Recent posts

#61

National Express West Midlands / Re: Drivers - Bus Reviews & Op...

Last post by 2900 - May 13, 2024, 08:43:15 PM

4687 Wrightbus Gemni Volvo B7TL 
Great solid  all round bus just effortless to drive lovely imo. No nonsense  no stop start malarkey , press umpteen things to get going.

4954 ADL ENVIRO 400 E40D 
Great all rounder nice to drive really goes some all good in my book. its had a refurb they could of cleaned the floors while it was parked at wb while waiting for parts.
New seats grubby floors honestly

#62

National Express West Midlands / Re: Drivers - Bus Reviews & Op...

Last post by 2900 - May 13, 2024, 08:34:21 PM

I'm glad to know that the the 82/87 is so incredibly reliable and frequent that your passengers have the luxury of letting a bus they 'don't like the look of' go past them for the one behind.

Each to there own eh,  I love getting old buses on main corridors, it's like you have some sort of disease when you turn up, the facial expressions just priceless.
I bet Gemini in platinum livery would look ace though, shame will never see one .

#63

National Express West Midlands / Re: Hydrogen vehicles

Last post by Stu - May 13, 2024, 08:25:04 PM

An interesting read:

https://www.route-one.net/bus/fuel-supply-brings-challenges-for-more-hydrogen-bus-deployment/

I can't say I'm surprised, NX must have been so frustrated having 20 buses sitting idle for want of fuel.

So what of the WMCA's grand plans to generate hydrogen from canal water in Walsall I wonder?

The ZEBRA funding aspect is interesting, will the government allow that phase one funding to be re-specified as electric vehicles like they did for the Sprint bendis? I think the total grant was £30 million for 124 buses.

Yes, that was an interesting read indeed. It would seem to me that based on the current experience, NX have little to no desire to pursue the hydrogen route at this time, which is understandable as it seems that the electric buses are performing better than expected.

Of course, being out in service all day every day for most of the day, carrying passengers and earning revenue, comes in very handy.

I suppose that while NX do not intend to invest in further hydrogen-fuelled vehicles, they will still make what use they can of these 20 examples they already have. 

Great news that they can be used again from next week, if the refuelling facility is available again, but then I guess the question is how long until it breaks down again? 

I would anticipate that NX will keep hold of these hydrogens for the short-term, at least until a lot more brand-new electric buses are delivered, then at some point, maybe next year, NX will hand them back to Birmingham City Council, as I presume NX only have them under some kind of lease arrangement. What BCC do with them next is anyone's guess, but it is no longer a problem for NX to deal with!

#64

Garage threads / Re: Walsall Garage

Last post by Stu - May 13, 2024, 07:53:11 PM

It as nothing to do with the car speeding the car was actually going very slowly

Oh I didn't want to acuse the Bus Driver of Speeding either I know the car pulled out. There could ne numerous factors, Driver might not have seen the car reacted late as wba lad said, bus driver might have had his/her sight obstructed by something or someone. Could have been distracted by a Passenger. I also didn't want to blame the Car Driver but based on the way i interpreted it flew out the junction obviously it didn't. All that we do is 1846 is a write off further why I gathered speeding was a factor. Although the bus must have hit the car quite hard to be a write off unless it hit a Range Rover or something.

I see far too many 'near-misses' where drivers fail to 'give-way' at junctions or roundabouts.

Most drivers do get away with it (just about) by racing out of a junction, but it only takes a slow-moving car to protrude too far across the give-way lines to cause an accident and collision.

You only have to look at the damage caused to that electric bus when a car pulled out into the bus lane on Small Heath Highway in front of it.

#65

Garage threads / Re: Walsall Garage

Last post by BlackCountryBusSpotter - May 13, 2024, 07:38:02 PM

It as nothing to do with the car speeding the car was actually going very slowly

Oh I didn't want to acuse the Bus Driver of Speeding either I know the car pulled out. There could ne numerous factors, Driver might not have seen the car reacted late as wba lad said, bus driver might have had his/her sight obstructed by something or someone. Could have been distracted by a Passenger. I also didn't want to blame the Car Driver but based on the way i interpreted it flew out the junction obviously it didn't. All that we do is 1846 is a write off further why I gathered speeding was a factor. Although the bus must have hit the car quite hard to be a write off unless it hit a Range Rover or something. 

#66

National Express West Midlands / Re: Newest Named Buses

Last post by BlackCountryBusSpotter - May 13, 2024, 07:33:19 PM

West Midlands metro have a metro branded up for Cyrille Regis, tram 31. I think it's nice they did that. Although because it's a old tram it's not out very often as they use the newer trams I would assume when the extension has opened to Dudley they will use them more.

Yeah I know they do but that's what I'm thinking for NX Buses named after local landmarks so in West Bromwich you could have Oak House, Sandwell Valley or local famous people, or legends, Tony Bomber Brown, Jeff Astle so on for the Baggies, Betty Boothroyd for MP's or so on Frank Skinner for Comedians. Walsall could have one named after Noddy Holder or The Abarotruem 

#67

National Express West Midlands / Re: Next Stop Announcments

Last post by Stu - May 13, 2024, 07:17:01 PM

Any chances the 11A/11C will get announcements any time soon?

Probably not for a while. The current vehicles being used don't have the equipment installed.

Those E400MMCs were first used in March 2015, therefore they are not expected to be compliant with the new Accessible Information Regulations until October 2025.

The Platinum E400s do have the necessary equipment, but they too don't need to be compliant until next year. NX will likely at some point want to get all the stop announcements recorded.

https://wmbu.org.uk/2024/05/the-next-stop-is-new-accessible-information-regulations-effective-from-october-2024/

#68

Other Operators / Re: Banga buses

Last post by Jay71 - May 13, 2024, 07:14:16 PM

I recently said that this company was a Micky Mouse company. I think I've proved myself right. 
Today.....The bus that I was on had a big hole in the bumper. The driver decided to have a change to have a change of route when he entered Wolves City centre.
Was on another BB  last week. Seats look like they had never been cleaned.
On the outside of the bus the top part of a window was shattered & taped over with black tape. 

#69

Arriva / Re: Arriva Leicester

Last post by sswig - May 13, 2024, 06:40:30 PM

If bustimes is to be believed then 8001 had a trip on the 127 this morning.

8001 - BK73 ACX – Arriva Midlands – bustimes.org

From what I gather they're utilising one on the 127 peak only board to see how it performs.

#70

Arriva / Re: Arriva Leicester

Last post by twbc99 - May 13, 2024, 06:18:55 PM

Correct.
Although it's expected a further order for 127 & 5/5A will be made imminently following the next round of funding (which will also see pretty much all Loughborough going electric, except for sky, midland Diamond & the few Centrebus routes).
It's also thought the 148/158 corridor could be going electric too (thanks to Warwick receiving a share of the fund.. although not sure if yet officially confirmed or just early speculation).

If bustimes is to be believed then 8001 had a trip on the 127 this morning.

8001 - BK73 ACX – Arriva Midlands – bustimes.org