Which areas do people think have seen the biggest changes over the years and subsequently biggest changes in bus passenger numbers ( ie positive or the reverse) ? Just curious.
I would say corridors like Warwick rd increases.
Decreases possibly exc 43 / 66 corridor
Since 2004 there's been significant increase in passengers on soho rd and Dudley with out a doubt, Eastern Europeans, Africans make up the numbers , plenty from Asia as well, many are here on dodgy student visa scams, it's not fiction before any one jumps down my troat its fact , cheap labour for fast food chains.
Some say that overall passenger numbers and revenue is down on the bus network ?. It certainly doesn't seem that way on some routes.
The population is growing and some of the buses seem busier and fuller then ever in my opinion.
Soho rd use to be operated by single deck mercs for many years no way would you get away with that now , just look at the number of short journeys now 74E to island road , West Bromwich
All the main corridors have had extra buses put on them.
82 Dudley rd service used to be a bus every 20 minutes now every ten so that's doubled the number of buses. 87 journey times when I started were 1hour 50 mins a round trip, now some journeys take 2hrs 30/40 in the peak . 24 running cards in the peak
Soho rd must over 30 buses I would have thought
Definitely does seem to have been a decline in some of the inner suburban link services (cross city 66 / Inner Circle / 1 / 40 Aston - Handsworth) over the years.
Whether that's down to people getting fed up of being stuck in traffic at every major arterial route they come across and going into town instead, or simply because those services are always being cut back, who knows...
Walsall to Cannock corridor?
Well it feels like it!
Augustus Road, or more generally the whole of the old 10 route from City to Court Oak, wealthy areas where most people use the car. Once an every 15 min service, now an Igo peak time only service. Although I suspect that the Quinton Road West end of the route maybe did always subsidise some of the rest of the route, and the changes to the then 103 removed much of the need for the 10 service.
Shame, I liked the old 10 route, very easy on the eye.
Was there a BC route operating between Birmingham and Blackheath many years ago? I recall seeing a Spectra in Blackheath, with route number 110 (I think).
Quote from: MW on February 10, 2016, 01:35:16 PM
Was there a BC route operating between Birmingham and Blackheath many years ago? I recall seeing a Spectra in Blackheath, with route number 110 (I think).
Yes, in the last year or two of the 10's existence there were a couple of mutant variants of it in a vain attempt to make it work, the 102 was one and the 110 (basically the 10 extended up to Quinton Church and on to Blackheath) was the other. Both were very short lived.
Shame about the 10 really. When you look back at it and it used to be like every 10 mins or more in the peaks.
Got me thinking about some lesser routes that have been absorbed into other more successful ones by extension, such as the Walsall - Streetly/Pheasey corridor that became part of the city expresses, or the extension of the 636 into the city. Whereas other routes have gone the opposite way and been split (as per the 79, thanks to the popularity of the tram)
Years ago Dudley and hartshill used to run down to kinver with full buses but over time and competition from hansons no Nxwm bus goes down there now
Particularly interesting are the former 6** routes, many have been lost by NX but some of which like 636, 688 and others have flourished and been upgraded with improved timetables.
NX have followed the approach of concentrating on routes with highest earning potential and on the core corridors. Routes like Sutton Lines/900/957/Pheasey and Kingstanding expresses in particular seem to have done well.
I'd say parts of South Birmingham and Dudley are where many TWM/NX cutbacks have fallen.
Quote from: Mike K on February 10, 2016, 01:42:09 PM
Yes, in the last year or two of the 10's existence there were a couple of mutant variants of it in a vain attempt to make it work, the 102 was one and the 110 (basically the 10 extended up to Quinton Church and on to Blackheath) was the other. Both were very short lived.
Lived just off West Boulevard when the 102 and then the 110 operated, have to say both services were generally lightly loaded at that end of the route, particularly the 102 even though it went in the same direction as the 103 down Quinton Road West towards town. Was always a nice run down Gillhurst Road and Augustus Road but hardly anyone ever got on and the bus always got stuck in long queues to get onto the road down to Five Ways.
Have to see when I'm in brum these days my old favourite 94 always seems empty when driving towards c. Wood to get on the motorway. I imagine the city - fox bit is busy but with no daf works etc seems to make sense
Quote from: monkeyjoe on February 10, 2016, 07:06:43 PM
Have to see when I'm in brum these days my old favourite 94 always seems empty when driving towards c. Wood to get on the motorway. I imagine the city - fox bit is busy but with no daf works etc seems to make sense
The 94 and 55 usualy seem to be full when leaving the City Centre. The 94 is busy between City Centre and Clock Garage.
@monkeyjoe
I drive from castle brom to c wood so that's my observations
The main thing I've noticed is a decrease in using bus for leisure. Nobody really seems to go out for a swim in leisure centre, shopping in some high street that's not in brum city centre, etc.
That probably explains for the decline in inner suburban link buses.
Quote from: :D on February 11, 2016, 07:25:00 PM
The main thing I've noticed is a decrease in using bus for leisure. Nobody really seems to go out for a swim in leisure centre, shopping in some high street that's not in brum city centre, etc.
That probably explains for the decline in inner suburban link buses.
And the decline of High Street shops and facilities! What you can notice from bus patronage change statistics is that several affluent areas with thriving, innovative town centres have seen increases due to OAP travel or even fare-payers, while some less affluent areas have seen decreases, I reckon, along the lines of what First Midlands MD said, ie that if the town centre/facilities aren't attractive, people won't visit them and will drive to out of town retail areas inside. Several of the areas with large patronage increases eg Bristol I'd put down more to innovation and competitive fares after years of making the bus less and less attractive.
