Ian Jelf wrote:

In message
,
Mizter T writes

Which brings me round to thinking about the new English National Bus
Pass scheme for those 60+ or with a qualifying disability that
launches in April, which will allow holder to have free *local bus*
travel between 9.30am and 11pm weekdays and all day at weekends. I'm
reminded of a story Peter Masson told of a challenge he set himself in
his youth, which was to circumnavigate London in a day - but using a
"Green Rover" ticket which only allowed for travel on London Country
buses (the green ones), not LT's Central area buses (the red ones). I
believe he managed to get most of the way round on his Green Rover,
though did have to pay a fare on one or two bus routes.

So thinking along these lines, I eagerly await hearing of older
English folk who will take on the challenge of trying to cover great
distances using their free national bus pass, obviously only using
local buses. It could start off relatively small - for example a
journey between London and Brighton, or Manchester to Leeds - but
then it could gradually mushroom - Leeds to Newcastle, Manchester to
Newcastle, London to Newcastle, indeed Brighton to Newcastle... and we
haven't even considered the south west yet, let alone Land's End.

There is a long tradition of this. Early in the development of
Blackpool as a resort, many people would make their way there from the
East Lancashire towns (and even across in Yorkshire) by taking trams
from system to system, walking the unserved sections in between.


It's splendid to hear there's some pedigree in such ventures.

I'm afraid I'm more ignorant of matters pertaining to Lancashire than
I care to admit, hence I've never heard that told before, but it
sounds very interesting. Any idea how many tram systems could
theoretically be involved in such an excursion, and how far would the
walks between them be?

I have to say I think a little bit of this attitude would do us well
in the modern day - people often seem very reluctant to make changes
that involve even short walks between stations, or a bus stop and
station. I meanwhile perhaps take a little to much satisfaction in
doing such things! (OK I admit it, I'm a transport nerd!)


I recall also an article *many* years ago in Buses Magazine of two
people doing a John O'Groats to Land's End trip in this way. Also, in
a later "Buses Annual" Stewart J. Brown and Gavin Booth did a cross
country trip from I think Liverpool to Hull in this way.


Brown and Booth sound like they were great men... but I've never heard
of them! Please enlighten me, were they noted bus writers of the era?

(Unfortunately if I heard someone was a "bus writer" nowadays I would
first wish to ascertain whether or not that meant they were a tagger
aka vandal.)


It's one of those things I've toyed with trying many times but alas it's
harder these days as the bus network has some remarkable gaps sometimes.
A Birmingham - Bristol trip in this way was a long-held ambition of mine
but there appears now to be no realistic way of going by bus from
Gloucester to Bristol, amazingly.


You could allow yourself to 'cheat' once by getting an NX coach for
this leg - only three a day mind, at 11.40, 14.05 and 20.05.

It is sad to say that I know 'country folk' who know next to nothing
about their local bus services - said services might be quite
spectacularly deficient, but nonetheless they still exist - however if
I suggest I/we come/go/have a day out using the bus I'm met with looks
of astonishment! Of course in oh-so many places the bus network is a
sad shadow of its former self.


I do wonder if the "local bus" aspect of the new concessionary pass will
sometimes lead to confusion as to what does and does not constitute a
"local bus". Trent's TP service is one "grey area" I'd say. There
also was once a National Express service which became a local bus for
part of its length in the Pennines somewhere I seem to recall.

Tour buses such as City Sightseeing also advertise "local fares
available" (I understand to get some sort of deal with diesel duty). I
wonder if that might make *them* liable to carry 60+ passengers free of
charge? Test case coming I suspect!


Aha - that explains something for me! I had indeed always been
somewhat perplexed by sightseeing buses advertising the existence of
"local fares", especially in London, but I had thought (to the limited
extent I had though about it) that it was a genuine pitch for custom -
not amongst Londoners you understand, but just amongst unadventurous/
tired/ lost tourists who might see a familiar sightseeing bus they had
ridden sometime over the previous few days and sought refuge aboard
it, in the knowledge that it would take them slowly but surely back to
where their hotel was, or some such! I did think such a thing would be
quite ridiculous, but still within the bounds of possibility - I'm
glad to have had that cleared up!

I'm not sure whether such sightseeing operators will be overly keen on
letting mobs of older English people on board - that said I suppose
they would be recompensed for it! I'm sure I read somewhere (can't
remember where though) that the National Bus Pass scheme meant
operators would be compensated for the full fare that would otherwise
have been paid - but I do find that very hard to believe. Anyone know
the broad outlines of how it will work?


Doubtless, someone will soon be posting here with answers to these and
many other questions.

I've had a hard but satisfying day working in Abingdon, though, so
having checked my e-mail I'm off for a bath and a beer!


No buns today?