Colin buchanan

Colin Buchanan investigated the potential for introducing a network of quality bus services across the Thames Valley. These would link towns and cities where it was identified that rail links are relatively poor and existing bus services did not offer competitive end-to-end journey times.

In order to provide better journey times, it was proposed that the services would operate on a limited stop basis with bus priority measures where traffic conditions would cause delays or unreliability. 

The clients, South East England Regional Assembly, Buckinghamshire County Council and Berkshire Strategic Transport Forum, identified nine corridors as candidates for the express bus services. For each of the nine corridors, we identified a preferred routing, assessed potential demand, and estimated costs and revenues. We also conducted a preliminary review of bus priority enhancements.

The recommended high quality, reliable network of express bus services integrated with existing bus, rail and express coach services will provide vital links between sub-regional and regional centres as well as links to major transport hubs including London Heathrow. We also suggested three corridors where conditions might allow an enhanced service to be introduced more rapidly, in order to achieve ‘quick wins’ to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept.