The Leicester Buses “Partnership”
And the information at stops served by multiple routes seems to be up to date – a rarity in many towns and cities.
An innocent observer could be forgiven for thinking that “Leicester Buses” was the operator of all the buses in Leicester. But you soon see that it isn’t. A quick gance from your personal helicopter reveals a wide range of liveries and operators.
On-line, the Leicester Buses web site has a crudely cobbled together collection of different operators’ bus timetable pages, but with the one redeeming feature of a unified network map. The current version shows the area of Thurnby Lodge in comprehensive detail.
Finding it, however, is not intuitive. Which one of these panels would you click for a map of Leicester buses’ routes?
Leicester Bus Guide? NO
Obvious, isn’t it? But at least it is there. But, go to the operators’s web sites and you will find First Bus at Thurnby Lodge …
… Centrebus at Thurnby Lodge …
… and Arriva at Thurnby Lodge.
Yes, that’s right, Arriva cannot be bothered with any network maps.
And here is Arriva’s timetable for its route to Thurnby Lodge.
And Centrebus advertises its route 40 …
… has an odd Tuesday only journey (note “T”) – oh it doesn’t mean that!
… but it doesn’t really matter as the times are different anyway!
… and it doesn’t serve Scraptoft although that name IS on the map.
What are those nine digit numbers? The average timetable looker-up has no idea. And we’ve got:-
Maybe the actual timetable helps?
Hmmm? Not a lot!
NO, YES and YES!
… but he should have returned to something like normality in time to try to understand the 37, 38, 38A timetable.
… has been renumbered 37 to present a service in true partnership format! Is that why Arriva’s timetable (see above) says route 37/53 although there are no journeys numbered 53?
This is a cheap and cheerful way to keep the glazing flush with the body panels but not entirely realistic at close range. Note the crude coach end detail.
Even a vintage Lima model comes at a high price; the model is not of the best quality and Peterville Quarry Railway wants a coach to transport its paying OO gauge customers, not a van for non-existent parcels.
And Bachmann coaches are quality with a capital K. The window “glass” is not recessed …
… the corridor end is well modelled …
… as is the underframe.
The Commonwealth bogies look fine …
… and you get seats and corridor partitions.
There is even a representation of the “No Smoking” triangle on one of the compartments.
Of course, a modern coach would have even more detail and you would be able to read the text on that red triangle (with the help of a magnifying glass mayhap). But a modern model would cost £80 whereas fbb spent £35.
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