Topics

Is the paint shop nearly ready to start painting deckers again? 

Service changes for stourbridge in January currently out for tender



https://www.diamondbuses.com/news/stourbridge-network-changes/

Alexander Dennis have revealed two new models of Buses.

The Enviro 100EV
The Enviro 400EV

With a stylish new front 

https://www.alexander-dennis.com/media/news/2022/november/new-alexander-dennis-enviro400ev-and-enviro100ev-feature-next-generation-electric-driveline-and-future-proof-battery-system/

Looking at bus times there are some changes (mainly timetable changes) but interestingly the return of the 2A but in what context is unclear unless the X10 is moving back to the main road instead of serving wallows road and a 2A once an hour operating down wallows road?

https://bustimes.org/licences/PD0001111

WN 3/4 and WN15/16 are on there hopefully they aren't reversing the changes they made before the summer where the 15/16 went every 30mins both serving the penn road 

With the event next week, are there any local operators doing a service to show bus from the midlands?

Couldn't find a McGills thread so started this one.

Looks like McGills is expanding further with the purchase of First East Scotland and First Midland Bluebird. 

I do wonder what this means for other first depots around the country. Is First having a big sell off? 

Looks like NX are using deckers on the 4/4A whilst the 22** are on the 72s during today's strike.

I wonder when Coventry's diesel cascade happens if the 4 may receive some platinum deckers though with the 100 hydrogens and the amount of electrics coming to Coventry I doubt the tridents have long left

According to bus times a couple of changes have appeared for the 24th April with two routes listed

YW 6 - Amendment to timetable to improve reliability
YW 27 -    Amendment of route of evening journeys terminating in Northfield to improve access to Bristol Road South.

For the last week or so the times of which the app states the buses arrival and the actual arrival at a bus stop has had a difference of between 5 mins and 10 mins.

Has anyone else had issues that the estimated time of arrival has been very different to when the bus shows

From what Simon has mention which of diamonds routes are up for tender this April

20/21
24
61
68 A/C
122
208
231
267/657
288
298/9

Has any tenders that Nx/Igo up for tender?

I would of thought 15/16/17 evenings and Sundays would be up the tender soon?

I would love to see a Platinum bus in the Timesaver Livery on the X1

I am currently in West Yorkshire and have noticed that the local transport authority have a weekend special ticket which starts at 6pm Friday to midnight Sunday into Monday. It costs £8.20 (Day ticket is usually £5.40 per day) valid on First, Yorkshire Tiger, Arriva and some independent companies.

Would NX/Diamond/TfWM implement such a ticket i think it's a great idea

Recently network rail has put an engineering works camp in the car park by the tip any ideas?

Since South Western is replacing most of the emu fleet with new trains, I was wondering what will happen to the 444, 450 and 707s can they be converted to overhead use, maybe Abellio might pinch the 707s for the West coast moving the 350s to cross city lines ?

Having a look at some of the "plans" that the two major parties have planned over the next 3 years for public transport. I find some of the plans abit like a proposal rather than a pledge, mainly around the reopening of certain lines of railway and "making operators purchase newer vehicles yet lower fares"

Will the new mayors make a tfl type structure and introduce one livery that must be adopted with minor changes to indicate operators?
If they follow tfl policies that make every route contractable meaning that for example Diamond's 16 when it goes up for renewal must be euro 6 buses (has diamond got any euro 6 buses barring the streetlight?)

Also asking operator mainly the smaller ones to adopt newer more emission friendly buses and installing more Wi-Fi into buses surely more expensive.

Making more coaches available for overcrowded trains on an already over crowded rail network (Surely New Street is running at more than capacity?)

With tfwm taking over the local side of the rail franchise at the end of the year where are they going to find the extra trains when even London Midland are struggling to source them.

Judging by the state of the rail industry today I believe that the Beeching Act has cost the tax payer more today (with lines since closed being reopened)

Birmingham's infrastructure is struggling to cope hence NX trying to make services more reliable by splitting routes. The M5/6 when closed or roadworks are occurring which pushing cars onto the A34, A38, City Centre, Birmingham New Road etc which barely struggle to cope peak times with normal traffic. The two manifestos state to try and open the M6 Toll for free  to help with vehicles bypassing Birmingham. How much is that going to cost.

Looking at these manifestos where are they going to get the money from to implement them.

Opinions please

Quick question about AdBlue,  with the Tridents and Geminis receiving the upgrade just wondering how AdBlue work and how it gets to the Engine/Exhaust to lower emissions

What benefits does this bring to the bus?

Just had an email stating the launch of VUER on X1 and X2s next week.

Showing movies and now tv programmes on the move over its wifi

Just seen on someone's flickr that the 20 remaining mmcs for 14/18 Penzance/St Ives to Truro are arriving and they look pretty nice in red. I remember when I lived in Camborne 10 years ago that 14/18 had darts then got upgraded to Wright Eclipse Urban B7RLE which were branded.

Nice to see First Kernow investing in its fleet, now it's near enough the sole provider of bus services in the west of Cornwall. Remember there used to be Truroian  (purchased by first) and Western Greyhound (sadly defunct)

First Kernow "The Tinner"

https://flic.kr/p/QaX96J

Minor change for the 4. The 18.10 journey on Saturdays from Blackheath to Walsall is withdrawn

Quick question, does anyone know if the first of the buses mentioned in the title are still running today? Tried Google but it doesn'the bring anything up.