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Title: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Rapidash on January 12, 2016, 18:41:12 No, it's not a rip off of Han and Chewies piece of Junk ;)
Plymouthian Transit (http://www.plymothiantransit.com/2016/01/stagecoach-falconary.html) Quote Its been an open secret for some time now but Stagecoach^s plans for Plymouth include a brand new Plymouth - Exeter - Bristol service. The always entertaining (and opinionated!) Public Transport Experience blog has the details we have all be waiting for: The "South West Falcon" will provide a regular city link from Plymouth to the centre of Bristol calling at Exeter Park & Ride, Taunton Park & Ride,Bristol Airport and selected villages on the A38/M5/A38 corridor on a turn-up and go basis More information will follow in the coming weeks, but we also wanted to share a sneak peak at the brand new 15 metre Volvo B11R / Plaxton Elite coaches that we will be running on the service in a striking gun metal grey livery with blue and green relief, and are nearing completition at the factory. We atill await full details and timetables, and more importantly the fares for this ambitious new service. Calling in at the Exeter and Taunton Park & Ride sites rather than in their centres is an interesting choice in that it keeps the overall journey times down but does make it less conveniant for passengers in those towns. Maybe in Exeter at least they will come up with some through fares connecting up with local buses, although not sure if that will be possible in Taunton. So, will it work? I for one certainly hope so and look forward to trying the service out when it starts. More details as they get released will appear here (and on Public Transport Experience!) Pity Torbay is excluded, what with the bypass now making escape from the area very easy, but hey ho. The coaches themselves look pretty swish. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: TaplowGreen on January 12, 2016, 18:53:38 Bit of competition for FGW?
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Rapidash on January 12, 2016, 18:59:30 Bit of competition for FGW? And for Megabus, bizarrely. Actually it's not bizarre. Every time I've seen a mb in Exeter that's northbound has been very full, and a fair chunk of passengers are doing Plymouth/Exeter to Bristol. Some additional capacity was needed I guess! Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: TaplowGreen on January 12, 2016, 19:02:04 Bit of competition for FGW? And for Megabus, bizarrely. Actually it's not bizarre. Every time I've seen a mb in Exeter that's northbound has been very full, and a fair chunk of passengers are doing Plymouth/Exeter to Bristol. Some additional capacity was needed I guess! .....and for National Express! Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: JayMac on January 12, 2016, 19:10:51 I predict 4 years maximum before Stagecoach pull the plug.
Similar schemes in the west have been tried in the past. All were withdrawn/cutback. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: LiskeardRich on January 12, 2016, 21:18:47 This is pretty much Megabus (operated by Stagecoach) M6 service.
The M6 services I have travelled on have strangely always been busy from Plymouth/Exeter to Bristol and Bristol to London, but very few through passengers. The last few trips I'd estimate approx. 60-70% of passengers bailed at Bristol to be replaced with new ones. Probably what has given Stagecoach the idea if my observations on the M6 service is more common than not then they will have the figures to show there is demand for a bus service Plymouth/Exeter to Bristol. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: 6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01 on January 20, 2016, 20:21:16 Exeter-Bristol could take a decent amount from the railway.... think about it if you live on the outskirts of exeter are you going to drive threw exeter's horrific traffic and pay threw the nose to park at st davids... or would you use the cheaper park and ride option away from the traffic with a potential time saving and most likely significant cost saving? ... i know parking at a station on the outskirts is an option but lets be honest changing trains puts people off .... i think this is going to do better than some of you think
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: JayMac on January 20, 2016, 23:19:43 Pre-deregulation Southern National tried it.
Management buy out Southern National tried it. First Southern National tried it. Now Stagecoach are trying it. Good luck with that. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: LiskeardRich on January 21, 2016, 08:34:46 https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/south-west/fly-the-south-west-falcon
Quote From Plymouth to Bristol & back again 24/7 The South West Falcon is a brand new coach service from Stagecoach South West connecting Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton, Bristol Airport and Bristol City Centre. Starting from 14 February the Falcon will fly up the A38 and M5 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get your ticket for just ^1! To celebrate the launch of Falcon any journey will cost just ^1 between 14 and 27 February* Why not... Try it over half term with the kids? Take it to work one day? Turn up at the airport in style? You can buy your ticket direct from your driver. All Falcon coaches have free Wi-Fi, USB charging points, power sockets and air conditioning so you can work, rest or play whilst on the move. Tickets & timetables Over the next few weeks we'll be revealing full details of our great value ticket range and our 24/7 timetable - so make sure you check back regularly. *Any single journey between two points along the route Where can I catch the Falcon? We've listed the main stops for Falcon below. To keep it flying as fast as possible many of the stops are on or near the A38 and M5. Plymouth (Bretonside) Drumbridges (For Newton Abbot) Exeter (Honiton Road & Sowton Park & Ride Sites) Cullompton (The Weary Traveller) Taunton (Gateway Park & Ride Daytimes, Heron Gate Sainsburys Evenings, Overnight & Early Mornings) Bridgwater (Huntworth Lane M5, Junction 24) Brent Knoll (Fox & Goose) Churchill Inn Bristol Airport Bristol (Cabot Circus) Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: TaplowGreen on January 21, 2016, 14:57:22 I can see it being a popular option with students taking into account the huge and ever expanding population in Plymouth, much cheaper fares than the trains no doubt for probably a much more pleasant travelling environment.
Could well be a niche market to exploit. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Puffing Billy on January 21, 2016, 20:38:30 As public transport from the south-west to Bristol Airport is virtually non-existent, this could be a winner, particularly if it offers an arrival time at the unsocial hour demanded by the popular early-morning flights. In fact, I wonder whether if there is much value in continuing to the city, rather than just turning round at the airport - through travellers are hardly likely to be attracted by the circuitous route, and the section from the airport to the city is hardly short of existing options.
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: LiskeardRich on January 21, 2016, 20:47:26 In October it was as I've mentioned before easier and cheaper to get to Gatwick from Cornwall than Bristol by public transport for 5-6am outbound and midnight return flights.
This could now open a cheap possibility of train to Plymouth in the late evening, catch the Falcon to Bristol airport at say midnight-1am ish from Plymouth, returning at say 1am from Bristol airport to Plymouth for the first train into Cornwall in the morning. Found a photo of the interior on Flickr, does look smart https://www.flickr.com/photos/86759450@N07/24422155966/in/photostream/ Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Puffing Billy on February 01, 2016, 19:22:34 The timetable has just been posted, and very ambitious it is, too. Will be interesting to see a) how well it loads, and b) how well it keeps to time.
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Red Squirrel on February 02, 2016, 09:10:50 I spotted a couple of Falcon buses with 'coming soon' banners doing driver training on Hotwell Rd the other day. They do look pretty spiffy - for diesel buses!
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: LiskeardRich on February 02, 2016, 11:39:23 I've noticed once the promo fares are out of the way, the Falcon will be around ^10 dearer than megabus for Plymouth to Bristol Journeys, but intermediate journeys on Falcon are cheap. The T+Cs state split ticketing isn't permitted if you go full journey on the same bus. Split ticketing ok as long as get off at the split and join the next service
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Adelante_CCT on February 02, 2016, 12:40:53 No splitting at
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: LiskeardRich on February 02, 2016, 16:41:41 No splitting at Not if the driver plays by the rules. Quote Falcon fares Journey Adult Single/Adult Return Plymouth - Exeter ^7.30/^7.50 Plymouth - Taunton ^7.30/^7.50 Plymouth - Bristol ^22/^25 Exeter - Bristol ^13/^15 Taunton - Bristol ^6.50/^7.50 Brent Knoll - Bristol ^6/^7 Churchill - Bristol ^4.30/^5 Please note: Sorry, but concessionary passes are not valid on Falcon. Falcon is an express coach link for long distance journeys, local journeys cannot be made. A through ticket must be bought on boarding for the full length of your journey. If you wish to split your journey into sections you must disembark and catch a later coach. For full details please refer to our FAQs (coming soon Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Tim on February 02, 2016, 17:17:52 No splitting at I suspect that this may be difficult to enforce. I do wonder what the legal consequences of not observing this rule would be. IIRC, buses (except in London) do not have the benefit of a list of offences that can be used against fare dodgers. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: TaplowGreen on February 02, 2016, 19:04:06 ;)
No splitting at I suspect that this may be difficult to enforce. I do wonder what the legal consequences of not observing this rule would be. IIRC, buses (except in London) do not have the benefit of a list of offences that can be used against fare dodgers. ...........maybe something to ponder whilst you're standing at the bus stop after the driver chucks you off for not having the correct ticket? Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Richard Fairhurst on February 02, 2016, 21:03:30 The interior looks identical to the X5 Oxford-Cambridge coach - maybe a slightly lighter blue. As a fairly regular X5 user, I'll admit I'd have to be really feeling the pinch to catch one of those when there's a train available, but no doubt they've done their research...
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Puffing Billy on February 02, 2016, 22:05:32 Even from Taunton, let alone further west, a check-in before 7.30 a.m., or (at least at weekends), a landing after 9.00 p.m precludes the use of the existing service via Bristol TM, so the Falcon has the market to itself outside those hours. But one thing that might put people off is the insistence of avoiding a diversion to the (Taunton) town centre - I am not overly happy at the prospect of being dumped at a deserted business park in the small hours of the morning! Do not know if similar misgivings apply to the other stops - perhaps other people may have some input on this.
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: LiskeardRich on February 02, 2016, 22:14:29 Even from Taunton, let alone further west, a check-in before 7.30 a.m., or (at least at weekends), a landing after 9.00 p.m precludes the use of the existing service via Bristol TM, so the Falcon has the market to itself outside those hours. But one thing that might put people off is the insistence of avoiding a diversion to the (Taunton) town centre - I am not overly happy at the prospect of being dumped at a deserted business park in the small hours of the morning! Do not know if similar misgivings apply to the other stops - perhaps other people may have some input on this. At the early hours I'd prefer not to be dropped in a town centre to be honest. The likelihood is someone will get collected if they have luggage so the deserted business park might be better choice than a town centre at club kicking out time and drunken revellers. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Puffing Billy on February 02, 2016, 22:38:35 Good point. On the other hand, the bus station has secure car parking nearby, and a taxi-rank round the corner as a fall-back in case you cannot arrange to get picked up. Can see the pros and cons of both situations.
