Tim Brown has posted this on midlandred.net My thanks to him. A few weeks ago
@Tony and others questioned my views of First's stupid idea of a SantaBus. Today a Solo was photographed in the Crowngate with side adverts for a non existent FirstDay ticket proving my argument that FirstGroup should get First Midland Red Buses Ltd front line affairs in order before any other trivia.
You may also want to check out the latest accounts for First Midland Red Ltd, Worcester has since slipped in to the red:
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01556327/filing-history
Also, more elderly Citaro's are due from Slough to oust newer Streetlites to Leicester.....
Quote from: Winston on December 28, 2019, 11:04:34 PM
You may also want to check out the latest accounts for First Midland Red Ltd, Worcester has since slipped in to the red:
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01556327/filing-history
Also, more elderly Citaro's are due from Slough to oust newer Streetlites to Leicester.....
Thanks Winston, The Streetlites are heading for the Lecis LEZ. I have First Midland Red Buses Ltd on a Companies House alert the latest horrors were filled at Companies House Xmas Eve funny that, I dont need the link but others will find it usefull and yes I agree this year they are in the red, the previous year was a small break even, the year before that in the red. The COGS ratio of the company is dreadfull the current management has no idea how to run a bus company when I was attached to the Badgerline Holdings accounts department we achieved good returns at MRW and then Trevor Smallwood met a man called Moir Lockhead on a blind date that would fill Cilla with horror...........
The revised 144 Timetable from the 26th Jan is now on the First Midland Red website.
https://www.firstgroup.com/worcestershire/plan-journey/timetables/?source_id=3
Quote from: richardjones210368 on January 07, 2020, 11:42:40 PM
The revised 144 Timetable from the 26th Jan is now on the First Midland Red website.
https://www.firstgroup.com/worcestershire/plan-journey/timetables/?source_id=3
Can't see the 144 serving B'ham for much longer.
I was expecting that First may have retained the half hourly frequency to B'ham at least in the Mon - Fri peaks.
Quote from: Winston on January 08, 2020, 01:18:03 AM
Can't see the 144 serving B'ham for much longer.
I was expecting that First may have retained the half hourly frequency to B'ham at least in the Mon - Fri peaks.
There is a 90min gap to Brum from 15.45 to 17.15 from The Crowngate its not that long ago First were every 20mins and Rotala Half Hourly on the route when I was at MRW we had a fitted 15 min frequency on the 143 and 144 timetable from Bromesgrove to Brum pluss the 83 84 and 85 from Longbridge amazing.really
How much lower can First Midland Red sink
@Tony West Midlands Travel Limited are Bafta award winners compered with the w*****s currently running the company I loved my time at it makes you just sick to see such a fine company with such an heritage doing this to its passengers for f***s sake FirstGroup put it out of misery & let Rotala fill the void anything is better than this.
http://midlandred.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&p=12138&sid=c54edf44eff00987976ee4c6051a42b4#p12138
Quote from: richardjones210368 on January 11, 2020, 07:45:03 PM
How much lower can First Midland Red sink @Tony West Midlands Travel Limited are Bafta award winners compered with the w*****s currently running the company I loved my time at it makes you just sick to see such a fine company with such an heritage doing this to its passengers for f***s sake FirstGroup put it out of misery & let Rotala fill the void anything is better than this.
http://midlandred.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&p=12138&sid=c54edf44eff00987976ee4c6051a42b4#p12138
Most other divisions don't have return tickets. Leicester for example only has them for child tickets.
Quote from: LazyGuy222 on January 11, 2020, 08:37:38 PM
Most other divisions don't have return tickets. Leicester for example only has them for child tickets.
@LazyGuy222 Take a close look at my profile picture to see how long I have had a return ticket on the company in fact First Midland Red have had return tickets for 116 years it is a show of utter contempt to treat your customers in this way and an indication of the rottern management that is based I believe in Leicester your comment about other divisions proves my piont Worcstershire & The Black Country are not a division they are a geographical area that is used to its returns dismissed by a company so out of touch with its customers needs so your argument is?
Quote from: richardjones210368 on January 11, 2020, 08:43:11 PM
@LazyGuy222 Take a close look at my profile picture to see how long I have had a return ticket on the company in fact First Midland Red have had return tickets for 116 years it is a show of utter contempt to treat your customers in this way and an indication of the rottern management that is based I believe in Leicester your comment about other divisions proves my piont Worcstershire & The Black Country are not a division they are a geographical area that is used to its returns dismissed by a company so out of touch with its customers needs so your argument is?
But the Leicester operations are run from Colchester or Basildon arent they?
Quote from: LazyGuy222 on January 11, 2020, 11:08:34 PM
But the Leicester operations are run from Colchester or Basildon arent they?
No idea
@LazyGuy222 I dont.think FirstGroup have a clue either where its run from when I worked for the historic company our head office which I worked at was Heron Lodge off London Rd in Worcester with just payroll done at the PLC in Weston now the brain dead idiots who should be totally ashamed of themselves at First might as well be on Planet Mars for all they care for First Midland Red Buses Limited.
Quote from: LazyGuy222 on January 11, 2020, 11:08:34 PM
But the Leicester operations are run from Colchester or Basildon arent they?
They were run from Chelmsford as were Potteries & Wyvern, but I think First Group are now moving to have each operation being managed locally, so that they are easier to sell off if needs be.
