New Enterprise routes 781 and 784

Infobox Green Line coaches route
number=781 and 784


operator=New Enterprise Coaches
garage=Maidstone
vehicle=DAF SB3000/Plaxton Prima
pvr=
start=Maidstone
via=West Malling
Lewisham
end=London
length= 30 miles (48km)
level=Monday - Friday
frequency=Irregular
Peak hours only
To London am
To Maidstone pm
time=Around 1 hour 50 minutes
day=05:34 - 09:00 to London
16:00 - 19:52 to Maidstone
night=No night service

New Enterprise routes 781 and 784 are express coach services linking Maidstone to Central London. The services are currently operated by New Enterprise Coaches.

History

Commuter services from Maidstone began in the 1980s under the Invictaway banner - a trade name for Maidstone & District, then part of the National Bus Company. These services were originally numbered from 978 to 990 and linked towns as far as Tenterden to the Colonnades in Victoria. Over the years, the service had been scaled down due to lack of use, resulting in the Tenterden connection being dropped.

In 1992, the Invictaway services were re-branded into the Green Line network, with coaches initially bearing a white horse of Kent logo and route branding. With a switch to air conditioned Plaxton coaches, the horse was subsequently dropped, but route branding remained. Services from Maidstone were principally numbered from 980 to 985. Again, passenger numbers had gradually fallen, hence the services started to lose journeys and eventually lost the weekend service altogether.

In September 2004 the services were renumbered 780 to 785, after a call from Transport for London to bring the services in line with other express coaches from London which all have 7xx prefixes.

In August 2005, Green Line dropped the services as usage was down to its lowest for years. New Enterprise took over the commuter journeys on Services 781 and 784, running 5 coaches up from Maidstone and 6 back from London. The move seems to have improved the service as more passengers started to use the service, which prompted an additional journey up to London to be included in January 2006. The current services are still listed on the Green Line website.

Current Operation

The service operates Mondays to Fridays only; mornings from Maidstone, and evenings from London.

There are currently 6 journeys each way. 4 journeys on service 781, running 20 mins between each other, and 2 journeys on service 784, running 40 mins between each other towards London. On journeys back to Maidstone, the first and last coaches cover both routes as service 781, 1 journey operates on 784, and 3 journeys operate on the normal 781 route, with 2 coaches serving the village of Loose.

Route departing Maidstone

*Maidstone "Armstrong Road Bus Garage"
**Sutton Road "Mangravet Avenue" ^†
**Downswood "Roundabout" ^†
**Madingford Road "Lambourne Road" ^†
**Grove Green ^†
**Vinters Park ^†
**Penenden Heath ^†
**Maidstone East "Staceys Street" ^†
**"Running Horse" ^†
*Loose "Kings Arms" ^‡
*Maidstone West railway station
*"Allington Way"
*British Legion Village
*Larkfield "Spotted Cow"
*Lunsford Park "Gighill Road"
*West Malling "Bottom of Town Hill"
*Wrotham Heath "Royal Oak"
*Wrotham "Oakdene Cafe"
*Sidcup "Queen Mary’s Hospital, A20"
*Lee Green "Leegate"
*Lewisham "High Street"
*London Bridge station "Tooley Street"
*Cannon Street station
*Blackfriars station
*Temple tube station
*Embankment tube station
*London Victoria
*Victoria station "Stop M"
*Victoria Coach Station "Bulleid Way, The Colonnades"

Route departing London Victoria

*Victoria Coach Station "Bulleid Way, The Colonnades"
*Victoria station "Bressenden Place"
*Embankment tube station "Stop 40B"
*Temple tube station
*Blackfriars station "opposite HMS President"
*Cannon Street station
*London Bridge station "Tooley Street"
*Lewisham "High Street"
*Lee Green "Leegate"
*Sidcup "Queen Mary’s Hospital, A20"
*Wrotham "Oakdene Cafe"
*Wrotham Heath "Royal Oak"
*West Malling "Bottom of Town Hill"
*Lunsford Park "Gighill Road"
*Larkfield "Spotted Cow"
*British Legion Village
*"Allington Way"
*Maidstone West railway station
*Loose "Kings Arms" ^‡
**"Running Horse" ^†
**Maidstone East "Staceys Street" ^†
**Penenden Heath ^†
**Vinters Park ^†
**Grove Green ^†
**Madingford Road "Lambourne Road" ^†
**Downswood "Roundabout" ^†
**Sutton Road "Mangravet Avenue" ^†
*Maidstone "Armstrong Road Bus Garage"

Notes

* ^† Route 784 only.
* ^‡ Served by certain journys on route 781 only.

See also

*New Enterprise Coaches
*Green Line Coaches
*Arriva Southern Counties
*Arriva

External links

* [http://www.newenterprisecoaches.co.uk/ New Enterprise Coaches website]
* [http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/ Arriva UK bus times website]
* [http://www.greenline.co.uk/ Green Line website]
* [http://www.busmap.org/tt4/781.pdf Full TfL timetable]
* [http://www.newenterprisecoaches.co.uk/index.asp?pageID=99 Full New Enterprise route page]