49-628: Reading Transport may refer to: Reading Buses , bus operator in England that traded as Reading Transport until 1991 Reading Company , former railroad in Pennsylvania Transport in Reading, Berkshire Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Reading Transport . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
98-476: A 20-minute frequency. The cars operated from a depot on the south side of the Oxford Road, immediately to the east of Reading West railway station . By the 1890s the whole fleet had been replaced by double-decked cars operating at a 10-minute frequency. The company made several proposals to add routes and electrify the system, but none of these were implemented, and in 1899 the borough corporation decided to purchase
147-618: A consequential saving in precious oil-based fuel. In 1949 the Whitley Street line was extended to Whitley Wood and Northumberland Avenue, and a short branch was built to Reading General station. Subsequent short extensions took the system to its full extent, with the Kentwood route running to Armour Hill and the Northumberland Avenue line running to the junction with Whitley Wood Road. By 1965, most UK trolleybus systems had closed, and
196-561: A distinctive colour. These colours are used on the buses used on that route, and also on maps and other publicity. Urban town area routes provide a weekday daytime frequency of between 2 and 8 buses per hour, depending on the route. Five of the urban routes now operate 24 hours a day, reflecting the level of demand for local buses around the clock: Out of town routes operate at lower frequency, with between one and four buses an hour. These operate out as far as Newbury, Henley-on-Thames, Wokingham, Bracknell and Riseley: Reading Buses also operate
245-518: A new depot in Mill Lane, a site that was to remain Reading Transport's main depot until it was demolished to make way for The Oracle shopping mall in 1998. The electric tram services were originally operated by 30 four-wheeled double decked cars supplied by Dick, Kerr & Co . In 1904, six bogie cars and a water car (used for keeping down the dust on the streets) were added to the fleet, from
294-706: A service from Reading through London to Southend . The service was numbered X1 and was run jointly with Southend Transport . In 1982 the X1 was shortened to run from Reading to Aldgate in East London, under the Goldline brand, and joint operation ceased. As a result of the legislation that accompanied the deregulation of local bus services in 1986, the operations of Reading Transport were transferred to Reading Transport Limited, an "arms length" company whose shares were held by Reading Borough Council. Bus deregulation also meant that
343-474: A similar manner. However, First won the tenders for the evening service 4 and Sunday service 6 back. Since 2004, Reading Buses and Reading Borough Council have made a significant investment in upgrading the quality of Reading's main urban bus routes. In autumn of that year, Reading Buses introduced its first branded Premier Route in the form of the number 17, running between the Three Tuns on Wokingham Road and
392-429: A two-tone green colour scheme, although most services were operated by vehicles in colour schemes specified by the contracting organisation. Unlike services run by Reading Buses, Goldline gave change on their routes. This was mainly for the benefit of visitors who are more likely to use routes such as park-and-ride. In May 2008, Goldline won the contract to operate route 142 from Checkendon, Woodcote and Purley to Reading;
441-449: Is an English municipal bus operator owned by Reading Borough Council , serving the towns of Reading , Bracknell , Newbury , Slough , Windsor , Maidenhead , Wokingham and the surrounding areas in the counties of Berkshire , Oxfordshire , Surrey and Hampshire , as well as parts of Greater London . The origins of Reading Transport can be traced back to the 19th century, when the privately owned Reading Tramways Company (part of
490-655: The Brewery Gut , a particularly narrow stretch of the River Kennet. The layout allows space for outdoor tables, and there is granite stadium-style seating. Two bridges have been installed spanning the Kennet—Cooks Bridge, a straight footbridge which links The Riverside Car Park to House of Fraser , and Delphi Bridge, an ellipse bridge providing access from the Vue cinema to Debenhams . The Free Form Arts Trust were appointed as
539-478: The Green Line Coach Station at Victoria via Windsor and Slough from First Berkshire . In January 2018 Reading Buses took over two routes (2 and 5), and won Slough Borough Council tenders for evening (4) and Sunday services (6) from First Berkshire. In September 2018, Reading Buses purchased Newbury & District from Weavaway. The companies have worked together in the past, most noticeably on
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#1732876637138588-604: The Imperial Tramways Company ) was formed. The company was authorised to construct and operate a horse tram route on an east–west alignment from Oxford Road through Broad Street in the town centre to Cemetery Junction . This route formed the core of what became known as the main line of the tram and trolleybus network. Construction started in January 1879, with the entire line open by May. A fleet of six single-decked cars were initially used, with 31 horses, providing
637-497: The M4 motorway , whilst the bus depot was relocated to a location just west of the town centre as one of the first phases of the redevelopment. Hammerson's strategy was to create a combination of big-name retailers at the new centre, including a number of international retail banners fairly new to Britain. The merchandise mix had a strong emphasis on fashion and is slightly higher-end than the average for Reading's main street shops. Peter Cole,
