request to Lloyds Coaches re possible Trawscymru T2 departure change in Dolgellau to 8.00 to connect with T!c Aberystwyth to Cardiff coach

Dear Sir,

I appreciate this may not be high on the agenda of Lloyds Coaches and that Gwynedd Council are highly likely to be playing games in diverting me to you,  but I would be grateful if you could reply.

Yours sincerely,

Dr John McTighe

—-Original message—-
From : john.mct@
Date : 16/05/2018 – 20:43 (GMTST)
To : info@lloydscoaches
Subject : request to Lloyds Coaches re possible Trawscymru T2 departure change in Dolgellau to 8.00 to connect with T!c Aberystwyth to Cardiff coach

Dear Sir,

The Trawscymru T1C coach recently introduced in April to run between Aberystwyth and Cardiff departs from Aberystwyth at 9.30am.  The T1C arrives in Carmarthen at 11.02 leaving only 3 minutes to connect with a Trawscymru T1S service to Swansea.  I know from recent experience this 3 minute connection is difficult.

The T2 service departing from Dolgellau at 8.10am , which is provided by Lloyds Coaches, arrives in Aberystwyth at 9.30am/9.32am (?) and therefore does not connect with the 9.30 T1C coach departure from Aberystwyth to Cardiff.  The 8.10am T2 Dolgellau departure also takes a 5 minute diversion off the A487 just before Aberystwyth to travel through the village of Comins Coch and then through Aberystwyth’s Waunfawr estate and back onto the A487.  The T2 arrival in Aberystwyth at 9.30am/9.32am (?)  means passengers on the T2 from North of Aberystwyth in Gwynedd and Powys cannot use the T1C coach service to Cardiff.

I have asked Gwynedd Council whether it would be possible for the T2 to depart from Dolgellau at 8.00am instead of  8.10am and also avoid the 5 minute diversion off the A487. This would allow the T2 to arrive 15 minutes earlier in Aberystwyth at 9.15 in plenty of time for passengers to use the T1C service to Cardiff.  It would also allow the T1C to depart 5 minutes earlier at 9.25 from Aberystwyth and improve the connection time in Carmarthen with the T1S service to Swansea from 3 minutes to a healthier 8 minutes.

Gwynedd Council have said  “”This is an operational request that must be made to Lloyds Coaches””

I would therefore be grateful if you could tell me if it would be theoretically possible for Lloyds Coaches to change the T2 departure time in Dolgellau to 8.00am instead of  8.10am and also avoid the 5 minute diversion off the A487?.   If it is not possible could you please tell me why it is not possible?

I appreciate that Lloyds Coaches cannot change the departure time themselves and it would require other partners agreement.

Yours sincerely,

Dr John McTighe