NHBUG feedback and comments.
This page expands upon the information in the News page by including extra detail and personal views from members. Views expressed are not necessarrily those of the North Herts Bus User Group.
Content from members is welcome. Please email any comments and news to ,
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An interesting article about the 84B service from Potter Bar to Barnet on the Bus and Train user website
https://busandtrainuser.com/2025/02/04/checking-out-the-84b/
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February 2025 Update - the text below is from October 2024 but despite the recent self-congratulatory videos from Intalink nothing has changed and it is still applicable:
Bus services in North Herts continue to deteriorate. This despite vast amounts of money spent on new Hertfordshire routes which do not really benefit most of North Herts and a so-called Real Time Information system which simply does not work here. Stevenage perhaps benefits from the new services, many of which start from there, but also have the same issues with the lack of real time information and the very unreliable Arriva services. For further details of the ongoing issues in question I cannot improve on the excellent summaries in the Chairman and Secretary's reports from their AGM in September as published on the NHBUG website
Shortly after the release of the Intalink videos boasting of 'even (my italics) more reliable' services, two letters were published in the Comet suggesting Stevenage residents think otherwise. See letters
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Herts CC decide against Bus Franchising
It is very disappointing, although perhaps predictable, that Herts County Council has decided against introducing Bus Franchising in Hertfordshire. Bus services in Hertfordshire are among the worst in the UK and this would have been a chance to improve them rather than continuing with the current deregulated shambles and the meaningless 'enhanced partnerships'. The reason given is a cost estimate of 'up to 174 million'. This is of course nonsense. The figure includes £160 million for electrifying all buses, which is totally unnecessary and has nothing to do with franchising. Without this the cost estimate would be around £14 million. Even that seems on the high side considering the economic benefits to the county of a reliable bus system. It seems obvious that the council does not consider bus services a priority.
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A reader from St. Albans has written to the Herts Advertiser questioning the HCC strategy of adding new 'fast' limited stop services at the expense of the frequency of previous local services. i.e. trying to encourage new bus users but risking losing existing ones. This does not seem a a sensible plan. See the letter at https://nhbug.org.uk/buscutsoct23.pdf
And a response to the new 908 service (see News) from a member:
The limited stop 908 (Stevenage-Rickmansworth) is not necessarily an 'improvement' as it will probably mean a cut in the frequency of the 301 service (Stevenage to St Albans) just as the new limited stop 721 (Luton - Hemel via St Albans) means a cut in frequency to 321 (Luton to Maple Cross) and 302 (WGC to Hemel).The main problem with the buses is lack of drivers (caused by Brexit creating a lack of lorry drivers, and many bus drivers becoming lorry drivers) so any new routes are at the expense of existing routes. Arriva services are still very unreliable, despite many timetable cuts.Also you do not mention the recent changes to 97/98 service. The earlier 97A/98A changes have been scrapped, so that only the 97 goes round the Purwell Estate in Hitchin, meaning that the service round Purwell is reduced to hourly from half hourly, just as the 81 service round the Highover Estate was earlier reduced to hourly from half hourly.
There is also a new service X10 (Luton-Hatfield) by UNO to cover the large number of students travelling from Luton to Univ of Herts (but is less helpful to those travelling from Hatfield to Univ of Beds), but only in term time and is limited stop and does not go via Harpenden Town Centre and partially replaces the old 366 service. It remains to be seen if there are cuts to the 610 (Luton - Cockfosters) service.Also each alternate 314 (Hitchin - WGC) service is diverted via Kimpton and Whitwell and renumbered 315.Also the A505 is being shut at weekends at Hitchin Station bridge and the 97/98 and 386 diverted via Woolgrove Road and Grove Road, without any notification on the affected bus stops. I have no idea where the 80 (Hitchin-Stevenage via the Wymondleys) is diverted.
Overall the changes tend to mean faster services between town centres, but reduced services outside town centres and in rural areas.
A further comment on this service (908)
Today I went on the new 908 (Stevenage-WGC) service. It is the same as the 301 (Stevenage to St Albans via WGC) service as far as Old Welwyn south then it goes along Digswell Hill and then to WGC town centre via Valley Road (where it replaces the old 366), instead of via Knightsfield in WGC. It is not limited stop. It is hourly.
It does not go to Rickmansworth. The Stevenage - Rickmansworth route has been renumbered 725 and is limited stop, but does go through Knightsfield. I do not know its route south of WGC town centre. This route is stated to start on 19/11/23. We seem to be resurrecting the old Green Line system. The only local remnants are the 757 (Luton - Victoria). and 724 (not branded as Green Line) (Heathrow - Harlow).
The 301 is half-hourly (it used to be 4 an hour combined with the old 300).
More comments still can be found on the reail users forum feedback page:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/connect-herts-new-limited-stop-7xx-services-from-19-11-23.254871
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