686-761: The Next plc (136,000 square feet (12,600 m )) and House of Fraser (150,000 square feet (14,000 m )) chains. A third and larger department store, John Lewis & Partners (formerly Heelas ) is adjacent to the Minster Street entrance but not part of the centre itself. There are also 22 restaurants, cafés and bars along the riverside of the Kennet , and an 11-screen Vue cinema. The Oracle increases Reading's retail footage by one third, and it has attracted some retailers who would otherwise not have located in Reading. The Oracle Riverside area, with its restaurants and bars, spans
735-582: The River Kennet in Reading , Berkshire , England. Partly on the site of a 17th-century workhouse of the same name , it was developed and is owned by a joint venture of Hammerson and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority . The Oracle takes its name from the 17th century Oracle workhouse built by funds from a local man, John Kendrick . This once occupied a small part of the site now occupied by
784-439: The 507. Two coaches were maintained by N&D during the operation at their Greenham Park depot. The 402 was introduced in early 2023 to make use of otherwise dead (Out of Service) runs between London and Newbury. The operation of theses services by N&D ended in late 2023, with the 402 being withdrawn completely, and the two coaches being returned to NatEx. Until August 2011, Reading Transport operated public service buses in
833-472: The Bear Inn at Tilehurst via the town centre and Oxford Road, and the linear descendant of the old main line . This was intended as the first in a series of such routes, each providing a weekday daytime frequency of between 3 and 8 buses per hour. Each premier route, or group of routes, would be allocated a distinctive colour, to be used on the buses on that route, and also on maps and other publicity. Since then
882-946: The Hospital Park and Ride service 300, which runs between the Thames Valley Park and Ride and the Mereoak Park and Ride via the Royal Berkshire Hospital and the University of Reading , and the Winnersh Triangle Park & Ride 500. The Thames Valley P&R service 400 was indefinitely suspended in July 2022 due to low usage and a lack of funding. In September 2018, Reading Buses purchased Newbury & District from Weavaway. The operated services include: All services (except 3c, which continues to Thatcham Broadway) serve
931-748: The Jet Black 1 service which operates between Reading and Newbury. In March 2019, Courtney Buses was purchased with 57 buses. In November 2019, routes 2 (which had already been withdrawn as a result of too much competition from Courtney in May 2018, but added back into the company after the purchase in March 2019) and 5 in Slough and Windsor were transferred to the Courtney Buses division, with 2 other routes, which Courtney had taken over from First Berkshire (10/15) also grouped in
980-586: The Newbury Wharf Bus Station. The 1a/c/d, 103/103a/b/c, 730/731 and V1 services are operated solely by Reading Buses. All other routes are operated on behalf of West Berkshire Council. In December 2017, it was announced that Reading Buses was to take on three services withdrawn by First Berkshire & The Thames Valley in the Slough area. A fourth route was later added. The Thames Valley Buses name, historically associated with Thames Valley Traction ,
1029-668: The Newbury area, the majority of work passed to Newbury & District. The Link is now operated by Stagecoach in Hampshire on a revised timetable to reflect the Stagecoach depot being in Basingstoke. Jet Black 1 was subcontracted to Weavaway Travel in 2011, using several Alexander Dennis Enviro400s , which were owned by Weavaway but in a route-branded version of the Reading Buses livery and on
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#17328766371381078-587: The Reading fleet system. Additional Enviro400s owned by Weavaway in an all-over black livery were also able to be used on the route. Reading Buses used the Goldline Travel name for its non-public-service bus operations, including services operated under contract for various local employers. Goldline Travel was also responsible for the operation of Fastrack and Daytrack park and ride services and Nighttrack night bus services , all of which are operated under contract to Reading Borough Council . Goldline Travel had
1127-499: The Three Tuns, and a much longer extension from the Oxford Road through the centre of Tilehurst to the Bear Inn. The extended main line , from the Three Tuns to the Bear, still exists today as bus route 17, the town's busiest and most frequent route, and the first to be designated a premier route. During World War II a trolleybus branch was constructed from the Oxford Road to Kentwood Hill, enabling trolleybuses to replace motor buses with
1176-469: The arts agency, with responsibility for the appointment and contractual arrangements with artists. Specially commissioned artworks include the Crystal Beacon, a reflective translucent prism by Welsh artist John Gingell that tops off the multistory car park. The overall centre design concept was created by Haskoll & Co ., London. They were called in to design a "retail for leisure" concept, linking
