Diamond Bus - Discussion

[PM]

One cadet i think it was 30211 still has an information advert about senior citizens using there pass before 9:30am for 50p and this was when Birmingham coach company owned the vehicles it's on the side blind. Surely there must be some second hand centro's for sale somewhere which would be ideal for the black diamond operations it's pointless having just one enviro 200 even though I heard several more may be entering service with diamond I think it was mentioned on here a while ago. The hybrid versa's are being wasted at blue diamond using them on the X30 and the 82 as well as the 16. If the 16 is struggling put some solo's on there a and move the versa's to the 301 using all 8 vehicles at an 8 minute frequency. Return branding could be put on the cadets as there mainly used on the 4/40 and 301 which all offer the £2.50 return ticket. The solo's i would keep but ensure there used on centro funded services and not on the main stream commercial services. I would even think about transferring some of the presidents acquired from the first takeover and use them on the 002 and 301 transferring the enviro 200 and the acquired darts from your bus to Red diamond moving the cadets and centro's from the 002/301 to be used on the 4/4H and 4M.

I agree they should look for secondhand centros and I agree that the versas are wasted at blue diamond. I dont think that solos should be put on the 16 as this would just make it worse-stick some darts on there, brand em up and advertise and try to see grs off the route. I agree also that the versas should be put on something like the 301 and the solos confined to contracts and tbh i think the deckers are needed at redditch although some of these seem in a bad way-one of them had the interior lights all flickering on and off today.

[Ash]

One cadet i think it was 30211 still has an information advert about senior citizens using there pass before 9:30am for 50p and this was when Birmingham coach company owned the vehicles it's on the side blind. Surely there must be some second hand centro's for sale somewhere which would be ideal for the black diamond operations it's pointless having just one enviro 200 even though I heard several more may be entering service with diamond I think it was mentioned on here a while ago. The hybrid versa's are being wasted at blue diamond using them on the X30 and the 82 as well as the 16. If the 16 is struggling put some solo's on there a and move the versa's to the 301 using all 8 vehicles at an 8 minute frequency. Return branding could be put on the cadets as there mainly used on the 4/40 and 301 which all offer the £2.50 return ticket. The solo's i would keep but ensure there used on centro funded services and not on the main stream commercial services. I would even think about transferring some of the presidents acquired from the first takeover and use them on the 002 and 301 transferring the enviro 200 and the acquired darts from your bus to Red diamond moving the cadets and centro's from the 002/301 to be used on the 4/4H and 4M.

I agree they should look for secondhand centros and I agree that the versas are wasted at blue diamond. I dont think that solos should be put on the 16 as this would just make it worse-stick some darts on there, brand em up and advertise and try to see grs off the route. I agree also that the versas should be put on something like the 301 and the solos confined to contracts and tbh i think the deckers are needed at redditch although some of these seem in a bad way-one of them had the interior lights all flickering on and off today.

With the emission ruling diamond would be struggling to put full size single deckers on the 16 as the older dart can't be used I recon thats the reason they have the hybrid versa's in the first place. I can't see any investment happening in the near future either and I don't get why they sold already painted black diamond darts such as X639AKW and W448DOP and keep the poor appearance darts such as S404JUA that bus is in a bad state every seat is different and looks very tatty on the outside, very poor.

[Tony]

They also need to sell all those buses they wish to sell to ensign as theyre spending money advertising them which seems pointless unless ensign really dont offer them a good deal. Then they could buy some of these http://www.ensignbus.com/#!singlebus8/c1ed0
and possibly order a few new buses as well. They need to ditch the solos completely, shut long acre, and brand up some half decent buses for the 301/56/4/50/16 services. They need to advertise the returns and there needs to be a redditch network review as personally I think that there is a major problem with redditch bus station which is hopelessly inadequate. Information seems out of date and something needs to be done. Id also like to see diamond having printed leaflets on buses telling them useful stuff. On that note I saw the nbb dart in redditch today still with timetable holders with NBB notices on about the 113X which I thought was interesting.

You seem to think Ensign will just buy anything? - The last thing Ensign need at the moment is non-sellable old darts. They have enough of them already with their bulk purchases from the big London ops. If Rotala cannot sell them why should Ensign be able to

Id have thought that the rotala ones would be far more appealing as they havent been thrashed around like the ones in London and operators outside cities dont want to buy dual door darts and as for the caetano compass ones ensign have-who on earth wants them!! Rotalas are single door and in good nick and ensign have a far better chance of selling them as everyones heard of them and they are britains biggest bus seller. Theyve got a far bigger chance of selling them

You seriously think Rotala's are in better nick than London's? London's buses don't get thrashed, they spend most of their time just trundling around. All darts coming out of London are LEZ compliant (none of the stuff Roatal have for sale is).

This entry in Ensign's January sales
Darts S367ONL / Y239NLK / R147RLY   Trident T122KLD: MC Tractors, Ely, for
scrap.
tells you where more than ten year old darts tend to end up and Ensign are business people who will normally sell a vehicle for more than they buy it for. If they are selling a dart for scrap for about £800 imagine what they are buying them for.

