Hail and Ride - but do use the bus stops where possible!

On many sections of our routes we are happy to offer a 'hail and ride' service, which means that the bus will stop to pick up or set down anywhere that it is safe to do so.  You need to give a clear hand signal to the driver if you wish to board, and if you want to get off please let the driver know in good time.  It is entirely at the driver's discretion where to stop; safety is paramount and we have to consider other road users too. Of course it does help speed things up if you can use recognised bus stops - if we stop too frequently we won't be able to keep up with the schedule, and it could also cause delays for other traffic on the road.  On sections of route that are or have previously been served by other operators,  we share the same bus stops, but extremely limited Council funding means it's unlikely that we can set up any new 'official' stops. Most stops are on request; again, please give a clear hand signal to the driver or let him know in good time which stop you would like to get off at.

In Wallingford we always try to use Stop B which is directly in front of the Town Hall (on the cobbled area).  However idiots regularly park their cars or vans there illegally while they 'just pop for a coffee' so sometimes we can't get in there.  In order to keep delays to a minimum, if we can't reach Stop B we may be forced to use the other stops either side of the Market Place.  They're only a few steps away - so if you see Stop B is blocked, please do watch out for our buses at the other stops.  This is not very satisfactory but despite numerous appeals to the powers that be it seems nothing can be done about it.

In Reading our services run to and from Blagrave Street, between the station and the Town Hall.  The stop name is EO and EP (which are next to each other - we stop at whichever stop is clear!).  We also stop by Marks & Spencer in Friar Street (stop FC).  Please do watch out for the bus and make sure the driver can see you.  Sometimes other vehicles make it very difficult to see people if they are hidden behind them; unfortunately there is nothing we can do about this - these streets are very busy and we cannot hang around looking for people!

At Didcot Parkway station our designated stop is R4, but please watch out for the bus and give a clear hand signal to the driver to make sure he stops for you.  Unfortunately due to the random nature of other buses taking up the stops it's not always possible for us to be at stop R4.  At Didcot's Orchard Centre we stop at or close to the Taxi Rank near Starbucks/M&S Simply Food.  Our buses do not run along Station Road.

If you're not sure of the exact route that the bus uses, please see the maps for each of our routes elsewhere on the website.  They are also available on www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk, or send us an email or give us a call.