Messages

What would you show you from an open top that couldn't be done from an old disused Euro 6 Double Decker

The fabulous delights of Birmingham/Black Country, with the opportunity of getting soaked in the process! The diesel particle filter regenerator does get a bit stinky so it'd need to be electric. 

Having seen a lot more of the Oxford electric buses over the past few months, it seems that they've adopted a generic Green/Dark Blue colour for the generic vehicles (both OBC and Stagecoach). If I didn't see which operator it was on the side of the vehicle I've had to work out which company it is by the route number.

There does need to be some open top buses though, to show the sites of Birmingham and the Black Country (sorry Sandy Lane, Coventry is getting ignored again).

OBC have even got electric open top buses in use in Oxford, although I've only ever seen them when it has been pissing it down.

On the 27 route and that bridge in Bournville, there is a solution available there that would provide minimal disruption. Send the buses prior to the bridge down Franklin Way to Mary Vale Road. Go over the bridge at Mary Vale Road. Then turn Victoria Road into a one-way street northbound, back to Bournville Lane, continue journey. 

For the return, from Bournville Lane turn Lea House Road into a one-way street southbound, send buses down there to Mary Vale Road, then a reverse of the outbound route. Profile the corners either end at Victoria Road and Lea House Road to discourage parking and allow the bus a wider turn in.

That's just if you want to maintain the route as close as possible to Bournville station if the bus cannot get under the bridge. The one-way streets would probably make travelling around those roads easier for the residents as well, as there's a minimal amount of disruption involved.

I saw a training bus (couldn't see the number) on the roundabout above the m42 at junction 9 (the Kingsbury turnoff) yesterday.

Hay on Wye festival.

Or just Hay festival: https://www.hayfestival.com/home

https://www.route-one.net/news/west-midlands-bus-franchising-process-set-to-start-in-2025-mayor/

Go-Ahead'll be around soon, the saviours of everything and such other nonsense.

Yet another bus fire, this time it's Stagecoach South's 18379 (MX55 KRN) who decided enough to go out in style.

https://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/incident/double-decker-bus-blaze-in-bordon-tackled-by-on-call-crews/

Heh, I was literally just north of there in the Kingsley/Frith End area last Thursday.

Ah the new mayor cares about as much as the previous mayor did about Coventry.

That's what it is there for - to serve those communities in the "back streets". If you want a quicker route you can get the 36, which either takes 51 or 56 minutes depending on which one you get.

Well if mr Labour mayor starts to push franchising, there'll be no point in Mobico/NX investing in new vehicles for the fleet as they'll likely lose out on the franchises and have their stock transferred to those wonderful Midlands-based companies like Go-Ahead and Abellio. 

Well Birmingham is in need of an open-top tour bus to tour the roadworks.

I've been in Dorset and Hampshire this week.

Is there any reason why their bus stop road markings are so massive? I saw this on a side street, but they're pretty much the same sizes on main roads as well.

I always wondered if deckers could fit in the tunnels...

There's no height limit signs on the tunnels.

https://www.avfc.co.uk/villa-park/special-bus-service/

I'm sure Chaserider used to run the AV1 service, a Google search brings up the Football Specials thread where it's mentioned that Arriva took it over in 2023.