As for being dual door that is no problem to Ensign with their workshops. You're probably correct about the Nimbus bodies, although First Group seem happy to single door their ex London ones and put them back in service in the Potteries!

[PM]

They also need to sell all those buses they wish to sell to ensign as theyre spending money advertising them which seems pointless unless ensign really dont offer them a good deal. Then they could buy some of these http://www.ensignbus.com/#!singlebus8/c1ed0
and possibly order a few new buses as well. They need to ditch the solos completely, shut long acre, and brand up some half decent buses for the 301/56/4/50/16 services. They need to advertise the returns and there needs to be a redditch network review as personally I think that there is a major problem with redditch bus station which is hopelessly inadequate. Information seems out of date and something needs to be done. Id also like to see diamond having printed leaflets on buses telling them useful stuff. On that note I saw the nbb dart in redditch today still with timetable holders with NBB notices on about the 113X which I thought was interesting.

You seem to think Ensign will just buy anything? - The last thing Ensign need at the moment is non-sellable old darts. They have enough of them already with their bulk purchases from the big London ops. If Rotala cannot sell them why should Ensign be able to

Id have thought that the rotala ones would be far more appealing as they havent been thrashed around like the ones in London and operators outside cities dont want to buy dual door darts and as for the caetano compass ones ensign have-who on earth wants them!! Rotalas are single door and in good nick and ensign have a far better chance of selling them as everyones heard of them and they are britains biggest bus seller. Theyve got a far bigger chance of selling them

You seriously think Rotala's are in better nick than London's? London's buses don't get thrashed, they spend most of their time just trundling around. All darts coming out of London are LEZ compliant (none of the stuff Roatal have for sale is).

This entry in Ensign's January sales
Darts S367ONL / Y239NLK / R147RLY   Trident T122KLD: MC Tractors, Ely, for
scrap.
tells you where more than ten year old darts tend to end up and Ensign are business people who will normally sell a vehicle for more than they buy it for. If they are selling a dart for scrap for about £800 imagine what they are buying them for.

As for being dual door that is no problem to Ensign with their workshops. You're probably correct about the Nimbus bodies, although First Group seem happy to single door their ex London ones and put them back in service in the Potteries!

I really didnt know that darts were going so cheap. Begs the question then why dont travel express sell all their current fleet and upgrade cheaply while theyve got the chance. And I didnt mean the nimbus ones which look nice I meant the uvg/caetano compass ones with the sort of sagging windscreen front thing. Theyre ex go north east and have been sat around ages. The nimbus ones do look quite smart when repainted and refurbed in the potteries and I think first had the right idea sending them there.

[tank90]

Or how about this for Rotala West Midlands http://www.ensignbus.com/#!bus6/c1jly I'm sure they could find a route for it.

[PM]

Or how about this for Rotala West Midlands http://www.ensignbus.com/#!bus6/c1jly I'm sure they could find a route for it.

Even though it looks nice I cant help feeling that it just looks tacky and the seating capacity is too low for a bus that size.

[Tony]

Or how about this for Rotala West Midlands http://www.ensignbus.com/#!bus6/c1jly I'm sure they could find a route for it.

Even though it looks nice I cant help feeling that it just looks tacky and the seating capacity is too low for a bus that size.

The seating capacity is low because it has table and facing seats. In Ensign's magazine adverts they are also offering it fully seated

[Ash]

A black diamond dart was parked up in the withdrawn section of buses at Long Acre it looks to be T445EBD I thought I hadn't seen this bus for a while and now know why.

[winston]

A black diamond dart was parked up in the withdrawn section of buses at Long Acre it looks to be T445EBD I thought I hadn't seen this bus for a while and now know why.

I had a look at the main Black Diamond depot & overflow bus park opposite today at Tividale, both resemble a used bus sales site / scrap yard rather than an operational base

[Ash]

Just checked some of the video's people have put on and one of them was on a 4/4M and started watching and even spotted myself on the exact bus sitting in front of the person who was filming lol. Has this happened to anyone else on here?

[PM]

Think I was at the front of the Nifty50 centro video

[Trident 4609]

Just checked some of the video's people have put on and one of them was on a 4/4M and started watching and even spotted myself on the exact bus sitting in front of the person who was filming lol. Has this happened to anyone else on here?

There has been plenty.of occasions when i have gone past people filming and taking photos plus i film on the buses aswell. Bus spotters in wolverhampton are.usually in the same spot, pipers row opposite the bus station

[Trident 4609]

Just checked some of the video's people have put on and one of them was on a 4/4M and started watching and even spotted myself on the exact bus sitting in front of the person who was filming lol. Has this happened to anyone else on here?

Have you got a link to the video.

[Ash]

I think it was the member on here called JC I think it was there youtube account.

[Sh4318]

Blue Diamond withdrawing from the 17: