#AYearOfBuses 36: Ripon – Harrogate – Leeds
There was only ever going to be one winner for day 36 on #AYearOfBuses – it’s The Harrogate Bus Company’s 36, linking the town with Ripon and Leeds using those signature high-spec double deckers. Back in 2003, a bus company from Yorkshire blew apart the UK bus industry when it revealed the first of 12 […]
#AYearOfBuses 35: Bulwell – Nottingham
Day 35 takes us to Nottingham for a route steeped in history – and one of Nottingham City Transport’s longest routes. Orange Line 35 passes through or near no less than 12 of Nottingham’s Domesday communities, the site of a Roman Fort, and the world’s first known railway, built in 1603-4 to carry coal from Strelley […]
#AYearOfBuses 34: Leigh – Manchester
We’re heading to Manchester for day 34 on #AYearOfBuses to check in on an interesting battle between regular and guided buses. The 34 and X34 is a long-standing route connecting Manchester with Salford and Leigh, in the borough of Wigan. Over the years, it’s been run by a number of operators, including both First and […]
#AYearOfBuses 33: m3 Emersons Green – Bristol
Day 33 on #AYearOfBuses takes us to Bristol, and to the first route to open on the city’s new rapid transit network, Metrobus. Metrobus m3 was the first of three routes to begin running on the new, high-quality rapid bus operation in Bristol. Using a fleet of bespoke branded Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMCs, the route runs […]
#AYearOfBuses 32: 432 Liverpool – New Brighton
Welcome to February! For day 32 on #AYearOfBuses, we’re going underground. Arriva Merseyside’s route 432 links New Brighton on the Wirral peninsula with Liverpool, through the Wallasey Tunnel under the River Mersey. It’s home to a batch of ‘crossriver’ branded Volvo B5LHs with lowheight Wright double-decker bodywork, for maximum capacity whilst simultaneously avoiding becoming wedged in […]
#AYearOfBuses 31: York – Easingwold – Helmsley
That’s it! 31 January. That’s one whole month of #AYearOfBuses. And today, we’re heading into deepest rural North Yorkshire for a proper treat. Run by Transdev’s York-based subsidiary, York & Country, the 31X heads north out of the historic city of York, out towards some of the most historic and beautiful landscapes to be found anywhere […]
#AYearOfBuses 30: Cardiff – Newport
We’re almost one month down on #AYearOfBuses, and today, we’re headed to the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Cardiff Bus and Newport Bus, both council-owned municipal operators, jointly run the 30, which links the two Welsh cities. The 30 holds the title of being the last such jointly-run route by two municipal operators in Britain. Running in […]
#AYearOfBuses29: The Regency Route
Connecting two Regency towns in the south of England, Brighton & Hove’s Regency Route is our pick for day 29 on #AYearOfBuses. Wearing a striking purple and gold livery, double deckers run every 30 mins on the original Regency Route, the 29, between Brighton and Tunbridge Wells, and every 10 mins as route 28 to […]
#AYearOfBuses 28: X28 Machynlleth – Aberystwyth
Day 28 on #AYearOfBuses takes us to mid-Wales for the first time, for Lloyds’ Coaches Cambrian Coastliner. Lloyd’s X28 runs from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth, linking the two Welsh towns with a journey time of around one hour. The small, family-run independent firm uses two high-spec ADL Enviro 400s on the route, offering fantastic views of […]
#AYearOfBuses 27: X27 Bathgate – Edinburgh
We’re heading to Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, for day 27 on #AYearOfBuses – it’s Lothian Country’s X27. Introduced in August 2018, Lothian Country’s X27 (and its sister, the X28) marked further expansion of the Edinburgh city operator into West Lothian, putting the operator squarely in competition with First. Lothian resurrected the Lothian Country brand in 2017 […]