62° North – August 2022. The Faroe Islands

 62° North – August 2022 

RB 071 a Scania from the Rasmussen’s fleet travels along Hvalviksvegur on route to Saksun with passengers from local tour operator MB Tours. 

The Faroe Islands are a self-governing country of 18 islands, within the Kingdom of Denmark, set midway between Scotland and Iceland. The islands have a total population of 53,882 of which 22,878 live around the capital, Tórshavn on Streymoy island with the only other major conurbation being Klaksvík on Borðoy island with a population of 5,401. 

Bus services are clearly defined by livery. Red is the Bussleiðin network which operates the free city services in Tórshavn, and blue (the Bygdaleiðir network) operates between towns and villages. There are also five buses painted yellow that operate the community network in Klaksvík. A small band of private coach operators provide tourist and private hire services, many of these coaches appearing in Bygdaleiðir livery for operating tendered services on behalf of Strandfaraskip Landsins (SSL) the public transportation company belonging to the Ministry of Finance.

In the capital, the Bussleiðin network consists of seven routes offering a comprehensive day-time service with limited evening and Sunday operations. Most bus stops have timetables and easy to read network maps (fig 1). The Bygdaleiðir network is operated by a modern fleet of coaches and consists of 25 routes many with irregular timetables and route variations which make timetables difficult to understand. The network does however provide connectivity with feeder routes from smaller villages into the main road routes and links with the inter-island ferry services. 

The road infrastructure is excellent and the system of road tunnels amazing, including the now famous 11km long Eysturoy tunnel featuring the world’s first underwater roundabout complete with art installation and its own specially commissioned music. 

Gundurs Bussar operates the Tórshavn Bussleiðin on behalf of the Tórshavn municipality, the network having a PVR of 16 vehicles. AP 893 a Czech built SOR (SOR Libchavy spol. s r.o. Ltd.) BN model operating route 3. Photographed at the SMS shopping centre, the only edge-of-town shopping centre in the Faroe Islands. 

BN 954 heading out of the city on route 1. The nearside view of the SOR showing its semi-low floor twin door layout.

(fig 1) Bussleiðin bus stops have timetables and easy to read network maps.

Mouritsen’s Bussar BJ 828 Irizar i6s waiting in Gasadalurfor on Vágar island for the return of a pensioner group on a day out from Tórshavn.

HZ Bussar HU 934, Volvo 9900 parked in its hometown of Streymnes on Streymoy island, on what passes for a summer’s afternoon in the Faroe Islands. HZ is a small operator with just seven employees. 

 

HK Bussar HK 325 a Mercedes Benz Sprinter B17F new in 2015, sits at the Tjørnuvík terminal of Bygdaleiðir service 202. The five times a day service M-F only, plus two school day journeys from Oyrarbakki takes just 25 minutes and is designed to meet through service 400 Klaksvík – Tórshavn. Tjørnuvík is a seaside village with black sandy beach and a surf school set in a narrow inlet.

Former Bussleiðin SOR GB292 operating the shuttle bus service between Víkarnes and Tjørnuvík on Streymoy. The road down to the seaside village of Tjørnuvík clings to the cliff edge and, over the years, rock falls have reduced the width to single file so large vehicles are required to park at Víkarnes and use the park & ride. A set of traffic lights controls the flow of cars over a two-kilometre-long section of the road.

DS 053 Iveco Evadys of Landleiðin (Jón Thomasen). Standing at the Klaksvík terminus of Bygdaleiðir service 410, Fuglafjørður - Gøtudalur – Klaksvík, this is the Saturday/Sunday only 13.40 departure. The service feeds into connections at Gøtudali for onward journeys to Tórshavn using the 6.2km Nordoya tunnel.

The Landleiðin depot on the quayside in Klaksvík. RM 651 is an Iveco Daily whilst TD 415 and BF 055 are Iveco Magelys.

Landleiðin’s BF 055 Iveco Magelys in the Klaksvík depot on a Saturday afternoon. 

Klaksvík has its own fleet of five vehicles for town services operated by Askham. The fleet consist of two Mercedes Benz Sprinters and three Volvo full size buses. The two farthest from the camera were originally registered in 2012 to NFs Turistbusser in Holstebro (Denmark) and transferred to Askham’s in 2014. The one vehicle not in the photograph was parked in a residential area on the opposite side of the harbour, although no Saturday service appears to operate.

Sporting a personal registration Askham’s Volvo B12M-62 with Aabenraa 8500 body was new in 2002. Askham share the parking space on the Klaksvík quay with Landleiðin, although this view shows the bus parked across several bays of the public car park. 

HK Bussar HK 933 Volvo 9900 C53F new in 2019 operates a private hire journey for a visiting sports team.

Terminus in Tórshavn for the Bygdaleiðir network is on the quayside in front of the Smyril Line’s (Hirtshals, Denmark - Tórshavn, Faroe Islands – Seyðisfjørður, Iceland) ferry terminal. RB 740 is a Neoplan Tourliner from the Rasmuussen’s fleet. The quay is also served by Bussleiðin route 6.

BUSS 1 operated by Poulsen Bussar of Toftir is a MAN Lion’s coach. Heading out of Tórshavn on highway 10 having just departed the Smyrial terminal. Sitting atop the rock formation on the right is the Skansin fort and lighthouse.

HK Bussar HK 933 a Volvo 9713 C44F dating from 2012 is operating the airport shuttle into Tórshavn. This was the oldest vehicle seen on a regular express service. 

Omnibus World

  

Norway 1985

In the Hemsdalsbilene depot at Hemsedal, Volvo with Vest Buss body. Hemsedal is a small town with a permeant population of around 2000 swollen by a large influx of tourists. The town is home to Norway’s second largest ski resort and a popular hiking/climbing resort in summer.  

With our first brand-new car sitting in the drive, a decision was needed: where should we go on holiday? Out of nowhere came the answer - Norway. Being 1985, this was a relatively simple drive. Head north to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, board the Norway Lines ferry to Bergen and head east with our goal being Gol in Hallingdal district midway between Oslo and Bergen. Gol was chosen for its central location whether using road, rail and, as it transpired, bus, plus a rather attractive self-catering log cabin. Gol lies in the Hallingdal valley 290 kms from Bergen on highway 7, with a population around 2400 at the time. Hallingdal district also includes the villages of Flå, Nes, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol, all of which were served by a network of regular bus services.

Despite reassurances from Norwegian tourist information that English was widely spoken, which might have been the case in the more popular tourist destinations, in Gol and the surrounding area English was very much the preserve of the young, and fortunately for us, the staff in the tourist information office.      

Without doubt the public transport highlight of the holiday was a suggestion from a tourist office employee that we purchase a one-day multi-modal ticket for a round trip Gol-Aurland-Flam-Myrdal-Gol.

An early morning start from Gol towards Geilo found us as the only two passengers aboard a Hallingdal Billag DAF with Repstads Brothers body. Before too long, the driver indicated we were to alight at a road junction close to Hagafoss. No one else waiting, no obvious houses around and no onward connection in sight, a few nail-biting minutes ensued. Out of nowhere came another Hallingdal Billag bus: this time a Volvo with one other passenger already on board and it took us on a beautiful journey alongside lakes with mountains in the background and a surprisingly comfortable ride considering the road had no tarmac surface. It is worth noting that a spare wheel was carried, attached to the outside of the boot. Eventually we made our first and, as it turned out, only stop. Not to pick up passengers, but a refreshment stop at the ‘Trolls Café’. Fifteen minutes later we were back on the road, travelling through narrow tunnels with rough bare rock sides and roofs and virtually no lighting. After many hairpin bends and a steep descent we arrived in the town of Aurland, located on Aurlandsfjord, where the bus pulled in adjacent to the ferry departure point. This was the last bus journey of the day as from here we boarded a ferry to Flåm, along with a number of German tourists travelling on Neoplan Ciyliner. Our onward journey from Flåm was aboard the famous Flåm Railway to Myrdal before completing our circular trip aboard the mainline Bergan-Oslo train service. However, those seeking an onward westerly journey from Flåm were meet by a waiting BHV bus service to Voss. 

Sadly, a few days later, with the sun shining at 3am, we would start the journey home, needing to be at the Eidfjorden ferry for the 6am departure, and joining the Norway Lines midday ferry departure at Bergen for Newcastle via Stavanger.  

Today, there are eight local bus routes serving Gol township, plus a ski service and three express coach routes, and whilst the railway station remains open, it is no longer staffed - a mere shadow of its 1985 status when it was a fully staffed freight/distribution hub. The local bus network is coordinated by Brakar, formed in 2009 by the regional council and several local councils, and today it is 100% owned by Viken county municipality and provides twenty-four local bus services in the Hallingdal area.

