The Big Lemon
Encyclopedia
The Big Lemon is a bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
operator in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, operating public bus services and private hire operations as well as festival travel and waste oil collection. Registered as a Community Interest Company
Community interest company
A community interest company is a new type of company introduced by the United Kingdom government in 2005 under the Companies Act 2004, designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good...
, the company markets itself as Brighton's friendly bus company, while pushing it's eco-friendly credentials as its buses are fueled using second-life locally-sourced cooking oil.
The company launched in 2007 operating the 'Falmer Express' limited-stop service 42, but was quickly re-designed to offer a membership and fares and operate along the Lewes Road corridor as a normal-stopping service. The company broke even for the first time in 2008.
History
The Big Lemon was born as an idea in Founder Tom Druitt's head in October 2006. A Brighton resident and former Care Home Manager., Tom and business partner Graeme launched the first service in 2007 after Tom qualified as a transport manager.Initial service
After gaining an operator license, its first public transport route was launched on 1 September 2007 by Caroline LucasCaroline Lucas
Caroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom...
MEP, a green party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for South East England
South East England (European Parliament constituency)
South East England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 10 Members of the European Parliament using the D'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
. Route 42 was originally operated from Brighton Station
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
to Falmer Station
Falmer railway station
Falmer Railway Station is operated by Southern and lies on the East Coastway Line.The station serves the village of Falmer as well as the University of Sussex campus and the University of Brighton Falmer Campus. It also serves Falmer Stadium, the new home of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C....
, with hopes to expand the operation with more routes. After lower than expected passenger numbers, and competition from Brighton & Hove, the company had decided to scale down the level of service, re-launching it in January 2008, and to reconsider its operating model.
Due to the loss of some drivers due to the news of planned restructuring, the company had to withdraw the service early on 30 November 2007, bringing a fine from the Traffic Commissioner. In an unprecedented move, the company made a public appeal to its passengers calling on them to write directly to the Traffic Commissioner to allow it to stop the service early, as it felt the company was in a catch 22 situation: it would not be able to run the service for the mandated period before withdrawal without incurring prohibitive costs that could force the company into administration, however, not running the service would potentially see its license to run any services revoked by the commissioner. Permission was eventually refused.
From 7 January to 29 January 2008, the service operated on a reduced frequency, ending once the original route registration expired after the mandated period.
Re-launch
The service was re-launched on 28 February, with a new route still numbered 42, and a new timetable, aimed at university students. Appeals to the Traffic Commissioner to waive the rules on the notification period for new registrations had failed, producing a gap in service until re-launch.The new service was cut back to terminate at Churchill Square rather than Brighton station, due to previous apparent low demand for journeys to the station, and peak time congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
around the station. The service was also changed to run later into the night, with evening route extensions via the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
Falmer campus.
This new service operated until a planned end on 26 June 2008, for the summer term break, to be restarted again on 29 September 2008.
The service made a net profit for the first time in April 2008, and since then has continued to grow with the launch of two new routes serving University of Brighton campuses at Falmer and Varley Halls (Coldean Lane), and an increased frequency on Service 42.
Bus Services Currently Operated
42/N42 Brighton Old Steine - Lewes Road - MoulsecoombMoulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb is a large suburb of Brighton, part of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is located on the northeastern side of Brighton, around the A270 Lewes Road, between the areas of Coldean and Bevendean and approximately 2¼ miles north of the seafront. The eastern edges of the built-up area...
- Sussex University
44 Churchill Square - Brighton Old Steine - Lewes Road - Moulsecoomb - Varley Halls - ASDA Hollingbury - Varley Halls
Former Services Operated
43 Hove Town Hall - Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
Old Steine - Lewes Road - Moulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb is a large suburb of Brighton, part of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is located on the northeastern side of Brighton, around the A270 Lewes Road, between the areas of Coldean and Bevendean and approximately 2¼ miles north of the seafront. The eastern edges of the built-up area...
- Brighton University Falmer Campus. Operated from September 2010 till January 2011.
Competition
The Big Lemon's services 42 and 44 compete directly with Brighton & Hove Buses service Metro 25. In January 2011, Brighton & Hove Buses reduced their fares to match The Big Lemon's. The company claims this is an attempt to put it out of business.Further to this in October 2011 The Big Lemon lowered its saver ticket price back down to £2 and introduced an evening return ticket of £1.
Fleet
The Big Lemon currently has the followingVolvo
L342 KCK,
M751 LAX,
K779 DAO,
N905 AAS,
Dennis
M451 LLJ,
M455 LLJ,
Mercedes
P162 TDW,
P229 EJW,
N179 DWM
Previous Big Lemon Fleet
- NTC 132Y. New to Bristol Omnibuses this Leyland OlympianLeyland OlympianThe Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
was a Bright yellow Bus which was one of their first buses but was gone by 31 July 2008 - PDZ 6276. New to Midland Red as a MK1 Leyland NationalLeyland NationalThe Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
. Converted into a Leyland National Greenway in 1994. Was used from September 2007 - October 2007 - P524 XBB. This Dennis DartDennis DartThe Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
with PlaxtonPlaxtonPlaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
body was on loan to The Big Lemon in October 2007. The bus is Former Poynters - D222 LWY. A Volvo B10MVolvo B10MThe Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
PlaxtonPlaxtonPlaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
Paramount coach, withdrawn in July 2010 - K777 DAO An Alexander bodied Volvo B10MVolvo B10MThe Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
former Stagecoach North WestStagecoach North WestStagecoach North West is a major operator of bus services in North West England. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and has its origins in the purchase of Cumberland in 1987 and Ribble in 1988 from the National Bus Company. The head office of Stagecoach North West is in Carlisle...
. Converted into The Big Green Bus in March 2011 and later sold. - N855 PDW A Mercedes Benz 711d LCB Eagle. Sold back to the Stafford Bus Centre in September 2011.
- M461 LLJ (M710 XJK) An East lancs bodied Dennis DartDennis DartThe Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
former Bournemouth Transport. After the vehicle was withdrawn from service it was registered M710 XJK. - E968 KDP. A Volvo B10MVolvo B10MThe Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
PlaxtonPlaxtonPlaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
Paramount coach, Sold for scrap in October 2011