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Title: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: stuving on June 16, 2014, 18:27:08 This lunchtime I heard a noise outside like a jet aircraft taxiing. I went out and found one of these sitting in the level crossing queue.
(http://static1.demotix.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/a_scale_large/4900-8/photos/1402352255-reading-buses-prowl-into-wokingham-with-new-leopard-branded-buses_4969248.jpg) It turns out this is the first day of Reading Buses' new route 3 (http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/articles/new-bus-service/), which replaces the 144 that Thames Up to now Reading Buses (owned by RBC, of course) has served greater Reading, almost half of which is not in Reading Borough, but not gone outside (I think that's true - and all the services on their map that do so were run by others). Whether this is a matter of greater cooperation with a neighbouring council, or trespassing on their patch, I'm not entirely sure. Neither to I know why it has such a powerful (or just noisy) fan ... Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on June 16, 2014, 19:38:10 It is almost a return to past haunts for them. In years gone by they used to operate to Wokingham, Twyford and Maidenhead. I have a destInation blind in my loft which includes a variety of places they operated to, or hoped to.
Interestingly the fare from Wokingham to Reading is ^7.00 and via a roundabout route - but the train fare is only ^4.30. But you do get wifi on the bus! This new service they are running commercially rather than the council funded Thames Travel route 144 it has replaced. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: John R on June 16, 2014, 19:49:05 Possibly James Freeman's swansong, before leaving to become MD of First Bristol and West of England. I guess he could always launch a service linking the two and competing with FGW.
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on June 16, 2014, 20:06:43 Well respected in the bus industry I gather. There is an article on getreading about his departure which I'm sure someone could post as I know it will go horribly wrong while I'm on a train!
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: John R on June 16, 2014, 20:33:42 I knew him from university days and his passion for the bus industry was evident even then. For the last 30 or so years he's organised a bus rally in Winchester on New Years Day, though sadly the redevelopment of the bus station there has put paid to that.
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Chris from Nailsea on June 16, 2014, 21:19:21 There is an article on getreading about his departure which I'm sure someone could post as I know it will go horribly wrong while I'm on a train! ::) From Get Reading (http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/business/reading-buses-boss-james-freeman-7257724): Quote Reading Buses boss James Freeman to leave the company in September (http://i1.getreading.co.uk/incoming/article4922979.ece/alternates/s615/TM283350News.jpg) Reading Buses chief executive James Freeman is leaving the company at the end of September Mr Freeman will leave the company at the end of September to take up the post of managing director of First Bristol & West of England Reading Transport chief executive officer James Freeman is leaving the company to take up a new position in Bristol. Reading Buses announced today that Mr Freeman will leave the company at the end of September to take up the post of managing director of First Bristol & West of England. Mr Freeman said: "I have had a wonderful time at Reading Buses. We have created a top-quality team here whose success has been measured in awards won, passenger satisfaction at record-breaking levels and best of all in the high regard that local people have for the buses here and the people who operate them. My time at Reading Buses is the longest stint in one job of my bus industry career of almost forty years. In the past seven years I have made many good friends here and learned that Reading is a very good place to be. While I feel no pressure to leave Reading, I feel that the time has come for a new challenge. For family reasons I need to go back to the West Country ^ so now I have the chance to return to Bristol where I started my first desk-based job in the bus industry as a grade 1b clerk way back in April 1975. As a matter of fact I will be moving back to live in the very same road in Bath where I was born.^ Chair of Reading Buses, David Sutton said: ^We are very sorry to be losing James, of course, but we recognise that this is a unique opportunity for him, in both personal and professional terms, and we wish him all the best for the future. He has done a marvellous job for Reading Buses in his seven years with us, and the awards recently won by the company testify to this. We will now be seeking to appoint a successor who can build on all James's excellent work and maintain the company's position as an award-winning and innovative national leader." Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on June 16, 2014, 21:49:48 Thank you, boss. ;D