BVH Volvo B58-60 with Arna body, photographed at Flam ferry terminal about to depart for Voss. A prime example of coordinated transport, the service delivering/collecting passenger from the Aurlandsfjord ferry. 

Bergen-Hardanger-Voss Billag A / S (BHV) was formed in 1978 from a merger between three well established bus companies who could trace their roots back to the 1920s and 30s. BHV was taken over in 1997 by Hardanger Sunnhordlandske Dampskipsselskap (HSD) which later merged with Gaia Trafikk to form Tide ASA .

BHV operated bus routes on the sections Bergen – Hardanger over Kvamskogen (in conjunction with HSD-Bilane), Bergen – Voss over Dale, and the section Bergen – Tysse – Eikelandsosen, as well as a route Bergen – Aurland which was the company's longest, 210 km.

Sogn Billag, Volvo with Vest body arriving into Gol.  Sogn Billag was established in 1936 in Sogndal and continues in business although now owned by Nettbuss. In 1982, three years before our visit, Sogn Billag acquired Gol-Lærdal-Maristubilene Ltd. (GLM) based in Lærdal, 113km west of Gol, who operated eight buses, five trucks and two trailers and had co-operated with Firda Billag and Sogn Billag on a route between Førde, Sogndal, Lærdal and Gol to connect with the train service between Oslo and Bergen.

Sogn Billag, Volvo with Vest Buss body, on torbuss duties. Waiting for the early morning Eidfjorden ferry. Today the ferry service has been superseded by the Hardanger Bridge.

About to depart Gol for Hemsedal, a journey of 30km, is Hemsdalsbilene, Volvo with Vest Buss body. Today this is service 360 operating twice a day.

Local traffic calming measures delay Hemsdalsbilene, Volvo with Vest Buss body on route to Hemsdal.

Hemsdalsbilene, Volvo with Vest Buss part freight body, loading in Gol Station for a service to Hemsedal. Vest Buss built its first bodywork in 1967. In 2002 Busscar acquired a major stake, later selling out. The final bus bodies were built in 2011 although the company continues to trade as an Iveco distributor.   

Hallingdal Billag (HB) was founded in 1972 following a merger between Hol Bilselskap AS and P / L Ål Rutebillag, later acquiring Fossgård Bilruter. At its formation, the company had 20 buses, 5 combined buses, 10 trucks and 4 trailers. By 1978 this had increased to 28 buses, 15 trucks, 4 combined vehicles and 4 trailers. In 1974, eleven routes were operated, plus one route operated jointly with Aurland Kommunale Rutebilar. 

May 1987 saw a summer only express between Bergen - Voss - Aurland - Ål - Oslo established. The route was a collaboration between Bergen-Hardanger-Voss Billag (BHV), Aurland Kommunale Rutebilar , Hallingdal Billag and NSB Krøderenrutene. It was not a great success and was closed down after the 1994 summer season.

In the late 1980s, the company experienced financial problems that persisted for several years. On 1 June 2002, Sogn Billag took over Hallingdal Billag, operating the 30 vehicles as a subsidiary, whilst Hallingfrakt A/S acquired the freight traffic. Eventually the business was absorbed into Nettbuss becoming Nettbuss Hallingdal Billag.

Hallingdal Billag A/S, Volvo with Arna body on route to Aurland, three passengers and the driver enjoy a scenic rest stop at the Trolls Café. It is worth noting the unsealed road surface, quite common in 1985, even for a main road such as this. This road linking Aurland with what is now the A7 was opened in the early 1970s. In 1974 the bus service became a joint operation between Hallingdal Billag and Aurland Kommunale Rutebilar.

Hallingdal Billag A/S DAF MB200 with Repstads Brothers body At Gol on route to Geilo at the start of the author’s long day trip to Flåm. Geilo is the largest town in the area 69km west of Gol with a population of just under 3000. The town sits astride highway 7 and is the focal point for an array of ski activities spread over a large part of the surrounding area.  

 

Laying-over in Gol, Hallingdal Billag A/S, Volvo BB57 with Repstads Brothers body.  In 1912 Gunnar and Edvard Repstad started a blacksmiths business in Lunde, Norway with the first bus bodies leaving the smithy in 1925, and between 1933 and 1980 the company continued to expand with the exception of the war years. The business went bankrupt in 1990 having produced about 5000 buses during its existence.

