Trying to unravel the inter availabilities of the Explorer tickets across Southern England has been an interesting exercise. There seemed, from the available publicity, sourced from leaflets and via the internet, to be many varied definitions of validity, depending on which company sold the ticket. In an effort to clarify this I e-mailed each company, and in some cases local authority, to confirm their understanding of the situation Hopes that one would be able to come to a clear definition of exactly what the ticket was valid on soon vanished as replies confirmed the situation to be as unclear as the initial publicity suggested!
The roots of the initial Southern England Explorer ticket dates from the National Bus Company era, when Explorer tickets were introduced to replace the countrywide Wanderbus ticket. The Wanderbus had offered a rover ticket across all the NBC companies, but this was replaced by more locally based Explorer tickets at about the time that the individual companies were being prepared for privatisation.
The local National Bus Company subsidiaries across Southern England saw the advantage of having an area of validity beyond individual company boundaries and established a number of agreements to permit the inter availability of tickets, which, still today, forms the basic backbone of the Southern England Explorer.
With the sale of the companies from the NBC, and in many cases subsequent sales, these arrangements have continued largely unaltered and give rise to a ticket which Arriva, First, Stagecoach and Go-Ahead support on a commercial basis. The inter availability list however has continued to grow with other operators joining, with the ticket now covering all the Go-Ahead operations in Brighton & Hove and Metrobus ( Sussex operations). In addition Eastbourne Buses have also joined in recent years.
It is not just operators who have helped expanded the scheme in recent years. Both East and West Sussex Councils now issue and accept Explorer tickets on all their tendered operations. This, in theory, means that a considerable number of other operators now issues and accept Explorer tickets and raises questions as to just how widely these are accepted.
The Explorer offers travel across much of Southern England from East Kent to Exeter on the X53 and as such covers several Omnibus Society Branch areas. I apologies to those editors upon whose toes I am treading, but for completeness I have tried to provide a comprehensive overview of the validities (as I currently understand them!).
The situation however has become even more complicated with the introduction by Stagecoach of Explorer tickets valid across their entire operations "south of the Midlands". It would appear that Stagecoach companies across from Stagecoach Peterborough to Stagecoach Wales issue Explorer tickets and accept those issued by other Stagecoach Companies in this area. Whilst this arrangement is quite independent of the network of inter availabilities established within the historical "Southern England" ticket, those Stagecoach companies within both schemes thus now have Explorer tickets with enhanced validity. Not only are they valid across most operators in Southern England they are also valid on most Stagecoach operations "south of the Midlands". Thus my humble Stagecoach Explorer purchased in Dover would be valid to Exeter, Cardiff, Warwick and Peterborough ..not bad for £4.50!
The situation is further complicated by each of the individual companies setting their own prices for tickets and having different definitions as to exactly what makes up a Family! In essence we have a ticket that has varied validities depending from which company it was purchased at a variety of differing prices. Little wonder perhaps that drivers may at times be confused.. And perhaps even the travelling public!
I have recorded below the prices and claimed validities for Explorer tickets, but do this on the basis that there are several unresolved issues and inconsistencies. Many of the historical arrangements continue to exist , such as within First where other operators Explorers are valid on the former Provincial services in Southampton, but not the former City Transport services, although to the travelling public some of these differences are hard to recognise.
There is also the issue of Stagecoach Explorers in Devon where, I seem to recall, (and stand to be corrected if wrong,) only Explorers issued in Devon are accepted. If this is the case this is at odds with the information provided by other Stagecoach companies, such as Oxford who clearly stated that Devon was included in their area of validity.
Likewise Wilts & Dorset advertise an inter availability with Stagecoach West & Wales, although this has not been acknowledged in my communications with Stagecoach, who have never suggested any inter availability with Wilts & Dorset for their own tickets Similarly I would not wish to suggest exactly how widely Explorers issued within East & West Sussex are valid, although there is a belief within each authority that the tickets are valid beyond their authority boundaries!
Attention is also drawn to the fact that is a number of cases tickets issues "on bus" and "off bus" by the same operator do have different availabilities!. An example of this being tickets issued by Solent Blue Line whose off bus ticket is accepted by First, but their on bus ticket isn’t!
The intention of this article is not to highlight these inconsistencies but to publicise what is a potentially excellent product, offering freedom of travel across a potentially large area. Unlike larger urban areas, where multi operator tickets are co-ordinated by the local authority, the Explorer ticket has managed to mature with no one really in overall control of it. Each company has developed it to meet its own needs, whilst adding certain restrictions in places to protect its commercial interests when it was felt they were being disadvantaged by tickets issued by other operators. It would appear that the Explorer has developed without the care of anyone in overall control!
How the ticket will develop in the future will be interesting. It certainly does not generate a significant percentage of revenue for operators and from their perspective there are many far more worthy areas of commercial development before devoting time to the Explorer, which may explain why it has managed to continue so long as it has! To move the product forward and provide greater clarity would require someone to take a lead and to co-ordinate the aspirations of not only 4 of the larger Groups, but also now local authorities. The likelihood of such a move is, I would suggest, remote given the potential effort involved against the commercial rewards.
The details that follow are my current understanding of the position. I am very grateful for those companies who took the time to reply especially those who took considerable efforts in ensuring that details were correct from their company perspective. In particular I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Andrew Dyer, Managing Director, Stagecoach South, Phil Stockley, Managing Director Solent Blueline and Marc Reddy, Commercial Director at First Hampshire & Dorset. This was supplemented by numerous other replies from companies and some of our members in the area, in particular David Chalkley
| Company | Adult | Child | Senior | Family | Definition of Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arriva (Kent & Sussex) | £6.00 | £4.00 | £4.00 | £12.00 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| Brighton & Hove | £6.50 | £4.50 | £4.50 | £13.00 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| East Sussex County Council | £6.00 | £4.00 | £4.00 | £10.00 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| Eastbourne Buses | £6.00 | £4.00 | £4.00 | £10.00 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| First Dorset | £5.00 | £4.00 | £3.00 | £12.50 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| First Hampshire | £5.50 | £2.90 | £4.00 | £10.20 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| Solent Blue Line | £6.00 | £3.00 | £4.20 | £12.00 | Up to 4 people, max 2 adults |
| Stagecoach in Devon | £5.00 | £4.00 | £3.00 | £15.00 | Up to 5 people travelling together |
| Stagecoach in East Kent | £4.50 | £2.25 | £2.25 | £9.00 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| Stagecoach in Hastings | £4.50 | £4.00 | £4.00 | £9.00 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| Stagecoach in Northants | £5.99 | £4.50 | £4.50 | £8.99 | Up to 2 adults and 3 children |
| Stagecoach in Oxford (2) | £5.50 | £3.50 | £3.50 | £10.00 | Up to 2 adults & 3 children or up to 3 Adults) |
| Stagecoach in Peterborough | £5.99 | £4.25 | £4.25 | £7.99 | Up to 3 adults and 2 children |
| Stagecoach in South Wales | £4.80 | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Stagecoach in Swindon | £5.00 | £3.50 | £3.50 | £10.00 | Up to 4 people of any age |
| Stagecoach in Warwickshire | £6.00 | £4.00 | £4.00 | £11.00 | Up to 2 adults & 3 children or up to 3 Adults |
| Stagecoach in Wye & Dean | £5.00 | £3.50 | £3.50 | £10.00 | Up to 4 people of any age |
| Stagecoach South | £6.50 | £5.00 | £5.00 | £13.00 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| West Sussex Council | £6.50 | £5.00 | £5.00 | £13.00 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| Wilts & Dorset | £6.50 | £3.25 | £4.50 | £12.00 | Up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| Company | Valid On | Accept |
| Arriva (Kent & Sussex) | Valid on buses throughout Kent, Surrey and Sussex for the day, not only those operated by Arriva, but those of other operators from East Kent right along the Sussex coast and into Hampshire. Unfortunately the following services cannot accept the Explorer ticket: Green Line coaches, Transport for London services, Seaside Specials, sightseeing tours, Services 707/711 to Lakeside and Romford and Park & Ride services | |
