The Dog is Back Online

Western Greyhound.com

After being off-line for a week or so, the brand new Western Greyhound web site is now up and running:
Our new site has been designed from the ground up to make the things you do most on our site easiest. Timetables, maps, departures times and even this news system are all designed to display information clearly. Be sure to have a good look around our new site and let us know what you think. Here at Western Greyhound we're trying to make travelling with us as stress-free as possible, and that's exactly what this site is here to do.

Initial impressions are pretty good. Its a clean design and all the useful links see to be available from the front page.
The News section is pretty much what you would expect. They will need to keep it up to date though, something which too many companies seem to forget.
The Tickets section is less than useful.
We do not currently maintain a comprehensive list of fares on our web site, but details of the various tickets available to you are outlined below.
For information about the cost of a specific journey or ticket (except Season Tickets) please don't hesitate to get in touch with the Passenger Information Team and they will do their best to help. For information about season tickets, please email ticketing@westerngreyhound.com and give details of the journey you want to make and the desired duration of the ticket.
I am not sure why they can't put full details on their season tickets on the web site. Its exactly the sort of information that potential passengers will be looking for when they come to the site. If those same potential passengers visit another bus company web site, say First Kernow for example, they will soon find out exactly what tickets are available without having to wait for a reply to an email.

Clicking through on the 593...

As you can see they use the Traveline timetables rather than their own. I know some don't like these at all, but in general I find them ok. They are not as good a some operators own productions but then they are a lot better than some others. If you click through on the large Print Version (PDF) you do get a timetable you can indeed print out, and has been designed to print on a A4 page. Something you can't do with Plymouth Citybus, and is also a bit rubbish on First.
So lets have a look at the map...

Oh dear! They would have been better linking through to the Traveline Maps, whilst not brilliant they do at least generally follow the roads.

The Coach Hire and Advertising pages are as you would expect them to be. The Links page is interesting...

Note the inclusion of First Devon & Cornwall, their main competitor! (but NOT Plymouth Citybus - who are supposed to link up with their 593 at Liskeard...). Well done Western Greyhound for this comprehensive list. I cant see First linking back to them though!
The Enthusiast link such gives you a mailing list you can join for now, and then we come to the FAQ page

A great idea but some of this is a bit out of date...
Who is Western Greyhound? Western Greyhound is a locally-based, family-run business that has been operating since 1998. We run an extensive bus network throughout Cornwall and into Devon, offering services which frequently connect together to provide excellent journey opportunities in the region. Our fleet can be identified by a smart green and white livery and our routes are numbered in the 500 series. Our buses are reliable because we take immense pride in ensuring a high quality of service, resulting in us recently receiving the prestigious national award for Operating Excellence for Small Fleets for two years running. The company continues to grow from strength to strength, having just taken over the Corlink service and also beating off stiff competition to earn the new Truro Park and Ride tender. If you would like to read a more detailed history of Western Greyhound, wish to view our fleet list or archive photographs visit our enthusiasts and photos webpage. (dont - its not there anymore)

Conclusion

All in all its a pretty impressive effort and a nice looking web site. There are a few issues which could be fixed quite easily, such as the missing information on bus tickets, and the maps clearly need a bit of work if they are to be of any real use. Its very early days for the new site so there are bound to be a few missing links and out of date information. As long as the company keeps the site up to date with news and timetables then it should be a successful web site. Its certainly a lot nicer to look at than the First Cornwall site, and a lot easier to use then the awful Stagecoach site.

The News

• Focus Transport: Wetherby man launches Supreme Court bid in bus access row
  A disabled man who won a court ruling over bus wheelchair access which was later overturned has launched a bid to take the case to the Supreme Court. Doug Paulley, from Wetherby, was denied access to a First Group bus when a woman with a pushchair refused to move

Recommended Reading

• The Circle of London Blog: Route 488
• Humber Transport: Lambwath Road regains bus service
• Ipswich Bus Blog: DAY TRIP TO NORWICH
• Norwich Buses: 2005 week specials - The Finale
• Norwich Buses: Around the UK
• Norwich Buses: New Sanders timetables released
• Norwich Buses: Sunday odds and ends
• Public Transport Experience: Silliness at Stranraer [2] From Train to Boat : but which Boat?
• Public Transport Experience: Replace a Pacer? (1 of a series) A Universally Reviled Train
• Public Transport Experience: Please Trace a Pacer (2 of a series) Birthday Burblings
• Random Streets: Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
• Steves Bus and Train Page: Ollie Video
• Steves Bus and Train Page: Weekly News Round Up