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In the compound at Coventry garage.

Technically though they're not on the NXWM fleet strength though

E004 and E017 please. Of all the YW electrics, these are proving elusive.

Both are no longer with NXWM. The "Z" ones that are in service replaced E004, E017 and E018.

Maybe a new voice or (unlikely, but still hopeful for) the return of Mr. Platinum?

Don't even need that. Text to Speech or AI could do it for them.

Out of curiosity, why was it withdrawn from the Plough and Harrow in favour of the Middleway, and why was the evening Star City journies cut

Is there a list anywhere of what services Tividale depot operate I've just applied for a job and wandered what routes they run

Apart from most of the Stourbridge area routes*, the 50 and 150, the Solihull network (i think) and a couple of others, Tividale run the routes that serve Birmingham and the Black Country. 

* 1 bus of the 4 on the 25 Dudley to Stourbridge is ran from Tividale, the other 3 are Kiddy duties

Having got to know the Stourbridge network quite well in recent years, I'd make changes to the tendered routes running from there, particularly the 17, 25 and 57.

The 25 seems to carry fresh air on the Stourbridge and Wollaston section so I'd get rid of that service altogether (seems to run a crazy 30 min frequency too which is far too high on that section).

I'd replace it by re-routing the 17 along the 25 route from Stourbridge via Wollaston back to the a491 at Audnam (there's no need for the 17 to run direct along that section of a491 from Stourbridge as it is served by the pretty regular commercial services 6 and 16).

I would then also send the 17 along the current 25 route by turning right up Bretell Lane and current route off that up to Swan Lane. However instead of then continuing the 25 to Dudley, run via Swan Lane and the 226 route to get back onto the a491 to serve Wordsley. The 226 can cover the 25 route over most of those lost sections up to Brierley Hill and Merry Hill.

I'd also get rid of the 57 which also rarely sees high passenger numbers. Most of the route up to Wall Heath and Kingswinford is covered by the 16 and doesn't need replication against a commercial route. The missing bits of the 57 through estate roads aren't a million miles away from other routes either.

The missing bit in Wall Heath of the 57 could just have a further bit tagged onto the 'new' 17 so again the 17 doesn't just replicate the 16 route.

This would obviously lengthen the 17 route but ultimately provides what tendered services should, services where commercial operation isn't feasible. It would also save substantial money for the local authority too as getting rid of the 25 and 57 would save money (even if some sort of replacement on demand type-service, over any substantial missing section, was needed).

The 25 is paid for by TfWM... but it's a BSIP funded route, like the 142. Plus the 57 covers some parts that the 15, 16 and 17 don't cover, with the 25 having been in existence in some form since Hansons started the 250/251 in 2006. The 17 dates back to the 257 of the late 90s, which ran, at one stage, through to Kinver, believe it or not, and then got replaced by the 287, before coming back after a reorganisation of the Dudley-Gornal routes iirc

Funnily enough, the 25's Lodge Farm to Dudley end also is linked to the 257's history... as the 257 replaced the 285, which at one stage ran Sedgley to Merry Hill via Stickley and Dudley... the Gornal - Stickley - Dudley section that the 257 took over in the 90s (the 283 and 282 were the 285's sister services). The 287, which the 257 replaced, also ironically, ran via Standhills Road (which the Diamond 57 touches) and had a sister service which also ran (at one stage) once a day... via Stickley!

Further acquisition from Birmingham Busworks is ADL Enviro 200, YX11CNY - this had been for test at Chaserider, and after much interest whilst there, was purchased.

New to First as DML44193

[If we're going historic, I remember catching the 192 Hereford - Leominster - Ludlow - Bewdley - Kidderminster - Halesowen - Birmingham in the mid-late 1990s, and that was a three hour trip one-way.]

If we're going historic, I remember catching the 192 Hereford - Leominster - Ludlow - Bewdley - Kidderminster - Halesowen - Birmingham in the mid-late 1990s, and that was a three hour trip one-way.

A bit closer to home, there used to be a route 98 that went from Asda at Hay Mills to Sheldon, Wheatsheaf, via most of East Birmingham. It took at least an hour to do the journey, and you ended up 10 minutes further down the road from where you started (both the terminus were on the Coventry Road).

Or in 1983 that would have been the X92 (according to my WMPTE Feb 1983 North Division timetable book) 

iirc the 98 was a merger of two individual routes, the 661 Ward End - Pool Way and 662 Shard End - Sheldon

So effectively NXWM are becoming flat fare on all routes then

Looking in my WMPTE North Division timetable book, it has times for a X90 Midland Red service, Lichfield - Cannock - Wolverhampton - Bridgnorth which clocks in at around nearly 4.5 hours for a round trip, and a Midland Red service 154 Stafford - Cannock - Aldridge - Brum which takes a few hours round trip too

It would be interesting to see if an mticket nBus day ticket would be accepted by NX readers outside the West Midlands county boundary.

That and the "Daysavers" on the Uber app that NXWM are selling, if they are nbus ones or Daysaver Extras.

Will NX be able to repair E062 or will it get sent back to Alexander Dennis to be rebuilt?

The insurance company and I assume ADL and Zenobe will assess it first before ADL do any repairs I believe

Unfortunately the government seems to disagree, for votes

One option being looked at, which would be particularly controversial, would be to cut off councils from access to the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) database, which matches car registrations to their owners, to prevent them from fining drivers who pass through LTNs. 

Cutting DVLA access to stop LTNs could mean councils also being unable to use cameras for other means, such as enforcing parking outside schools, or on bus routes and cycle lanes........

This is expected to be the subject of a consultation, with a DfT source saying ministers were "still actively looking at the options" for doing this, albeit with a timetable given only as "at a future point".

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/15/uk-government-seeks-to-limit-low-traffic-schemes-as-part-of-its-plan-for-drivers

Well, from a Civil Parking Enforcement point of view, that would be fun (i say sarcastically) as it'd mean that unpaid parking PCNs wouldn't be able to be chased up. I hope the Tories also ban those private parking lot from getting DVLA info as otherwise its going to cause an unfair advantage to them.

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

I think it is Ex Igo that E200 East Lancs thing, NX use it for Training I believe it is or was in WM Bus Branding, and there is also a Blue or it was Blue Ex Igo Driver Trainer Solo

the East Lancs was in BBC livery as it was a BBC outside broadcast bus... https://www.trainbasher.com/kx55apy/