Mid-Point
50 out of 100 British Bus Routes Completed!
9 March 2025
It was almost exactly three years ago, in February 2022, that I launched my "100 British Bus Routes" series. The publication of my route 76 article last week marked the half-way point of the series, so I thought it might be a good stage at which to take stock of the series so far.
As one would expect, it's been a mixture of routes that were always going to be on the list - such as route 3 (Porthmadog to Pwllheli) and route 28 (Taunton to Minehead) - with routes that I discovered by riding them - route 59 (Stirling to Callander), and route 16 (Stourbridge to Wolverhampton, through the delightful village of Wombourne), for example.
ABOVE: I have already used many of my best pictures in my 100 Britsih Bus Routes series, so I thought I would pepper this article with pictures of routes numbered between 1 and 100 that did not not make the selection - and a couple that still could... Route 44 ended up in Great Malvern, but here is Ensignbus 139 (BJ11 DVR), a Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2, in London Road, Grays, working another route 44 (Lakeside to Grays via Purfleet), on Saturday 11 January 2025.
Of course, nothing stays the same in bus circles. I'm quite surprised that, out of 50 routes so far sampled, only one (to my knowledge) has so far completely ceased to be. Route 92 (Chippenham to Malmesbury) was merged with another route and now runs as the 99 (Chippenham to Malmesbury to Swindon). Do I need to do another 92 in the series to replace it or is it sufficient to say that this was a snapshot of a route 92 that ran in the past?
ABOVE: Still up for grabs is route 64. Here, Vision Bus 1077 (YX21 RRV), an ADL Enviro200 MMC, calls in at Clitheroe Bus Station on Monday 1 July 2024 (the first day of Wimbledon Fortnight, which is why it's raining)! This route 64 links Clitheroe with Burnley.
There have been some near misses. I had my route 83 all lined up, from Monmouth to Abergavenny. And then it was renumbered 68. I already had another route 68 lined up (Blackpool to Preston), so this one had to miss out. I did write about the Welsh 68 anyway (when still the 83) as part of a wider article, but it's not in my "Hall of Fame".
I had also eyed up Arriva route 37 between High Wycombe and Maidenhead, but then it was renumbered 7. Ironically, when Arriva pulled out of High Wycombe, Carousel Buses restored the 37. Hoever, there are now multiple variations (37A, 37B), with slightly different routings, that disrupt the order of my tiny mind, such that I think my choice for route 37 probably exists elsewhere.
ABOVE: Also still to be decided is my choice for route 24. Representing the Bristol version (Southmead Hospital to Ashton Gate) is First Bristol, Bath & the West 37757 (WX09 KBK), a Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini. It is seen in Bond Street, in Bristol CIty Centre, on Easter Sunday, 31 March 2024.
Then there are the routes that just missed out. I may have to do a series about those one day. Route 11 from Kilmarnock to Ardrossan is a lovely ride in Southern Scotland, and might have featured if I hadn't already have discovered the Leamington Spa to Coventry service.
Route 36 from Leeds to Ripon was a candidate until I discovered Kings Lynn to Fakenham. The same fate befell the 47 between Liverpool and Southport (Crossens) when I discovered the service from Shotley Bridge Hospital to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
But my choice for route 12 was always going to be the Newton Abbot to Brixham route, despite strong competition from the Brighton to Eastbourne service. But route 12 could also have been Tenterden to Maidstone, as I have childhood links to Headcorn, the main intermediate village on the route, so know the route slightly.
ABOVE: Arriva Kent & Surrey 6505 (SN66 WHZ), an ADL Enviro400 MMC, passes the magnificent "George & Dragon" public house in Headcorn, Kent. It is working route 12 from Tenterden to Maidstone, on Saturday 8 March 2025.
There were a couple of routes that I sampled and planned to feature that I subsequently decided not to. I won't identify these specifically, but they are routes 4 and 69. In one case I just found that I didn't have much to write about; the other choice has been revised and now has an Express version that has ripped the interesting bit out of the original.
ABOVE: Go-Ahead London Central WVL 416 (LX11 CWY), another Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2, terminates at Orpington Station after a run on Transport for London route 51 from Woolwich, on Thursday 23 January 2025. Route 51 is yet to feature in this series.
There have been other stories along the way. None of my route 31 pictures have the appropriate branding because the buses with the appropriate branding were all working elsewhere on the day of my visit.
Two routes so far (57 and 76) had a mix of single- and double-deckers, to such a degree that I never worked out which buses represented the official allocation and which were the interlopers!