1225-579: The completion of the new site by Reading and Wokingham Borough Councils . Following a contract win from West Berkshire Council, Reading Buses introduced the Kennections brand in Newbury in September 2016. These routes were previously run by Newbury & District, the bus service trading name for Weavaway Travel, who in turn took them over from Reading Buses' now-defunct Newbury Buses brand. All drivers were TUPEd to Reading Buses. In April 2020, Kennections
1274-538: The development director for Hammerson said "We were looking to bring in a retail mix that would enhance what was already there – we wanted to get the right caliber retailers to suit the slightly higher-end shopping demographic of the area." The main shopping malls comprising phase I of The Oracle were opened in September 1999, followed in November by the Riverside restaurants, pubs and cinema that made up phase II. Once phase I
1323-411: The late evening. On 21 August 2023, Newbury & District commenced operations on the new Flightline 730/731 route between Basingstoke , Frimley , Camberley and Heathrow. Reading Buses formerly operated the 925 route between Woking and Heathrow, but this contract was suspended with the onset on the coronavirus pandemic. Newbury & District also operated two routes, the 402 and select trips of
1372-431: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Reading_Transport&oldid=792901607 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Reading Buses Reading Transport Limited , trading as Reading Buses ,
1421-439: The lion to Bracknell and the leopard to Wokingham. The lime brand is still retained on the service to Mortimer. Reading Transport operates public service buses under the Reading Buses brand throughout the town of Reading, and along a number of corridors out to other local towns. All routes have a colour scheme, a concept first introduced in 2004 with the introduction of 'Premier Routes', where each route or group of routes allocated
1470-479: The local council no longer had any power to regulate the routes and fares of Reading Transport, nor could they prevent other operators from starting competitive services within the borough. In 1991 Reading Transport was rebranded Reading Buses. In 1992 Reading Transport acquired the Reading and Newbury operations of BeeLine, one of the privatised successors to the state-owned Alder Valley . These acquisitions led to Reading Transport operating buses in Newbury, and in
1519-405: The manufacturers of the overhead equipment gave notice that they would cease production. At the same time the trolleybuses were criticised in the local press because they cost more to operate than motor buses and were inflexible, even though the trolleybuses were profitable (Reading's motor buses made a loss), faster and less polluting. Reading Corporation decided to abandon the trolleybus system, and
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1568-454: The premier route concept has been rolled out on most of Reading's urban routes. In April 2009, a similar concept was introduced to some of Reading Buses' longer distance rural routes. These were rebranded as Vitality Routes , using specially branded green and silver or red and silver buses. In 2014, these too were changed to a colour brand, becoming 'Lime Routes'. Most longer distance and interurban services now have animal related branding, with
1617-756: The registration of a new limited-stop service using Optare MetroRiders under the Fast-Line brand before introducing a low-cost unit with unbranded minibuses running against Mainline routes E, F and H. Labour shortages created problems for the competitor, and Reading Buses acquired Reading Mainline in May 1998. Reading Transport continued to operate the Routemasters under the Reading Mainline brand until they were finally withdrawn on 22 July 2000. In December 2017, Reading Buses started to serve London again when it took over Green Line Coaches route 702 from Bracknell to
1666-406: The route was previously operated by Thames Travel . However, when the route was next tendered, in May 2012, the contract reverted to Thames Travel. In February 2009, the private hire services run by Goldline ceased, and the coaches were all sold. In 2015, Loddon Bridge Park & Ride route 500 ceased and the site was closed, having been superseded by Winnersh Triangle Park & Ride, following
1715-563: The routes were phased out between January 1967 and November 1968. The UK's first contra-flow bus lane was instigated along Kings Road, when that road was made one-way in the early 1960s. The trolleybuses continued to operate two-way, as it was considered uneconomic to erect wiring on the new inbound route, London Road. The concept of the contra-flow bus lane was proved successful, and adopted in other places for motor buses. The Transport Act 1980 deregulated long distance bus services. Reading Transport took advantage of this new freedom to start
1764-736: The rural areas around Reading and Newbury, for the first time. Additionally, BeeLine had operated a Reading to London service under the LondonLink name, and that was merged into the Goldline service and the resulting service renamed London Line. The Goldline name was retained for use by Reading Transport's non-scheduled service business. The London Line service ceased in 2000. Reading Buses faced competition on Reading urban routes from 1994, when Reading Mainline, an independent company, started operations with 10 AEC Routemasters acquired from Southend Transport , later expanding to 45 Routemasters on letter-designated routes. Reading Buses initially retaliated with
1813-464: The same manufacturer. No further trams were acquired, and a planned extension from the Caversham Road terminus across Caversham Bridge to Caversham itself was abandoned because of the outbreak of World War I . The war also led to a significant maintenance backlog. In 1919, Reading Corporation started operating its first motor buses. These ran from Caversham Heights to Tilehurst , running over
