I was thinking about what other services may be useful from Melksham and thinking the following:
"274" - Melksham - Shaw - Whitley - Corsham - Rudloe - Bath
"x35" - Chippenham - Melksham - Trowbridge - Westbury - Warminster - Salisbury
"x36" - Trowbridge - Melksham - Calne - Swindon
What are your thoughts? I realise there may be little to no chance but would be interested to see what others think?
Your
274 looks very much like a suggestion that various of us made while we had the D3 and x72 competing for traffic into Bath - sending one bus an hour via Corsham, picking up the route of the Zigzag bus between Melksham and Corsham and then running direct into Bath (not through Rudloe nor Batheaston). From Corsham, the train passing through on its way to Bath takes just 6 minutes, but the bus takes 37 ... and a fast, hourly bus into Bath (25 mins) would encourage traffic. Hourly Melksham to Corsham would be used quite well, as there are a lot of people making the journey but current (or even pre-covid) service is too thin for practical use.
I thought it was a good idea - however, I was told in strong terms ....
The
x35 looks like x34 (Chippenham - Frome) change at Trowbridge into D1 (Bath - Salisbury). Not sure how many people would take the bus across Trowbridge and you're either going to add more capacity on the other two routes that may not need it, or reduce frequency across Trowbridge for existing flows. South of Warminster, I think the D1 is only borderline commercial as it is, judging by all the changes over the years.
The
x36 could be the old 238 (I think it was) via Holt from Trowbridge to Melksham and Calne - used to be every hour from Trowbridge to Melksham with alternate services on to Calne and Corsham. Before my time of using the bus ... but the Melksham to Calne section was lost - until March there was just one bus a day (the x76) along there and that is suspended at present. Onward to Swindon? ... you would be competing with Stagecoach's frequent 55 unless you combed them in, and you would want to run a Chippenham to Calne filler to keep that section clock face. I am not too worried about the odd journey being a vehicle change at Calne as the 55 dumps most passengers and gets a fresh load there anyway. But I do wonder if this proposal from Melksham to Calne is looking to cater for a very thin requirement these days.
In summary ... I still like your 274, even though I have had my knuckles rapped. Not keen on the x35; x36 if it's via Holt and perhaps Bradford-on-Avon could have something going for it west of Melksham, but like the 274 proposal I think that may be sensitive territory.
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