ABOVE: I chose Nottingham for my route 35, but here's the Manchester Bee Network version. Wright StreetDeck Ultroliner 3419 (MX20 JZV), of Go North West, stands outside Salford Shopping Centre on Sunday 26 January 2025, working the Manchester Piccadilly to Leigh service.
My trip to Rothesay to sample route 90 remains my most memorable excursion in connection with this series. A lovely day out, somewhere so far removed from the bustle of London that it was quite unbelievable. (I did cheat a little with that one by including associated route 490, otherwise it would have been a very short article, and also only half the story.)
But route 90 could have been the Didcot Orchard Centre to Didcot Tesco route - four minutes from end-to-end. That was axed a couple of years ago - perhaps just as well, as - fascinating though it probably was - I wouldn't have been able to say much about it, I suspect! (And especially not after Roger French had already reviewed it just before its demise - what would I have said that he hadn't already?)
ABOVE: My choice for route 8 was based in Bristol, but here in the heart of Oxford City Centre is the Oxford Bus Company's 772 (BN24 ZXT) on its route 8 to Barton. This is the very busy Queen Street, which looks to all intents and purposes like a pedestrian precinct, until buses come through silently (they're electric) and at snail's pace! It's Monday 30 September 2024.
Of the 50 routes covered so far, 31 have been in the first half of the range, with only 19 routes numbered 51 and above represented.
I'm hoping to present a good range of services from across the country. Some parts of the country have better representation than others so far. There are seven entries in the West of England, whilst the North and South Midlands have yet to register at all. The single entry for Yorkshire also feels rather lacking.
Conversely, I have deliberately kept London down to (currently) two entries, because I could probably fill most of the series with London routes if not careful (except routes 10, 48 and 82, which currently do not exist in the capital). There is one more route earmarked from London which I feel is a worthy inclusion, but other than that, who knows!
ABOVE: Route 30 is still up for grabs! Here is First Worcestershire 44586 (YX63 ZVD), an ADL Enviro200, in Worcester Bus Station. It is working local circular route 30 to Dines Green. On the left is Yarranton's of Eardiston 784 (BT66 TZE), a Mercedes-Benz Citaro O295 that has featured at least twice in previous articles! It's Monday 16 September 2024.
Anyway, there are lots more routes to come - another 50 in fact! Some of my choices have been made, and two are already "in the can" ready for future articles. Many choices, though, remain to be determined at this point. One very promising route is in the north of Scotland; not sure when that one will see the light of day on this site.
ABOVE: Route 42 is similarly yet to be presented in this series. The Leeds version (Fearnville to Old Farnley) is represented by 35294 (SL67 VXY), a Wright StreetDeck Ultroliner, in King Street, Leeds City Centre, on Friday 17 January 2025.
The toughest nut to crack in the second half of this endeavour is going to be the route I probably should have started with - route 1.
I alluded in the introductory article to a sea crossing to get to my intended choice, but that has since changed. The route 1 that I had planned to feature used to finish with the tightest of right turns, off a narrow High Street and through an archway.
Before I reveal the location, have a look at the High Street in question on Google Streetview - click forward and look right, through the archway - that's where the buses used to go (you can see the archway just before the "No Entry" sign). I agree - it looks impossible. That's why this busy route 1 used the shortest of single-deckers, despite being an incredibly busy route.
In case you're still wondering, this is Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. If you drive down through the archway, you will come to The Arcade, which sits alongside the Red Jet Ferry Terminal. This is where Southern Vectis route 1, from Newport, used to terminate.
But this unique feature was quietly dropped a while back, and buses now terminate 100 yards away, avoiding this challenging turn and enabling much more appropriate double-decker buses to be used.
A sensible change, but it has robbed me of the original reason for this to be my choice, leaving this route 1 competing with so many others (around 140 options are listed on Bus Times). At some point I will have to choose one... But not yet!
ABOVE: Entering Mansfield Bus Station on Thursday 30 March 2023 is Stagecoach East Midlands 27761 (FX61 HGG), an ADL/TransBus Enviro300, working route 1 (Mansfield Woodhouse to Alfreton). It carries this distinctive "Mansfield Miller" branding, featuring an image of Windy Miller, who lived in the windmill in the 1960s children's TV series Camberwick Green. The bus has since lost this branding. This is one of seven different route 1s operated by Stagecoach East Midlands.
So I hope you will stay with me for the next 50 of my 100 British Bus Routes. Who knows where they will take us... And, on the current trajectory, this series will see us through to Spring 2028! Plenty of time to find "the one" amongst the others!