On Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:05:25 +0100, Paul Corfield
wrote:

On Wed, 31 Mar 2010 04:16:28 +0100, Josie
wrote:

Hello,

I'm after two bits of advice, if anyone can help.

I'm travelling out to Grays during the strike next week. Assuming it all
goes ahead, there's nothing running via Grays at all. The best way I can
work out is train to Upminster, then the 370 bus to Lakeside, then
Ensignbus to Grays. Is that best or is there something else I haven't
thought of?

The only other option is the 372 bus which starts from Hornchurch and
runs past Elm Park to Lakeside. You change there for Ensignbus local
services.

Be warned that the 370 and 372 are ordinarily pretty busy and I dread to
think what they'll be like on a C2C strike day.

There is a rather infrequent 347 from Romford and Upminster to Ockendon
Station but my knowledge of Ensign's routes is not good enough to say
whether they run on from Ockendon Station to Grays.

There are one or two very obscure routes which are *not* TfL services
that skirt their way to / from Lakeside as shopper routes which might be
worth knowing about as contingency measures.

One is the First Bus 265 which runs from Brentwood to Lakeside.

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/lond.../265/index.php

There is also a 269 from Brentwood to Grays.

http://www.busmap.org/tt4/269C.pdf

The TfL run 498 bus runs from Brentwood back in to Romford from where
there are other bus routes.

The other is Blue Triangle's 575 which also runs from Lakeside to
Romford and then on to Epping.

http://www.go-ahead-london.com/bus-s.../route575.html

These are probably both "long ways round for a short cut" but if other
routes are jam packed full they're worth having in reserve even if you
have to pay separately for them.

There are no longer any coaches that I could find that might serve Grays
/ Thurrock while running from Southend into London.

Separately, I'm going *from* Grays into London on a non-strike day (a
weekend, actually, so no peak restrictions?). I'll be travelling in by
train, then doing a few tubes and buses (no more NR/Overground after I
get to Fenchurch St) in Z1 or Z1-2 but probably not enough to reach a
cap. I've got a 16-25 railcard and the discount on Oyster. Is it cheaper
to get a paper travelcard or PAYG, and if the latter then how soon can I
expect to hit a cap?

If you are using PAYG from Grays (remember it is valid on C2C) then the
off peak railcard cap is £9.40 for Z1-6 plus Grays. Your PAYG fare
from grays to Z1 will be £3.90 (with discount) - you've therefore got to
make up £5.50 worth of TfL travel to hit the cap. Only you can assess
if you're likely to do that.

HTH


Ensign do produce a good quality time-table book. c/w a route map
which is available from the travel office at Lakeside Bus Station &
also from racks on-board their buses.

www.ensignbus.com might be useul too.......

DC