The last 4M arriving at Merry Hill

[the trainbasher]

Today marks the sad occasion of Diamond Bus running their last 4M into Merry Hill. The bus used on the final arrival was recently purchased 30408 PO58KPY which was formerly of Kent Top Travel and still sports it's stickers for the Canterbury Park and Ride.

We shall miss the hourly service from Merry Hill and hope NXWM can keep such a much loved service going.

[PM]

I agree-such a shame as the 4M seemed, at least to me, fairly well used and the danger of axing individual routes is the loss of a network, thus meaning less people will buy monthlies and weeklies. I guess the 4H is being enhanced, though but the other service to Merry Hill I think will ultimately be axed is the 226, which I reckon would have been axed long ago if it weren't for them running the evening/sundays anyway. Odd that it isn't listed as a diamond value service with the returns when it used to have buses plastered with promotions for return fares!!

[Solo1]

its looks like only services that have the value tickets are the one that compete with travel wm

[PM]

its looks like only services that have the value tickets are the one that compete with travel wm

142 doesn't compete with NXWM and the 401E is slightly different to NX services.... You could argue the 4H is a different service as well as it runs to Hayley Green which NX don't do

[Kevin]

It is a shame if I'm honest. I always thought it was a bit strange that, amongst the myriad of frequent "local" routes to and from Merry Hill, the major routes like the 4M direct from West Brom and the 141 from Brum are only every half hour,  surely these warrant double that?

[PM]

It is a shame if I'm honest. I always thought it was a bit strange that, amongst the myriad of frequent "local" routes to and from Merry Hill, the major routes like the 4M direct from West Brom and the 141 from Brum are only every half hour,  surely these warrant double that?

I guess the argument would be that the 4M was every 20 mins with 2 NX departures and 1 diamond. I guess people are unlikely to go from somewhere like Birmingham to Merry Hill, especially as Merry Hill is mostly just a shopping destination. I would like to see services from Birmingham enhanced though as a 30 min frequency is a bit poor.

[Sh4318]

It is a shame if I'm honest. I always thought it was a bit strange that, amongst the myriad of frequent "local" routes to and from Merry Hill, the major routes like the 4M direct from West Brom and the 141 from Brum are only every half hour,  surely these warrant double that?

The 99 provided a 15 minute frequency between Birmingham and Merry Hill, but this was withdrawn. The 4M/289 provided a 15 minute frequency between West Bromwich and Merry Hill, but as we know the 289 was cut short. In a way isn't the NX 4M a victim of its own success?

[4747]

I never saw a 4M with any more than 4/5 passengers aboard and if you spoke to the drivers they used to say it was dead from Blackheath so I'm not surprized at it's withdrawl.

[winston]

I never saw a 4M with any more than 4/5 passengers aboard and if you spoke to the drivers they used to say it was dead from Blackheath so I'm not surprized at it's withdrawl.

The NXWM 4M's seem busy enough, maybe it was the hourly frequency that Diamond were offering the deterred people from using it? Had it been a half hourly frequency & slotted in between NXWM's to provide a combined 15 min service, would Diamond have had more success?

[4747]

maybe but the BCC 217 didn't carry many to Merry Hill hence why it also eventually fizzled out

[winston]

maybe but the BCC 217 didn't carry many to Merry Hill hence why it also eventually fizzled out

Are there any other commercial services that you consider Diamond shouldn't have withdrawn from?

[Westy]

maybe but the BCC 217 didn't carry many to Merry Hill hence why it also eventually fizzled out

Are there any other commercial services that you consider Diamond shouldn't have withdrawn from?

The Walsall to Dudley corridor,  for personal reasons!

[PM]

I never saw a 4M with any more than 4/5 passengers aboard and if you spoke to the drivers they used to say it was dead from Blackheath so I'm not surprized at it's withdrawl.

I went on it many times and regularly seemed to be carrying quite good loads, often busier than the 4H

[4747]

maybe but the BCC 217 didn't carry many to Merry Hill hence why it also eventually fizzled out

Are there any other commercial services that you consider Diamond shouldn't have withdrawn from?

The Walsall to Dudley corridor,  for personal reasons!

The 311 was starting to have good loadings until they changed the route and called it the 300

[PM]

maybe but the BCC 217 didn't carry many to Merry Hill hence why it also eventually fizzled out

Are there any other commercial services that you consider Diamond shouldn't have withdrawn from?

The Walsall to Dudley corridor,  for personal reasons!

The 311 was starting to have good loadings until they changed the route and called it the 300

When did this happen out of interest? Was it in BCC days as I have a timetable for the 300/310