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He is only a couple of weeks into the job but I think Richard Parker is being rather disingenuous, given his appearance on the BBC One Midlands "Politics Show" this morning and this article on the BBC News website.

New mayor outlines bus reform plans

I do not see how you can have a franchising system, without the operators involved making a surplus in return.  The London regulated franchise system of course is operated by private companies who are in course in business to make a return on their capital employed.

The only way all of any "surplus" for West Midlands services can be reinvested entirely in the West Midlands and for the customer is for everything to be owned by WMCA, including buses, drivers, garages and operational staff...but that is not franchising as in London or the model being put in place in Manchester. (TfL own some assets like the Borismaster buses and lease them, but not all Londons vehicles and garages)

Parker needs to show his working and explain the incentive for companies like Metroline, Transdev, Transport UK Group, Wellglade and others to come into the West Midlands and break the effective Mobico (formerly NX Group) monopoly on local bus services in the conurbation.  Plus demonstrate what would be in it for Mobico for their Leadership Team to continue in operating buses in the West Midlands....rather than walking away to put their money elsewhere leaving Parker having to take everything over to keep the wheels turning. I suspect that would cost rather more than £75 million and the current Government will not help him if the decision was taken before the upcoming General Election.


It is also revealing that TfWM have done so little to prepare a plan. It is almost as if they'd not expected Parker to win the Mayoral vote. "A dereliction of duty" from them I think and that is being kind at best.

Yes, operators can make a higher percentage on franchising than they can commercially in many areas

Aren't the electrics capable of doing a full days work, if so what is the point in buying them and if they can why aren't they ?

You buy them because they are extremely reliable and much cheaper to operate.
When you use them you may need to change running boards to match their capabilities, but that is easy enough to do.

Six more electrics have been registered, E251; E252; E253; E255; E256 & E257
details here  E001 upwards (wmbusphotos.com)

These are planned to see first use on the Bristol to Glastonbury shuttles next month

From what I gather from my sister, she & my brother were trying to get from Brum to Stratford earlier today, but only got as far as Whitlocks End, due to a power issue.

How unlucky was that being on the only train of the day turned short.

Forget Bus lanes but motorists park all down the side of The A41 Holyhead/Soho Road which I'm sure is supposed to be a dualcarriageway or many years ago was. They want a crosscity route down there good luck with that it is one the biggest bottlenecks that side of the city. It is why the 79 doesn't go from Wolverhampton to Birmingham and why the 74 takes almost 40 minutes from West Brom to Birmingham

Soho Road has never been a dual carriageway 

Crucially, segregated cycle lanes that are maintained and kept clear of broken glass, sunken drain covers and raised tree roots. One can dream.

The Perry Barr one is excellent with cycle priority at crossings etc. But still some insist in slowing buses down in parallel bus lanes

It will all probably Change in a couple of years when other companies are running the services in the W/mids

Bus Stations are  going to be run by anyone else,  but I've never known any 'Gestapo' unless you try getting in the way to take pictures 

Not that easily done. The Chaserider wasn't influenced by another vehicle into the object whereas 1846 didn't rlly hit a stationary object (by my definition) as it was hit by a 3rd party

So you have no idea of the incident involving 1846 then? If so do you know what happened to the Chaserider vehicle?

The damage that wrote 1846 off was caused by it hitting a stationary object

I'm not averse to 'active travel', I just said there was 'too much focus', that's all.

The WMCA and local councils have been spending millions of pounds on building cycle lanes/routes, which is all very well and good, but from my own observations, I rarely seem to see any cyclists using them.

Maybe they are being built on the wrong roads, because I do see plenty of cyclists using other roads that I travel along, which don't have cycle lanes.

I would prefer that more money and effort was spent on bus lanes and bus priority measures, that's all.

There's a brilliant cycle lane city to Perry Barr, shame I regularly still see cyclists in the bus lane slowing buses down and there's still one idiot regularly rides over the flyovers

It still amazes me how you can hit a stationery object when you're completely fit to drive

Quite easily.

The driver of 1846 hit a stationary object after being forced off course by a third party 

https://www.route-one.net/news/west-midlands-bus-franchising-process-set-to-start-in-2025-mayor/

Go-Ahead'll be around soon, the saviours of everything and such other nonsense.

I suspect Go-Ahead are actually losing money on their franchise wins in Manchester,  hence their lack of winning any more

As I said it is NOT a replacement for 4959

Source?

1804 has transferred,  but 4696 is just an odd short term loan cover, not a replacement for 4959

what about the 75**? Did they come into service after 1st October?

All the dates new are available on the main site 

Is 1804 a loan or a transfer to walsall

Transfer