On 10/02/2019 13:12, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 10/02/2019 12:55, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at
12:30:29 on Sun, 10 Feb 2019, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
Waiting at a bus stop yesterday, I noticed the times for a
few-days-a-year return bus service from Kingston to Eastbourne.

Why does this exist?

Does anyone actually spend 3h 5min on a bus to Eastbourne, rather
thanÂ* take a train?
Â*Easily beaten by the 3hrs 50mins for the Oxford-Cambridge bus.

These days aren't those posh vehicles with according to Stagecoach
"the luxury of leather reclining seats, air conditioning and free
Wi-Fi" (and tiolets), rather than ordinary red double-deckers like
this https://www.flickr.com/photos/drakes...hs/35717850435

Yes, it's cheap, 10 quid return compared to train fares from
GBP8.50 single... but you would spend more of the day on the bus
than in Eastbourne. It looks like coffin-dodger passes are not
valid(?).
Â*The X5 (above) offers an unspecified discount for card-holders
beforeÂ* 9:30 which implies they are valid after 9:30.

"Special £7 Return on 774 only for Freedom Pass Holders.No other
concessions available."

What's 774?

Dorking to Tunbridge Wells or Bluewater, it seems. GoAhead seem to have
a handful of these odd infrequent return services.


It seems to me they are a residual example of the once common phenomenon
in London: "days out" using buses. My memory is not reliable but I seem
to recall they were widely advertised on London buses when I
occasionally used them in the late 50s/early 60s. ("Occasionally" as
they cost money so even as a nipper I was expected to walk.)

And lo, the first page of search results yielded

https://www.goaheadlondon.com/events...great-days-out

which includes

"Go-Ahead London is pleased to provide our new ‘77’ services as part of
our special Great Days Out range for winter and spring 2018/2019.

Check out our ‘group friendly’ fares to Tunbridge Wells, Bluewater,
Brighton, Eastbourne Pier; and new destination Portsmouth, departing
from Dorking, Sutton or Kingston."

and

"2 Together return £15"

None of those may be to your taste. But for people who are time-rich,
money poor, they have their attractions.

That said, the lack of advertised loo stops would give me pause for
thought these days


--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid