I had to work out that the 267 goes from Bath (am not a local) so I hope this reply helps others. You decided AIUI▸ , to go from Melksham to Chippenham and then 'back' to Bath and then 267 bus home to Frome.
Correct. I had to go to Bath anyway to collect some supplies for the mother trout which was prebooked for collection from a Tesco Store using the Tesco Direct Service. The detour round Chippenham was irrelevant really. Just felt like a bash and as the Cardiff Service was late seemed like a good idea at the time
I did wonder at what time the 'competition' ends, that being the park and ride at Odd Down. It has just occurred to me that these p and r services finish quite early (thus really only for shoppers and office workers). So I looked it up and they go to 2030 and quite a lot of days before Xmas, up to 2130. Not good enough for a night out in Bath where I note your 267 provides a 2315 service.
You're right, that park and ride does finish early (Bath has a few
P&R▸ services). We do indeed have a 23:15 service.
AFAIK▸ you can catch numerous other buses (173, 178 and probably the 179 to name a few) which run similar very late evening services that would drop off just outside Odd Down P&R and you can walk in. I don't think you *have* to use the dedicated 41 service to Odd Down P&R especially on a Bath All Day Ticket. I wonder though if the early finish as you say is rather deliberate on a Thursday / Friday / Saturday Night in a discreet idea to prevent drink driving... But that is nothing more than speculation.
As a footnote, I see that neither service expects people in Frome to go to Bath for a Sunday evening show or event as they both pack up around 1800! Also, as another footnote, car users from the 267 route may find it psychologically difficult to 'go back on themselves' so to speak, to access the Odd Down park and ride which is back down the Radstock road a kilometre from the Red Lion roundabout.#
I have raised this issue on the forum in the past quite some time ago. After the 18:20 departure to Frome on the 267 (Give or take 5 / 10 minutes as I haven't seen a copy of the new Sunday Timetable) you are left with as near as dammit a 3 hour gap to get to Frome which the second to last opportunity of the day; the 21:07 Bath Spa - Weymouth Service which calls at Frome at 21:49
IIRC▸ . After that it's either a ^35.00 Taxi or wait for the 6AM train
(I've done both at one stage or another in my life)
Except of course there is rail! (I mean to Frome, as opposed to the places in between). I presume you took the bus because you live at or near one of those 'in between' places. Otherwise there were services at 7 minutes past the hour available. I wondered if you could not have caught one of those and then caught the 267 back again when you reached Frome?
You're on the right track (No pun intended
) I actually live closer to Frome Railway Station so ordinarily a train would be the best and most preferred option. The bus does drop relatively nearby (A 10 minute walk at my slow pace). But for reasons in my first part of the post, I had to meet the mother trout to drop off the items I had collected for her and she lives closest to the bus route terminus: Sainsburys Supermarket and then a 20 minute drive from there. No buses to parent trout's house as they were withdrawn some time ago
So the bus was the best option here. Otherwise it would've been a ^5.70 Rail Ticket and ^6 odd in a Taxi. Costs incurred with Bus Travel: Nil.
Your First Bus experiences are equalled (is that the right word?) elsewhere. I live in the 'gap' between Dorchester and Axminster. I'll post on a separate thread about this, but what First does not seem to understand is the word 'integration'. That it is often the same holding company for both rail and bus in many areas seems to have little effect on its separate operations.
Can't say I am overly surprised by that myself sadly. A long time ago a Bus I had caught from Taunton - Yeovil was about to arrive at the Bus Station on time. But the entrance was blocked by a HGV. As the bus was in the middle of the road, the driver was unable to let me off as doing so is not only a breach of
H&S▸ but would see me right in the middle of a busy road as the driver was in a right hand slip lane. Bad idea. By the time the HGV eventually moved, the 2 buses I could've caught onward to my destination had both left practically as mine pulled up. Fuming I ended up in the end with a ^4.98 Taxi Fare instead.
Further annoyance was learning that compensation wasn't payable by First as, yep you guessed it: I was connecting onto a service operated by South West Coaches which is a different operator of which First Group would not cover my costs for missing that departure despite it was their own bus that caused the missed connection (I am aware it wasn't their fault). When asked on the assistance desk what the procedure was if First Group didn't operate a service to the desired location meaning I had to use another operator. The response was: "Well then it's hardly a place worth going to if we don't operate to the location" I further pointed out that they did by means of First Great Western but because trains generally don't work all that well on the roads that it would be impossible for me to connect onto said train from Yeovil Bus Station and had to use the only other operator - South West Coaches instead to get to my train at Yeovil Pen Mill for Bristol Temple Meads. I was promptly asked to leave......... Funny That........!
I will be interested in the MD reply. I met him a while back, complained about the online bus timetables that pretend that Somerset, Dorset and Devon are separate islands, between which pax do not wish to travel. He said (erroneously) that this was being fixed. I suppose having services with the same number in different counties has utterly defeated any attempt at such a facility.
I will be too. I'm not one to jump on the band wagon of travel should be perfect because there is no such thing as perfect. But I feel in this case I am owed and apology more than anything and an assurance that I would not be stranded under such conditions again. I am of the firm belief that FG should've provided alternative transport. Even if they'd have said you'll need to contribute ^5 towards it I would've done. No. instead I end up being 2 hours late with nothing to show for it other than a parental rant the other end
