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I'm not sure if I asked this before, but what do you dislike about the platinums in your experience? I thought they were the most reliable double deckers in the NX fleet.

The 2015 batch are like a totally different bus and are actually nice to drive. The later ones (Voith/Stop Start etc) are rubbish on busy routes. They're okay on quiet routes or late nights where there's not much traffic or passengers. Too much faffing about for my liking and I suspect 2900 is of the same view.

He had already trialed it to with the 31 and 32 in Walsall the 42, 43, 43A in West Bromwich and the 40 in West Bromwich. Only really the 31 and 32 worked and maybe the 40 but if I'm right Diamond didn't want to run in the partnership anymore. So they now operate the 42, NX the 43 the 43A was scrapped. The 40 is still NX and Diamond and the 31 and 32 is NX and Diamond but I believe NX have more journeys on the 32 than Diamond who match or slightly better NX on the 31

That wasn't franchised.

London wasn't deregulated to start with.

If your suggestion was followed, how would new operators be able to compete for work?

Surely the London model would make it easier for new operators to gain work. As far as I understand, London is done on a route by route basis rather than whole chunks of areas meaning the PVR per contract is a lot lower than how Manchester has done it.

Looks like this was accurate

A further drop in Mobico shares..?

There's no proof that existing bus services would be withdrawn if franchising comes in, and then, by TfWM standards, any journey must have at least EIGHT passengers to provide a feeder service so users can interchange. If there are more than TEN per journey then where possible a direct facility is provided.
 In the built up area no one should be more than 400 metres from a bus service between 0700 and 1900 and within 700 metres other times. In areas of lower density, 700 metres standard applies. The above distances are reduced by 20% to 320 metres and 560 metres in areas of severe gradients or where a high proportion of elderly people or people with mobility difficulties reside.

 This is TfWM policy, so would no doubt carry on, even if franchising was brought in. Personally, I feel that we need franchising, as it is near enough a Mobico-Rotala duopoly in the region, and franchising would bring in new companies to run services (see Manchester, where Comfortdelgro have won franchises and broken up the South Manchester monopoly Stagecoach has).

It will also allow for a cohesive approach, where local authorities and the franchising authority can introduce additional bus priority, knowing that the franchised routes can't be changed or cut at an operators whim (such as when Diamond tried to scrap the 226 and 002, 2 commercial routes)

Will it cost the taxpayer more or less? Or doesn't that matter?

The Outer Circle dead runs include the A38/Tunnels (eg. Running dead from Erdington to Selly Oak etc)

Surely you'd know someone with a car, or get a taxi?

I had 3 seperate passengers on the same journey once. One got on with an Iron (looked new but wasn't boxed), another got on with an ironing board and the another got on with a clothes rack on wheels (that he wheeled onboard). I was in stitches. This was the 11A from Erdington

Rugby, Leamington and Nuneaton to get electrics, may see these Birmingham service get those too

Birmingham tendered services are Euro 6 spec. Why would Stagecoach allocate more expensive Electric vehicles to Birmingham when there's no obligation. That's without beginning to consider mileage and range!

Sparkhill was a congested mess this evening!

Left work at 5:30pm, saw on BusTimes that there would be a long wait for the next 2 or 3, so thought it would be a good idea to get the 5 instead. It (almost ironically) was pretty much on-time, just a couple of minutes late, at 5:42pm.

Ended up getting off at Wilton Road stop because Stratford Road was jammed solid and it looked like we were going nowhere fast.

Walked along Fulham Road to get across to Stoney Lane to take my chances on a 2 or 3. Stoney Lane was no better, another congested mess. Was getting aggravated by idiots blaring their horns (like that's going to suddenly make the traffic start moving), so walked up to the Esme Road stop, as I could see it would still be a while before any bus arrived.

Ended up on Z4007 on the 2, which was showing as 15 minutes late when I alighted at Billesley Common, with another two buses on the 3 following closely behind.

Probably because it's Ramadan. The fast opens around 18:15. Usually hectic just before then and at the click of the finger it all becomes a ghost town for an hour, and then back to normal.

Coupled with Walford Road being closed coming from Stratford Road, that was probably the reason.

Could it be from a cancelled order maybe, like how Johnsons brought the Metrodeckers from Optare that Reading cancelled?

They did have plans to join Flixbus but pulled out, and decided to keep the Coach.

Here's a better pic of it earlier at Cheltenham:
https://flic.kr/p/2pDiV95

West Midlands based ASA Travel have acquired a new Yutong GT12 (AA24ASA) today, in full Flixbus spec, bar branding. No plans to actually join the Flixbus network though.

https://flic.kr/p/2pDdJHw

From reports elsewhere, looks like they're concentrating on the 29 at the moment!

Maybe Carolean have reached out to the ringleader... 👀

No, I'm just speculating.

Have any of their vehicles been attacked?

Solus appear to have lost the Sunday 71/71A tender between Sutton Coldfield and Chelmsley Wood, with Stagecoach Midlands taking back over from this Sunday.

The original contract went out for 105 weeks, until 01/11/25. I know that Solus were awarded on an Alternate basis, but it looks like they've chucked it in rather than the contract expiry. 

Can you confirm?

ive been on the service before, ive also been in walsall when the 19 was loading up and the driver was just waving everyone on board. not even checking if they had a ticket or inteded on buying a ticket. this is why i think there is going to be friction when they start charging.

Could put a positive spin on it. Special introductory offer, to attract passengers.

30852 - doubt it would be on the road with broken air suspension, if its doing this whilst idling it's could be the bus just dumping excess air and sucking air, old volvos tend to do this when idling.

It's a floor levelling problem by the sounds of it. NXWM 4500 does the same. Makes you feel like you're on a boat when stuck in traffic.