Trent-Barton Buses

Trent Barton are a private company, that run bus routes throughout Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. They mainly service the towns and villages that are set apart from the main town centres. I have used Barton busses for many years and having lived in the north, east, and south of nottingham i have been able to experience the service being run in many different regions.

~The Fleet~
None of the busses that the company use ever get particulalry old as they are always bringing out new models with better gadgets! Due to the fleet being renewed on a fairly regular basis they are always mechanically reliable, in all my years of using the service I have never had one break down on me (unlike some of the other bus companies I have been so unfortunate to have had to use!)
The interiors are always clean and tidy and the colour schemes are generally very pleasing. The seating is both comfortable and practical with pleanty of space at the front of the busses for luggage, and with allocated spaces for pushchairs, wheelchairs, and the elderly.
One rather fun point that they seem to be bringing in over the past few months is a display at the front of the bus stating the next stop, this can also be read allowed by a freindly voice. Very handy if you don't normally use that route.
Also each of the main routes has separate designs on the exterior of each buss (for example the route I currently use is purple and my old route was green) This i find really helpfull for when you cant read the destination sign.

~The Routes~
Barton seems to have tapped into a good niche in the market as it only runs main routes to the villages and towns that are outside of the main districts of the city. This means that the busses do tend to make a lot of stops which does mean some journeys can take forever, but your never too far from a stop either. They have many main routes that serve the town center and most of them arrive at one of the two main stations in Nottingham. Also they have an information office in one of the bus stations that can give you most information you may need.
One big thing that seperates Barton from the other companies in the area are its late night weekend services, ideal for those of us who like to party till the morning! With the last busses leaving Nottingham city centre at 3am on friday and Saturday nights this is great for a night out. However it is very limited as to the routes this service is offered on and at £3 a time if there are a few of you its often cheaper to grab a taxi.

~Price~
With being the only company to run services to many of its areas its predictable that prices will be a little above average, but it is affordable and with some fairly good offers and you do get a much better service that you do with some of its cheaper competitors

~Overall~
After having spoken of all the good points i feel i should point out the bad aspects of the service. The time keeping leaves alot to be desired, most busses are late and some do not show up at all or leave far before they are due to.
The drivers on most accounts are very friendly and cheerfull, but some of their skills behind the wheel leaves alot to be desired, sometimes its a rather bumpy ride!
The customer services are probably the downfall of the a generally good business. I have called them in the past to find out timetable info. etc. and they seem to be guessing. When calling to complain they make promises that they simply do not keep.

However taking into consideration its pitfalls, in all the service is what i would describe as the best in the area and i will always seek out a barton buss above any other. They may cost more, but in the end you get a better service for it.

My final opinion is that i would reccomened them to future users, but i would advise you to make pleanty of time for delays!