Hallingdal Billag A/S. Mercedes Benz with Arna body laying-over in Gol having come from Al, a small town 26km further west along the A7 with a population of 5000. Arna Busser A/S commenced bus body production in 1947 and eventually went bankrupt in 1997, the assets being acquired by Vest Buss. 

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Snowdon Sherpa

 

Croeso i Eryri

Situated at the top of Llanberis Pass is Pen-y-Pass bus interchange at an elevation of 359 metres (1,178 ft) – maybe the highest in Britain. Located in the Snowdonia National Park, which covers an area of 823 square miles and is home to over 26,000 people, Pen-y-Pass is the starting point for most walkers attempting to reach the summit of Snowdon (1,085 metres or 3,560 ft). The area is hugely popular and, consequently, parking and traffic congestion are major problems, more so in 2021 with staycations being the order of the day. To help placate the situation, the National Park and Gwynedd Council have, for many decades, supported a small network of bus routes known as the Snowdon Sherpa. Over the years, many operators have been involved: Express Motors, KMP, Padarn Bus, Arriva, GHA, O R Williams who traded as Whiteways, Crosville, and Alpine.

Geographically, the Snowdon Sherpa covers just a small area in the north west of the national park with the remainder of the park being covered by conventional bus and Traws Cymru services provided by operators such as Arriva, Llew Jones and Lloyds. In 2021 the entire Sherpa network is operated by Gwynfor Coaches of Gaerwen on the Isle of Anglesey, using a local base in Caernarfon. The network consists of six routes with five operating daily and the S6 operating weekends and bank holidays. The most popular route being the S1 between Llanberis and Pen-y-Pass, a relatively short journey of 5.5 miles. This route also acts as a park-and-ride service from Nant Peris, a small village five minutes outside Llanberis which has a large pay-and-display car park. From Monday to Friday this service operates on an hourly headway between 7.30am and 5pm, whilst on weekends and bank holidays the operation becomes far more intensive, starting at 6.45am and finishing at 6.50pm. On weekends and bank holidays, the hourly service from Llanberis is supplemented by two additional short workings per hour from the Nant Peris park-and-ride. Also departing Llanberis is the S2 on an hourly headway, giving this stretch of road to Pen-y-Pass a service every thirty-minutes. Unlike the S1, the S2 continues over the pass for another 11 miles to Betws-y-Coed and twice a day beyond that to Llanrwst.

Gwynfor Coaches KX15 BMV, an Optare Solo M710SE B19F which was new to Courtney ascends the A489 on service S4.

The third daily service, the S4, approaches Pen-y-Pass from the east by climbing the A489, having commenced in Caernarfon, but, unlike the S1 and S2 which are worked by double-deckers, uses Optare Solo’s to comply with width restrictions near the summit. Rather confusingly the S4, whilst marketed as part of the Sherpa network, is aimed more towards locals wanting to travel between Beddgelert and Caernarfon. To add further confusion for the visitor, some journeys on the S4 weekday timetable are shown as short workings, whereas in reality they continue to/from Beddgelert as S97 to Porthmadog. Sundays and bank holidays are made easier as both the S4 and S97 are shown on one timetable as a coordinated service. Beddgelert is a tourist destination in its own right and is a traditional village set beside two rivers, the Glaslyn and the Colwyn which meet at a picturesque bridge in the centre of the village. The Welsh Highland Railway coming from Porthmadog has a station in the village making it an ideal interchange with the bus, especially in 2021 as the station is also the terminus for the railway, the line onward to Caernarfon being out of action. 

Gwynfor Coaches YJ10 MBO an Optare Solo M780SE B27F, new to Heyfordian, descends from Pen-y-Pass on service S4.

Many bus routes in Britain contest the accolade of ‘most scenic’ but there can only be one winner of the ‘most scenic network’ - the Snowdon Sherpa. Dramatic landscapes viewed from the top deck of a bus as it clings to the mountain side and travels through lush, lake filled valleys take some beating. If you also factor in the ease of access by public transport into the network and the availability of several different good value travel cards from both rail and bus companies, Snowdonia National Park can be an enjoyable car free holiday.

