, Torquay Road, Hyde Road and Great Western Road.
Sunday, 26 June 2011
One Crazy Day On The Buses
So yesterday, a friend and I were planning on going to Plymouth from Totnes at around 13:30. "No problem", we thought, as there's a First Bus X80 at 13:45. Obviously, because of Tweenaway, it was going to be late, but not too late, we imagined.
Anyway, my friend had the bright idea of getting the train to Plymouth. So off we set from Coronation Road to the railway station. I texted National Rail on the way, only to discover that the next train wasn't for 50 minutes. End of that idea.
So we ran to the next bus stop up the road, where I said we'd get the 88 or X80, whichever came first. If the 88 came first, we'd go to Exeter (after just missing a 13:50 X64 to Exeter anyway). Or if the X80 came First, then Plymouth it was.
The 88 came first, and so we jumped on that, about 20 minutes late. We pulled out and were halfway across the road, when all of a sudden, a man came running up and banged on the doors. He said he'd given up after waiting for so long, and he got on. Journey wasn't off to the best of starts!
So I looked up the time of the X38 from Buckfastleigh to Exeter, which was 15:30. Oh. That was an hour and half to wait. So we had to scrap that idea and decided to take it all the way to Newton Abbot.
So we were sat there comfortably and in peace coming up to Dartington. Then a boulder decides to come down from the bank and smash into the side of the bus. We swerved and shook quite a bit. No one knew what it was at first, until the driver pulled in at Dartington to go and have a look. I wish I had had a chance to take a photo: half a side panel had been ripped up, leaving a very jagged point sticking out.
Anyway, off we went to Newton Abbot, where I thought we'd be able to get a 39 just in time. Nope. As soon as we pulled out of Ashburton Road, there was none other than the 39 itself, made worse by the fact that it was a brand new leather-seated Enviro 400! Of all the vehicle choices for a bus to miss!
So we had no other choice than to get the 2. There was one in, and it left promptly at 14:55. I checked the timetable to find that it arrived in Exeter at 16:37. Great. Scrap that idea.
We hadn't had lunch, so we jumped off at Tesco in Kingsteignton, grabbed a sandwich, and began to walk back to the train station, where we were going to catch a train on an 18 minute journey into Exeter.
"Okay," we thought, "we're on the way now." But of course, something else just had to happen, didn't it?
As we departed Teignmouth, an announcement came over: "I'm sorry to announce that due to a line equipment failure, we are having to proceed with extreme caution." So what was an 18 minute train journey landed us in Exeter at 5 miles per hour only 10 minutes before the 2 service would have done - without having to buy two train tickets! So 3 hours from Totnes to Exeter. Oh dear...
After getting the H into the centre (nothing happened on this journey!), we wanted to go down to St.Thomas. So we waiting for an A by South Street. When one came, what should it do other than crash into the shelter with its wing mirror, shattering a huge glass panel! Oh, the wing mirror fell off, too. So we waited for either an E or an F. That was without incident - finally!
So we got on the X46 back to Torquay on the 18:50 (last bus back), and then caught the 12 from Castle Circus, which was 13 minutes late.
As the 12 pulled round past the Pavilions and pulled into the shelter, it whacked straight into a tree. Okay, so a bus was now stuck in a tree. We managed to pull away fine, but the last time a bus did that, it was quite a struggle!
So in short, that was honestly the most ridiculous set of buses I have ever taken! And yes, I would do it all again. There's something strangely exciting about bus journeys going ridiculously wrong.
Anyway, my friend had the bright idea of getting the train to Plymouth. So off we set from Coronation Road to the railway station. I texted National Rail on the way, only to discover that the next train wasn't for 50 minutes. End of that idea.
So we ran to the next bus stop up the road, where I said we'd get the 88 or X80, whichever came first. If the 88 came first, we'd go to Exeter (after just missing a 13:50 X64 to Exeter anyway). Or if the X80 came First, then Plymouth it was.
The 88 came first, and so we jumped on that, about 20 minutes late. We pulled out and were halfway across the road, when all of a sudden, a man came running up and banged on the doors. He said he'd given up after waiting for so long, and he got on. Journey wasn't off to the best of starts!
So I looked up the time of the X38 from Buckfastleigh to Exeter, which was 15:30. Oh. That was an hour and half to wait. So we had to scrap that idea and decided to take it all the way to Newton Abbot.
So we were sat there comfortably and in peace coming up to Dartington. Then a boulder decides to come down from the bank and smash into the side of the bus. We swerved and shook quite a bit. No one knew what it was at first, until the driver pulled in at Dartington to go and have a look. I wish I had had a chance to take a photo: half a side panel had been ripped up, leaving a very jagged point sticking out.
Anyway, off we went to Newton Abbot, where I thought we'd be able to get a 39 just in time. Nope. As soon as we pulled out of Ashburton Road, there was none other than the 39 itself, made worse by the fact that it was a brand new leather-seated Enviro 400! Of all the vehicle choices for a bus to miss!
So we had no other choice than to get the 2. There was one in, and it left promptly at 14:55. I checked the timetable to find that it arrived in Exeter at 16:37. Great. Scrap that idea.
We hadn't had lunch, so we jumped off at Tesco in Kingsteignton, grabbed a sandwich, and began to walk back to the train station, where we were going to catch a train on an 18 minute journey into Exeter.
"Okay," we thought, "we're on the way now." But of course, something else just had to happen, didn't it?
As we departed Teignmouth, an announcement came over: "I'm sorry to announce that due to a line equipment failure, we are having to proceed with extreme caution." So what was an 18 minute train journey landed us in Exeter at 5 miles per hour only 10 minutes before the 2 service would have done - without having to buy two train tickets! So 3 hours from Totnes to Exeter. Oh dear...
