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| July
2004 |
| A bit of bother in Basingstoke |
| And
Reading too |
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| Nestling in
northern Hampshire, the London overspill new town of Basingstoke seems an
unlikely place for competitive bus practices. Yet this is the
place where local operator Countywide has challenged the might of
Stagecoach Hampshire on a local service to Popley. They claim
to offer a service to the rail station (above) rather than only to
the bus station (right). The response by Stagecoach has
been to introduce a new service from Fleet to neighbouring Reading (below
left) which runs a few minutes in front of the Hampshire County
Council funded service operated by Countywide (below right).
A storm in a teacup or a ripple in a tumbler ? Only time will
tell. |
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Although Reading
is bounded by Stagecoach on three sides, remarkably they have almost never
operated in the town, apart from a Sunday tender to Basingstoke in the mid
1990's (far left). Countywide were awarded the route to
Aldershot after Tillingbourne (left) ceased trading a couple of
years ago. |
| Bother
in Basingstoke |
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| All photos taken in March
2004. Click to enlarge. |
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| Photo
Facts (top to bottom) |
 | Stagecoach Hampshire 33037
(P457PYJ), a former Hong Kong Dart and Countywide M71AKA at
Basingstoke Rail Station. |
| No - it's not down town in some
American city - it's Basingstoke's new bus station, featuring 33030
(P300AYJ), a former Hong Kong Plaxton bodied Dart, on a route to
Popley. |
| Stagecoach Hampshire 34060
(S460BWC), an Alexander bodied Dart, at Reading
station on the (72A) to Fleet. |
| Countywide 61 (RX53LFH), an
East Lancs bodied MAN, at Reading station on the (72) to Aldershot via
Fleet. |
| Stagecoach Hampshire Bus 581
(J701YRM) at Reading station on the (153) to Basingstoke one
Sunday in July 1994. |
| Tillingbourne FOD943Y, a Wadham
Stringer bodied Dennis, at Reading station heading for Aldershot in
July 1994. |
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| Links |
| Basingstoke is officially a crap town
http://www.craptowns.com/ |
| A new shopping centre
called Festival Place recently opened in Basingstoke (the Cumernauld
of the south). However this does still not prevent the
smell of swimming pool permeating throughout the town.
http://www.festivalplace.co.uk/ |
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