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Surrey 455 on June 16, 2014, 23:46:34 This lunchtime I heard a noise outside like a jet aircraft taxiing............ I went out and found one of these sitting in the level crossing queue. It turns out this is the first day of Reading Buses' new route 3 (http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/articles/new-bus-service/), which replaces the 144 that Thames Buses ran for WBC. (The caption says it is a Scania ADL Enviro300SG.) Presumably the gimmicky colour scheme shows they are running out of distinguishable colours. Plus, it is a different kind of route for them - longer, and with distance-based fares. Up to now Reading Buses (owned by RBC, of course) has served greater Reading, almost half of which is not in Reading Borough, but not gone outside (I think that's true - and all the services on their map that do so were run by others). Whether this is a matter of greater cooperation with a neighbouring council, or trespassing on their patch, I'm not entirely sure. Neither to I know why it has such a powerful (or just noisy) fan ... Ironically on the roof of the bus is a caption stating that the bus is quieter.... Also do Reading Buses still own Newbury Buses? Could Newbury be comfortably classified as "Greater Reading"? Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: stuving on June 17, 2014, 00:39:52 Also do Reading Buses still own Newbury Buses? Could Newbury be comfortably classified as "Greater Reading"? Well, these things are not always as simple as they look, but ... Reading Buses used to use Newbury Buses as a brand name for a few services contracted to West Berkshire (D)C, but they no longer have any. Newbury and District is now the name used by Weavaway for some of their scheduled services, many contracted to WBC. N&D also runs the (apparently unsubsidised) Jet Black service, between Reading and Newbury, for Reading Buses. A big chunk of greater Reading (Calcot, part of Tilehurst, and up to Purley) is in West Berks. And not exactly near to Newbury. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: stuving on June 17, 2014, 09:13:53 ... West Berkshire (D)C ... WBC ... Hmmm - that's not quite right, is it? West Berkshire is a Unitary Authority. But then the whole business of names in the "Royal gap in the map formerly known as the County of Berkshire" is pretty baffling. Wokingham, Newbury, and Reading (plus others) were Districts in the old county, though Reading had a long history of being called a borough (RBC). They all became unitary authorities following "dematerialisation" of the county, but Newbury (in particular) was stretched to cover nearly half of Berkshire to give is an equal share of population - hence the name became West Berkshire. I don't recall seeing any of them use "Unitary" in its name. Wokingham was usually called WDC, kept that name as a unitary, then switched to "Borough" by a kind of deed poll; basically because they thought it sounded classier. West Berkshire has used WBDC in the past, but now styles itself "West Berkshire Council" and appears to avoid the initials WBC. Which is just as well, given Wokingham does use WBC quite freely. You didn't really expect logic, did you? Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: onthecushions on June 17, 2014, 15:42:40 Up to 1974 (the first modern attempt at LG reorganisation), Reading was a County Borough, i.e. quite independent of the then Berkshire County Council. Newbury and Wokingham were municipal boroughs with major powers resting in the CC. Their rural areas had RDC's (rural district councils), the Bracknell one being called Easthampstead RDC. After the Tories lost control of Berks CC after 100 years! the parties decided to carve up their fiefdoms into Liberal/Con Newbury, Con Wokingham, "Red" Reading etc, hence the unitary authorities and the demise of CC with its resulting policy vaccuum and wasteful duplication of service overheads. This has partly been repaired with agreements like Re3, the waste disposal consortium and there are thoughts to centralise library services..but no rush, though. Reading (pop 140odd thousand) operates buses over the connurbation (pop 240odd thousand) landing its own residents with costs dodged by the more affluent residents ouside of the borough. Reading is c16th largest connurbation in the UK At the last sighting, Reading was still running the "Jet Black" No 1 bus to Newbury. Reading brands its routes by colour. The most garish are the pink routes to Caversham - rumoured to be chosen to upset the remaining Tory Wards North of the river. Reading is one of only two remaining LA run bus operators. Its success is accepted across the political divide, so it should remain in public ownership. Its buses are usually modern unlike the decade old offerings of private operators, the one pictured is probably a hybrid. On June 29, there is a Reading Buses open day at the Gt Knollys St depot, usually with a free vintage bus connection to Reading General. OTC Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: stuving on June 17, 2014, 16:27:21 Reading is one of only two remaining LA run bus operators. Its success is accepted across the political divide, so it should remain in public ownership. On that narrow point, The Bus Zone (http://www.buszone.co.uk/UK.html) lists 11 - eight of them in England: Quote There are also 11 remaining local authority owned bus companies in the UK, some with sizeable fleets. The companies are: Blackpool Transport (175+75 trams), Cardiff Bus (240), Halton Borough Transport (61), Ipswich Buses (71), Lothian (600), Newport Transport (90), Nottingham City Transport (325 + 15 trams), Rossendale Transport (100), Reading Transport (155), Thamesdown Transport (105) and Warrington Borough Transport (125). The main operator in Northern Ireland Translink is also in public ownership with 1,600 buses. From a quick look these vary a lot in status, from 100% council owned to partly private. (I think they all had to turned into PLCs.) It may be some are now fully private, if that list is out of date - you'd have to check one by one. On the broader one, there is loads more illogic attached to this subject if you look for it! Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: stuving on August 27, 2015, 23:48:53 And now for the next step in the Reading Buses' masterplan to conquer the world ... well, East Berkshire anyway. From the Bracknell News (http://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/13624964.New_buses_will_roar_into_action_next_week_between_Bracknell_and_Reading/):
