GOING FOR GOLD

摘要

On a delightful October weekday, I aim to travel the entire Stagecoach South West Gold standard network - comprising four south Devon routes - without using any other buses.A bargain £8 Explorer day ticket covers my 150mile-plus itinerary, valid throughout its network from Bude to Lyme Regis and Plymouth to Taunton including all Gold routes as the sub-brand's 'luxury at no extra cost' marketing implies. Without one I would pay around £30 in separate fares.There are no time restrictions, although in 2008 a 25% surcharge was introduced before 09.30 on weekdays. Weekly, monthly and annual tickets were also greatly inflated if using the X38 (Plymouth-Exeter) and X46 (Exeter-Paignton), as I am today. The unpopular fare hikes lasted less than a year.Paignton bus station is busy as drivers check buses. This is a base for 19 vehicles, with another 58 — including Torbay's Gold fleet - kept at Torquay depot 4miles away. Most stands are occupied by out-of-service buses, but a few are clear for routes already running.