Lovely time in sunny Weymouth

[whole diary]

[James158]

Me and my mum have just come back from Weymouth after spending 2 days staying with a friend. We caught the bus on Thursday at 06:38 and arrived Weymouth at 14:29. We caught all First Bus services and had to change 3 times. The ticket we bought is called FirstDay South West and costs ^8.00 before 09:00 and ^7.10 after 09:00 for a adult (^5.60 for a student and ^5.80 for a child). The journey details are below:-

Bristol - Wells (service 376)
Wells - Yeovil (service 377)
Yeovil - Bridport (service 47)
Bridport - Weymouth (service 31 or X53)

We were originally going to stay in a Guest House but they were all fully booked so a good friend offered to put us up for the night. We then went back out and went on the bus to Lyme Regis (service 31 or X53). We then caught the last bus back to Weymouth after spending 1hour 35 mins there.

The following day we just relaxed on a bench on the esplanade in Weymouth before catching the last train back to Bristol Temple Meads at 20:21 (unfortunately it wasn't cancelled as we did not want to go back home). If this service was cancelled what would FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have done? We bought our ticket on the train costing ^12.45 for an off peak single with the Family & Friends Railcard. The train was lovely and peaceful until Bath Spa where hords of drunk people boarded shouting and singing all the way to BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)). It is like this all the way from Weymouth on Saturday nights. According to a poster at Weymouth Railway Station FGW have now banned alcohol on the 20:21 Weymouth to BTM service on Saturdays due to the rowdy lot that get on. They now need to consider banning alcohol all the time. BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) also need to make a presence on this service to keep an eye out for any trouble.

[inspector_blakey]

If this service was cancelled what would FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have done?

Provided alternative transport, i.e. a bus or taxis. It's all covered in the conditions of carriage.

And on the alcohol point, it doesn't do a lot of good banning alcohol on the service if people are already well oiled before they get on board - like you said, they only travelled from bath to Bristol. That must have taken all of 15 minutes. Not even I could put away enough booze to do that much damage in 15 minutes.

[devon_metro]

You'd enjoy the last one back from Bristol to Frome on Saturdays then...

[inspector_blakey]

Or indeed either of the last two services from Temple Meads to Paddington on a Saturday...

[James158]

You'd enjoy the last one back from Bristol to Frome on Saturdays then...

Why would we? Is it full of drunks. They would not have that on the Rail Replacement Buses to Frome.

[James158]

Or indeed either of the last two services from Temple Meads to Paddington on a Saturday...

Why?

[inspector_blakey]

You've answered your own question two posts above.

And rail replacement buses suffer from exactly the same problem, trust me. I've experienced it at first hand.