After getting the H into the centre (nothing happened on this journey!), we wanted to go down to St.Thomas. So we waiting for an A by South Street. When one came, what should it do other than crash into the shelter with its wing mirror, shattering a huge glass panel! Oh, the wing mirror fell off, too. So we waited for either an E or an F. That was without incident - finally!
So we got on the X46 back to Torquay on the 18:50 (last bus back), and then caught the 12 from Castle Circus, which was 13 minutes late.
 |
| Oops! |
As the 12 pulled round past the Pavilions and pulled into the shelter, it whacked straight into a tree. Okay, so a bus was now stuck in a tree. We managed to pull away fine, but the last time a bus did that, it was quite a struggle!
So in short, that was honestly the most ridiculous set of buses I have ever taken! And yes, I would do it all again. There's something strangely exciting about bus journeys going ridiculously wrong.
Friday, 24 June 2011
Some Exciting News, A New TBR Tweeter, And Plans...
Well, it's certainly been a while since the last blog post, but never fear - we are still here.
It's just been so hectic lately, what with the 111 petition and organising TBR Tweeter applications.
First of all, I shall enlighten you with the exciting news surrounding the 111 petition. Not to be disheartened by to nos from Devon County Council and Stagecoach, after writing to Dr.Sarah Wollaston about the issue in a very detailed letter, we were pleased to learn that she was in support of the issues raised. In fact, a debate was managed to be secured for Tuesday, 28th June, at 13:30 - at Westminster! Westminster! Sorry, I'll have to say it again: Westminster!
Yes, that's right: the issue and serious effects of the 111's withdrawal will be raised among other issues with rural bus services in Devon on Tuesday at Westminster with the Transport Minister. This is just great news, and hopes are high that something will come of it.
Right, enough of that. There's a new TBR Tweeter with us, Mr Allan Wagner, who will be tweeting alongside me for the Paignton, King's Ash and Foxhole areas. You'll notice at the end of each tweet, there's now either an [A] or [E]. This stands for Allan and Elliot respectively. That's if we remember to put them on...
So a big welcome to Allan!
And lastly, there are some plans for the future of Torbay Bus Routes. We don't like to stand still, but we fear that nothing much has moved forward with the site for a while. So there are some things to watch out for in the near future:
So we want you to tell us what we can do to make Torbay Bus Routes better. Or what we could stop doing. Well, anything you'd like to say. Email: info@torbaybusroutes.co.uk.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support.
That's it. Over and out.
It's just been so hectic lately, what with the 111 petition and organising TBR Tweeter applications.
First of all, I shall enlighten you with the exciting news surrounding the 111 petition. Not to be disheartened by to nos from Devon County Council and Stagecoach, after writing to Dr.Sarah Wollaston about the issue in a very detailed letter, we were pleased to learn that she was in support of the issues raised. In fact, a debate was managed to be secured for Tuesday, 28th June, at 13:30 - at Westminster! Westminster! Sorry, I'll have to say it again: Westminster!
 |
| The 111 at Dartmouth Pontoon. Goodness, this picture sure has done the rounds... |
Right, enough of that. There's a new TBR Tweeter with us, Mr Allan Wagner, who will be tweeting alongside me for the Paignton, King's Ash and Foxhole areas. You'll notice at the end of each tweet, there's now either an [A] or [E]. This stands for Allan and Elliot respectively. That's if we remember to put them on...
 |
| TBR'S Twitter service, @torbaybuses on Twitter |
So a big welcome to Allan!
And lastly, there are some plans for the future of Torbay Bus Routes. We don't like to stand still, but we fear that nothing much has moved forward with the site for a while. So there are some things to watch out for in the near future:
- Timetables for Dartmouth and Totnes bus services included in the timetables available for download
- A consistent style of timetable produced by Torbay Bus Routes, which will enable faster download times and the same information across the board
- Continuing to provide personalised journey plans via email within 24 hours
- A link in future editions of the Torbay Transport Guide to the website, thus furthering traffic to the site
- An advert in the Torbay Vintage Bus Running Day programme this September
So we want you to tell us what we can do to make Torbay Bus Routes better. Or what we could stop doing. Well, anything you'd like to say. Email: info@torbaybusroutes.co.uk.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support.
That's it. Over and out.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Could You Be A TBR Tweeter?
Become A Volunteer As A TBR Tweeter for Torbay Bus Routes!
Torbay Bus Routes is offering an excellent opportunity to get on board with our Twitter service, which provides live bus updates throughout the day, 7 days a week.
Your tweeting hours would be Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:00. You wouldn't have to be riding around on buses in the Bay like there's no tomorrow. You'd just tweet whilst on your daily travels and errands. It's a great opportunity to become part of a high quality service.
If you're passionate about travel and buses within Torbay, and you feel that you'd be good at this, then just download the information pack below, which details what to do next.
The deadline for expressions of interest in this is: Tuesday, 14th June, 2011.
Two vital things:
- You'd need to usually be in Torbay Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:00
- You need to have a smart phone (iPhone, Blackberry, Android, etc) and be capable of using a Twitter app.
If you think this sounds good, then DOWNLOAD THE INFORMATION PACK.
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Petition Closed - Final Count Is In
The petition to restore Stagecoach South West 111 service to its original route instead of total withdrawal closed on Saturday, 21st May, 2011, at 23:30. With your help, the grand total of signatures collected is...
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| Speechless! 438! |
What now?
Well, as far as we're aware, we're waiting for the Herald Express to contact us to arrange a date for a photo of the handover to Stagecoach South West. With regards to Devon County Council, a copy of the petition will be sent for their review immediately following the handover to Stagecoach. And after that, we guess that all we can do is wait for their answer.
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