June fleet changes are now on the front page of the main site, note two of the ex NX contract Levantes moving to Heathrow and two B7RLE/Centros moving from Wessex to Long Acre
Quote from: Tony on July 02, 2013, 09:43:01 AM
two B7RLE/Centros moving from Wessex to Long Acre
Tony,
Any idea if the 3 x B7RLE/Wright are still intended to be transferred up from Wessex to Diamond @ Tividale? Or are the above instead of?
Why are long acre getting centros-what routes could they possibly be needed on?? Unless they are being painted at long acre and then going elsewhere. Putting them on the 16/50 would be a waste and the signature network is covered so where are they headed for? Anyone any ideas as I certainly dont!!
Quote from: Peter123 on July 02, 2013, 04:55:22 PM
Why are long acre getting centros-what routes could they possibly be needed on?? Unless they are being painted at long acre and then going elsewhere. Putting them on the 16/50 would be a waste and the signature network is covered so where are they headed for? Anyone any ideas as I certainly dont!!
Redditch Services??
The 2 centro's may allow the 57 reg solo and enviro200 they have on loan from Tividale to return.
Quote from: Ash on July 02, 2013, 05:36:10 PM
The 2 centro's may allow the 57 reg solo and enviro200 they have on loan from Tividale to return.
Better to send the centros to tividale tho lol
And redditch isnt a bad call tho surely it would make more sense to send wright eclipses there to standardise their fleet.
Quote from: Peter123 on July 02, 2013, 06:18:05 PM
Quote from: Ash on July 02, 2013, 05:36:10 PM
The 2 centro's may allow the 57 reg solo and enviro200 they have on loan from Tividale to return.
Better to send the centros to tividale tho lol
And redditch isnt a bad call tho surely it would make more sense to send wright eclipses there to standardise their fleet.
If they did send the wright eclipses only two would be sent so you would still be in the same situation having some eclipses at Tividale along with these two centro's. They may be for the X30 in Coventry at it used to use the hyrbids and before these it was mcv evolutions but originally used centro's.
Quote from: Ash on July 02, 2013, 08:53:51 PM
Quote from: Peter123 on July 02, 2013, 06:18:05 PM
Quote from: Ash on July 02, 2013, 05:36:10 PM
The 2 centro's may allow the 57 reg solo and enviro200 they have on loan from Tividale to return.
Better to send the centros to tividale tho lol
And redditch isnt a bad call tho surely it would make more sense to send wright eclipses there to standardise their fleet.
If they did send the wright eclipses only two would be sent so you would still be in the same situation having some eclipses at Tividale along with these two centro's. They may be for the X30 in Coventry at it used to use the hyrbids and before these it was mcv evolutions but originally used centro's.
That would be a real shame to waste them on the X30-cant see why they bother operating this-a lot of dead mileage from the depot-is it a supported route or something cos its always empty when i see it
Yeah i think Ansty Park pays the subsidiary for the service to run and agree most of the time it is empty from when I have seen it at the Coventry rail station part of the service. Not sure what the loadings are like on the 50 but guess this is where the two buses will end up and appearing on the 16 from time to time but then the enviro 200 was originally allocated to Long Acre but was initially used at Tividale even though it seems to be on loan to Long Acre at the moment.
226 possibly?
226 is at Tividale and the centro's are for Long Acre also the 226 has it's own 4 branded swift dart/mpd's.
Quote from: Ash on July 02, 2013, 09:33:04 PM
226 is at Tividale and the centro's are for Long Acre also the 226 has it's own 4 branded swift dart/mpd's.
They're all falling to pieces, Y211 was struggling to get up any hill of any sort, and late as a result, and then a 02 plate yesterday had a driver playing the drums on the dash to stop some beeping. Plus with Merry Hill better bus, they'll be off soon hopefully
Yeah day and night on the 226 must take its toll on those darts.
Quote from: Ash on July 02, 2013, 10:47:58 PM
Yeah day and night on the 226 must take its toll on those darts.