| Brighton & Hove | Offering unlimited travel on all bus services of Brighton & Hove (except Night Buses) and the following Stagecoach Companies - Coastline Buses, East Kent, Hants & Surrey, Hampshire Bus as well as Metrobus, Eastbourne Buses and Arriva | |
| East Sussex County Council | All operators on contracted services to East Sussex can issue Explorer tickets, which should be valid across the reciprocal network. They added however "In practice I suspect that any operator away from the area would query a ticket issued by an operator the driver has probably never heard of." | Explorer tickets, whoever issued by, are valid on all bus services contracted to East Sussex. |
| Eastbourne Buses | Explorer Tickets are also valid on services operated by Arriva Kent & Sussex, Brighton & Hove, Metrobus, Stagecoach (Coastline, East Kent, Hampshire Bus, Hants & Surrey and South Coast Buses), Solent Blue Line and Wilts & Dorset. | |
| First Dorset |
Dorset On Bus Issued Explorers: These are valid on all First Hampshire and Dorset operated services, including the 31 and X53, X54 into East Devon. Also valid on service 47 to Yeovil and, services 57, 58, 58A, 59, 68, 69, 212, 216, X67 and 958, but not P&R services and night services. They are also valid on most Wilts & Dorset services. Dorset Off Bus Issued Explorers These are valid on all First Hampshire and Dorset operated services, including the 31 and X53, X54 into East Devon. Also valid on service 47 to Yeovil and, services 57, 58, 58A, 59, 68, 69, 212, 216, X67 and 958, but not P&R services and night services. They are also valid on most Wilts & Dorset services, most Solent Blue Line services, most Stagecoach South and South East services, most services of Arriva Kent & Sussex (although needs to be confirmed in more detail), most Brighton & Hove services . |
W&D on bus issued - accepted on all First in Dorset services, except P&R and night buses
W&D off bus issued - accepted on all First in Hampshire & Dorset services, except P&R and night buses |
| First Hampshire |
Hampshire Issued On Bus Explorers (only issued by former Provincial services) These are valid on all Hampshire and Dorset operated services, including the 31 and X53, X54 into East Devon. Also valid on service 47 to Yeovil and, services 57, 58, 58A, 59, 68, 69, 212, 216, X67 and 958, but not P&R services and night services . They are also valid on most Stagecoach South and South East services. Hampshire Off Bus Issued Explorers These are valid on all First Hampshire and Dorset operated services, including the 31 and X53, X54 into East Devon. Also valid on service 47 to Yeovil and, services 57, 58, 58A, 59, 68, 69, 212, 216, X67 and 958, but not P&R services and night services. They are also valid on most Wilts & Dorset services, most Solent Blue Line services, most Stagecoach South and South East services, most services of Arriva Kent & Sussex (although needs to be confirmed in more detail), most Brighton & Hove services |
W&D on bus issued - accepted on all First in Hampshire & Dorset services, except P&R and night buses Solent Blueline on bus issued - not accepted Solent Blueline off bus and StagecoachSouth and SouthEast issued - accepted on all services in Hampshire except on services within Southampton, with the exception of services 72, 72A, 73, 78, 79, 80, 80A. Not available for use on P&R and night buses |
| Herefordshire County Council | Valid on Dukes Travel services 35 and 416 | |
| Solent Blue Line |
This ticket gives all day travel on the buses of 10 operators across 5,000 square miles of the south coast. Buy from our offices and agents. Explorer Tickets are now available from the driver, BUT tickets bought on the bus CANNOT be used on "First" services - sorry! Phil Stockley, Managing Director adds -That’s obviously the official blurb. As far as I’m concerned, scratch-off SBL Explorer tickets should be honoured by Stagecoach South, Wilts & Dorset, First Hampshire and Arriva Kent & Sussex. On-bus issued Explorer tickets are not valid on Arriva or First, but otherwise as per this list. It is quite likely that a wider range of operators may accept the ticket, but I have only listed the ones with whom we have a degree of certainty that an agreement exists! |
Phil Stockley advises - Any correctly dated scratch-off Explorer issued by any operator. On-bus issued Explorers from Wilts & Dorset and Stagecoach South. |
| Stagecoach in Devon |
Valid throughout the Stagecoach Devon network and
Cooks services 347 & 355
First Devon & Cornwall 82 & 111 (between Totnes & Dartmouth 82 & 111 (between Totnes & Dartmouth Tally Ho! service 164 service 164 Riverlink service 100 service 100 |
|
