Recently I found out that Stagecoach Manchester is to axe the 358 Stockport to Hayfield bus. It's a bus I know well and is always busy. But it's now due to get the axe. Why? Well we don't know for sure, but it's likely to be a quirk of Greater Manchester's move to bus franchising.
A common complaint about rail fares is how complex they are. That trying to work out the cheapest fare often requires a great deal of research and knowledge. Given how many times friends and family have asked me what the best ticket to buy for whatever scenario, there has to be some truth in this. But it's not a problem isolated to trains. It's true of buses as well. And other modes of travel like trams too.
When I first moved to London in 1999 I had a tube map on the wall next to my front door. Every time I went to a new tube station I highlighted it on the map. The reason was because I was interested in where I'd been to in London; a city that I was, of course, exploring a lot.
