WM Bus Photos Forum

West Midlands Buses in Discussion => Rotala => Topic started by: Tony on December 05, 2012, 08:49:52 PM

Title: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Tony on December 05, 2012, 08:49:52 PM
Fresh from paint on way back to Long Acre with previous operators destinations still programmed!

http://wmbusphotos.com/centralConnect/30929.html
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Ash on December 05, 2012, 10:36:47 PM
Will this bus be used for any specific service like the X30 for example or just be used on any of blue diamond's services.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Ash on December 15, 2012, 06:09:17 PM
30929 the blue diamond enviro 200 on the 4 today. Looking very smart must be on loan for a while but the bus is in all over blue but only says diamond on the fleetnames.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Tomjusttom on December 15, 2012, 06:14:11 PM
Apparently the Blue Diamond Black Diamond Red Diamond brands are going
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Ash on December 15, 2012, 06:33:45 PM
Quote from: Tomjusttom on December 15, 2012, 06:14:11 PM
Apparently the Blue Diamond Black Diamond Red Diamond brands are going

Thats interesting Tom because the buses that have been aquired by diamond recently and have just been put into service have just the fleename diamond on them but are painted black still and certain buses have logos missing due to replacement panels and no new logo's have been applied so doesnt suprise me if there going to get rid of the brands.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: PM on December 15, 2012, 07:22:37 PM
And everything is now on one licence I think-the diamond bus company limited with blue diamond buses displaying signs saying on hire to the diamond bus company
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Ash on December 15, 2012, 07:45:52 PM
So does this mean it will just be diamond with different coloured buses representing the previous brands such as red/blue and black or will it mean all buses being painted into one colour. Do people think it would be better to have one garage for the west midlands operations and one for redditch and close long acre especially with the loss of the NX coach work.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: PM on December 15, 2012, 08:32:21 PM
I think they should just scrap blue diamond. As ash said, close long acre, reduce overheads repaint or sell blue diamond buses into black diamond livery and keep red diamond in redditch. However, maybe they are not intending to get rid of the blue diamond brand as theyre still repainting buses into that livery. Closing long acre and reducing overheads would almost certainly improve profits.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: JackC on December 16, 2012, 08:16:30 PM
Surely though, closing Long Acre will just increase dead milage from Birmingham services having to run all the way back to Tividale? Maybe an overhaul of the management down there would do the trick?
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: bwsau cymru on December 19, 2012, 12:54:25 AM
I have to disagree. I don't think they will close long achere as it is surely an asset being there closest to Birmingham city centre. ok im the first one to say I think they having been going down hill lately and loosing nx just goes to show that they really are. Find it hard though that Yourbus run by a different Dunn do so well on NX....
And as with dropping the brand "Blue/Black/Red" again I can see why people might think its going if its not being added to buses and it certainly would help with swapping buses around easier but the amount of money painting the buses blue, branding them up and to create a brand new website, surely they would of just added blue into black?
Plus Diamond before rotala was just Diamond, I think creating the local brands is going forwards and again to drop the whole black/red/blue if you go back to 2007 when it was created why waste also that money now? Don't think the senior management would do that, but hay that's just my option.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Tomjusttom on December 19, 2012, 08:25:11 AM
I presume the new website links in with the new brand scheme

http://diamondbus.tvstest.com/
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: PM on December 19, 2012, 03:17:41 PM
Cheers for posting the link to the new website Tom. Looks a bit like the PrestonBus one if you ask me. Still, definitely makes more sense to have one website for everything diamond as opposed to 2/3 with the blue diamond website especially excluded.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: jc on December 19, 2012, 05:43:13 PM
Y3 NBB is at Redditch ...
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Ash on December 19, 2012, 05:49:46 PM
I wonder if it will all be renamed diamond in the west midlands, diamond in Staffordshire and diamond in Worcestershire like the tabs have been renamed on their new website. Also extra cleaners being trialled out on the 4/4H and 4M services with centro. Also will the old websites close down soon or is this new website just for a trial period.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: bwsau cymru on December 30, 2012, 03:07:44 PM
think its a good idea to have one website for all three diamond as it will make it easier for the average joe to use diamond, but still I don't think that they will get rid of the colours and local brands!
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Discodave on December 30, 2012, 04:05:56 PM
Quote from: dannygill on December 30, 2012, 03:07:44 PM
think its a good idea to have one website for all three diamond as it will make it easier for the average Joe to use diamond, but still I don't think that they will get rid of the colours and local brands!

