(01 Jul 2021, 10:32 am)ASX_Terranova wrote In regards to the loop roads, why did the services stop.
I also think a taxibus would probably work for these areas.
I'm also going to make a suggestion for another washington taxibus (see attachment).
I'd hazard a guess and say it was either resource based (vehicles/drivers needing to be allocated elsewhere) and/or financially it wasn't working.
(01 Jul 2021, 11:21 am)Adrian wrote I disagree with you there. The Little Pinks network is clearly designed around operational efficiency, rather than the customer. There are still a number of issues that exist from when the Galleries split first happened.
The Galleries terminus still allows through-fares, but it is not possible to get a return fare, other than from Concord. For example, the 84 becomes an 82 at the Galleries and continues to Birtley, but on the return leg, that 82 becomes an 83 at the Galleries and serves a completely different set of stops between the Galleries and Concord. As there's no route saver tickets available, nor an area saver that covers the whole route, it leaves you needing a Purple Zone Go Zones ticket to cover the return journey via 3 buses.
Despite the through-journeys still existing, they are no longer advertised on the GNE timetable and have never been shown on the bus stop timetables (Nexus advised me that it wasn't possible, as they print timetables to the same standard throughout the network). So only those with knowledge of the services will know they don't have to get onto another bus at the Galleries. This isn't helpful to customers, especially those that infrequently use buses.
2/2A were removed from being circulars not long after they started iirc, as it was originally the 2A(nti-clockwise) and 2C(lockwise)
I believe the 493 served the bus link, rather than round the back of Parkway. I think the 297(?) was the last bus to serve the route on a hail and ride basis, but to be honest its not even suitable for that. All the verges at the side of the road are sloped and its one big bend to drive round. Despite being hail and ride, the bus was supposed to stop at the far end of the loop before it returns back on itself, but quite often you'd get someone hitting the bell just after the Titchfield Road junction and the drivers refusing to stop again until the next actual stop - which was Biddick School at the time.
Ah interesting. Genuinely didn't realise that the circular routes had stopped.
Guessing through fares were available then (I. E Biddick to Lambton), but wouldn't be an option now.
Totally agree with comments about the Washington network.
A pale shadow of what it once was and that map you produced years back, really emphasises it.
The fact there have been further changes/reductions since then, emphasises it even more.
Those stops you mention on Parkway near the roundabout are fairly new in the scheme of things. The stop outside Biddick School wasn't an 'official' stop for a long time either. It was flagged as a scholars only stop for years and it was always a risk heading there for a St George's or a GNE service. More often than not, they didn't stop and if they did, it was only ever the ones that had came through Biddick Village. Anything which had came down past The Vic would give it a miss.
Canny gap between Biddick Village and the Arts Centre.