In message , at 14:33:26 on
Sat, 29 Oct 2011, Paul Corfield remarked:
it is stupid that such a relatively easy journey -
a few miles north south - is so hard by public transport. I guess
this is what happens after decades of slow erosion of services coupled
with deregulation and council cutbacks.

I'm not sure it was ever easy. Essex is divided into the various
corridors: A12, A11 and A128 and people commute up and down them by rail
or road. When I was going to school in Brentwood the service from
Upminster was so bad they had to put on a school bus (whereas pupils
along the A12 made their own way).

There was a secondary bus corridor down to Basildon via Shenfield and
Billericay (served today by 551 probably), but I assume this would have
shown up in searches if going Grays-Basildon-Brentwood was a possibility
today.
--
Roland Perry