They all failed in the same few days... 2 weeks into the daytime service
At Tividale apart from the centro's and b7rle's any other buses cadets/mpd's etc are not that reliable and can all break down at any time, the worse buses for this are the 03 solo's and cadets in my experience.
For me the logical step would be to put the new eclipses on the 002 and some of the old ones if needed (don't know the pvr), if there are any remaining older ones to Redditch and bring the centros off the 002 and add them to the 2 transferred up from Wessex and put all the centros back on the 4! The 404E doesn't ever seemed to be the same since it lost the centros!!! But I know my logical choice wont happen!
I would like to see Diamond do something with these presidents, I feel they need to up there game against nx with the new 936 service which seems quite well used! and they have to do something with the 50 and 16 before its too late!
Quote from: dannygill on July 03, 2013, 12:25:19 AM
For me the logical step would be to put the new eclipses on the 002 and some of the old ones if needed (don't know the pvr), if there are any remaining older ones to Redditch and bring the centros off the 002 and add them to the 2 transferred up from Wessex and put all the centros back on the 4! The 404E doesn't ever seemed to be the same since it lost the centros!!! But I know my logical choice wont happen!
I would like to see Diamond do something with these presidents, I feel they need to up there game against nx with the new 936 service which seems quite well used! and they have to do something with the 50 and 16 before its too late!
The 226 is getting upgraded with the better bus scheme money!
Quote from: dannygill on July 03, 2013, 12:25:19 AM
For me the logical step would be to put the new eclipses on the 002 and some of the old ones if needed (don't know the pvr), if there are any remaining older ones to Redditch and bring the centros off the 002 and add them to the 2 transferred up from Wessex and put all the centros back on the 4! The 404E doesn't ever seemed to be the same since it lost the centros!!! But I know my logical choice wont happen!
I would like to see Diamond do something with these presidents, I feel they need to up there game against nx with the new 936 service which seems quite well used! and they have to do something with the 50 and 16 before its too late!
Pretty sure the PVR of the 002 is 6.
Yeah the 002 has a PVR of 6
The 4/4H/4M has a PVR of 15 so 8 centro's won't go that far similar to the b7rle's that are now on it.
just a shame all round really! they could do with placing an order for good 30-40 vehicles (and actually keeping them and not selling them) and spread them around rotala! I think they need to assess were they aren't performing so well and focus on that, but not to loose sight of where they do well! if they don't be careful I can see them coming off the 56!
Quote from: dannygill on July 04, 2013, 04:37:23 PM
just a shame all round really! they could do with placing an order for good 30-40 vehicles (and actually keeping them and not selling them) and spread them around rotala! I think they need to assess were they aren't performing so well and focus on that, but not to loose sight of where they do well! if they don't be careful I can see them coming off the 56!
And the 16 & 50, if I was Hanson's I would have seriously considered launching on Diamonds 002
Lets say Rotala find that diamond is not profitable and so they close the diamond business down and move their vehicles elsewhere, wouldn't this no effect NXWM as there is virtually no competition it would become a monopoly and I'm sure the transport commission or whatever there called that are looking into Redditch will have some involvement if this was to ever happen. At the end of the day competition is good especially where the two buses make profit and offer returns like diamond did and NXWM copied having no diamond would mean goodbye to the returns (it would look bad for NXWM if they got rid of the returns on the 37 so they haven't for publicity). It would be a gamble for Hanson's to operate the 002 it would mean needing 6 vehicles probably newer than the centro's and taking on a company where most people probably have weekly/monthly passes for the double 'o' 2.
Quote from: Winston on July 04, 2013, 04:39:56 PM
Quote from: dannygill on July 04, 2013, 04:37:23 PM
just a shame all round really! they could do with placing an order for good 30-40 vehicles (and actually keeping them and not selling them) and spread them around rotala! I think they need to assess were they aren't performing so well and focus on that, but not to loose sight of where they do well! if they don't be careful I can see them coming off the 56!