Gwynfor Coaches LG52 DBU, DAF SDB250/Alexander H45/20D, new to Arriva London sits at the High Street lay-over point of service S1. The timetable shows the service starting from the interchange but on this journey the bus continued on a one-way loop along the A4086 and turning left into the High Street.

Gwynfor Coaches, on loan from Dawson Rentals, LK04 NME, a Volvo B7TL with Alexander H43/24D body, new to Metroline London Northern as VPL583. Seen loading at Llanberis interchange on the 12-noon departure of service S2 for Betws-y-Coed.

Gwynfor Coaches operating service 88 from Caernarfon with YJ61 JHV, an Optare Solo M780SE B27F which was new to Connect Transport. The service has just entered the High Street from the A4086 which runs parallel to the High Street acting as a by-pass. Gwynfor Coaches also operate the 85/86 from Bangor to Llanberis. All three services are frequent but have irregular headways. A more limited timetable operates on Sunday but has better clockface timings.

Llanberis, population 1,844, sits on the twin lakes of Llyn Padarn and Llyn Peris, and  the national park boundary dissects the town that today counts tourism as its main industry. Most of the attractions are centred on the southern end of the town: Snowdonia Mountain Railway, Llanberis lake railway, the wonderful Electric Mountain, and the National Slate Museum amongst others.

Omnibus World

Border Offa’s variety. (A journey from Hereford in the south to Chester in the north)

 It is generally accepted that when you drive around Northern Ireland, at some stage, you will unknowingly cross the border into the Irish Republic. Usually, the first signs that you have done so are the petrol stations displaying prices in Euros: zig-zagging to and fro the two countries is just part of the day out. UK devolution has in a minor way brought about a similar situation on the mainland, although, until the outbreak of Covid 19, it has never been an issue or entered people’s consciousness. However, if you are near the English/mid-Welsh border, you may move in and out of each country whilst travelling along one road and the only indication that something might have changed is the language on the road signs.   Covid 19 and 2020 have brought the devolution issue into focus with each devolved power setting its own regulations and differing travel restrictions

In 2020, whilst travelling along the Shropshire/Powys border, a new road sign said  “Welsh covid rules apply on the right” - does that mean a driver needs to don a face mask before overtaking the car in front? That road sign set me thinking. How are operators along the meandering mid-Wales/Shropshire/Herefordshire border coping? If people look at a map of the area and think the border is reasonably straight, they are looking at the Offa’s Dyke long distance footpath and not the convoluted national border which weaves its way east/west on the way from south to north.  I have no answers to the operator question and I made no effort to engage with any depot staff to find one. I might have been travelling around but social distancing remained a priority, and the car was a safe haven. However, I thought it would be interesting to examine the issue from the comfort of my study/armchair.

Optare in Sargeants depot, Kington. 

Starting in the south with Sargeants Coaches of Kington, Herefordshire, in the eighteen months since my last visit, this fleet has undergone a major change. Out have gone several of the older coaches along with the Optare Excels and Tempos, and in have come newer Optare products, including a small batch of Metrocities - of the 20 vehicles 17 are buses. The town of Kington lies 3km east of the Welsh border with Sargeants being the only provider of bus services. Their primary service being the 461/462, Hereford-Kington-Llandrindod Wells, crossing the border just west of Kington. Whilst the focus is very much on Hereford, it being the only major conurbation for many miles around, Llandrindod Wells does offer a major interchange point for onward travel in Mid-Wales. The other core route for the company is the 41, operating two hourly between Kington and Knucklas, crossing the border at Presteigne. Apart from the first six kilometres, the majority of this service is on the Welsh side of the border, serving the two large Welsh communities of Presteigne and Knighton. Lady Hawkins is a large secondary school in Kington, with a wide catchment area, and Sargeants operate eight timetabled services into the school, six of which cross the border with service number 43 starting in England before continuing across the border, completing a long circular route and returning via a different border crossing point. These services must have been a nightmare in 2020 with both sides of the border having different school and community lockdowns.

The town of Presteigne with a population of 2,710 sits on a small outcrop of border just 1km wide that pokes into England. Apart from the aforementioned Sergeants bus service, the town also has a Monday only X11, Builth Wells-Ludlow cross border service operated by Celtic Travel. The town also has a secondary school attracting pupils from the surrounding rural area with two of the featured operators, Weale's Wheels of Llanddewi and Owens of Knighton providing services.

Weals's Wheels depot.

