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Given the short notice nature of things the likelihood would be that ticket machines are still on order and being dealt with.

Is 'Rail Forums Uk' supposed to be a big website, bigger than this one, as I'm surprised their bus & coach section hasn't picked up on this yet?

I don't think they have a West Midlands thread. Or maybe they know this site will handle the talk better.

Yes, that's 3.3 which is the version I've got.  Looking for something around 3.10 or earlier?  I did have it, but it's been uninstalled.

I also had a newer version but lost it after a computer reinstall and also didn't have it left on a USB stick despite previously having it.

I agree that it did have a habit of wanting to locate installation files from time to time, losing the MSI file meant having to go back to 3.3.

The most annoying thing about it being I had backed up my Mobitec stuff in a few places, but not Hanover!

Alternatively, just swap the controller out for a USB model. They show up on eBay from time to time.

Also, it creates a visual identifier for customers so that they know they're using the right company.  34=NX & 334=Thandi.  That way, there's no confusion between the companies for passengers.  To most people, a bus is a bus regardless of the livery its in.

Yet when they had a shot at the 37 they didn't rename theirs to 337 to stick with their number range.

I thought at the 2015 PI, he was told to stop maintaining vehicles himself so must have hired a mechanic then?

Yes, but then those undertakings were removed. See the for more information.

Would have thought Mr Chumber would want to ensure that everything with his buses is 100%, after all at the last PI they said "This was really the company's last chance to get things right. He doubted that the O-Licence could survive another Public Inquiry (PI)."

Plus he has to employ a new transport manager and mechanic by a certain point or the TC won't be happy.

LJ56LDC has Centrad units...they just need to get a hold of them for the software.

Although it seems they no longer manufacture the displays they should still be able to supply the program, which you can't find on the internet unlike the other two brands.

https://www.route-one.net/legal/licence-cut-and-fine-for-discount-travel-solutions/

Licence cut and fine for Discount Travel Solutions

The operator has been fined and had its O-Licence cut by two vehicles after timetable and maintenance issues
Vehicle maintenance and local service timetable problems have resulted in the O-Licence held by Smethwick-based Discount Travel Solutions being cut from six vehicles to four and it being ordered to pay a financial penalty of £1,200 by Traffic Commissioner (TC) Nick Denton.

In September 2014, the O-Licence was cut from six to two vehicles on financial grounds and the company fined £300 for local bus service timetable problems. The authorisation was restored to six vehicles in October 2015.

The TC said that Traffic Examiner (TE) Robert Lees had monitored the company's local services following a complaint from a passenger.

Observations were taken on six different days in July 2019. Of the 28 journeys observed, eight failed to run at all; six were more than one minute early; and eight were more than five minutes late.

The company's response was that around seven of the journeys had experienced unusually heavy traffic; five non-compliant journeys had been caused by some kind of vehicle malfunction; two were caused by a driver being taken ill; and in seven cases the driver had no excuse.

Vehicle Examiner (VE) Austin Jones had reported that there was a higher than average prohibition rate, 37% over the past two years, as opposed to the national average over the same period of 17%.

There was a high MoT failure rate of 40%, with failures for multiple items on each occasion. All the failures had included brake system failures.

For the company, Murray Oliver said that it had increased the number of service checks it made.

Recent figures showed a much lower level of non-compliance than that found by the TE. Ticketer machines which monitored early and late running in real time were to be installed in its vehicles.

The troublesome 72 and 11A routes were to be discontinued, with three vehicles, all Ticketer equipped, remaining in service on the 11C route. The company had also tightened its procedures.

The main reason for the high level of non-compliance was the heavy and unpredictable nature of the traffic on the very long and complex 11 route.

Vehicles were now given safety inspections at four-week intervals rather than the previous five.

Vehicles were now being given two pre-MoT inspections by different providers rather than just one.

Undertakings were given that vehicles would be given safety inspections at least every four weeks and that roller brake tests would be carried out at least every 12 weeks.

In imposing the financial penalty, the TC said that he had some sympathy with the difficulty experienced by operators in practice in adhering to timetables on long and busy routes like the 11.

He had also borne in mind that the passengers tended to be less inconvenienced by an operator's failure to run to time on a route with multiple alternative operators who provided a frequent service.

Of the journeys observed by the TE, six ran more than one minute early, for which heavy traffic was clearly not an excuse.

Three were caused by a fault with the vehicle, which was also within the company's control, as it was expected to send out vehicles on service which were capable of completing the journey without breaking down.

There was also the fact that the company was fined in 2014 for non-compliant running and it did not seem to have made any lasting improvements in the meantime.

The company's prohibition and MoT failure rates were unacceptably high. Consequently, the TC was cutting the number of vehicles as he needed to be sure that it could operate compliantly at its current service levels before adding to its fleet again.

Full report at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discount-travel-solutions-ltd

Am I right in thinking that buses without working destination blinds of any description, shouldn't be on the road?

Probably don't have the software for that type, but still left them in it instead of swapping out of an old Dart.

TfWM have definitely had something to do with this, as pretty much every operator now has them (except Travel Express, although I won't be surprised if they have them soon)

The public inquiry into Travel Express had a mention saying they were getting ticket machines from TfWM, only a matter of time until it happens.