1862-575: The shopping centre. In 1997, the property developer Hammerson acquired a 22-acre site of largely derelict land immediately to the south of the town centre. Most of this site was previously occupied by Simonds Brewery (latterly owned by the Courage brewing company) and by the Reading Buses depot (formerly the Reading Corporation tram depot). The brewery had earlier relocated to a new site adjoining
1911-542: The site to a heritage trail around the town. The Oracle also provides two large car parks providing 2300 spaces. In line with other car parks in central Reading, charges are comparatively high, especially for long term parkers. In 2002 Reading was named eighth best town centre in the country. In 2007 the Oracle centre was ranked 16th in a league table of best performing retail centres in the UK compiled by economic analyst Experian . In
1960-621: The system. The purchase deal was completed on 31 October 1901, and Reading Corporation Tramways came into being. The corporation set out about first extending, and then electrifying the system. The extensions were completed by December 1902, and the last horse cars ran in July of the following year. The new electric trams started operating in July 1903. Extensions were constructed to the Wokingham Road and London Road (both from Cemetery Junction), and new routes added to Whitley , Caversham Road, Erleigh Road and Bath Road. The trams operated from
2009-435: The town of Newbury and the surrounding rural area under the "Newbury Buses" brand. Two routes were branded using the same Vitality Route brand that was used by Reading Buses, and provide weekday daytime frequencies of two buses per hour. Another longer distance route, to Basingstoke , was jointly operated with Stagecoach in Hampshire and branded as The Link . When Reading withdrew from all commercial and tendered work in
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2058-524: The trading name, have changed over. In December 2017, Reading Buses announced they would take over the Green Line 702 route from First Berkshire & The Thames Valley . The service had a refreshed livery and was branded Green Line Express . In 2018 this was expanded to include the new route 703 between Bracknell and Heathrow. With the delivery of new vehicles in June 2023, the combined Green Line Express brand
2107-568: The tram lines and beyond the tram termini. Because of the state of the track, the Bath Road tram route was abandoned in 1930, followed by the Erleigh Road route in 1932. Eventually it was decided that the tramways should be abandoned and replaced by trolleybuses , operating over extended routes. The last tram ran on the Caversham Road to Whitley route in July 1936, and the last car on the main line ran in May 1939. The first trolleybus wiring erected
2156-408: The types of buses in use in the current fleet of Reading Buses and its subsidiaries. Reading Buses has a history of experimenting with biofuels , including biodiesel and alcohol fuel . By 2008, all but one of Reading's bus fleet was fuelled by a mix of 5% biodiesel and 95% conventional diesel. The Oracle, Reading The Oracle is a large indoor shopping and leisure mall on the banks of
2205-435: Was a training loop on Erleigh Road, which opened in early 1936. This loop was never used in public service, and was subsequently dismantled. Public service commenced on 18 July 1936, on a route replacing the tram route from Caversham Road to Whitley Street. In May 1939, the remaining tram routes from Oxford Road to Wokingham Road and London Road were converted to trolleybus operation, with a short extension from Wokingham Road to
2254-521: Was complete, the way was open to relocate the Debenhams department store from its previous location on Broad Street into the centre. This in turn allowed for the redevelopment of the old Debenhams site as phase III of The Oracle, linked to phase I by a bridge over Minster Street. Phase III provided The Oracle with a direct link to Broad Street , and was opened in May 2000 by The Princess Royal . The centre contains 90 shops, including department stores from
2303-439: Was merged into Newbury & District, with the latter name being retained. The app was also changed to Newbury & District in September of that year. In March 2019, Reading Buses purchased Courtney Buses as part of their expansion across Berkshire. Between November 2019 and April 2021, the Courtney Buses brand began to be phased out. As of October 2024, the fleet consists of 260 buses. The table below shows an overview of
2352-485: Was replaced with The London Line 702 , and Flightline 703 , the latter now co-branded with Heathrow Airport . The two routes are marketed together in Bracknell under the name Windsor Express which is shown prominently at the front of the buses. In addition, The London Line 701 was introduced to be the brand used on the 3 buses per day from Reading to Slough/Legoland in the early morning, with them making return trips in
2401-541: Was used for the new services. Operation began on 20 January 2018. In November 2019, the Thames Valley and Courtney Buses brands began to be combined, which was a gradual process that was complete by April 2021, with Slough and Windsor being the first areas to change over to Thames Valley, adding two more routes. However, a retendering of contracts by Slough Borough Council saw the two tendered routes won back by First. Since then, Maidenhead and Wokingham routes, along with
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