Weale's Wheels of Llanddewi has a depot in the heart of this small village from which it operates a fleet of fifteen coaches and minibuses of varying ages, the most modern being a Mercedes Benz Tourismo. The majority of contracts are centred along the A483/A44 corridor.  

Moving north to Knighton - a town that both sits on the border which more-or-less follows the river Teme at this point, and on the Offa’s Dyke trail. As previously mentioned, the town has a regular bus service provided by Sargeants, and it also has a Monday X11 service provided by Celtic Travel. Additionally, Arriva operate the 738/740 four days a week to Ludlow, meaning all routes serving the town originate in Wales and terminate in England. The town is home to Owens Motors, a fourth-generation family business tracing their history back to 1897 and currently operate a mixed fleet of twelve vehicles. The company is in a unique situation having an operator’s licence with a legal address in Wales whilst the depot is situated in England just a few yards up the road.

Owens depot, Knighton.

Staying on the English side of the border, heading north to the small Shropshire village of Newcastle, home to the depot of M&J Travel with a mixed fleet of twelve coaches. This is a typical coach operator offering private hire, UK holidays and school contracts on both sides of the border. The fleet is smart and always well presented. Quite how this company find their drivers when the number of houses in the village is almost identical to fleet size and there is no nearby sizeable town, on either side of the border, is a mystery.      

M&J Travel, depot.

If I had to define one operator at the centre of this article it would be Celtic Travel of Llanidloes, a town in the middle of Wales. The company is one of the largest independent coach/bus operators in mid Wales and currently operates 30+ vehicles of varying sizes, including TRN 662A, new to Barrow Corporation as CEO 952, and a 1958 Leyland PD2/Park Royal acquired from Mac Tours and still in their colours. It has two depots - one in the centre of Llanidloes and a larger maintenance depot on an industrial site south of the town. Nine bus services are currently operated including Traws Cymru X75 (Shrewsbury/Rhaeadr), however most originate around Builth Wells/Llandrindod Wells and extend north to Shrewsbury, west to Aberystwyth, east to Ludlow and Hereford, and south to Carmarthen. Whilst the coach operations cover an area boarded by Aberystwyth/Welshpool/Machynlleth/Brecon/M4 Magor services. 

Celtic Travel, Volvo/MCV.

Moving on north and crossing the border, just one mile back into England, is the depot of Minsterley Motors which is in the middle of nowhere at Pennerley. Another mixed bus/coach fleet of 30+ vehicles established for more than 50 years. Seven local bus services are operated, centred around Shrewsbury and Ludlow with one route extending across the border to Newtown, Powys. At this point the border takes a turn west and south before abruptly reversing direction and once again heading north. Here just inside the Welsh border we have Tanat Valley with two depots, half-a-mile apart, along the valley road leading to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. 

Established in 1920 and still owned by the same family, Tanat Valley currently operate a mixed fleet of 44 vehicles, consisting of Optare products for the bus operations and DAF/Volvo/Mercedes for the coach fleet. Pride of the fleet is a 1962 Leyland Tiger Cub (YRC 194) with Alexander DP41F body, new in 1962 to Trent. This operator, probably more than any other independent along the English/Welsh border, makes its living equally from both countries. Oswestry, Shropshire being the nearest town is a focal point for many of the nine bus services currently operated including the Traws Cymru T12 to Machynlleth.  

Tanat Valley Leyland Tiger Cub.

North of Oswestry, it becomes primarily old Crosville territory and Arriva Midlands North crosses into Wales with the hourly 2 to Wrexham and finally reaches the northern limit of the Welsh border at Chester with the now much reduced, hourly Arriva Wales 1. Wrexham became a hot-bed of competition after deregulation with companies such as Wrights becoming a major provider for a short while. In more recent times GHA and D. Jones both made short lived incursions into the tendered service network, and both defeated by poor fiscal management and run-ins with the Traffic Commissioner. Today Pats Coaches is the only independent operator offering a cross border service, with the 146 to Whitchurch, a small market town just one mile into England. 

Arriva service 1 at Chester Railway Station.

This article is not the time for reviewing services from Chester, despite the city boundary being on the border. After the breakup of Crosville and deregulation, many smaller operators came and went. Today only one independent survives on services into Wales with the majority of routes being part of the Arriva Wales network. 