Quote Reading buses relaunch bus route 90 as 'The lion 4' to ferry passengers between Bracknell, Wokingham and Reading Tuesday 25 August 2015 / News A POPULAR bus route linking Bracknell and Reading will be relaunched next week following the withdrawal of First buses from the town. Service 90, previously run by First, has been renamed as 'The lion 4' by new operators Reading Buses who are also introducing 10 new high-tech vehicles to service passengers between Bracknell, Wokingham and Reading. The new vehicles will be decked out with lion branding and come kitted out with superfast wifi and USB charging points for phones and laptops. A new timetable will be introduced from Monday (Aug 31) promising twice as many buses on a Sunday and more weekday evening services between Reading and Wokingham. Martijn Gilbert, Reading Buses CEO, said: "We are delighted to announce the launch of the lion as it roars around Wokingham, Bracknell and Reading. ^These buses will deliver a massive step change from the previous buses used on this route. They will have all the latest Reading Buses mod-cons including superfast 4G WiFi, USB charging points for phones and laptops, the new Reading Buses seat covering and ^coffee-shop^ style wood-effect flooring. ^We have also thought about the numbering of the route as feedback from customers and drivers was that having the same number for legs of the route in Bracknell was confusing. Some buses go fast along the main roads and others run through the southern estates." Faster buses between the main towns will be numbed X4 while the buses which service Bracknell's southern estates will simply be numbered 4. Reading Buses say they will be able to improve the service even further if it proves popular with passengers. Mr Gilbert said: ^The better buses and extra journeys represent a considerable investment and our commitment to the important and growing bus service corridor between Bracknell, Wokingham, Winnersh and Reading. ^As a consequence we are hoping that more people will use this service so that we can seriously consider further enhancements in the future, building upon this initial investment in better buses and more journeys.^ Route 90 was taken over by Reading Buses on July 26 from First Berkshire. Ten buses and 25 drivers will operate the route, 19 of the drivers transferred from First^s Bracknell depot after the takeover. Today was a PR launch day - cue much tomfoolery, dressing up in safari kit, and fluffy toy lions. The Leopard route 3 is now ^4.50/^7.00 return, way more than the rail fare of ^3.40/^4.40. Off-peak saves only a little in either case; even the super off-peak rail return (only from Reading) is ^4.10. But that's not a direct route between centres, it exists to serve places off the direct route and link Wokingham with the Royal Berks Hospital. This Lion route runs close to the railway, and Wokingham to Reading is priced at ^4.70/^5.00. I'm sure that makes sense to someone ... How long does it take? It varies from 26 to 48 minutes, depending on the time, against 9 or 13 minutes for trains. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: onthecushions on September 06, 2015, 21:01:01 There's a further invasion of Wokingham, with the July demise of the FB Reading - Bracknell 90 service and the September launch of Reading Buses' X4/4 route, serving the A329 and hinterland, with some Bracknell suburbs for the No 4, I understand. Hope it comes off. There's a lot of new buses to pay for. OTC Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Adelante_CCT on April 21, 2016, 19:26:07 Quote Hope it comes off. There's a lot of new buses to pay for. And even more to pay for, with another world first: http://www.route-one.net/articles/Vehicles/Reading_places_world_s_first_order_for_gas_powered__deckers Makes a change from the normal doom and gloom we usually read on the forum regarding buses across the west. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Adelante_CCT on November 13, 2017, 22:01:19 First Wokingham, then Bracknell, and from December Reading Buses will be serving London as well......albeit in a roundabout way.
702 Greenline (http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/articles/702-greenline-bracknell-windsor-slough-london-service/) Quote We’re pleased to confirm that we will be operating the 702 Bracknell – Windsor – Slough – London Greenline service from Wednesday 27th December after First withdraw. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Surrey 455 on November 14, 2017, 00:11:48 First Wokingham, then Bracknell, and from December Reading Buses will be serving London as well......albeit in a roundabout way. 702 Greenline (http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/articles/702-greenline-bracknell-windsor-slough-london-service/) Quote We’re pleased to confirm that we will be operating the 702 Bracknell – Windsor – Slough – London Greenline service from Wednesday 27th December after First withdraw. Will it still be operated as a Green Line route or will it lose its identity? Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Thatcham Crossing on November 14, 2017, 08:42:37 No doubt it will be named after some fast animal or other!
