All Services: Timetable Changes
3rd September 2017
New Herefordshire contracts (“Village Linksâ€)
From Sunday 3rd September 2017, First Midland Red Buses Limited started operating new services in the Bromyard and Ledbury areas as part of a new 7-year contract won under tendering from Herefordshire Council. First Midland Red market these new services with the brand name “Village Links†and all the routes are advertised in a new 14-page timetable.
- Contract to operate one journey of local Bromyard Service 400 is won. This journey is operated by extending or diverting certain Service 405, Service 482 and Service 672 journeys to run via Winslow Road, and therefore route number 400 is not displayed on vehicles. Other Service 400 journeys are operated by DRM (Bromyard) Limited (“DRM Busâ€).
- Service 405 introduced running one off-peak return journey on Wednesdays only between Cradley, Bishops Frome, Bromyard, Pencombe, Ullingswick, Westhide and Hereford. This service was previously operated by Astons Coaches of Kempsey, and is for a period of one-year only.
- Service 417 introduced running between Worcester, Cradley, Bosbury and Ledbury, on Mondays to Saturdays. Three return journeys are operated on schooldays with an additional journey on non-school days. This service was previously operated by Astons Coaches of Kempsey.
- Service 482 introduced running between Bromyard, Docklow and Leominster. One off-peak journey is operated on Fridays only, and continues past Leominster Bus Station to terminate at Barons Cross Morrisons Supermarket. This service was previously operated by DRM (Bromyard) Limited (“DRM Busâ€).
- Service 600 introduced as a local Ledbury circular. Four journeys are operated on Mondays to Saturdays, with an additional journey on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays that is inter-worked with Service 672 to provide a through service from New Mills Adli Supermarket to Bishops Frome and Bromyard. Service 600 was previously operated by Astons Coaches of Kempsey.
- Service 672 and Service 674 introduced running between Bromyard, Bishops Frome and Ledbury. Service 672 operates one off-peak journey on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays only and terminates at New Mills Adli Supermarket in Ledbury, while Service 674 operates one peak-time return journey on schooldays only and terminates at John Masefield High School in Ledbury. These route were previously operated by DRM (Bromyard) Limited (“DRM Busâ€).
- Service 675 and Service 676 introduced running between Great Malvern, West Malvern, Colwall and Ludbury, on Mondays to Saturdays. Service 675 operates a return journey every two-hours and runs via Wellington Heath, while Service 676 operates direct between Colwall and Ledbury. These services were previously operated by Astons Coaches of Kempsey.
- Although existing Service 420 journeys are not part of the new Herefordshire Council contract, these are now included as part of the new “Village Links†brand, and are shown in the new timetable.
- With the contract to operate Service 482, Service 672, Service 674 and one Service 400 journey being lost by DRM (Bromyard) Limited (“DRM Busâ€) and passing to First Midland Red Buses Limited, the owner of DRMbus withdraws from the ticket agreement on Service 420. From Monday 4th September 2017, no First tickets are accepted on DRMbus’ Service 420 journeys and likewise no DRMbus tickets are accepted of First's Service 420 journeys.
- The 17:00 Service 420 return journey between Worcester and Bromyard now also runs on Mondays to Fridays during school holidays (previously this journey only ran on school days only). This change is a result of DRM (Bromyard) Limited (“DRM Busâ€) withdrawing from their ticket agreement with First.