And the 16 & 50, if I was Hanson's I would have seriously considered launching on Diamonds 002
They should maybe operate evenings and Sunday service (Sunday service duely needed)
Quote from: vinh1000 on July 04, 2013, 08:03:50 PM
Quote from: Winston on July 04, 2013, 04:39:56 PM
Quote from: dannygill on July 04, 2013, 04:37:23 PM
just a shame all round really! they could do with placing an order for good 30-40 vehicles (and actually keeping them and not selling them) and spread them around rotala! I think they need to assess were they aren't performing so well and focus on that, but not to loose sight of where they do well! if they don't be careful I can see them coming off the 56!
And the 16 & 50, if I was Hanson's I would have seriously considered launching on Diamonds 002
They should maybe operate evenings and Sunday service (Sunday service duely needed)
Very good point! Sunday service I think would be very good as its going to a shopping outlet! Evening service I think should maybe tie in with late night shopping hours! the 002 service I think is something the really do need to focus on being consistent and upgrading regular as its very popular and has to be a great earner for them!
One thing I do think does need doing is the centros need a good deep clean, the plastic on the ceiling is very dirty!
The 301 leaving Walsall this evening at around 10pm had 1 passenger, the 4 service did better in the evening and got withdrawn and was even better when it was the 404E.
Any news on the Gemini that was seen on the 16 a few times?
One of the transferred centros on the 16 today
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 01:17:43 PM
One of the transferred centros on the 16 today
In Diamond blue or still in remnants of Wessex livery?
Diamond blue
Quote from: Winston on July 08, 2013, 02:03:26 PM
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 01:46:48 PM
Diamond blue
Cheers mate ;)
No probs I was passing on a solo on the 16 and saw it on the other side by the top we got near the bus it pulled off and i couldnt see the reg or fleetnumber because of the hedge on the central reservation, looked very smart though.
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 02:28:04 PM
Quote from: Winston on July 08, 2013, 02:03:26 PM
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 01:46:48 PM
Diamond blue
Cheers mate ;)
No probs I was passing on a solo on the 16 and saw it on the other side by the top we got near the bus it pulled off and i couldnt see the reg or fleetnumber because of the hedge on the central reservation, looked very smart though.
Maybe Diamond are going to put up a fight against GRS? Just fell off my chair.......
The solo I was on which was 30912 a Tividale allocated one was very busy from the city centre to Hamstead and there were a few people on the other buses that past. Also on there was the enviro 200 30929 not sure if this is going to be a permanent transfer now or just on loan. The PVR for the service is 6 and there was at least 5 different types of bus on there but all in the diamond blue livery. All the GRS darts had 1/2 passengers on board only.
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 03:00:27 PM
The solo I was on which was 30912 a Tividale allocated one was very busy from the city centre to Hamstead and there were a few people on the other buses that past. Also on there was the enviro 200 30929 not sure if this is going to be a permanent transfer now or just on loan. The PVR for the service is 6 and there was at least 5 different types of bus on there but all in the diamond blue livery. All the GRS darts had 1/2 passengers on board only.
I noticed this today too the 16 was doing ok today-GRS/national express pretty much empty and some quite busy looking diamond solos
Quote from: Peter123 on July 08, 2013, 04:36:37 PM
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 03:00:27 PM
The solo I was on which was 30912 a Tividale allocated one was very busy from the city centre to Hamstead and there were a few people on the other buses that past. Also on there was the enviro 200 30929 not sure if this is going to be a permanent transfer now or just on loan. The PVR for the service is 6 and there was at least 5 different types of bus on there but all in the diamond blue livery. All the GRS darts had 1/2 passengers on board only.
I noticed this today too the 16 was doing ok today-GRS/national express pretty much empty and some quite busy looking diamond solos
pot luck at time of day, I photographed two 16s today which will both be on the main site later. One of Long Acre's latest Plaxton Centros in a fresh coat of blue paint with 2 passengers, and GRS's latest dart with about 10 on, both on Moor Street, so either could get more on at other city centre stops
It all comes down to who is in front of who proves that if a GRS dart arrives first passengers get on that if a diamond appears first then they get on that bus. Do the GRS darts have more than about 2 gears they seem to go that slow and they really need a livery as they don't have one and if your not from the area by looking at their buses you wouldn't have a clue where they were going. At least diamond and NXWM look professional both the buses and drivers on the service.
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 05:29:16 PM
It all comes down to who is in front of who proves that if a GRS dart arrives first passengers get on that if a diamond appears first then they get on that bus. Do the GRS darts have more than about 2 gears they seem to go that slow and they really need a livery as they don't have one and if your not from the area by looking at their buses you wouldn't have a clue where they were going. At least diamond and NXWM look professional both the buses and drivers on the service.
I have to disagree, diamond have yet again failed to paint the top of the bus! so blue all round and green on top, doesn't look right!
Quote from: dannygill on July 08, 2013, 07:28:42 PM
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 05:29:16 PM
It all comes down to who is in front of who proves that if a GRS dart arrives first passengers get on that if a diamond appears first then they get on that bus. Do the GRS darts have more than about 2 gears they seem to go that slow and they really need a livery as they don't have one and if your not from the area by looking at their buses you wouldn't have a clue where they were going. At least diamond and NXWM look professional both the buses and drivers on the service.
I have to disagree, diamond have yet again failed to paint the top of the bus! so blue all round and green on top, doesn't look right!
Yeah but who sees the top of the bus?? Other than if you're on a decker behind-which some will be as hopefully the diamond will be in front-what difference does it really make. Anyone got a picture of this on the 16 as I didnt see it on there today-I saw the enviro200, OVS, couple of solos and that was pretty much it
Quote from: Tony on July 08, 2013, 05:06:13 PM
Quote from: Peter123 on July 08, 2013, 04:36:37 PM
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 03:00:27 PM
The solo I was on which was 30912 a Tividale allocated one was very busy from the city centre to Hamstead and there were a few people on the other buses that past. Also on there was the enviro 200 30929 not sure if this is going to be a permanent transfer now or just on loan. The PVR for the service is 6 and there was at least 5 different types of bus on there but all in the diamond blue livery. All the GRS darts had 1/2 passengers on board only.
I noticed this today too the 16 was doing ok today-GRS/national express pretty much empty and some quite busy looking diamond solos
pot luck at time of day, I photographed two 16s today which will both be on the main site later. One of Long Acre's latest Plaxton Centros in a fresh coat of blue paint with 2 passengers, and GRS's latest dart with about 10 on, both on Moor Street, so either could get more on at other city centre stops
Absolutely right. Spot observations/checks can be really inaccurate/misleading-best to do passenger counts over the whole day cos it does depend. Or, if you really want to know how a route is doing, you can check the driver report produced on wayfarers
Quote from: Peter123 on July 08, 2013, 08:05:43 PM
Quote from: dannygill on July 08, 2013, 07:28:42 PM
Quote from: Ash on July 08, 2013, 05:29:16 PM
It all comes down to who is in front of who proves that if a GRS dart arrives first passengers get on that if a diamond appears first then they get on that bus. Do the GRS darts have more than about 2 gears they seem to go that slow and they really need a livery as they don't have one and if your not from the area by looking at their buses you wouldn't have a clue where they were going. At least diamond and NXWM look professional both the buses and drivers on the service.
I have to disagree, diamond have yet again failed to paint the top of the bus! so blue all round and green on top, doesn't look right!
http://wmbusphotos.com/centralConnect/30000.html
Yeah but who sees the top of the bus?? Other than if you're on a decker behind-which some will be as hopefully the diamond will be in front-what difference does it really make. Anyone got a picture of this on the 16 as I didnt see it on there today-I saw the enviro200, OVS, couple of solos and that was pretty much it