Has the Streetlite returned from repair yet as I haven't seen it out for ages.  The 303 is still in the hands of PN07KRZ.  Wouldn't have thought TfWM would be particularly happy with a vehicle not in company livery.  No 'Let's Go' logos on it at all so passengers have no idea who the operator is without looking at the timetable.

Considering the E200s have been getting painted allover white instead of red as with the Darts, you could say that is their livery now...

Just because old machines might look cheap to buy on eBay doesn't mean new machines are the same price.

Ticketer charges a huge amount to convert old machines to a new user, better off buying new to avoid getting caught out.

Plus, those that go on sale are generally the old model which lack contactless support. I know the talk wasn't about old machines, but worth mentioning anyway.

Just so people don't have to register to see it, it was in this week's issue too.

https://www.route-one.net/legal/licence-cut-and-6k-fine-for-travel-express/

TC rules that responsibility for maintaining vehicles and timetable planning should no longer be current TM's
The O-Licence held by Wolverhampton-based Travel Express, trading as Let's Go, has been cut from 20 vehicles to 15 and the company ordered to pay a £6,000 penalty for failing to operate to registered timetables by Traffic Commissioner (TC) Nick Denton.

The TC also directed that to avoid loss of repute as Transport Manager (TM), Director Kishan Chumber must, by the end of February, cease maintaining vehicles himself and appoint at least one IRTEC accredited mechanic with overall responsibility for maintenance, or contract maintenance out entirely; and appoint an additional TM with lead responsibility for timetable planning and monitoring and management and disciplining of drivers.

He imposed undertakings on the O-Licence that roller brake tests would be carried out every 12 weeks and that vehicles would be inspected every six weeks.

In January 2015 TC Nick Jones disqualified Mr Chumber from acting as a TM until he passed a further CPC exam [routeone/Court Report/4 February 2015].

The company's O-Licence was subsequently revoked [routeone/Court Report/4 February 2015 and September 2015]. It was granted a fresh O-Licence on condition that Mr Chumber had nothing to do with vehicle maintenance, and that he employed a full time TM and a skilled mechanic [routeone/Court Report/23 March 2016].

Mr Chumber appeared before the TC in January, when his repute was restored and he became the company's TM. In his decision the TC said that the restoration of Mr Chumber's repute was followed by seven roadworthiness prohibitions in 2019 and a very poor MOT pass rate of 65%.

The same timetabling incompetence which had caused TC Jones to ban Mr Chumber in 2016 from any involvement in timetabling had re-emerged since that ban was lifted in January 2019. There was some evidence that vehicles had been deliberately run a few minutes ahead of rivals, regardless of the timetable.

It was difficult to reach any other conclusion than that Mr Chumber had slipped back to his old slipshod methods of management, timetabling and operating.

The TC accepted that on the whole he had good intentions and was not setting out deliberately to fail to comply, but he feared that history suggested that he might not have it in him to be a compliant operator over an extended period of time.

Part of the problem appeared to be that Mr Chumber was spread too thinly. He was responsible as Director for the running of the business generally, as TM for scheduling, driver management and discipline and general oversight of compliance, and all that while performing much of the maintenance on the company's vehicles.

The TC had regard to the fact that the route where the principal non-compliance was found was long and congested and even the biggest operator could struggle to run to timetable. He had also borne in mind that passengers tended to be less inconvenienced by a failure to run to time on a route with multiple alternative operators who provided a frequent service.

Against those mitigating factors was a potentially aggravating factor of deliberate early running in front of a rival's service; and the fact that the company had been fined before for non-compliant running which did not seem to have made any lasting improvements.

This was really the company's last chance to get things right. He doubted that the O-Licence could survive another Public Inquiry (PI).

E200 LJ56LDC was working the 11 yesterday.

From the picture I saw on Flickr, no working destinations, no paint or stickers.

TC outcome is out :

Public Inquiry (80525) held at The Public Inquiry Room (Birmingham), B15 1PL, 38 George
Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 20 November 2019 commenced at 14:00 (Previous
Publication:(2419))
PD1140735 SN
TRAVEL EXPRESS LTD
Director(s): KISHAN SINGH CHUMBER
30 COTON ROAD, PENN, WOLVERHAMPTON, WV4 5AT

1. The standard national PSV licence held by Travel Express Ltd is varied under
Section 17(2)(d) of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 ("the 1981 Act") so that the
maximum number of vehicles which may at any one time be used under the licence is
reduced from 20 to 15. The variation takes immediate effect and is for an indefinite
period of time.

2. To avoid loss of repute as transport manager, Kishan Chumber must by 29
February 2020:
i) cease maintaining vehicles himself and appoint at least one IRTEC accredited
mechanic with overall responsibility for maintenance (or contract maintenance out
entirely); and
ii) appoint an additional transport manager with lead responsibility for timetable
planning and monitoring and management and disciplining of drivers.

3. The good repute of previous transport manager Nimrod Asbury is retained.

4. Under Section 155 of the Transport Act 2000 ("the 2000 Act"), the operator is
fined a total of £6,000 for failure to operate according to the timetable registered with
the traffic commissioner.

5. The following undertakings have been added to the licence:
i) vehicles will be given roller brake tests at least every 12 weeks;
ii) vehicles will be given regular safety inspections at least every 5 weeks;

What was the point in removing Chumber's restrictions to begin with, now that they have been put back on?