The 160 miles of the Anglo-Welsh border is a convoluted route. No one setting the boundary line in 1536 could have foreseen the two nations once again separating under devolution, but if Covid 19 continues, we might need to remember our passports when next boarding a bus.       

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Two continents, forty-five minutes apart.

 

Just forty-five minutes is all it takes to get from Europe to Africa on the high-speed catamaran that plies the waters between Tarifa, Spain and Tangier, Morocco.

 

Arriving into Tangier in October 2019, it could be described as the start of a National Express odyssey as the city’s bus network has been ALSA operated since November 2013. The majority of city services throughout Morocco are now under ALSA control, the Spanish subsidiary of NE Group. Walking around Tangier, it is apparent that it is an affluent city but with some rough edges that are often associated with major ports. The buses certainly reflected the latter, not being helped by the rather dismal blue livery. The majority of the fleet is made up of aging Scania’s with a mixture of locally assembled bodies operating 44 routes and utilizing 192 buses.

 

                                                 Scania, operator ALSA, location Tangier

Leaving Tangier, it is time to board Africa’s first high-speed train, built using Spanish trains identical to those used in Europe. The line currently only runs to Casablanca, although most of the infrastructure is in place for the entire route to Marrakesh, the express due to arrive fifty years after Crosby, Stills and Nash sang about it.

 

Casablanca is an industrial city set on the Atlantic coast, not quite the dream setting of Ingrid Bergman but perhaps more suited to Sam. The population of 3.4m. is catered for by Casa Bus operating 66 urban and suburban routes, the city is also served by two tram routes. In 2019 ALSA won a fifteen-year contract to operate local services in Casablanca, initially operating 400 buses, which is due to expand to 700 during 2020. ALSA has ordered 500 Euro VI buses from Daimler (420 Conecto and 80 Conecto G) plus 200 Irizar i3le’s built on Scania 320UB4x2 chassis, to update the fleet. 150 of the vehicles have been purchased on behalf of L’ECI AI Baida, the local transport authority.   

 

                                                  Tata Hispano bodied bus in Casablanca

Departing Casablanca, heading north by road along the coastal plan past the Irizar factory, brings us to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, which is a cosmopolitan city with a population of 0.5m. Until quite recently, it was renowned for a shambolic public transport network operated by Stareo, a company that has been in financial difficulties for a number of years. ALSA won the tendering process and now operates in excess of 400 buses on 21 bus routes in the city. A modern two route tram system also crosses the city on segregated roadway.

          Operator ALSA, chassis Scania K250, body Higer, registration 482570WW, location Rabat. 

Heading inland via the walled city of Meknes to Tommy Cooper country, the city of Fez - the first city visited that does not have ALSA as the public transport provider. Fez, once a major city on the Trans-Saharan trade route, today sits at the crossroads to/from all the major cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.2m. With two medinas and a modern city, there is a lot of ground to cover. The modern part of the city is covered by an extensive bus network utilising buses in various states of repair, whilst the oldest medina is served by minibuses terminating at the old wall gate entrance.  Regrettably, finding information on the bus network is impossible.

 

                                                    Fez, Tata Hispano, registration 88544.

Finally, the journey south to Marrakesh. Marrakech is the fourth largest city in Morocco, after Casablanca, Fez and Tangier, with an urban area of 88.80 sq miles and a population of 953,305. Since 1999 ALSA has managed the transport network in the city, and is now operating 42 city routes, three suburban services and the one line BRT route utilizing 257 vehicles. The majority of buses are Scania which are built as knock-down kits at Scania's factory in Katrineholm. With so many tourists visiting the city, the bus network is probably the most accessible in Morocco, with several termini, clearly defined bus stops and readily available publicity. (Marrakesh was covered in detail in a previous article)

 

                                              ALSA, Marrakesh, Solaris, Urbino 18 hybrid.

Considering ALSA forms part of National Express, an operator with a wealth of experience in operating local and express services with easily accessible travel planning information, it is a pity none of this expertise filters down to Morocco. The ALSA website is abysmal, with emphasis on corporate values and no recognition for the demands of the travelling public, such as route planning and timetables. Perhaps if we inhaled some of the hippy smoke, all would be much clearer.

                                          Above: Tram in Casablanca. Below: Tram in Rabat.

Barcelona

 

Two centuries, two decades, three ways.

TMB 1803 MAN NL273F CNG with Castrosua body rounds the fountain on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes in 2019.

