From the frontpage at
http://www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk/This website is closing
For over 20 years, this website has provided impartial travel advice using timetables compiled by all of the local transport authorities (County Councils and Unitary Authorities) in the region. The Bus Services Act of 2017 means that, by the end of 2020. it will be the bus operators' responsibility to make available timetable, fares and real-time location data. The Government expects "the market" (bus operators and internet information providers) to use the latest technological developments to give travel planning information to the travelling public.
Our website is rather dated now, and without funds to develop it with new facilities, and without enhancements to use the latest software developments, the decision has been taken to close it down. The closure was initially due to take place a year ago, and then at the end of March 2020. The rapidly changing data resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak provided a further extension.
This website's last day of operation will be Wednesday 23rd September, when our software contracts and hosting arrangements come to an end. Once our journey planner is taken off-line, this page will offer a number of alternative journey planning websites.
We will continue to provide data to the Traveline National Dataset as the transition to operators' data takes place.
Thank you to the many thousands of you that have found our website useful over the last 20 year
This is a shame as I have used it a lot. It has been very useful because I can plan journeys involving train, bus, tube etc nationwide. The main selling point for me was that I could specify how long I was able to walk between points. By specifying a walk of up to 60 minutes I could get to a different station or bus stop and arrive at my destination earlier than Google Maps suggestions which only allows a maximum walking time of 30 minutes.
Planning an early morning journey from home to Bournemouth last year, Traveline suggested I walk 35 minutes to the
TfL» bus stop, bus to Surbiton, train to Woking, train to Bournemouth. Google suggested leaving later so I could catch the first train of the day from Bookham to Guildford, train to Woking, train to Bournemouth. By following traveline I got to Bournemouth about an hour earlier than had i followed Google maps suggestion.
In the last year it has not fared too well. It struggled with accurate data when the
SWR» strikes were on and similarly when the train services were cut at the start of the Covid lockdown by suggesting direct trains that I knew were not running or were partly replacement bus services.
I will now need to find a replacement that allows 60 minutes walking.
RIP traveline SE.