Stagecoach in Bedford
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A Volvo B10M coach on route X5 at Milton Keynes station, these were displaced by newer coaches in 2009. | |
| Parent | Stagecoach Group |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Bedford, Bedfordshire |
| Service area | Bedford and neighbouring villages |
| Service type | Public bus |
| Routes | 1, 2, 2A, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 53, 71, 72, 73, 74, 81, 841, 848, 851, X5 |
| Destinations | Milton Keynes, Northampton, Flitwick, Rushden, Cranfield, Wootton, Hitchin, Biggleswade, Sandy, Luton[1] |
| Operator | Subsidiary of Stagecoach East. Brand name for services in the Bedfordshire area. |
| Website | www.stagecoachbus.com/ |
Stagecoach in Bedford, also known as Bedford Bus (stylised as 'Bedfordbus'), is the sector of the Stagecoach Group that operates buses in Bedford, Bedfordshire and is currently a trading name of the United Counties Omnibus Company Ltd. Stagecoach in Bedford forms part of the Stagecoach East division, along with Stagecoach in Cambridge, Stagecoach in Peterborough and Stagecoach in The Fens.
Background
The company carries over six million passengers per year, and its buses cover over 6 million miles.[2]
In addition to Bedford, they also operate certain buses to surrounding towns, including Northampton, Luton, Milton Keynes, Hitchin and Flitwick.
The flagship X5 service operates from Cambridge to Oxford via Bedford and Milton Keynes using Plaxton bodied Volvo B9R coaches, and runs up to every 30 minutes most days. To assist the elderly and disabled, most routes have low-floor buses.
Most routes operate all week, all routes (with the exception of 42 Flitwick and 52 Milton Keynes via Cranfield University) operate to a reduced timetable on Sundays, and some only operate on Sundays (72 Hitchin via Henlow Camp and Haynes village). On bank holidays, a Sunday service is operated.[3]
In 2006, as part of a scheme to improve services, Stagecoach East rebranded a number of Stagecoach in Bedford's bus routes using names of planets in the Solar System. The first routes to be rebranded were the Hitchin to Bedford and Biggleswade to Bedford, which became the Mars routes M1 through M4. 11 new low-floor buses carrying special Mars liveries were brought in for these routes.[4] As the year progressed, more routes were rebranded after planets. In total, six planets were used for routes and, along with Mars, included the following:
- Mercury - Sharnbrook to Bedford
- Venus - Wootton to Bedford and Cranfield to Bedford
- Jupiter - Flitwick to Bedford
- Saturn - Luton to Bedford
- Pluto - Northampton to Bedford[5]
Depot
- Bedford with an outstation at Biggleswade. The Bedford depot occupies a site beside the former Oxford to Cambridge 'Varsity' railway line.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.stagecoachbus.com/routemaps-cambridge.aspx List of route maps and destinations for Stagecoach's services in Bedfordshire
- ↑ http://www.transportweb.com/directory/661/19415/ Entry on Transport web
- ↑ http://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables.aspx?serviceid=&locationId=19&from=&to=&locval=59 Timetables for Bedford
- ↑ http://www.stagecoach.com/~/media/Files/S/Stagecoach-Group/Attachments/media/publication-internal-newspaper/issue62.pdf Spring 2006 Stagecoach internal newsletter p. 2
- ↑ http://www.stagecoach.com/~/media/Files/S/Stagecoach-Group/Attachments/media/publication-internal-newspaper/issue64.pdf Autumn 2006 Stagecoach internal newsletter p. 7
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stagecoach UK Bus. |
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