(13/08/2013 21:14)mbonwick Wrote:  16548 has moved north to Carlisle, its unclear why at the moment.

The Royales were originally to receive a full repaint into plain white, but after the budget was blown on giving 16235 a full repaint into swoops, a cheaper solution had to be found.

(15/08/2013 16:57)R874 ERE Wrote:  Solar YN05 WKE is on the 472 this evening.

(22/07/2013 20:58)polarbear Wrote:  Timetable changes in the Chester area from the end of August 2013 have been announced on the local Stagecoach website;

http://www.stagecoachbus.com/serviceupdatedetails.aspx?Id=7923

Quote:Stagecoach is making a number of changes and improvements to local bus services in Chester from the above date. Most local services will have changes to both the route and timetable and many services will have an increased level of frequency, including new evening and Sunday buses provided commercially by Stagecoach.

All our services will be operated by low floor, easy-access buses!

Full details are shown below:

5 Chester Rail Station – City Centre – Boughton – Huntington

There will be a revised timetable, with buses generally operating every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, hourly on Sunday daytime and with two journeys in the late evening, replacing service DB5. Most trips will also serve the rail station and we have tried to cater for connections to / from popular trains at peak times. All buses will now start and finish at Foregate Street instead of the Bus Exchange. In Huntington, buses will operate via Caldy Valley Road in both directions and will no longer serve Gorse Way. We have monitored the usage of this service to and from the Bus Exchange over several weeks and only a very small number of customers make use of this link. By starting at Foregate Street, we can make better use of the buses and improve the frequency to benefit the vast majority of our customers.

6 Chester City Centre – Boughton Heath, Belgrave Road

There will be a revised timetable, with buses still operating every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday between 9am and 3pm. Monday to Friday we will also operate two extra trips between 5pm and 6pm. Heading towards town, buses will operate via the rail station. All buses will now start and finish at Foregate Street instead of the Bus Exchange. We have monitored the usage of this service to and from the Bus Exchange over several weeks and only a very small number of customers make use of this link. By starting at Foregate Street, we can make better use of the buses and improve the frequency to benefit the vast majority of our customers.

7 Chester City Centre – Vicars Cross, Green Lane

For details of evening and Sunday buses to these areas, please see service 8.

There will be an improved timetable, with buses now operating every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime! All buses will now start and finish at Foregate Street instead of the Bus Exchange. We have monitored the usage of this service to and from the Bus Exchange over several weeks and only a very small number of customers make use of this link. By starting at Foregate Street, we can make better use of the buses and improve the frequency to benefit the vast majority of our customers.

8 Chester City Centre – Vicars Cross – Pipers Ash – Chester City Centre

This service will now operate Monday to Saturday evenings, replacing the DB6 at these times, as well as Sunday daytime with a revised timetable. The service will start and finish at Foregate Street in the city centre. There will be a revised route in Pipers Ash, with all buses turning off the ring road by The Piper, then via Pipers Lane, Alder Grove, Cedar Grove, Willow Grove, Pipers Lane, Hoole Lane and then the usual route to Foregate Street.

9 Chester City Centre – Hoole Lane – Pipers Ash

For details of evening and Sunday buses to these areas, please see service 8.

There will be an improved timetable, with buses now operating every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime! All buses will now start and finish at Foregate Street instead of the Bus Exchange. In Pipers Ash, buses will operate a revised route to serve more of the estate. The normal route will be followed to The Piper, then buses will run via Pipers Lane, Alder Grove, Cedar Grove, Willow Grove, Pipers Lane and back to Hoole Lane. The loop around the A41 ring road and the very first stop at the top of Pipers Lane by Crossley Crescent will no longer be served. We have monitored the usage of this service to and from the Bus Exchange over several weeks and only a very small number of customers make use of this link. By starting at Foregate Street, we can make better use of the buses and improve the frequency to benefit the vast majority of our customers.

15/15A Chester City Centre – Saughall

While there are no changes to the Stagecoach or Arriva bus times on this service, the evening and Sunday buses provided by another operator under contract to Cheshire West and Chester Council will have a revised timetable and will simply run as service 15, instead of DB6. Stagecoach and Arriva tickets will continue to be accepted for travel.

16/16A/X16 Chester City Centre – Handbridge – Cliveden – Saltney

There will be an improved timetable, with buses now operating up to every 10 minutes during Monday to Friday morning peak times and every 12 minutes in the afternoon peak times. During Monday to Saturday evenings, we will now be running buses much later, with the last departure from the Bus Exchange at 11pm. As a result of the later operation of service 16, the DB5 service will no longer operate.

We will be greatly simplifying the route, with all trips operating to the same consistent ‘clockwise’ route in Chester City Centre. All buses will operate from the Bus Exchange via the existing 16 route to Handbridge. Heading back towards the city centre, buses will operate from Handbridge via Grosvenor Street, Abode/HQ and Nicholas Street to the Bus Exchange. As a result of this, no buses will operate the former 16A or X16 routes and as such, the rail station will no longer be served at any time. In Saltney, buses will once again serve Victoria Road and Irving’s Crescent, so that we can better serve the estate. Fixed bus stops will be restored in these areas.

50 Chester Bus Exchange – Chester Rail Station

This service will be withdrawn, due to lack of usage.

51 Chester City Centre – Plas Newton

There will be an improved timetable, with buses now operating up to every 10 minutes during Monday to Friday morning peak times. At other times, we will still be operating a 15 minute frequency, but the timetable will be revised. We will now be operating a new Monday to Saturday evening service and will be operating the Sunday daytime service, instead of Arrowebrook Coaches. There is no change to the route.

53 Chester City Centre – Kingsway

There will be an improved timetable, with buses now operating every 12 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime! We will also be providing a new evening and Sunday service on the route, which will replace the various diversions of services DB6 and 21E. There is no change to the route.

X2 Chester – Ellesmere Port

On Monday to Fridays, the 0648 trip from Brook Lane to Ellesmere Port will now start from the Bus Exchange at 0645. On Saturdays, the 0903 trip from Brook Lane to Ellesmere Port will now start from the Bus Exchange at 0900.

Good to see improved evening & Sunday services, but I wonder how well the removal of the links to the Bus Exchange will be received by the locals?