Quote from: Ian Hardy on January 12, 2020, 08:32:48 PM
They were run from Chelmsford as were Potteries & Wyvern, but I think First Group are now moving to have each operation being managed locally, so that they are easier to sell off if needs be.
Ironic really when Midland Red West Limited, Midland Red Coaches Limited and Midland Red Holdings Limited were very sucessfully run from Heron Lodge, London Road Worcester even after the merger with Badgerline Holdings Limited all decision save for vechicle acquisition and payroll were made at local level mind you Bristol Omnibus and later Badgerline did the payroll in NBC days from 1981 after Vernon Road ceased to be the Head Office.
More problems for the owners of First Midland Red:
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-england-51207146
Enjoy A Free Ride on First Midland Red 37 in February
https://www.firstgroup.com/worcestershire
The owners of First Midland Red have withdrawn First Glasow No1 Ltd and First Glasgow No2 from sale today.
From Sargeants Coaches : Volvo B7RLE BF62UYM.
Very sad to see this on the Ensign In List, this was a well maintained fast bus used on the 461 from Hereford to Llandridnod Wells. Used this bus many times on a service Midland Red West used to operate tendered journeys on.
First Midland Red do not know what they want:
https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/18203979.first-buses-confirms-u-turn-sale-plans/
I might be being over critical by posting in this thread but it would appear , both by observing the vehicles on the 144/144a this morning and by comments on the midlandred.net forum that the bus wash at Worcester has been out of service for some time now.
Quote from: richardjones210368 on February 03, 2020, 12:22:00 AM
First Midland Red do not know what they want:
https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/18203979.first-buses-confirms-u-turn-sale-plans/
I get the impression that a sale of First UK Bus has only been put on hold whilst First Group sort of pension deficits & improve margins whilst examining the possibility of selling First Student & Transit.
It has suggested on other forums (some by staff) that some of the margin improvement will be coming from simply cutting frequencies & reducing pvr.
Quote from: Winston on February 03, 2020, 12:08:11 PM
I get the impression that a sale of First UK Bus has only been put on hold whilst First Group sort of pension deficits & improve margins whilst examining the possibility of selling First Student & Transit.
It has suggested on other forums (some by staff) that some of the margin improvement will be coming from simply cutting frequencies & reducing pvr.
Fully agree with all those points
@Winston I strongly have the impression that the recent 144 cut was simply to reduce PVR and improve margins prior to any sale.
Quote from: richardjones210368 on February 03, 2020, 12:20:26 PM
Fully agree with all those points @Winston I strongly have the impression that the recent 144 cut was simply to reduce PVR and improve margins prior to any sale.
Yes, that's exactly what staff at Worcester said i.e. largest Pvr route / nothing else left to cut at WR.
Nigel Eggleton said is was due to failing passenger numbers on Bromsgrove - Birmingham section, passenger numbers over that section will now fall even further due to reduced frequency of 144.
https://www.bromsgrovestandard.co.uk/news/bromsgrove-to-birmingham-your-phenomenal-response-to-144-bus-cuts/
Quote from: Winston on February 03, 2020, 12:23:54 PM
Yes, that's exactly what staff at Worcester said i.e. largest Pvr route / nothing else left to cut at WR.
Nigel Eggleton said is was due to failing passenger numbers on Bromsgrove - Birmingham section, passenger numbers over that section will now fall even further due to reduced frequency of 144.
https://www.bromsgrovestandard.co.uk/news/bromsgrove-to-birmingham-your-phenomenal-response-to-144-bus-cuts/
Diamond could capitalise on this by extending the 43 (in the form of a 143 or X43) into Birmingham from Bromsgrove.
Quote from: MW on February 03, 2020, 12:40:37 PM
Diamond could capitalise on this by extending the 43 (in the form of a 143 or X43) into Birmingham from Bromsgrove.
Yes - or NXWM extending certain Bristol Road services to Bromsgrove
Quote from: Winston on February 03, 2020, 12:42:30 PM
Yes - or NXWM extending certain Bristol Road services to Bromsgrove
Personally I think Rotala are just waiting for them chuck the towel in in Worcester and walk away and sell off Padmore Street its the only real asset left as First Midland Red did in Hereford with Yeomans taking more or less everything over.
Quote from: richardjones210368 on February 03, 2020, 12:46:06 PM
Personally I think Rotala are just waiting for them chuck the towel in in Worcester and walk away and sell off Padmore Street its the only real asset left as First Midland Red did in Hereford with Yeomans taking more or less everything over.
Padmore Street will get absorbed by the adjacent retail park of simply sold off for alternative re-development due to its prime City centre location + it looks an eyesore.
Quote from: Winston on February 03, 2020, 12:54:30 PM
Padmore Street will get absorbed by the adjacent retail park of simply sold off for alternative re-development due to its prime City centre location + it looks an eyesore.
Quite Agree it just hasn't been the same since Wyvern The Dragon went.
Quote from: richardjones210368 on February 03, 2020, 01:19:46 PM
Quite Agree it just hasn't been the same since Wyvern The Dragon went.
The Dragon got slayed by First Group....
Now Worcester's fleet is being pilfered to ensure Leicester's complies with clean air zone / Euro 6 requirements...
Quote from: Winston on February 03, 2020, 01:30:52 PM
The Dragon got slayed by First Group....
Now Worcester's fleet is being pilfered to ensure Leicester's complies with clean air zone / Euro 6 requirements...
Yes mate good though to see Wyvern working for John Lewis in the Christmas Ad though!