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Fourbee on November 14, 2017, 09:47:30 I couldn't think of any real life green cat, this fictional one used to run away a lot ;D
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/heman/images/8/85/Cringer.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090819010316 Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: stuving on November 14, 2017, 10:39:26 First Wokingham, then Bracknell, and from December Reading Buses will be serving London as well......albeit in a roundabout way. 702 Greenline (http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/articles/702-greenline-bracknell-windsor-slough-london-service/) Quote We’re pleased to confirm that we will be operating the 702 Bracknell – Windsor – Slough – London Greenline service from Wednesday 27th December after First withdraw. Will it still be operated as a Green Line route or will it lose its identity? The Greeenline brand is owned by Arriva, and was used under licence by First, though the 702 was the last route operated under that agreement. Arriva might license it to Reading buses, if both parties are interested in the idea. If this "London to Legoland bus" only goes as far as Bracknell, running it as a Reading Buses service would look a bit silly, and perhaps confuse. However, if RB have a plan to extend it to Reading, that would make sense. Watch this space ... PS: Reading Buses' own full statement was this: Quote 702 Greenline We’re pleased to confirm that we will be operating the 702 Bracknell – Windsor – Slough – London Greenline service from Wednesday 27th December after First withdraw. Our timetable and fares will be broadly similar to those operated today and more details will be posted here as soon as they are finalised. We will be operating a special limited service on Christmas Eve (24th December) which this year falls on a Sunday and again full timetable details will be posted here shortly. We look forward to welcoming Greenline customers on-board and working to develop the service over the coming months. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on November 14, 2017, 17:48:37 It won't be Reading Buses first foray into London.
As with a number of operators they started operating into the capital when services were deregulated in 1980. Initially it was a joint operation with Southend Transport with both running buses to the other's town across London. Later it was cut back to finish in London and finally ceased at the turn of the century. This is a blind from the late 1980s (http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/rdgdest.jpg) Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: JayMac on November 14, 2017, 19:59:45 Interesting to see a local independent push out a large established national operator. It's nearly always the other way round.
10 years ago Courtney Coaches (as was) operated just a couple of tendered bus services in the Bracknell Forest borough. That was after nearly losing their 'O' licence in 2006. Today they are main operator of both commercial and tendered services in Bracknell, Wokingham, and Maidenhead. FirstBus tried, and failed, to hold on to their previous dominant position, closing their Bracknell depot in 2016. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: wiltshirebloke on November 15, 2017, 22:35:00 Interesting to see a local independent push out a large established national operator. It's nearly always the other way round I don't think it's quite a case of RB pushing out First, rather First giving the service up and RB taking the service forward instead, as you say much in the way that Courtney's have in Bracknell etc Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: JayMac on November 16, 2017, 00:00:22 I was talking only about Courtney v FirstBus in Bracknell, Wokingham and surrounding areas. There was direct competition between the two on commercial routes in the area. That usually ends up with the big boy winning. In this case though First threw in the towel.
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Adelante_CCT on December 23, 2017, 06:59:52 Now RB will be taking over some Slough area services under contract
http://www.slough.gov.uk/news/newsdetail.aspx?id=18452 Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Adelante_CCT on December 23, 2017, 07:04:10 And in more local news, yesterday saw the start of the new route 17 buses, which feature double doors, the first time for standard Reading buses operations for many years.
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on December 23, 2017, 07:38:08 They abandoned separate entrance and exit points in the 1990s after a series of incidents including a least one fatality when passengers were caught in the exit doors.
There were quite a few buses which spent their final years in the town with the exit doors plated over. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Adelante_CCT on December 23, 2017, 07:56:22 Correct, sadly I remember the most serious incident in question, I assume safety is greater these days with sensors etc.
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on December 23, 2017, 08:14:13 I would assume so. With driver only operation relying on mirrors, external and internal, on a crowded vehicle was never very satisfactory particularly in wet weather.
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Surrey 455 on December 23, 2017, 09:25:31 Reading Buses will still be called Green Line although the buses themselves may not be green. They've also brought out a Green Line 702 app.
