My News
Tavy Linx gets a Kickstart bid
On 28th October First will be introducing a new timetable for buses between Tavistock and Plymouth. This is the result of a 'kickstart' bid which was jointly submitted by First and Devon County Council to improve bus services on this route
'Kickstart' is a Department for Transport challenge scheme,
which encourages bids to improve bus services, on the basis that at the end of
the bid period the majority of the improvements will be continued commercially.
The successful 'Kickstart' bid means the Department for Transport will provide
£293,000 of funding towards the service over the next three years.
The main changes are as follows:
There will be 4 buses an hour between Tavistock and Plymouth, instead of the present three.
Two buses each hour will operate alternatively via Whitchurch or Bishopsmead, then via Horrabridge, Yelverton, Roborough, Derriford Hospital and Mutley Plain to Plymouth.
Two journeys each hour will operate directly from Tavistock to Plymouth via Bishopsmead, Horrabridge, Yelverton, Roborough, Milehouse and Plymouth Railway Station.
The direct journeys will reduce the journey time to under an hour.
The new pattern of services is based on analysis of existing passenger journeys and comments received from passengers. This showed that almost 60% of the journeys on the existing services were from Tavistock, Horrabridge and Yelverton to Plymouth City Centre. The main requests from passengers were that not all journeys should serve Derriford Hospital, to provide more direct journeys and that some buses should revert to serving Outland Road and Milehouse. These suggestions have been incorporated in the new timetable with two buses each hour via Derriford and two direct, which also operate via Milehouse.
The new service will be branded as "Tavy Linx" and it is hoped that some of the buses will carry a new livery for the service. First will also be introducing more modern low-floor single-deck buses for the service, The new timetables will be in the new West Devon area bus timetable.'