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: anthony215 on February 03, 2016, 10:12:01 I have raised the issue of timet keeping especially between Bristol Airport and Bristol city centre. I have been driving the Bristol Airport - Cardiff National express service and frequently it has taken me 25 minutes to get from the airport to Ashton Gate during peak hours.
I do think Stagecoach might do well with this route and wish them luck. I think National express will be watching with interest. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: ChrisB on February 03, 2016, 22:04:26 Quote Plymouth - Exeter ^7.30/^7.50 Plymouth - Taunton ^7.30/^7.50 Plymouth - Bristol ^22/^25 Taunton - Bristol ^6.50/^7.50 Quote That's asking for pax to try it on.....there's no need to load the fare like that! Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: LiskeardRich on February 04, 2016, 07:23:42 Quote Plymouth - Exeter ^7.30/^7.50 Plymouth - Taunton ^7.30/^7.50 Plymouth - Bristol ^22/^25 Taunton - Bristol ^6.50/^7.50 Quote That's asking for pax to try it on.....there's no need to load the fare like that! It's probably to encourage Plymouth -Bristol passengers to use megabus which is typically between ^5-8 single booked 10days in advance for that journey. The megabus has a slightly quicker journey time as it only calls as Exeter, and goes a quicker way into Bristol. Plymouth -Exeter/Taunton are in the SW explorer day ticket area at a price of ^7.50 valid on all stagecoach SW services which may explain that ticket price, Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Tim on February 04, 2016, 10:05:21 ;) No splitting at I suspect that this may be difficult to enforce. I do wonder what the legal consequences of not observing this rule would be. IIRC, buses (except in London) do not have the benefit of a list of offences that can be used against fare dodgers. ...........maybe something to ponder whilst you're standing at the bus stop after the driver chucks you off for not having the correct ticket? But having to leave the bus at Taunton and catch the next one is what you would have to do anyway if you had decided to use split ticketing legally. If I was doing Plymouth Taunton in my younger time-rich cash-poor days, I would certainly have bought the split tickets to save myself about a tenner at the cost of an extra hour of my time. Having now got those split tickets, I'd certainly try jumping off and then back on the same bus at Taunton, on the basis that I would be unlikely to be breaking any criminal law and the worst that could happen would be that I would be refused re-entry to the bus and have to wait for the next one. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: Chris from Nailsea on February 06, 2016, 23:56:19 ... frequently it has taken me 25 minutes to get from the airport to Ashton Gate during peak hours. As a commercial driver familiar with that particular route: I agree. :-X However, the construction of the South Bristol Link road will apparently solve all of those problems. ;) Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: TaplowGreen on March 11, 2016, 09:11:08 I was in Plymouth last weekend and happened to be strolling through Bretonside as one of the Falcons was getting ready to depart - so busy the driver was turning people away - lots of people talking about it too in Plymouth as an alternative to driving/getting the train, they look like top notch vehicles & seems like it could be a winner for Stagecoach (and travellers to Bristol!)
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: IndustryInsider on March 11, 2016, 13:25:21 ...so busy the driver was turning people away... Good to hear the service was busy, but not good to hear people being turned away. One of the negatives of coach travel. Presumably you can book ahead to guarantee a seat though? Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: ChrisB on March 11, 2016, 13:59:47 Not according to their ad leaflet
Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: TaplowGreen on March 11, 2016, 17:10:51 ...so busy the driver was turning people away... Good to hear the service was busy, but not good to hear people being turned away. One of the negatives of coach travel. Presumably you can book ahead to guarantee a seat though? At the moment it's turn up and go but seats will be available to reserve online soon......victim of its own success at the moment it seems, although everyone who gets on has a (leather, reclining) seat with power & USB socket - one of the positives of coach travel! Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: IndustryInsider on March 11, 2016, 17:34:01 At the moment it's turn up and go but seats will be available to reserve online soon......victim of its own success at the moment it seems, although everyone who gets on has a (leather, reclining) seat with power & USB socket - one of the positives of coach travel! Yes, let's hope so - personally I welcome any new public transport links and competition to the railway will only encourage GWR and AXC to compete and not be complacent. The Exeter to Plymouth timings are very competitive with the rail route, though much less so from Exeter to Bristol city, but I'm sure the link to Bristol Airport will prove a popular one. Passengers won't be at all happy if they are regularly turned away though. Title: Re: Stagecoach and the South West Falcon Post by: LiskeardRich on March 11, 2016, 17:48:45 ...so busy the driver was turning people away... Good to hear the service was busy, but not good to hear people being turned away. One of the negatives of coach travel. Presumably you can book ahead to guarantee a seat though? Nope no advance booking, but 4-5 Megabus services daily available cheaper than Falcon for the same route for those who book on advance. 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 |