http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/articles/the-new-green-line-702 Quote The new Green Line 702! From 27 December we are taking over Green Line 702 from First. All existing season and period tickets will still be valid and, for now, the timetable will stay broadly the same, although all London bound journeys will run 5 minutes earlier to make sure we don’t run late leaving London. Because we’re not taking over the previous fleet of buses, for the next 8-9 months we will be using a mix of suitable vehicles from the existing Reading Buses fleet which have high back coach-style seats and some temporary vehicles hired in, including a small number of full-specification coaches. All vehicles will, of course, be fitted with free WiFi. looking forward We have ambitious plans to develop the route and will be evaluating a number of new vehicle types during January and February 2018, with a view to ordering a brand new fleet of modern coaches. We’ll also be watching closely over the coming months to see how the current timetable performs, how good the fares are, and see what opportunities there are to market and improve this useful service to increase use and make it a success for the long term.............. and a vintage bus service on Christmas Eve Quote Special FREE service on Christmas Eve First will finish operating the route at the end of Saturday 23rd, leaving Christmas Eve Sunday before our full service starts. As this is likely to be quite a quiet day we will be co-ordinating a free vintage bus service along the route using volunteer drivers/conductors and their vehicles who will operate in aid of our Reading Buses Charity of the Year, Red Balloon Learner Centre - all donations welcome! This will run to a special timetable with buses running between London Victoria and Windsor with a second shuttle service operating between Windsor and Bracknell - click here for the timetable. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Surrey 455 on December 23, 2017, 21:07:53 Reading Buses will still be called Green Line Having said that, the 702 and the 724 have disappeared from the Green Line web site. Looking at it, I hadn't realised there were so few Green Line services left. Just the 755, 757 & 758 listed on the Green Line Site. 724 if it is still Green Line is on the Arriva site instead. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on February 15, 2018, 12:51:18 ..and they now consolidate their presence going south of the town.
http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/articles/route-7-to-fleet/ (http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/articles/route-7-to-fleet/) Quote A statement on route 7 to Fleet: Reading Buses and Stagecoach South today (February 15) confirmed agreement for Reading Buses to acquire part of bus route 7 which currently operates between Aldershot and Reading. From Monday April 16 Reading Buses will operate the route between Reading and Hartley Wintney, continuing direct into Fleet for onward rail connections. Stagecoach will continue to operate the southern section of the route between Hartley Wintney and Aldershot with most journeys continuing to provide a through link by buses that are timed to connect at Hartley Wintney. Plans are being finalized for through tickets to be available. Both operators confirm there will be some minor timetable changes to their respective sections of the route and full details will be available soon. Existing Stagecoach season tickets will continue to be accepted by Reading Buses until their expiry. Beyond Three Mile Cross the Reading Buses route 7 will become part of their ‘Simply Network’ fare zone with seven day tickets available for £20 and 30 day tickets for £75 (£16 and £61 for under 19s) both online and on the Reading Buses smartphone app. The deal does not involve the transfer of any employees, but does include the sale of two Stagecoach vehicles. Martijn Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer of Reading Buses, said today: “The northern part of route 7 is a great fit with the Reading Buses network. Its acquisition will harmonise the current arrangement where we are the operator of evening and Sunday journeys at the Reading end (under contract to Wokingham Borough Council), meaning that we will be able to provide a daily coordinated service to many customers. “As the Reading travel to work area continues to grow with new housing and other amenities coming on stream, it is important that areas such as Three Mile Cross, Swallowfield, Riseley and Fleet are connected to Reading with good quality and integrated local transport. “As part of the Reading Buses network we are able to provide this facility and we look forward to further enhancing the service and attracting more people on board the route in this important area of growth.”]A statement on route 7 to Fleet: Reading Buses and Stagecoach South today (February 15) confirmed agreement for Reading Buses to acquire part of bus route 7 which currently operates between Aldershot and Reading. From Monday April 16 Reading Buses will operate the route between Reading and Hartley Wintney, continuing direct into Fleet for onward rail connections. Stagecoach will continue to operate the southern section of the route between Hartley Wintney and Aldershot with most journeys continuing to provide a through link by buses that are timed to connect at Hartley Wintney. Plans are being finalized for through tickets to be available. Both operators confirm there will be some minor timetable changes to their respective sections of the route and full details will be available soon. Existing Stagecoach season tickets will continue to be accepted by Reading Buses until their expiry. Beyond Three Mile Cross the Reading Buses route 7 will become part of their ‘Simply Network’ fare zone with seven day tickets available for £20 and 30 day tickets for £75 (£16 and £61 for under 19s) both online and on the Reading Buses smartphone app. The deal does not involve the transfer of any employees, but does include the sale of two Stagecoach vehicles. Martijn Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer of Reading Buses, said today: “The northern part of route 7 is a great fit with the Reading Buses network. Its acquisition will harmonise the current arrangement where we are the operator of evening and Sunday journeys at the Reading end (under contract to Wokingham Borough Council), meaning that we will be able to provide a daily coordinated service to many customers. “As the Reading travel to work area continues to grow with new housing and other amenities coming on stream, it is important that areas such as Three Mile Cross, Swallowfield, Riseley and Fleet are connected to Reading with good quality and integrated local transport. “As part of the Reading Buses network we are able to provide this facility and we look forward to further enhancing the service and attracting more people on board the route in this important area of growth.” In the light of this latest announcement I have amended the title of this topic. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: CyclingSid on February 16, 2018, 10:14:03 I wonder if Reading Buses is getting to the point where it is biting off more than it can chew. A lot of money spent on two door buses they are having trouble using sensibly/safely. With the financial state of Reading Borough Council, does all this expansion make Reading Buses more or less attractive if it is sold off.
But note that Reading is one of the small number of areas with a rise in bus miles http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42749973 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42749973). Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: laird on February 16, 2018, 18:42:26 Next week the Route 17 bus route gets Red Route status, then the two door buses might start to live up to their potential.
Fundamentally bus services have become less popular as journey time reliability has fallen, reducing stop dwell time will help, better enforcement of bus lanes, bus gates and so forth will also work. I'm always puzzled by how little Reading Buses trust their customers, the principle of enter via one door and exit via another works well except apparently in Reading where randomly the bus company have decided that its unsafe to open the second door at some random list of stops ... thus any time saving is lost. Given London uses buses with up to three doors at all stops and in Europe four sets of doors are common I've yet to see any good reason for their "safety" argument. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Adelante_CCT on February 16, 2018, 19:00:41 Quote thus any time saving is lost. Even worse, numerous occasions I have seen people waiting to get off the middle doors and then realise they won't open and have to make way towards the front, by which time people are getting on which infact delays the journey instead of saving time. I asked RB about the use of the middle doors a few weeks ago in relation to them sometimes opening and at other times not. Quote At the moment the rear doors can only be used at certain stops. We are working on a visual and audio announcement to inform customers of which stops they can be used at. When the red route is introduced we will be able to use more stops on the route Still yet to see any evidence of announcements. Some bus stops do have shelters in the way of the middle doors if the bus stops at the correct location so I can understand it for some stops, others seem not to make sense, and it also appears to be which driver you get. They'll be painting the town red from Monday. Well Kings Road at least. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: CyclingSid on February 20, 2018, 15:43:05 For those users and supporters of Reading Buses a journal has dropped through my door with the following article:
Better by bus? Insights into public transport travel behaviour during Storm Doris in Reading, UK http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.3058/full (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.3058/full) Not for free, I am afraid, but appears to be about reaction of passengers to bad weather and the resilience of public transport (rail & bus). Uses data from the new generation of on-board ticket machines. When I get round to reading it I will try and put some notes here. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: grahame on February 20, 2018, 17:31:13 For those users and supporters of Reading Buses a journal has dropped through my door with the following article: Better by bus? Insights into public transport travel behaviour during Storm Doris in Reading, UK http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.3058/full (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wea.3058/full) Not for free, I am afraid, but appears to be about reaction of passengers to bad weather and the resilience of public transport (rail & bus). Uses data from the new generation of on-board ticket machines. When I get round to reading it I will try and put some notes here. At $38 (much less for a 48 hour rental that can't be saved or printed) I think I'll give it a miss ... and perhaps I should be encouraged to write a book or set of articles for sale ;D Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: CyclingSid on February 20, 2018, 17:37:18 I am not rivaling the $38, unfortunately typical for most academic journals.
Very brief notes on paper on Storm Doris, 23 February 2017 Wind impacts on rail transport summaries briefly the general and local effects. Notes large usage of Reading station and various routes involved and reports of trees blocking trains to Paddington, Didcot, Bedwyn & Wokingham/Guildford. For Reading Buses, which provide 95% of services in Reading they had data for routes 17 (cross town, but looked at east), X4 (Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell) & 500 (Winnersh Park & Ride). Compared data with the following Thursday. Found less use of concessionary passes, small differences in route 17, higher usage of X4 (out of town service) probably related to trees on Bracknell & Guildford lines, increased outbound usage of 500 (Park & Ride). Interesting, but not earth shattering. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: stuving on February 20, 2018, 17:50:32 I am not rivaling the $38, unfortunately typical for most academic journals. Very brief notes on paper on Storm Doris, 23 February 2017 Wind impacts on rail transport summaries briefly the general and local effects. Notes large usage of Reading station and various routes involved and reports of trees blocking trains to Paddington, Didcot, Bedwyn & Wokingham/Guildford. For Reading Buses, which provide 95% of services in Reading they had data for routes 17 (cross town, but looked at east), X4 (Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell) & 500 (Winnersh Park & Ride). Compared data with the following Thursday. Found less use of concessionary passes, small differences in route 17, higher usage of X4 (out of town service) probably related to trees on Bracknell & Guildford lines, increased outbound usage of 500 (Park & Ride). Interesting, but not earth shattering. In my experience, when storms bring down trees they are as likely to block the roads as the railways. I can remember at least one day when I tried three roads from Wokingham to Reading and all were blocked. Getting to the motorway would avoid that of course, provided you found a clear route to it at the Wokingham end. Part of the reason for that is that there are still a lot of big old oaks along the roads around Wokingham, and it's hard to predict which are vulnerable to too much waggling about. For some reason they always fall towards the road - but that's probably as well for the owners of the houses they would otherwise fall onto. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on April 06, 2018, 23:30:05 Reading Buses announce they are pulling one of the routes they took over in East Berkshire at the end of January due to competition from Courtney Buses.
Quote Thames Valley Route 2 It is with some regret that we have to announce that we will be withdrawing our Thames Valley route 2 from end of service, Saturday 5 May. We stepped in to run this route at short notice after First deregistered their service as it wasn't financially viable for them. We saw a great opportunity to help grow the service and encourage more people to travel and therefore make the service sustainable. Unfortunately another bus operator also registered a service on this route and has the added benefit of a number of other services in the area which are Council/Heathrow funded contracts, meaning they can use these other services to run the route more efficiently in that area. The market is, unfortunately, not big enough for two bus operators and we did not set out to have an ’on the road’ competitive situation. To this end, as mentioned above, we will no longer be running our Route 2 after end of service Saturday 5 May. Courtney Buses will continue to run and provide an alternative service. some good news However, it's not all bad news! We will continue to operate between Windsor and Slough and are re-deploying our Thames Valley route 2 resources to enhance our Green Line service! We will be offering a new Bracknell - Windsor - Slough - Heathrow Green Line 703 service daily, from Tuesday 8 May. This new route will work in conjunction with Green line 702 to provide a combined half hourly service between Langley, Slough, Windsor and LEGOLAND Windsor Resort® daily. We hope to see you on-board our Green Line 702/703 services from the 8 May. We will, of course, continue serving Dedworth to our usual high standards until our withdrawal application takes effect. Weekly tickets won’t be sold after 30 April. Thank you for your continued loyalty and custom in the meantime. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Adelante_CCT on May 15, 2018, 10:23:58 Main man at RB leaving after 4 years
https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/reading-buses-boss-leaving-the-company-for-the-north-east/ Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: CyclingSid on May 15, 2018, 18:22:23 Never been as visible as his predecessor, never seen him out on the street.
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Adelante_CCT on July 13, 2018, 10:15:25 Robert Williams will be taking over
https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/reading-buses-name-new-boss-as-martijn-gilbert-steps-down/ Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on July 13, 2018, 10:22:44 Lifelong bus man - and the person behind www.buszone.co.uk (http://www.buszone.co.uk)
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on July 25, 2018, 11:29:13 Reading Buses to take over Henley town services.
From Henley Standard (http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/community/127964/new-bus-service.html) Quote A NEW bus service for Henley will start on Monday, August 6. Reading Buses will run services from the town centre, replacing Whites Coaches’ 151 to 154 routes. The new service run from 7am to 7pm every weekday compared with the current times of 9.30am to 2pm and the exact route and times will be announced shortly. The route will be served by a modern gas-powered bus instead of an older diesel vehicle. Members of the town council’s bus working group will work with Reading Buses’s marketing team on how best to promote the service. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on August 06, 2018, 16:19:03 Reading Buses took over the Henley Town services this morning.
On Saturday they brought the gas powered bus to the town to give people a chance to see it and have a free ride along part of the route. (Slightly ironic as there is normally no Saturday service!) (http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/henbus.jpg) (http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/henbus2.jpg) (http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/henbus3.jpg) Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on September 20, 2018, 13:33:15 From the Reading Chronicle (https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/16891842.newbury-bus-services-taken-over-by-reading-buses-as-part-of-expansion-plans/?ref=mr&lp=8)
Quote BUS services in Newbury have been taken over by Reading Buses. The Newbury & District operation in the Newbury and Thatcham area employs more than 600 staff. Reading Buses' interim head Tony Pettitt said the acquisition fitted well with the company's current expansion and would help strengthen services in West Berkshire. The interim chief executive officer said: "We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Newbury & District's operation in the Newbury and Thatcham area. "We have been looking at ways of strengthening and expanding our network and after the recent success with our Green Line and Thames Valley services to the east of Reading we realised we had a great opportunity on our own doorstep. "We will be sorting out all the details and ensuring there is a smooth transition so that customers will see no disruption to their services. "Initially, Newbury & District will be running all of their services exactly as at present whilst further into the future we may look at merging some routes and harmonising branding." Not sure that figure of 600 staff is accurate. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Adelante_CCT on September 20, 2018, 15:15:52 That 600 is across both Reading Buses and Newbury District buses
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Surrey 455 on September 20, 2018, 22:28:59 From the Reading Chronicle (https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/16891842.newbury-bus-services-taken-over-by-reading-buses-as-part-of-expansion-plans/?ref=mr&lp=8) Quote BUS services in Newbury have been taken over by Reading Buses. The Newbury & District operation in the Newbury and Thatcham area employs more than 600 staff. Reading Buses' interim head Tony Pettitt said the acquisition fitted well with the company's current expansion and would help strengthen services in West Berkshire. The interim chief executive officer said: "We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Newbury & District's operation in the Newbury and Thatcham area. "We have been looking at ways of strengthening and expanding our network and after the recent success with our Green Line and Thames Valley services to the east of Reading we realised we had a great opportunity on our own doorstep. "We will be sorting out all the details and ensuring there is a smooth transition so that customers will see no disruption to their services. "Initially, Newbury & District will be running all of their services exactly as at present whilst further into the future we may look at merging some routes and harmonising branding." Not sure that figure of 600 staff is accurate. I thought Reading Buses already had a Newbury Buses division. It had a similar livery I recall. Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: CyclingSid on September 21, 2018, 07:01:37 Glad I am not the only person confused by the situation in Newbury. I am not clear what Hayward coaches (?) own or used to own, they seem to be the silent horse behind a lot of what goes on with buses in Newbury.
