BREAKING NEWS : Improvements To No. 3 Bus Service

March

21

10 comments

This evening we’ve been sent a copy of a customer notice from Regal Busways – we are having trouble publishing it here, but if you want to see it we can email it to you.

Key points:

  • From April 4th the No.3 will go between Thundersley and Hadleighso as to serve Daws Heath.
  • Essex County Council will now fund a two-hourly Saturday service between Chelmsford and Southend.
  • During the week there will be some extra services, which will create an almost hourly service between Asda and Southend. These are for a trial period of 4 months.
  • Regal Busways are also interested in having extra services in the rush hour between Asda and Rayleigh Station.
  • For example , on weekdays buses will leave Rayleigh station heading for Rawreth Lane at :

    07:51
    10:01
    11:01
    12:01
    13:01
    14:01
    15:01
    16:01
    17:18
    18:11
    19:51

    This seems encouraging news. Any thoughts?

    About the author, admin

  • Excellent news. Well done to the Online Focus team for acting swiftly on this, to Regal Busways for their willingness to give it a try and to any other councillors and members of the public for helping to maintain this public service. I wish regal Busways success for the future.

  • Thanks for the kind words Greenbelt, we have passed the info from Regal Busways on to RDC.

    And yes indeed Regal deserve credit and encouragement – if we all use their buses, even once in a while, it will help.

  • Glad something is replacing the 24, I hope the number 3 will have the lowering step on it as it serves 2 supermarkets and for those with trolleys or prams its essential to have this facility.

  • The Echo reported that the 24 running through Daws Heath has been saved albeit a 2 hour service. However the article didn’t state the exact route so it is not clear if the 24 is running as far as Priory Chase…. As a resident that is against the bus terminus on Priory Chase I sincerely hope not, but at least there is some good news for some of the 24 customers.

  • TWR – The timetable can be downloaded from Regal Busways website here http://www.regalbusways.com/NewServices/upcoming/Number3ServiceChelmsford_to_Southend_040411.pdf . It is an hourly service between Southend Bus Station and Rayleigh Asda, going through Leigh and then following the old route of the 24 rather than going through coastal Westcliff (I think). The service then remains two hourly to Chelmsford.

    A suggestion I might have for Regal is that they look at running the 24 through to Rawreth Shot, and then have some sort of interchange with the 1/1A between Canvey and Chelmsford. I have never seen the 1 paticularly busy (not to be confused with the Arriva 1 service).

  • As the timetable states that it is Rawreth Lane ASDA, as opposed to Priory Chase ASDA, am I right in assuming that the day of the buses shunting backwards and forwards to get around the roundabout are finally over? If so, it’s about time, should never have been allowed in the first place.

  • Admin, there is not a suitable place to turn around on Priory Chase and the bus terminus was inconvenient for ASDA’s closest neighbours as the bus often blocked the road or parked up on the pavement. Over the last few yards various residents have said on this site that Priory Chase is not a suitable or safe bus route and we do not want to see the 24 bus down here under any circumstances. There are suitable alternative routes for a circular bus service around the communities of Rayleigh, Rawreth and Battlesbridge on the main roads (e.g Rawreth Lane, Chelmsford Road and London Road) but thus far these seem to have been discounted? I hope that simple common sense prevails and we never see the 24 on Priory Chase again!!

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