| Stagecoach in East Kent | Allows one day’s travel across Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, it gives freedom of Stagecoach’s bus network in the area and also allows travel on other bus companies’ routes, including Arriva, Compass Travel, Eastbourne Buses, First, Metrobus, RDH Services, Solent Blue Line and Wilts & Dorset | |
| Stagecoach in Hastings | Allows one day’s travel across Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, it gives freedom of Stagecoach’s bus network in the area and also allows travel on other bus companies’ routes, including Arriva, Compass Travel, Eastbourne Buses, First, Metrobus, RDH Services, Solent Blue Line and Wilts & Dorset | |
| Stagecoach in Northants | Any Stagecoach Buses / coaches all over Northamptonshire, Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire | |
| Stagecoach in Oxford | All Stagecoach services in central and southern Britain, except to, from or within London. Namely Stagecoach West, Stagecoach Wales, Stagecoach Devon, Stagecoach South East, Stagecoach East (United Counties), Stagecoach in Warwickshire (Midland Red South) and on the Oxford Tube between Oxford and Lewknor. Each of these operators should accept Explorer from each other, although drivers may look closely at your ticket if it is one from a different area to theirs! | |
| Stagecoach in Peterborough | Allows travel on all Stagecoach routes in Southern Britain (except London) | |
| Stagecoach in South Wales | Explorer Tickets issued by Stagecoach companies through South Wales and Southern England are available on all Stagecoach bus services ( except London & Megabus) as far north as Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Peterborough and Cambridge | |
| Stagecoach in Swindon | Valid on any Stagecoach bus in Southern England ( except London & Megabus) | |
| Stagecoach in Warwickshire | Valid on any Stagecoach West & Wales, South East, South Midlands, East, Oxfordshire & Warwickshire (except services to, from or within London) | |
| Stagecoach in Wye & Dean | Valid on any Stagecoach bus in Southern England ( except London & Megabus) | |
| Stagecoach South |
Website states - Explorer tickets are valid for one day’s unlimited travel across Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. They are issued and accepted by other local bus companies including Arriva, Brighton & Hove, Compass Travel, Eastbourne Buses, First Bus, Metrobus, RDH Services, Solent Blue Line and Wilts & Dorset. Andrew Dyer, Managing Director adds "Whilst I can understand your interest in acceptance further afield, in practice the only other Stagecoach companies relevant to our tickets are Stagecoach East, West, Oxford and East Kent. Our tickets are almost all sold on-bus and so there is clearly a physical limit to how far you can travel on a one day ticket like this. We also have interavailablity agreements with other surrounding companies, for example Arriva Southern Counties, First Hampshire and Wilts & Dorset Bus Co.. Traditionally, Explorer was a ticket valid amongst the former National Bus Company operators. However in West Sussex the county council has used its coordination role to engage the smaller companies so that any Explorer ticket issued in the County is now valid on all operators vehicles in West Sussex. |
|
| West Sussex Council |
Bus companies who sell and accept Explorer tickets AMK Coaches, Brighton & Hove, Carlone Buses, Central, Countyliner, Compass Travel, Emsworth & District, Metrobus, Minerva Accord, Palaeobus, RDH, Stagecoach / Sussex Bus Explorer allows one day’s unlimited travel on all bus services in West Sussex and beyond for one price |
See note to left |
| Wilts & Dorset (inc Tourist Coaches & Damory Coaches ) |
Damory Coaches
First in Hampshire & Dorset – Not valid on services operated by Yeovil (Somerset) depot and serve Dorset (for example 58, 59,68,212 and 216). Not Valid on any service operated in the City of Southampton operated by the former Southampton City Transport undertaking ( but are valid on service 7 between Southampton and Romsey on Sundays and Public Holidays). – Not valid on services operated by Yeovil (Somerset) depot and serve Dorset (for example 58, 59,68,212 and 216). Not Valid on any service operated in the City of Southampton operated by the former Southampton City Transport undertaking ( but are valid on service 7 between Southampton and Romsey on Sundays and Public Holidays).
Solent Blue Line
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Explorer tickets issued by the companies listed to left are valid on Wilts & Dorset services where such tickets are valid for travel. |
| Wiltshire County Council | All valid Day Rover tickets are accepted for travel on Wiltshire County Council contracted services over common sections of route or between common points. |