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Yeasterday I took a trip to Coventry on the 900 to visit old uni friends and sample the new bus road at the airport. And made some observations of the new system.

On the whole. I was impressed. The enviro had no trouble getting onto the road and when on it was able to reach speed (40mph) on the strait stretch. My only slight issue is the course of route towards Coventry at the Airport end. As it feels slightly long winded running round to Birmingham int station. However. As someone who has used the route once or twice beforehand not sure if it's any longer than before.

Currently doing same trip purely for work purposes now so will see what it's like on a weekday. Did here an inspector joke to our driver not to get lost lol.

Anyone else tried it or planning to. Let us know what you think :)

Hi guys. I had herd some time ago that this was More than just a vision . And that planning had been approved. Is anyone aware of any future plans to build this extension or is it more of a pipeline dream at the moment that probably. Won't materialise?

Also if this new link we're to be created. How do you feel about it. I personally would benefit from such a service and can see it speeding up journey times between some towns which atm has an hour  journey time to merry hill. As well as opening up some disused architecture. Ie Dudley train tunnel and netherton viaduct. PersuMing ofcourse that that would be the route taken. Thoughts??

I remember these buses from being younger arround but never actually rode on one, branded for bristol road, were they any good? Is their a reason WMT only recieved one batch and were they any better to drive then the buses of their day and their replacements. Apologies if thos has already been discussed.

This is a chat to discuss a lighter side of life, things that were fun or out of the ordinary, so from swinging arround the pole on the old bct crosleys, chirpy drivers/conductors, antics on the school bus, however funny or a little naughty just silly things, no judging or "how dare you do that", this if for a giggle, we were all youmg and reckless once.

So if the changes on the 1st Sept feed are as they seem. The 98 is to become a circular, I imagine it will just be a link up of the x64 and do that kind of route, do we think this will work, and what benifits will this bring, also what woulf the circular be called, lets discuss.

I remember in the mid 90s the original mass branding of routes and being amazed at the infuence it had. As a young 5/6 year old it was a great way of learning routes. Ie, the 101 used to be "the green one"

Routes I remember were...

Metrobuses

1 Birmingham to accocks green (pink)

51 Birmingham to walsall (Orange)

103 Birmingham to woodgate vally north (orange brindley place)

126 Birmingham to wolves (purple)

101 Birmingham to hansworth (green)

Coleshill routes 590 blue, however, if memory serves right the strip wrapped arround the destinations rather than the top dome

900 Birmingham to coventry white

wolverhamton 512 red


Correct if wrong, think the 45/47 only ever recieved circle branding on themetros
scanias

bristol. rd routes 61/62/63/964? Red

Lynx

SWL (south west link) bearwood-kings heath white

993 red

if anyone can think of any more from the strip era or wishes to remonise, let's all chat, would be intresting to find out the motivation behind and how others responded "back in the day"

Basically as the title says, which is the best bus station, interchange ect you have visited, and which didn't impress or was just a nightmare, you dont have to keep it to the sunny old west midlands but would be nice to have a few.

For me, inside the west mids my fav has to be stourbridge, just because of its fresh appeal and unusual layout, worst is bradford place, just because I don't think it has the means and capacity for It's current traffic, in my humble opinion.

Outside this lovely county I'm a fan of st ives in cornwall, just because of the method of turning and getting onto the "stand".

The floor is open :)

Where abouts in tetenal wood does the nbr 1 go and where or how does it turn arround, havnt had a chance to ride the full route yet, cheers guys.

Way back in the day (2000/2001) I remember TWM ordered just one of these buses, and put it to work mostly on the 67 along with the mercs bendis, whatever happened to it, and does anyonr else remember it?

With it widely >:( speculated that a new batch of double deckers will replace singles on busier routes, which do we think or want to be converted.

As a passanger. Who travels in the peak. I have to nominate the 120, yes we recently had new volvos, but it comes to something when passangers are left waiting on colmore row on an evening and from thimblemill road of a morning, with lenthy gaps due to traffic (not NX fault, I know) it is slightly frustrating when you done an 8 hour day and are greeted with single deckers full to capacity.

This is merely a suggestion, from a peak traveler, it is rare I use the route outside peak periods, any other suggestions?

Hey hey guys, soo I went to visit my mate who is at uni in Cambridge (I know,  right proud friend right here) and decided to leave my little speed demon at the trupington P&R, it really worked and I was really impressed, with reliability, clenliness and journey time, do we think that with funding, we could make it work here in brum, or have we tried it before, the floor is open

So in Jan all buses entering the city will have to be euro 3 compliant, so how many buses does this leave unsuitable and how many new buses are required to make the leap I no that
.spectras
.mers
.presidents
.b6s
.older b7 n tridents

Are rhe main outcasts

Was traveling on the signature 82 today and just outside merridan it did au turn to come back on itself, i no the 29 on its way to town also does this alot in order to cross the road to run in the right direction and the 966 at fort dunlop, any other intresting sercumstances that see buses having to turn around mid-route

Hello guys which routes are forced to be single decker due to low hanging bridges along the route, only ones i can remember is 27 which has the one in borurneville

Other than the X20 have stagecoach ever run other routes into brum city centre, and as they have made a play for national express west midland a few time, is their a reason they never decided to lock horns with national express and go for head to head compitition been as they have shown interest in the area,

So when national express take a demonstrator, what exactly are they looking for that makes the perfect bus for the job, and how do they eventually decide to place an order with a manifacturer, hows 1908 looking in terms of future orders for example.

One thing we love on this forum is a good rumour, and we have jad some good ones over the time ive been a member of this sight, from arriva taking over midland, which turned out to be true, too stagecoach taking over nxwm, which evidently never happened :), this is just a page really where we can have a dicussion on silly rumours and cast our views and thoughts, or iron the more unbelieveable ones out, ill kick it off with one of the odder ones!.....
way back in the day i read on a website that the twm merc 405s could reach a top speed of 100 mph, surly this was a typo, it was on a website set up by lea hall agood few years back.

Hello guys when MCW used to build the metrobus back in the day can anyone remember seeing other oporators metro's trunderling the streets of brum on their way to their respective oporators, also were the 6 wheeler metros assenbled in birmingham or another factory, and were they ever seen when new before shipping to hong kong. (this is one for the more mature generation :) xx

Ok so im sitting in traffic on the 64 going up the bristol road and it came to me. Withe the central resevation that used to carry the trams still prominant, would it be economical, fesible or effective to build a guideway for the routes that serve it, i know it was tried in the 80 along the 65. Does the leeds, croydon and cambridge systems work, and would it work here if ever considered, the floor is open lol

hi guys im working on a small piece of litrature about transport in birmingham within the last 20 years, and i remember when i was real young seeing on the news about a WMT double decker (think it was a metrobus) running into moor street, but when i type it into google to reseach it. it dosent seem to throw anthing up appart from a sentence on moor streets wiki page, as i dont know the date its hard to find an article of the incident in the archives in the libery, can anyone shed any light on what happened, a web link or even a photo of the incident.