AlterEgo
Veteran Member
What’s the longest bus route operating wholly within England? It’s unbelievably hard to find a definitive answer online!
I presume you are only after local bus routes and not routes operated by coaches like National Express or Megabus or Flixbus etc.What’s the longest bus route operating wholly within England? It’s unbelievably hard to find a definitive answer online!
At least it's less arduous for drivers than a typical urban route which has several stops per mile.Falcon at circa 127 miles has to win now as even though registered separate sections it is always a through bus, except when it breaks down lol.
I understand drivers breaks are taken at Bristol Airport. Usually take a bus Plymouth to Bristol Airport, drop back a working and continue into Bristol and return to Plymouth. Not done in all cases as I believe Exeter do some workings mainly at night. Falcon drivers do not normally work any other routes.At least it's less arduous for drivers than a typical urban route which has several stops per mile.
Does anyone know how the drivers' duties and breaks work out?
I'm not being facetious in saying that depends on your definition of a bus route, and that is why you'll not find a definitive answer, because there really isn't one, for all the reasons listed by the other posters. How long is a piece of string is almost an easier question to answer.What’s the longest bus route operating wholly within England? It’s unbelievably hard to find a definitive answer online!
They used to break at the airport which was rather problematic dud to delays but I think now they get their break in Bristol due to increased turn round times. Certainly all my recent trips have. It is solely run from Plymouth as far as I'm aware and one driver does one round trip per day.I understand drivers breaks are taken at Bristol Airport. Usually take a bus Plymouth to Bristol Airport, drop back a working and continue into Bristol and return to Plymouth. Not done in all cases as I believe Exeter do some workings mainly at night. Falcon drivers do not normally work any other routes.
Your wrong and right at the same time!I might be wrong but the splitting of routes isn't due to tacho regs but domestic driving regs, the Newcastle Berwick X18 mentioned is nearly 4 hours long and due the the distance would be under EU rules and require a break of 45 minutes at one end. I believe as a timetabled service bus no tacho is required, unless things have changed since I was doing them.
You say you exclude National Express, but what's the difference between that and other long distance express coaches such as the 702 you include?I presume you are only after local bus routes and not routes operated by coaches like National Express or Megabus or Flixbus etc.
Ten years ago i would say it was probably either the 700 from Brighton to Portsmouth or the 100/101/102 from Hastings to Dover but these have all been split up now so they are no longer very long. So who knows what it is these days. I am not sure on the exact answer.
Some suggestions i can think of that might hold the record:
• Arriva North East route 685 from Newcastle to Carlisle
• Arriva North East route X15 from Newcastle to Berwick
• Arriva North East route X18 from Newcastle to Berwick
• Arriva The Shires route 724 from Heathrow Airport to Harlow
• First Norfolk Suffolk route EXCEL from Peterborough to Norwich
• Go Ahead Brighton & Hove route 28 from Brighton to Tunbridge Wells
• Go Ahead Brighton & Hove route 29 from Brighton to Tunbridge Wells
• Reading Buses route 702 from London Victoria to Reading
• Stagecoach North East route 685 from Newcastle to Carlisle
• Transdev Yorkshire route 840 from Leeds to Whitby
• Transdev Yorkshire route 843 from Leeds to Scarborough
Those would be my best guesses as to what are the longest distance bus routes but i am not too sure which one is the longest.
Hopefully someone else on here may be able to provide a more exact answer as it is indeed incredibly hard to find anything online.
• Stagecoach North East route 685 from Newcastle to Carlisle
No National Express service is now registered as a local bus (all deregistered earlier this year) so journeys under 15 miles aren't possible. I'm also not sure if you can pay on board these days, unlike all the other examples mentioned.You say you exclude National Express, but what's the difference between that and other long distance express coaches such as the 702 you include?
Although there are plenty of journeys between Lancaster and Skipton, they all change their number twice (you can usually continue to sit on the bus).Skipton - Lancaster via Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale. Its 4 routes (2 variants between Kirkby Lonsdale and Hornby), 81, 81, 581 and 580 but it definitely runs through 41.5 miles on the 81 variant.
Are some of the Dalesbus routes must be in worth a shout, even if they run summer Sundays only
Preston - Richmond (N Yorks) is 84 miles (I used google maps to calculate it)
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I understood the number changes were down to the three subsidising councils wanting clarity over which bit was theirs................Although there are plenty of journeys between Lancaster and Skipton, they all change their number twice (you can usually continue to sit on the bus).
If i can get on at Skipton and book through to Lancaster and stay on the bus the whole journey, that's a bus route to me. Blind twiddling is irrelevant.Although there are plenty of journeys between Lancaster and Skipton, they all change their number twice (you can usually continue to sit on the bus).
Three? I am not sure Cumbria chip in. Do you know differently?I understood the number changes were down to the three subsidising councils wanting clarity over which bit was theirs................
That's fine, but the post I was replying to was incorrect about them not changing the blinds.If i can get on at Skipton and book through to Lancaster and stay on the bus the whole journey, that's a bus route to me. Blind twiddling is irrelevant.