It needs to one livery allocated to the brand not liquorice allsorts just shows a cowboy operation like VIP and the others
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: tank90 on December 30, 2012, 10:19:12 PM
I can see the brand colours staying so black for black country red for Midland Red West area (Herefordshire Worcestershire and warkwickshire where using Redditch makes more sense) and blue for Birmingham Coventry Solihul, and just have Diamond. This would be  a good idea as we have all moaned about First not being Local enough. keeping the colours would make sense but repainting is a must not having black blue and red on the same route where they dont meet. I say this as redditch and worcestershire folk are ust to Red Diamond buses rather than black or blue tho there is a few white and black diamond buses here at the moment.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Stu on December 31, 2012, 05:48:07 PM
As long as the buses clearly show the 'Diamond' logo on the side (to identify the operator of the service), does it really matter what colour the bus is? And would people really get that confused?

Surely it is no less confusing than NXWM operating buses in a variety of liveries, and a variety of operator logos (Travel West Midlands, West Midlands part of National Express and National Express West Midlands)?

Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Ash on December 31, 2012, 06:04:45 PM
An example of when it could be confusing a red diamond dart one with crusader body work is used on route 4 it approaches the bus stop now that passenger waiting cannot tell whether the bus is a NXWM or diamond bus until the bus has virtually stopped at the stop or even until they try to board with a daysaver or travel card. I mean it was the case the other day that there were red and white diamond vehicles. a blue diamond bus, a red diamond bus, a black diamond bus and a black diamond dart without any fleetnames on service 4 now thats confusing all different varieties of livery on one service to me is not good others will argue that is doesnt matter which is there view so fair enough. I was waiting for the 002 the other day in Merry Hill and that bus by most of the passengers waiting for it is the 'green looking bus' so an identity has been made for that service, start using red diamond darts on there the image is lost and will cause some kind of confusion also tbh whats the point in having seperate identies for different areas if there just merge like this.
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Discodave on January 01, 2013, 11:53:16 AM
Quote from: Stu on December 31, 2012, 05:48:07 PM
As long as the buses clearly show the 'Diamond' logo on the side (to identify the operator of the service), does it really matter what colour the bus is? And would people really get that confused?

Surely it is no less confusing than NXWM operating buses in a variety of liveries, and a variety of operator logos (Travel West Midlands, West Midlands part of National Express and National Express West Midlands)?

But NXWM are refurbing buses as fast as they can and a lot of the fleet are now under one brand (except coventry) going on a guess more than half have got to be done by now Tony can you help?
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: winston on January 01, 2013, 01:17:04 PM
Quote from: Discodave on January 01, 2013, 11:53:16 AM
Quote from: Stu on December 31, 2012, 05:48:07 PM
As long as the buses clearly show the 'Diamond' logo on the side (to identify the operator of the service), does it really matter what colour the bus is? And would people really get that confused?

Surely it is no less confusing than NXWM operating buses in a variety of liveries, and a variety of operator logos (Travel West Midlands, West Midlands part of National Express and National Express West Midlands)?

But NXWM are refurbing buses as fast as they can and a lot of the fleet are now under one brand (except coventry) going on a guess more than half have got to be done by now Tony can you help?

The pace / quality of NXWM refurbs has certainly picked up of late, which is good to see. For 2013 I'd like to see NXWM finally ditch the TWM brand & the interim logos and rebrand all buses as NXWM regardless of livery as Dundee have done.

Looking forward to see what NX order for delivery in 2013
Title: Re: Blue Diamond Enviro
Post by: Discodave on January 01, 2013, 08:41:02 PM
+1