Competition & a Suggestion

Just in time to bed in for the run up to Christmas, Wilts & Dorset has rather cleverly stepped up its competition with neighbouring Transdev Yellow Buses in an area you mightn’t expect.

Starting tomorrow in earnest on the coastal more branded services m1 & m2, W&D will be running its late buses much later. Take a look at the before-and-after table below.

Weekdays - Last Buses	W&D up to 28 October	W&D after 29 October	Transdev Yellow Buses
Poole to Bournemouth	2325	0030	2306
Bournemouth to Poole	0015	0025	2301
Poole to Boscombe	2310	0030	2306
Bournemouth to Boscombe	2336	0058	2335
Poole to Chrsitchurch	2240	2330	2236
Bournemouth to Christchurch	2306	2358	2330
Christchurch to Bournemouth	2334	2351	2247
Poole to Castlepoint*	2255	2345	N/A
Bournemouth to Castlepoint*	2323	0013	2319

* via Charminster

You’ll immediately note the longer operating hours now associated with more. Not only that, in realigning its evening services, W&D’s m2 is now six minutes ahead of TYB’s 1c from Poole throughout the evening, with a bus six minutes ahead from Bournemouth to Poole.

If you are a bright young thing (or even someone saner) going for a night out and you know the last bus back from W&D will be much later than TYB’s, you may just let the yellow one go by both ways, in favour of the blue. There’s something psychological about the time of the last bus – even if you don’t intend to be out that late, you know it’s there. This, together with W&D’s evening (and weekend) “five for a fiver” or £2.20 Nightrider, will also tempt those heading outbound for a club, even if it means a taxi return.

And here’s the suggestion. more is now competing later with taxis. Why let the hackney and private hire trade have the monopoly after midnight? Is the more network now sufficiently strong to consider night buses? And if TYB wishes to reverse matters and steal a march on W&D, perhaps it should seriously consider the concept. Trouble is, it’s too late now to register for Christmas.