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If you're thinking about using a bus to make
your journey, open your mind, and definitely ignore anything you've read in the local
papers, who regularly print inaccurate letters without checking that the contents are
factual or even plausible! You can also ignore your MP who seems unaware that private companies, and
not local government, have been largely responsible for the service since
1986 (there are exceptions). This despite him now having achieved
ministerial status.
If you
haven't travelled by bus for many years, there are a few things that have changed. Firstly,
those old jokes about waiting for ever and then three buses turning up at once are a bit
outmoded. That practice dates back to the time when demarcation and restrictive practices
were the rule, and are not practices employed by either major PLC's (such as
Arriva), or most small private companies (the others). This is not a
politically biased comment, it's just the way things are and is in keeping with
current regulations.
So the industry has become a lot more
commercially aware and is more customer focused, with heightened standards of
professionalism, but will the bus be on time? Well, the chances are that it will, but
traffic congestion has worsened considerably in the last ten years, and although generally
companies have built this into their timetables, the unpredictable can and does strike,
just as it does when you're in a car. What has changed is that the operator and the driver
are likely to be making every effort to keep to time if they possibly can.
One other thing that has changed is the bus itself. It is most likely to be cleaner,
brighter, smoother, more environmentally friendly, and have an overall much better feel to
it than you may remember. Your bus could be one of the more modern
"Low Floor" buses, designed especially to be accessible to disabled people,
but which are also more user friendly to mothers with buggies, shoppers, and those hard of
hearing or sight. A bus for all! And one other thing, they will all
give change.
One disadvantage about
having so many operators involved is that there is no one source of readily
understandable information on the whole Harlow network. This is the reason
that this site was created. Having said that, the bus station now has a very
high standard of up to date information available in the travel office, and
departure times for Arriva services are displayed at each stop.
Traveline.org.uk and Essex County
Council now provide internet based timetables (see the contacts
page), and good information can be obtained from the travel office adjacent
to the waiting area, also in the bus station (opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am until
5pm or Saturday mornings).
If you have managed to plan a journey by
bus, then do relax and enjoy it. If it is going to take half an hour instead of the usual
ten minutes driving time, then make it a relaxing half hour of quality time instead of a
frustrating ten minutes getting wound up with the other road users. Here are a few tips to
assist you in arriving at your destination feeling better for the experience.
- Do find out in advance where the correct bus stop is, and arrive five minutes before the bus is due. That will save you worrying about whether you've missed it or not!
- Don't allow yourself to get frustrated if it doesn't turn up until five minutes after it's due; after all, you probably couldn't plan your car journey to the minute.
- The bus will stop for other passengers to get on and off, and may not take the most logical or direct route. Resist the temptation to look at your watch at every stop and every turn. If the timetable says it takes 30 minutes, then that is what it will take and no amount of anxiety on your part will change that!
- If you can't content yourself with people-watching or just looking out of the window, then take a book, magazine, or newspaper with you, and you'll feel a whole lot better when you arrive. Just don't miss your stop!
- Finally, do plan your arrival allowing for sufficient time to walk from the stop to where you want to get to with at least five minutes to spare - just in case of a bad road day!
Watch out for the banana skins of local bus travel!
In Harlow we now have a largely reliable, modern and comprehensive bus network that has improved dramatically over recent years. Having said that, the network can still be a bit daunting to the new user, and forearmed is forewarned. Here are a few tips.
Many bus stops were
upgraded about five years ago, with route numbers and new timetable information,
particularly for Arriva
services. However, things have changed, so the information is not fully
accurate in some cases, and in many cases only Arriva are not the only
operator which serve
the stops.
Not all routes are frequent, and some only serve the full route for part of the day.
It's wise to know the times of the less frequent services before you head out. If you
can't find the times here, then the Essex County Council website, or the
national traveline (0870 6082608) make good first points of
contact (see Contacts page).
The Sunday network in Harlow is very much a skeleton service, and also a little different to the weekday network. If you normally
only travel during the week, it is worth re-checking how you make your journey before
you set out. Some routes have different numbers, different operators, might
stop on the opposite side of the road to usual and generally
much lower frequencies operate. Some destinations cannot be reached directly or
at all.
Before buying a return ticket or a season ticket, make sure that whatever
you buy can actually be used on the return service. As an example, if you
buy a return ticket to Epping on Arriva service 500, you can also use it to
come back on an Arriva 500 or 501, but not on an SM Coaches 19 or TWH 55.This is
not always the case though, and further complications are added by different
passes and where services are provided under contract to Essex County
Council.
All buses in Harlow serve the Bus
Station, so it is a good place to start a journey if you don't know exactly where
else to get a bus. It is also very convenient for the shops and amenities in the town
centre. The large glass waiting area caters for most
services, but those leaving for more rural or further a-field destinations
still leave from the remaining old stands outside The Orange House
(formally Chicago's) .These
stands are also used for all destinations before 7am, after 7.30pm, and all day on
Sundays as the main covered
bus station is closed at these times.
Bus routes which cross Harlow town centre serve the bus station in both directions, and some
town routes use the same destination display both ways. Be certain you know which stop
number to be at for the right direction. This situation also applies at
Harlow Town Station where there are no dedicated stops for particular
routes or destinations.
A few bus routes are prefixed by a letter such as H or M, and the
services provided are different, or at least provided by a different
operator. The complication is that despite the difference, the letter is
not always shown on the bus. Being at the right stop, and knowing either
the colour of the bus or the expected destination will assist. If in
doubt, ask the driver. As an example, there is an M1, which is different to the
H1, but basically the same as service 1 which operates in the evenings.
Bus drivers fall into two camps. Most are patient, helpful, and knowledgeable, and will help with even the most seemingly ludicrous enquiry, if put clearly and politely. They have a tough job and a bit of courtesy from passengers goes a long way. Then there are the others, who hate the job, hate the public, and may not even speak English. It won't take long to work out if you get one of the bad ones. If you get one of the bad ones, no amount of arguing will help you. My advice is report them and let management deal with it.
All of the above is not designed to put you
off, merely to encourage some caution in the right areas. It's most likely that your bus
will turn up when you expect and take you to where you want to go cheaply and
efficiently, and in pleasant surroundings. Best of all, you won't have to suffer that
trepidation over what the fare and local tipping norms might be that you get in a taxi or
mini-cab.
Have a pleasant trip!
Finally, a thought for the car drivers: -
Q. Is it true that buses pull out right in front of you?
A. Yes they do, but remember, the highway code says that you should give way to the
bus!