What is the situation with Newbury bus station? Planned to be sold, moving to somewhere near the Wharf/Royal Mail, how does this fit in with the developments at Newbury (rail) station? Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: eightonedee on September 21, 2018, 19:57:33 Reading Buses did have a Newbury operation in the past. They acquired the Newbury operations of Bee Line (which started off as the privatised operations of Alder Valley) in about 1992, repainted their buses in a variation of the then-current Reading livery, but closed this in 2011. (source -my memory as a local reinforced by Wikipedia!).
Hayward are a coach hire outfit based at Greenham, on part of the old airbase. They also operate under the Weavaway brand, and acquired the old established Wallingford and Didcot Tappins business, whose coaches had a distinctive orange and black livery and had a big school transport operation, some years ago. Presumably they found the fare stage business unviable. A new bus station is being built in Newbury by West Berks Council at the Wharf, which was the old site of Newbury's bus station when I was a lad, and the buses were post box red Thames Valley ones. It also featured (if my memory does not fail me) thatched roof shelters. It's development is not linked to any improvement at the station, and it's further away from it than the current one. Hope that helps! Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Thatcham Crossing on October 06, 2018, 16:27:33 The area of Newbury Town Centre north of the Station is to be redeveloped, and I understood that's the reason the Bus Station is being moved, as the old/current one is to be demolished as part of the plan.
This article from the local rag earlier in the year gives some detail https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/home/21206/newbury-town-centre-regeneration-scheme-a-step-closer.html (https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/home/21206/newbury-town-centre-regeneration-scheme-a-step-closer.html) Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on March 06, 2019, 08:03:07 From the Reading Chronicle (https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/17478260.reading-buses-agree-terms-to-purchase-courtney-buses/)
Quote READING Buses have agreed terms to purchase Bracknell-based firm Courtney Buses. The network continues to expand following recent acquisition of routes in Newbury and now Courtney Buses' fleet of 57 buses. Covering commercial bus services in Bracknell and Slough, the company was responsible for serving high-profile corporate contracts as far afield as Basingstoke, Didcot and Weybridge. (article continues in link) Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: grahame on March 06, 2019, 08:08:52 From the Reading Chronicle (https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/17478260.reading-buses-agree-terms-to-purchase-courtney-buses/) Quote READING Buses have agreed terms to purchase Bracknell-based firm Courtney Buses. The network continues to expand following recent acquisition of routes in Newbury and now Courtney Buses' fleet of 57 buses. So does that expand the route availability on the Explorer tickets which have been verified to include All Reading Buses services excluding Greenwave, Kennections, Football and special events - so that includes * Green line services 702 and 703 - Heathrow, SLOUGH Station (for rail connection), Windsor and Legoland * 7 - READING to FLEET Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: bobm on March 06, 2019, 08:17:41 Probably not in the short term as the company will continue to operate separately.
Title: Re: Reading Buses expand their area Post by: Reading General on March 06, 2019, 11:32:06 I would think that the Network Day Ticket would be valid on the new services if they connect with other RT services,however if they are isolated possibly not.
I personally think that Reading Transport are stretching themselves too far here and don't currently have the management, operational or engineering staff to deal with the extra workload. When I left they were struggling to cope with the operation of the london to Windsor service and, as with the last time they took on more services, the Town network will suffer as a consequence. This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |