These changes are the biggest on the coaster service since it's inception in 2004. They are bold, impressive and needed! Do they require explanation? More spin than the very wheels that propel the bus? Is there more to this than it first appears? or is a sensible, logical and dare I say quite clever way to achieve what almost everybody needs?

The good people of Hastings, Eastbourne and other parts of country will be more than used to frequent, significant and often network wide route changes. Since the end of the summer and winter changes in line with end of the much missed bus times book at COVID, changes have been made whenever and wherever they are needed. Even then the coaster got away with it. That's what's makes these changes all the more important.

 

Reasoning

Extra housing along the corridor in all of Peacehaven, Newhaven and Seaford make the need for a service increase and accessibility more likely. A change in travel habits (with continued incentive) helps also.

Conversely, and partly as a result of the loss of ESCC fare deals, bus use has flat-lined in the entire area. This is not to say that route 12X specifically isn't doing well. It is no secret that Exceat, Burling Gap, Beachy Head and Seven Sisters are the golden eggs and the goose must be protected. However, it is well observed the lull in passengers between Denton Corner and Seaford on the 12.

Thirdly, costs have increased in operation of buses nationally caused by a plethora of issues from National Insurance to materials. Noting also the vast amount of investment in the buses themselves for which coaster recently received 41 at £250,000 a piece.

 

Coaster Ultima

The 13X is now the most frequent in its history.

Clever came with the 12 & 12A, the genius part is the 23 - though note that we now have two routes numbered 23 within two-and-a-half miles of each other! The extension to Peacehaven was the brainchild of Brighton Buswatch under former management about 6 years ago.

TiNLD looked at three serious suggestions that were put to the group back in 2022.

'12X extended to all day' follows a petition here: https://www.change.org/p/start-12x-to-eastbourne-during-peak-times 

'We need a better service to Eastbourne...we have 2 buses from Lower place...from all other stops in Newhaven its a 20 minute service'

'12 should run from midnight to 5 am all night every 30 minutes opening up Eastbourne to Brighton for night workers and leisure travel, if it connected with arriving night London trains would make a lot of sense.'

In reply: 'The simplest option is running 12X longer in the morning and evening and/or extending the 12 from Seaford to Eastbourne.'

Now it's obvious from these plans that one of these was the poor relation. However a key request:

'Don't reduce the buses at Paradise Park, loads of elderly people use these bus stops and families.'

A timetable now on the clock will really help remember the route. A frequency of 15 minutes or more is a more or less turn up and go service. A 30 minute service (kept as simple as possible) helps you to remember the timetable. Chyngton has both.

 

One way and another

Next is the 14 group of routes - and one of our first discussion pieces.

London has for many years persuade a notion of simple A-B route with little deviation and complication. Even my home routes 80, 154 and 213 were all altered over the years to remove limited extensions, off routes and Sunday specials that added little value over a simpler end to end system with the offshoots being given alternative, sometimes improving connections.

Though not strictly a Brighton & Hove thing, the effectiveness of simple routes cannot be overstand, especially with a want to make buses far mare accessible to everyone. Real-time information, mapping and suchlike cannot deal well with loops or with over complication. It is for this reason that three next stops were removed from coaster buses and there is no next stop on route 145. So it's possible that is a by-product and key consideration of the changes.

So yes, we are pro simplicity!

 

Winners and losers

Who loses out from all this?

- Anyone using the intermediate stops on A259 between Brighton and Seaford Stations. The loss of one or two buses an hour (one on Sunday) but leaving a service of one number and serving all the stops on both routes.

- Newhaveners wanting a direct bus to RSCH. The loss of 14C hits hard for some. There are requests to extend 23 to Newhaven, but what would this look like and what happens to 14 remains to be seen.

- The Fairway bus stop users. One of the biggest requests is for 12X to serve The Fairway in place of Elim Church.

- Avis Way industrial estate. It was discussed about two years ago the possibility of Avis Way being removed, as many passengers wanted Denton. The original suggestion was a third route - a new 12A (Avis Way & Anti-clockwise Chyngton) and Paradise Park served by 12C (via Chyngton) - but as we say simplicity is key. Instead it has been suggested route 145 serve this area towards Sainsbury's after Denton Corner is rebuilt.

 

Who are winners?

- Manor Road residents who now have an all day link to all stops to Brighton Station (Monday - Saturday). Albeit with a run through Chyngton first.

- Slindon Road users now have a 12X up to every 12 minutes to/from Brighton. This allows a Park & Ride type service by using the underused Piddinghoe Avenue car park.

- Beacon Road users. Not too clear why to begin with, the stop serves a quite large area of housing. This is a massive improvement and very welcomed.

- Tourists at Seven Sisters. They now have more faster buses and an easy to understand stopping pattern. Seaford Station may remain an issue!

- Chyngton, as already described, but with a 20 minutes service to all stops on Sunday.

- Peacehaven now has one extra bus an hour by the introduction of route 23 extended from Brighton Marina. This means that both RSCH and Marina all day everyday - in addition to the maintained 15 minutes and increased 20 minutes Sunday frequency - with more (not too many to Newhaven).

- Denton residents. They now have four buses an hour, albeit one less direct service to Eastbourne.

- Oddly Woodingdean, as it was pointed out to me, now get a new route to get to Rottingdean to change for a 2 (if not wanting to go around the houses. This is a secondary route to that of current route 52.

 

Any tips?

Absolutely! The changes come at the same time free travel is being brought in for all children over the summer. So do use the saved money to buy a weekly NetworkSAVER so you can hop between the faster and slower buses with the family at will. Who knows maybe a special coaster 90 minute ticket be made available?

 

Future proof

One consequence of the changes is the ease by which further improvements can be made. The 12, 12X or 23 could be increased and none would effect the other. These are, as the timetable shows, completely separate routes.

The Denton Corner redevelopment is imminent and yes - 12X & 13X will stop here when complete.

What we cannot proof is the Exceat Bridge closure in 2027. Planned to be weeks on end, this is why there is no 10 minute service on 12X. The diversion will be via A27, which I will cover separately, but suffice to say - what the MP wants, the MP might get - albeit only for the duration.

Other considerations include Newhaven West Beach, Seaford South Hill Barn, Seaford Beach, Peacehaven - Lewes, Worthing and even Hastings. We may have reached peak coaster but there's miles of road ahead of us!