For anyone wishing to use the Dorking Post Bus service: the stop in
Dorking is the best hidden I have yet encountered.

The bus departs from the vehicle entrance to the Post Office (not, as
the timetable suggests, from in the High St.outside the Post Office).
To catch it, go to the Post Office and down the side road beside it
until you come to a opening where PO vans go in. Wait there for the
bus. There is no stop sign, timetable, etc.

Despite this unwelcoming start, it is a nice ride into the
countryside!

Jon

On Sun, 30 Dec 2007, Jon wrote:

> For anyone wishing to use the Dorking Post Bus service: the stop in 
> Dorking is the best hidden I have yet encountered.

I had no idea there even were post buses outside places like the 
highlands. Deepest, darkest Surrey hardly seems like somewhere you'd find 
such a last-ditch form of transport!

Hmm. Having looked at the Royal Mail website, here are no post buses in 
East Anglia or the west country. Shenanigans!

tom

-- 
News flash: there's no deep meaning or hidden message BECAUSE DAVID
LYNCH IS INSANE

On 30 Dec, 13:00, Tom Anderson  wrote:
>
> I had no idea there even were post buses outside places like the
> highlands.

Well, they are not exactly well publicised if their stops are so well
hidden.


 Deepest, darkest Surrey hardly seems like somewhere you'd find
> such a last-ditch form of transport!



> Hmm. Having looked at the Royal Mail website, here are no post buses in  East Anglia or the west country.

There was one in Somerset, Wells to Priddy, which stopped about 2 yrs
ago. About a year before it was abolished, my wife & I waited for it
at a Mendip crossroads and waved down a Post Office vehicle which
approached, then saw it was an ordinary PO van. The driver explained
it was meant to be the Postbus, but because it was not a Thursday he
had brought a van instead of the bus, as there were only ever any bus
passengers on Thursdays (market day in Wells). He carried us to Priddy
in the back of the van with the mailbags but refused to accept any
fares. (I'd rather he had, as then the journeys would have appeared in
the accounts).

Jon

Jon wrote:

> For anyone wishing to use the Dorking Post Bus service: the stop in
> Dorking is the best hidden I have yet encountered.
> 
> The bus departs from the vehicle entrance to the Post Office (not, as
> the timetable suggests, from in the High St.outside the Post Office).
> To catch it, go to the Post Office and down the side road beside it
> until you come to a opening where PO vans go in. Wait there for the
> bus. There is no stop sign, timetable, etc.
> 
> Despite this unwelcoming start, it is a nice ride into the
> countryside!
> 
> Jon

How odd. Was there anyone else waiting at this 'stop'?

When you say 'the timetable', are you referring to that shown on the Royal
Mail website? If so, I see what you mean.

Traveline, OTOH, shows the start/end point as 'Dorking, Moores Road (Stand
H)', which according to Transport Direct's mapping is still on the High
Street, and hence not where you boarded. Presumably the bus heads West from
the PO anyway, so one of the 'White Horse' stops would be more plausible,
even if it's still incorrect.

You could notify Traveline of the discrepancy from its home page
http://www.traveline.org.uk
and see what they make of it.

Question to anyone:
Are these post bus services exempt from being registered with the TC? A VOSA
search doesn't turn up anything on this one AFAICS.

(Follow-ups set to uk.transport.buses)

In the Royal Mail's general postbus information page it says:

"Whether you live in the country or you're just visiting, you can hail a
Postbus at any point along its route and it will stop to pick you up,
providing road and traffic conditions allow."

Surely they can't claim that the road and traffic conditions at a signed bus
stop are unsuitable to allow picking up there!

LOL.

On 30 Dec, 23:28, Clifford Frisby 
wrote:

>
> How odd. Was there anyone else waiting at this 'stop'?

Yes - regular users. There are usually 2 or 3 there.The bus is often
left parked just inside the gate left open for passengers to sit in
while waiting.

> When you say 'the timetable', are you referring to that shown on the Royal Mail website? If so, I see what you mean.

Also shown in Surrey CC booklets & website.

>
> Traveline, OTOH, shows the start/end point as 'Dorking, Moores Road (Stand H)', which according to Transport Direct's mapping is still on the High
> Street, and hence not where you boarded. Presumably the bus heads West from
> the PO anyway, so one of the 'White Horse' stops would be more plausible,
> even if it's still incorrect.
>

The postbus does not go down Moores Rd at all!  It sets off from the
back entrance to the PO, which is in Ansell Rd (location
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=516664&y=149578&z=1&sv=516664,149578&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf).
Yes, it then goes West down the High St. The first time I use it I
waved it down at the White Horse stop but was told by the driver that
they were "not really allowed" to pick people up there and directed to
the Ansell Rd gate for future ref.

Jon