It is very seldom that I visit a foreign location more than once but Barcelona is an exception. The first occasion was in 1973 travelling by coach, a French registered Mercedes Benz 0305, from Boulogne via Paris and Madrid. In 2010 it was a lot quicker, with a cheap Easyjet flight and short ‘Aerobus’ hop into the city centre aboard a three-axial Neoplan. The 2019 journey was a long, tiring, day trip from London St Pancras via Paris on Eurostar and French TGV right into the heart of Barcelona.

A Société des usines Chausson with Pegaso engine from the 1973 visit.

In 1973 the city was a commercial hub with a vast expanse of docks and it traded on its Gaudi connection to attract a small number of tourists. The south of the city, towards the docks, was generally out-of-bounds to tourists after dark, apart from those seeking the comfort of a lady for the night. By 2010 the dock area had been gentrified and now housed a large marina and expensive shopping centres, whilst the city at large had become trendy, resulting in a major increase in tourists. 2019 was a shock: the city was overrun by visitors and large numbers of migrants from Africa, boosted by day visitors from cruise ships. The one constant throughout has been the never-ending building of Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia Cathedral, construction work having commenced on 19th March 1882 and projected to be completed within the current decade.  

 

A Pegaso 6035 artic again from the 1973 visit.

The metropolitan area of Barcelona has 164 municipalities covering an area of 636 sq km with a population of 5.5m. Passenger services are provided by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) with a fleet of 1140 buses and it has additional responsibility for the metro, tram, regional railway, urban railway, city sightseeing buses and the funicular railway. The bus network carries 203m passenger per annum on 109 routes (three D routes, eight H routes, seventeen V routes, seventy-four red routes, seventeen night services and three sightseeing routes).

TUSsal (Transports Urbans i Serveis Generals, Societat Anònima Laboral), MAN NL223 with Caetano body on route B20 from the Barri Oliveres suburb into the city centre Sant Pere terminus. Photographed in 2010 outside La Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

Horse-drawn trams were introduced to the city in 1872, followed by steam trams in 1877. Buses were introduced in 1906 with the first permanent urban bus service beginning in 1922. Services were affected by the ravages of the Civil War. Many of the tram lines were damaged by air-raids and were sabotaged. In addition to this, there was very little capital available with which to run the transport system. In the aftermath of war, the network was gradually repaired and reinstated. In 1951, the municipal government gradually began to take over the management of transport services which had previously been run by private companies and by 1958 what has become TMB had been formed.

 

Left: Aerobus Scania K360 with Castrosua Magnus body at the Plaça de Catalunya city centre terminus in 2019. Right: Aerobus Neoplan N4420 L Centroliner at the Plaça de Catalunya city centre terminus in 2010.

Today the fleet is fairly modern, thanks in no small part to funding from the European Investment Bank with a €73.5 million loan in 2019 for the purchase of 254 buses. This is in addition to €32.5 million invested by TMB in 2018. The last major upgrade took place in the early 2000s and by 2007 the entire fleet was low-floor and wheelchair accessible. Today the investment is centred around environmentally friendly vehicles. The latest funding will provide the city with 116 new electric buses, 63 hybrids and 75 using latest generation compressed natural gas. The renewal will also cover Barcelona’s 20 diesel-powered double-decker tourist buses, which will be replaced with hybrids. The first 105 arrived in late 2019, this year will see another 75 and in 2021 the final 74. These arrivals will complement the 350 existing hybrid buses already in the fleet. Much of the new fleet will be provided by MAN Truck & Bus Iberia, SA, although in 2020 an order was placed for 14 Solaris Urbino Electric and 9 Irizar iZe electric artics for service on route H16.

 

Left: This small MAN was used in 2010 to transport shoppers from the city centre to the up-market shopping areas. Fitted out in rather lavish style with tables, table lamps with frilly lampshades and window curtains. Right: TCC (Transports Ciutat Comtal) Mercedes Benz Citaro at Plaça de Catalunya in 2019.

The TMB operation is best described as functional with the operational fleet, colour schemes and infrastructure meeting the needs of a modern-day city without any major efforts to promote itself. The city architecture does however provide a wonderful backdrop for the bus photographer providing you can avoid the crowds.     

TMB 3613, Solaris Urbino artic hybrid H18 on the Passeig de Colom segregated busway opposite the marina in 2019.