On this article,
I’ll be explaining about the section of Route 96 which goes from Dartford to
Bluewater Shopping Centre non-stop.
Brief history of the London Buses route 96 on why it extended from
Dartford to Bluewater, London Bus Routes website says “The 96
extension was actually introduced commercially by Stagecoach Selkent when the
contract was let on net cost terms – an arrangement in which the operator keeps
the revenue, and can therefore take commercial risks. This one clearly paid off
even though the service level seemed excessive.”
TfL raised the issue with Dartford Borough Council to use the
segregated busway for Fastrack route B which links directly to Bluewater
Shopping Centre.
So what do you mean the Busway which Fastrack uses as a shortcut to go
to Bluewater Shopping Centre?
You can see it on the Traveline map below.
The issue I’ve found out is Transport for London (TfL) wanting Route
96 to use the Fastrack busway to Bluewater Shopping Centre In order to make up
for time connecting to the Darent Valley Hospital which London Buses Route 428
provides.
From Dartford Borough Council Agenda item during mid 2011.
Reference from Joint Transportation Board: Use of Segregated Bus
Tracks
Summary:
To advise the Cabinet of the Joint Transportation Board’s concerns on
the suggestion by the Transport for London that the segregated bus track
into Bluewater be used by other bus services.
Recommendation:
That the Cabinet consider the concerns raised by the Board and, if
supported, forward those concerns to the Leader of Kent County Council and the
County’s relevant Cabinet member.
Minutes:
· This report
advised the Cabinet of the Joint Transportation Board’s concerns on the
suggestion, by the Transport for London, that the segregated bus track into
Bluewater be used by other bus services.
· Members fully
endorsed the concerns that had been raised by both Dartford Borough Council
and Kent County Council Members of the Joint Transportation Board noting that
requests similar to this had been received in the past. They felt that the Fastrack
route should remain dedicated to Fastrack buses as had originally been
specified in order to maintain the exemplary service currently being provided.
· Members
also noted that, as the ‘route 96’ bus did not stop on its journey between
Dartford and Bluewater, allowing it to use the segregated track would deliver
no additional benefits to the residents of Dartford. They also said that if
‘route 96’ buses were given permission to use the segregated bus track
then this would set a precedence and encourage other bus operators to
request use of these tracks.
· Members noted
that they had no objection to the ‘route 96’ bus making an additional stop
at Darent Valley Hospital, but thought that its operator (Transport for
London) should investigate other ways of making up for lost time, which
did not involve the use of the dedicated Fastrack route into Bluewater.
· Members
also referred to the traffic congestion that was being experienced at
Darent Valley Hospital and the fact that Arriva buses from Gravesend were no
longer stopping at the hospital because of the impact that this
congestion was having on their timetables. It was felt that this may result
in a request from Arriva buses to also use the dedicated Fastrack routes.
Although Members recognised that Darent Valley Hospital was trying to
address its parking related problems it was suggested that the Joint
Transportation Board be asked to look at the parking arrangements at
Darent Valley Hospital, and also assess the associated impact being experienced
by residents living on roads near to the hospital.
· The
Advisory Panel endorsed the report’s recommendations but asked that Cabinet
note the concerns that had been raised in relation to parking and the
associated road congestion that was being experienced at Darent Valley
Hospital.
My personal view is
that the best idea would be to allow other bus operators to use the Fastrack’s
segregated busway to Bluewater Shopping Centre under rare circumstances like
traffic gridlock due to road traffic accidents.
London Buses Route
96 has two ways of going in and out of Bluewater Shopping Centre from Dartford.
.jpg/800px-Fastrack_A_and_B_(20232569153).jpg)
The section between Dartford and Bluewater has generated some
competition for the bus services. According to the Thameside bus Information provided by Kent County
Council, Bus routes from Dartford Town Centre to Bluewater are London Buses
Routes 96, 428, 492 Fastrack routes A, B and Arriva bus routes 423, 477, 480
& 490.
Quick table to compare the daytime journey times from Dartford Home
Gardens (for the Railway station) to Bluewater Shopping Centre.
Route
|
Operator
|
Journey Times
|
Frequency
|
Arriva for Fastrack
|
20 minutes
|
10 minutes
|
|
Arriva for Fastrack
|
15 minutes
|
10 minutes
|
|
Stagecoach for London Buses
|
11 minutes*
|
8 minutes
|
|
Arriva for London Buses
|
13 minutes*
|
15 minutes
|
|
Arriva
|
14 minutes
|
30 minutes
|
|
Arriva for London Buses
|
14 minutes
|
30 minutes
|
*Route 96
has a non-stop section between Dartford to Bluewater whilst route 428 goes
non-stop from Dartford to Bluewater serving Darent Valley Hospital.
For the live bus departures, I recommend you to check out First Bus Next Bus page and Bus Times.
Now let’s compare the fares
Route
|
Service
|
Price
|
A
|
Arriva for Fastrack
|
£2.30 single
£3.50 return
|
B
|
Arriva for Fastrack
|
£2.30 single
£3.50 return
|
96
|
Stagecoach for London Buses
|
£1.50*
|
428
|
Arriva for London Buses
|
£1.50*
|
477
|
Arriva
|
Unknown
|
492
|
Arriva for London Buses
|
£1.50*
|
*From September
2016 London Buses will be providing a 1 hour hopper scheme where you transfer
to any bus for 1 hour in one fare.
What I like to say
is, I do believe London Buses seem to be superior with the service they provide
with lower fare structure and high frequency service which makes it value for
money. Plus they are mostly dual door buses which speeds up boarding as
passengers enter by the front and exit by the middle. Since London Buses have
been cashless since July 2014, passengers have to use Oyster or Contactless
Bank Card to pay the London Bus fares.
As compared to Fastrack, the Bus Rapid Transit scheme is
sponsored by Arriva, Kent County Council, Gravesham Borough Council, Dartford
Borough Council and Prologis. They have single door buses for extra seating,
but to speed up boarding times, they have ticket machines at bus stops where
passengers pay their fares in cash. I do believe they should enable Contactless
Payment Cards which London Buses provide. Fastrack also accept Arriva’s mobile ticketing as they are part of
Arriva bus network in Kent Thameside.
So which do
you prefer, London Buses or Fastrack? Feel free to express your opinion on the
comments section below
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Multimedia
Image attribution
By Aubrey Morandarte from Coventry/London, United Kingdom - A and B, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49584392