I'd reckon if the Potteries gets awarded capital of culture with funding to match to upgrade the city and town centres into more attractive destinations, there could well be a resurgence in bus use.
I think in many areas increases in bus travel have come about as a result of an increase in university/ college student numbers over the last few years. For students, the bus is a viable option. The fact many companies have specific uni services and passes show the potential. Students also use the late night buses too.
Quote from: Kevin on February 10, 2016, 11:36:00 AM
Definitely does seem to have been a decline in some of the inner suburban link services (cross city 66 / Inner Circle / 1 / 40 Aston - Handsworth) over the years.
Whether that's down to people getting fed up of being stuck in traffic at every major arterial route they come across and going into town instead, or simply because those services are always being cut back, who knows...
Possibly the 966 as well
Quote from: 2206 on February 13, 2016, 07:35:54 PM
Possibly the 966 as well @Kevin
i did the old 966 wolves to airport about 1993/4 in timesavers
Quote from: DiamondDart on February 11, 2016, 07:59:09 PM
I'd reckon if the Potteries gets awarded capital of culture with funding to match...
I know it's not related but Stoke-on-Trent considering itself as a potential Capital of Culture is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.
Quote from: barry619 on February 13, 2016, 08:11:23 PM
I know it's not related but Stoke-on-Trent considering itself as a potential Capital of Culture is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.
The competition is Hull, the Potteries did produce world-renowned ceramics though, just a shame it's kind of died as an area ever since.
Stoke vs Hull for capital of culture. Like a beauty contest between Anne Widdecombe and Clare Short.
Sorry, back on topic...
Its not a competition Hull won the 2017 bid and Coventry is going for the next one in 2021 is stoke bidding too?
Quote from: Chris on February 13, 2016, 09:28:26 PM
Its not a competition Hull won the 2017 bid and Coventry is going for the next one in 2021 is stoke bidding too?
I rest my case
The old 689 route from Smith's Wood to I think it was Sheldon Wheatsheaf (correct me if I'm wrong) always seemed quite popular and then just slowly fizzled out. Started as the 98 when East Brum had the 9* number theme, then became the 89 then the 689. Now I think it's operated by iGo or Diamond as the 99, not quite sure.
Same can be said for the 663 now the 53, when Pete's travel used to operate it it had very healthy loadings and now its barren.
Quote from: JB93 on February 15, 2016, 01:22:03 PM
The old 689 route from Smith's Wood to I think it was Sheldon Wheatsheaf (correct me if I'm wrong) always seemed quite popular and then just slowly fizzled out. Started as the 98 when East Brum had the 9* number theme, then became the 89 then the 689. Now I think it's operated by iGo or Diamond as the 99, not quite sure.
Same can be said for the 663 now the 53, when Pete's travel used to operate it it had very healthy loadings and now its barren.
I'm always surprised by how dead bits of the 19 in Northfield is, that needs chopping right back to the core bits that load ok (ie some former 27/44 roads like Pamela and South Rd up to Northfield village) I also don't get the logic of both that and the 27 going to the Maypole, why would people need so many bph to a traffic island?!
When new Longbridge houses open, I'd curtail 19 to go round there in a circular, stop at Longbridge.
Quote from: DiamondDart on February 15, 2016, 01:59:31 PM
I also don't get the logic of both that and the 27 going to the Maypole, why would people need so many bph to a traffic island?!
Have you ever been to Maypole? It's more than a 'traffic island', there's quite a busy shopping centre there.
Quote from: Stu on February 15, 2016, 06:52:57 PM
Have you ever been to Maypole? It's more than a 'traffic island', there's quite a busy shopping centre there.
Yep, shopping centre?! There's Aldi, Wilko, Sainsbury's and Halfords on the side of a busy traffic island, why would anyone specifically go there as a shopping destination?! Most of that lot are in Northfield or King's Heath and numerous other places!
Quote from: DiamondDart on February 15, 2016, 07:14:25 PM
Yep, shopping centre?! There's Aldi, Wilko, Sainsbury's and Halfords on the side of a busy traffic island, why would anyone specifically go there as a shopping destination?! Most of that lot are in Northfield or King's Heath and numerous other places!
Yes, but for some people on the 19 route Maypole is closer. There are other shops there too, further up the Alcester Road.
There's more to a bus route than just travelling end-to-end.
Quote from: Stu on February 15, 2016, 07:19:30 PM
Yes, but for some people on the 19 route Maypole is closer. There are other shops there too, further up the Alcester Road.
There's more to a bus route than just travelling end-to-end.
Clearly not that many, given the level of subsidy required.
Quote from: DiamondDart on February 15, 2016, 07:14:25 PM
Yep, shopping centre?! There's Aldi, Wilko, Sainsbury's and Halfords on the side of a busy traffic island, why would anyone specifically go there as a shopping destination?! Most of that lot are in Northfield or King's Heath and numerous other places!
Haven't you ever noticed how many people go into a large supermarket, buy things and go straight home? The don't want to walk up an down a high street carrying their shopping. Just Visit the Maypole and you will see it is a very popular place
The 27 also enables those round Highters Heath and Chinn Brook to get to Maypole, which the 19 of course doesn't serve! Maypole is a busy place with the shops and also a few transfer from the 27 to the 50 or to the 49 as well.
Quote from: Tony on February 15, 2016, 07:27:46 PM
Haven't you ever noticed how many people go into a large supermarket, buy things and go straight home? The don't want to walk up an down a high street carrying their shopping. Just Visit the Maypole and you will see it is a very popular place
Just come back from over 2 hours up there, believe me, that's plenty round there!
Frankly debating why people visit places is another can of worms altogether ! As long as their is demand in those regions, NX will continue to serve them