Cheltenham - Stroud bus Stagecoach 46 route

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qip001
Posts: 73
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:40 am
Location: Gloucestershire

Cheltenham - Stroud bus Stagecoach 46 route

Post by qip001 »

Anyone having kids on Stagecoach route A 46 please contact me. We are thinking of moving closer to Cheltenham and have a son at Marling. Trying to understand how much trouble it is and how much it costs to catch A 46 service from Cheltenham that goes on Shurdingdon road, Brockworth, Painswick and to Stroud.
willow_catkin
Posts: 144
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:49 pm

Re: Cheltenham - Stroud bus Stagecoach 46 route

Post by willow_catkin »

My dd does not catch it but her friends do from various places along the route and it seems to work out well for timings etc
Perplexed 2009
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:45 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Cheltenham - Stroud bus Stagecoach 46 route

Post by Perplexed 2009 »

My DD2 is working up to catching the 46 from Cheltenham to SHS ( Year 7)! It's not as easy as a dedicated school bus to understand. The bus they "all" catch leaves about 3.35 pm or sometimes a lot later. This bus terminates at Brockworth, Cross Hands. I've seen one child then cross the roads to wait for the next 46 to come ( which goes all the way to Cheltenham). I asked the Stagecoach office in Cheltenham about tickets - got a different answer each time. It seems changing buses at Brockworth is a new journey, so another new ticket is required. That's about £ 2.70 times 3 journeys for one day. The weekly mega rider is £20 and it seems you can use it to travel as much as you want, but it says it is not applicable on " some school services"; this service to Brockworth is a school service! Also, the slightly later 46 which goes all the way from Stroud through to Cheltenham ( which none of the children get), is blanked out on the timetable as it is not supposed to stop at Beard's Lane. I asked Stagecoach why this service stopped for us when we were trialling it and they said the bus driver should not have stopped with that service at Beard's Lane.

So they really have to get the Brockworth bus. Not due into Cheltenham until near 5pm.
Traffic by car is horrendous getting out of Cheltenham from 7.30am onwards, and hard to get back into Cheltenham from Brockworth at that time also.

Planning for DD2 to get bus in morning from after half term, and to pick up from SHS in afternoons until I can figure out the buses. At present by car ( we share lifts part of the way) we are at SHS by 8.15am and home by 4.15pm but the traffic is exhausting.
DD1 walks to Pate's which and is just waking up when we are leaving for Stroud in the mornings!

Apologies for ramble, but the bus is not as easy as it first appears and driving you have to leave early.
Nammum
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Oct 09, 2013 3:51 pm

Re: Cheltenham - Stroud bus Stagecoach 46 route

Post by Nammum »

Hi All, I am reading this thread with interest as my eldest is opting for SHS next year and would be travelling from Cheltenham on the bus. I thought it was going to be easy but perhaps not!

I have a friend whose DS travels to Marling on the bus and back each day so will quiz her later and pass on her thoughts. She certainly hasn't expressed any problems her DS has had with the service.

I work for myself so if needs must will do a bit of ferrying to and fro. My husband and I timed the route to SHS this week via the Slad Road and this seemed quite good. Does anyone know whether this route experiences heavy traffic flows in the mornings/afternoons?
Perplexed 2009
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:45 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Cheltenham - Stroud bus Stagecoach 46 route

Post by Perplexed 2009 »

Best to trial a few of the routes first at 7.30am as areas can be congested eg the Air Balloon and then Merrywalks and Cainscross Rd. We had thought to use the motorway as live not far from, but when you come off for Stroud it is bumper to bumper until SHS, and so takes a lot longer. Afternoons are mostly fine. We have always walked to school prior to this so it's been a bit of a culture shock!
Nammum
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Oct 09, 2013 3:51 pm

Re: Cheltenham - Stroud bus Stagecoach 46 route

Post by Nammum »

Perplexed 2009 wrote:Best to trial a few of the routes first at 7.30am as areas can be congested eg the Air Balloon and then Merrywalks and Cainscross Rd. We had thought to use the motorway as live not far from, but when you come off for Stroud it is bumper to bumper until SHS, and so takes a lot longer. Afternoons are mostly fine. We have always walked to school prior to this so it's been a bit of a culture shock!
Thanks Perplexed 2009. We too are close to the motorway, junction 11A. Will give all routes a go at the critical time over the next few months and see what comes out in the wash. :)
Luckymumof2
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:59 pm

Re: Cheltenham - Stroud bus Stagecoach 46 route

Post by Luckymumof2 »

My DD (yr7) gets the 46 from Brockworth to SHS every day as do many others. She returns on either the 3.35 or the slightly later one that goes all the way to Cheltenham .... SHS children use both. The first one (a 'school service') is very busy in the afternoon so sometimes she waits for the second one which her 'Cheltenham' friends get every day. We get her a 'twelve tripper' ticket which is £23. Monthly passes are a risk as they are not able to be replaced if lost! She was very nervous at first but so many of her friends do this trip that it has worked out fine. Bus leaves brockworth at c.7.45am and returns at c.4.15 or 4.30pm (for second bus). Hope this helps.
Nammum
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Oct 09, 2013 3:51 pm

Re: Cheltenham - Stroud bus Stagecoach 46 route

Post by Nammum »

Luckymumof2 wrote:My DD (yr7) gets the 46 from Brockworth to SHS every day as do many others. She returns on either the 3.35 or the slightly later one that goes all the way to Cheltenham .... SHS children use both. The first one (a 'school service') is very busy in the afternoon so sometimes she waits for the second one which her 'Cheltenham' friends get every day. We get her a 'twelve tripper' ticket which is £23. Monthly passes are a risk as they are not able to be replaced if lost! She was very nervous at first but so many of her friends do this trip that it has worked out fine. Bus leaves brockworth at c.7.45am and returns at c.4.15 or 4.30pm (for second bus). Hope this helps.
Thanks Luckymumof2, hugely useful information, really appreciated :D
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