Placement journeys

[fleetline6477]

Some operators have only run occasional journeys on bus routes in order to place vehicles for the main routes to be operated during the day and to avoid dead mileage.

For example, Joe's Travel now run 75E Bilston / Darlaston - Handsworth to get from Depot to the Outer Circle.

In the past
Central Logistic ran 79E Birmingham - Hill Top to place buses in town for 17E Birmingham - Tile Cross.

Pete's Travel ran early evening 74E West Brom - Dudley to get buses that had run datyime on the 404E to Dudley for the 257, 274/5 etc. and 451 West Brom - Sutton to place buses for the 119 and to get buses fron the 401/2 down to Sutton for the 71.

Can anybody think of others, past or present?

[Justin Tyme]

Travel Express did positioning journeys on 126 to get to Birmingham for the 63 (Rubery).

Also, NXWM's Acocks Green garage ran some buses in service on the 37 between Acocks Green and Solihull, for services from there (including/mainly schools).  Perhaps they still do?

[Westy]

Does Diamond do any for it's Northern Walsall services?

I see empty buses on various points between Walsall & Bloxwich, but not on the official 301 route.

They use the A34 between Walsall & Bloxwich, past my house.

[sonic84]

A few years back when Midland Rider ran the peak194 Kidderminster - Halesowen College service, and then the off peak197 Kidderminster to Hagley Service, they would run the 194 from Kidderminster - Halesowen, and then a position 192 service from Halesowen - Hagley Village to pick up the 197 route.

In the afternoons after the last 197 finished in Kidderminster, they then ran a placement 192 Kiderminster - Halesowen service to pick up the PM 194 route.

[Wumpty]

Midland Choice Travel did 171A journeys from Watery Lane Depot to Moseley via New Invention to start on 171 & other Walsall routes.

[Stuharris 6360]

The Birmingham Coach Company used to operate balancing journies on the 311 after their vehicles had finished operating in Stourbridge

[D10]

When AG garage used to run the Solihull - Cov 192/194, there were trips extended to and from Acocks Green to cover the placement duties.

Also I can remember about 10 years ago on the other 192 B'ham to Kidderminster, there was a late journey at 11.30 pm back to Kidder, this was when FMR still had some tenders in the West Midlands and was a garage journey, as otherwise there was no late evening service on the 192.

[Lukeee]

Belive Petes/Peoples Express did positioning journeys on the 900 to get buses to Coventry. Also Diamond used to run an evening 905 route Mere Green - Birmingham (this direction only) to get one of the Darts of the 604 into Birmingham to do a peak run on the 56.

[Stu]

When AG garage used to run the Solihull - Cov 192/194, there were trips extended to and from Acocks Green to cover the placement duties.

Yeah I remember, one Saturday morning I'd just missed the 37 to get to Solihull, so I got on the 192 to Coventry, a double-deck Gemini and I was the only passenger between Acocks Green and Solihull station!  ;D

Also, NXWM's Acocks Green garage ran some buses in service on the 37 between Acocks Green and Solihull, for services from there (including/mainly schools).  Perhaps they still do?

I think the morning 899 journeys towards Solihull would return to the garage as 37E journeys.

Also some evening 5 journeys towards Solihull would also run back to the garage as 37E journeys.

[MW]

Most routes ran by AG serving Solihull often run back to the depot as 37Es. Between 6-9pm, th allocation can be anything.

[Ash]

Often if you go to West Brom bus station around 7pm you will se 5/6 diamond buses parked up usually finished from the 401/2/410 and 404E service which then take up evening services around West Brom.

I think the 3 buses needed for the 478 comes off the 410 (if the PVR is 3)
One bus comes off the 401/2 for the 419.
One bus used to come of the 404E for the 644 not sure that happens now.

[sonic84]

Back when Diamond used to run the 177/178 routes and the tenderred 146 in the evening, a bus used to come off the 177 in Birmingham about 5pm-ish, and then they would run it in service to Redditch commercially as the 146, so it could begin the tendered evening service.

The bus was going that way anyway, so I guess it made sense.

[fleetline6477]

Midland Rider ran 87E Oldbury - Birmingham to link in with 7 to Perry Common.

They also ran a full 451 West brom - Sutton to run on the 451E Sutton - Pheasey.

[Tomjusttom]

Wmsnt route 900?

[sonic84]

Back when TWM ran the 175 and the tendered 179, they ran the on the 179 from Kings Heath to Redditch, and then the first and the last 175 service ran from Redditch to Solihull, instead of the normal Wythall to Solihull.