The schools may have broken up but the traffic down Manton Lane was still appalling after work yesterday and ensured I missed 19706 on the 1729 9 home so it remains a once only bus for riding on. I wasn't prepared to wait at the rancid bus station until it's next working at 1817 so I rode 18057 home on the 1741 which I must have had over one hundred times by comparison. Unfortunately fiddling around on my mobile I missed viewing the number of the sad MAN conked out in River St receiving fitters attendance.
Other obo's on the way home were 19890 also on the 9, so the second day running the 9 had gone upmarket with two E400's out at the same time, winner 19699 on the 1735 41 going nowhere I wanted to be, 19892 on the 1735 71, 18417 on the 1736 1 and 18418 on the 1748 1. Again the 1745 X5 to MK was an E400 with 19705.
Not to worry as normal service was resumed on the 9 this morning. With cars passing the bus stop at a rate of one a minute, therefore meaning the roads were empty compared to school days, the 0847 into town was a no show and consequently the 0905 to Shortstown was just a breeze. The three buses out were the old order that I have come to expect in the shape of 18057, 22320 and, believe it or not, 22333 so it's exile in Peterborough was short lived. The non appearance of the 0847 meant I missed the 0911 6 and 0915 51 as the 0859 was 5 minutes late. The weather may be mild but the bus station was as cold as a fridge as per normal with no warm café or travel office to visit like in the old days. Bedford must be one of the few places where conditions have got worse by bus station improvements! Oh well at least the 0923 6 was on time and I got to work just in time on 34829. A contrast to this date in 2010 when my chariot to work was 16672 and two days later it was blue budgie 16227.
It appears, even with the loanees, four buses could not be raised to maintain the route 9 service. In the meantime 36934 is still on public display at St Johns station to marvel at modern technology whilst other buses wither away at the back of the depot but apparently we don't have enough buses. Isn't it time to awaken the slumbering reserve fleet where I formed the impression they were being kept to cover shortages?
The only Bedford E400 visible this morning was 19699 passing me on an inbound 51 for annoyance purposes whilst Kettering's 15606 was on the 0932 50. Both 18418 and 18424 were on 5's.