Birmingham Evening Mail has reported that National Express are closing travel shops.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/bus-station-travel-shops-axed-21577808
Presumably as a result of "Swiftification" (TfWMism not mine) of travel!
Quote from: JoNi on September 16, 2021, 09:02:50 PM
Birmingham Evening Mail has reported that National Express are closing travel shops.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/bus-station-travel-shops-axed-21577808
Presumably as a result of "Swiftification" (TfWMism not mine) of travel!
There was a queue outside the one on Corporation Street the one day recently when I went past, but I guess passes/tickets can be purchased online and as the article says that is probably what most do now anyway.
Quote from: JoNi on September 16, 2021, 09:02:50 PM
Birmingham Evening Mail has reported that National Express are closing travel shops.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/bus-station-travel-shops-axed-21577808
Presumably as a result of "Swiftification" (TfWMism not mine) of travel!
Was just about to make a thread about this :o.
It is true that most tickets can be now be done more locally or online though. It does mean that you would need to wait a few days for a swift card if you're a new customer compared to just going to a travel shop and getting a new one pretty much instantly.
Had a look at the Payzone locator & there are a few within walking distance to me, but I remember having a conversation with one of the Walsall staff a few years ago, & they told me that one outlet actually issued a travel pass for a different area of the country, which does not fill me with confidence.
Certainly will have a chat with the staff next time I go in, certainly to show my appreciation of the service over the years.
I remember the Walsall shop being in at least 3 different locations, the corner of St Pauls St, the old Taylors Music Shop in Bridge Street(initially using both upstairs & downstairs), then into the current location.
I guess this means the end of the timetable leaflets(if there was a plan for them to come back in the first place!), unless there is an alternative plan eventually?
I know Arriva put leaflets in Cannock Shopping Centre, but do Chaserider do so as well?
I know last time my sister purchased her pass, instead of going through work, she had to set up an account with NX.
Under this 'new' system, will it be easy to change the type of pass wanted, from a Walsall Nbus back to a regional Nbus if needed?
I normally have monthlys, while my sister has a yearly pass.
Quote from: Westy on September 16, 2021, 10:51:30 PM
Had a look at the Payzone locator & there are a few within walking distance to me, but I remember having a conversation with one of the Walsall staff a few years ago, & they told me that one outlet actually issued a travel pass for a different area of the country, which does not fill me with confidence.
Well as the Payzone system hasn't been going 'a few years' that sounds a bit of a dodgy story
Oh, dear. Not everyone is online and neither are all bus company or transport authority websites a model of clarity when it comes to simple matters like finding a timetable or map.
I'm guessing that this means the anti-paper brigade will get their way and we'll never see another printed publicity item because there's no outlets for people to obtain them anyway.
This comes on top of Network West Midlands' de-facto closure of its Birmingham travel shop, meaning that the UK's second city will have no tourist information centre and no travel information centre.
It's not like Brum's economy needs every penny it can get from visitors or that there are any big events in the next 12 months attracting thousands of people from around the globe.......
Quote from: Smethwickian on September 19, 2021, 12:35:49 PM
Oh, dear. Not everyone is online and neither are all bus company or transport authority websites a model of clarity when it comes to simple matters like finding a timetable or map.
NX Website seems to be one of the simplest to use and find timetables/maps of all operators.
Quote from: Smethwickian on September 19, 2021, 12:35:49 PM
This comes on top of Network West Midlands' de-facto closure of its Birmingham travel shop, meaning that the UK's second city will have no tourist information centre
I think Birmingham Library at Centenary Square has a tourist information desk last time I went in there.
Tbf the closures have been going on for ages. Merry Hill hasn't had a travel shop for 10 years, and Stourbridge is just a rack of timetables since the redevelopment of that bus station.
Does Wolves still have it's rack of timetables by the loos in the bus station?
Does Bilston & Wednesbury still have it's own racks as well?
If all the remaining bus station travelshops were replaced by racks, would TfWM staff still maintain them?
Even if Covid wasn't around, I'd say not.
Local libraries, I would have said, could've been an adequate replacement, if not for sharing premises, certainly for the timetable information, assuming the staff didn't hide the leaflets behind the counter, then charge you for the priviledge, but are libraries opening up yet?
I don't think any of Walsall's are open yet as far as I know.
Quote from: Westy on September 19, 2021, 02:32:46 PM
Does Wolves still have it's rack of timetables by the loos in the bus station?
Does Bilston & Wednesbury still have it's own racks as well?
If all the remaining bus station travelshops were replaced by racks, would TfWM staff still maintain them?
Even if Covid wasn't around, I'd say not.
Local libraries, I would have said, could've been an adequate replacement, if not for sharing premises, certainly for the timetable information, assuming the staff didn't hide the leaflets behind the counter, then charge you for the priviledge, but are libraries opening up yet?
I don't think any of Walsall's are open yet as far as I know.
Library in Ward End on the Washwood Heath Road always has the front door open when I go past on the 94/95, so yeah they are all open and probably have been for a while.
Quote from: Smethwickian on September 19, 2021, 12:35:49 PM
Oh, dear. Not everyone is online and neither are all bus company or transport authority websites a model of clarity when it comes to simple matters like finding a timetable or map.
I'm guessing that this means the anti-paper brigade will get their way and we'll never see another printed publicity item because there's no outlets for people to obtain them anyway.
This comes on top of Network West Midlands' de-facto closure of its Birmingham travel shop, meaning that the UK's second city will have no tourist information centre and no travel information centre.
It's not like Brum's economy needs every penny it can get from visitors or that there are any big events in the next 12 months attracting thousands of people from around the globe.......
The UK's capital city does like paper either and hasn't for over 10 years, the only paper public transport related item that TfL produces is the Tube Map and even that is wrong titled (as most of the Underground is not in a tube - the underground bits of the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines are cut and cover tunnels) and it only shows a subset of the rail network in London, i.e. only the TfL operated bits, so it shows the TfL Rail line out to Reading and is only showing the Thameslink on a temporary basis until the temporary closure of Northern line in Spring 2022 finishes and the TfL will remove it.
You cannot even download bus timetables from the TfL website, you have use a site created by a private individual to get that info: http://www.londonbusroutes.net/ (http://www.londonbusroutes.net/); at least in the West Midlands you can get a bus timetable from Network West Midlands & NXWM's websites.
There are two problems that I see with regards to printed timetable leaflets:
1) the cost of designing, printing and distributing them
2) the fact that it doesn't take much for them to become out of date, considering the amount of timetable and route changes that seem to take place
While a great number of people do have access to resources online in order to plan a journey or to find accurate timetable information, I do accept that there are still people who don't have such access, and would probably find such printed material invaluable.
But equally I can sympathise with TfWM and individual bus operators, who may be reluctant to spend large sums of money designing, printing and distributing thousands of such leaflets, if only a small number of people are ever going to pick one up and find it useful.
And likewise, if a large number of leaflets are ordered and printed, only for the timetable to be 'adjusted' a few weeks or couple of months later, it becomes a huge waste of paper if those leaflets end up having to be binned because they are now 'out-of-date'.
I really don't know what the 'answer' or solution should be, but it would probably be a good start to ensure that 'at stop' printed timetable information is kept 'up-to-date' as possible, as well as ensuring that resources are available at major nterchanges. But the key advice to passengers, especially those travelling to unfamiliar areas, is to plan in advance.
Quote from: Stu on September 19, 2021, 08:27:42 PM
And likewise, if a large number of leaflets are ordered and printed, only for the timetable to be 'adjusted' a few weeks or couple of months later, it becomes a huge waste of paper if those leaflets end up having to be binned because they are now 'out-of-date'.
From what I heard on a NX A12 service a few years back now, the elderly users of that service found the printed timetables in Solihull Library useful, post closure of the travelshop, so they know what time the bus is coming, etc. I would think timetables could be put out in places like that, or at least someone there who can print the timetable information for them from TFWM/NX site as needed perhaps as that saves wasted paper and places like that already have printers.
Quote from: 2206 on September 19, 2021, 08:37:26 PM
From what I heard on a NX A12 service a few years back now, the elderly users of that service found the printed timetables in Solihull Library useful, post closure of the travelshop, so they know what time the bus is coming, etc. I would think timetables could be put out in places like that, or at least someone there who can print the timetable information for them from TFWM/NX site as needed perhaps as that saves wasted paper and places like that already have printers.
landflight a12 has good demand too
I gave Aston Manor all my old timetable leaflets & bus maps this weekend, as I'd originally conversed with them over Facebook over the past couple of years whether they would be able to take them off my hands & they said they would, as they would be able to update their archives & as I suggested, flog what they didn't want in the shop, like I've bought old timetables off them in the past, so I thought my large donation would be of use.
With help from my sister, I took one batch over there yesterday & accepted no problem.
Today, I took the rest of the stuff over there & there was a bloke in a suit, presumbly the head honcho.
I showed him the donation & he initially refused it, as there was no market for the timetables, as they were too recent(Talking earliest 2017 up to early 2020, as they stopped doing the timetables then!).
I stood my ground, saying I'd been conversing with someone there over Facebook & they said yes, but he said they shouldn't have.
I said what shall I do with them.
'Take them to the Recycling', was the reply. (Bearing in mind I don't know Aldridge that well, where the nearest recycling point was!)
Luckliy the old chap that saw me yesterday said he'd sort them out for me, but they should have said they wasn't taking donations before I brought them all the way over.
Anyone know what Wythall were doing with donations?
Quote from: Westy on September 19, 2021, 09:12:58 PM
I gave Aston Manor all my old timetable leaflets & bus maps this weekend, as I'd originally conversed with them over Facebook over the past couple of years whether they would be able to take them off my hands & they said they would, as they would be able to update their archives & as I suggested, flog what they didn't want in the shop, like I've bought old timetables off them in the past, so I thought my large donation would be of use.
With help from my sister, I took one batch over there yesterday & accepted no problem.
Today, I took the rest of the stuff over there & there was a bloke in a suit, presumbly the head honcho.
I showed him the donation & he initially refused it, as there was no market for the timetables, as they were too recent(Talking earliest 2017 up to early 2020, as they stopped doing the timetables then!).
I stood my ground, saying I'd been conversing with someone there over Facebook & they said yes, but he said they shouldn't have.
I said what shall I do with them.
'Take them to the Recycling', was the reply. (Bearing in mind I don't know Aldridge that well, where the nearest recycling point was!)
Luckliy the old chap that saw me yesterday said he'd sort them out for me, but they should have said they wasn't taking donations before I brought them all the way over.
Anyone know what Wythall were doing with donations?
They will do the same, keep anything of historical value, try and sell anything there is a market for, and recycle anything else
Quote from: 2206 on September 19, 2021, 01:14:07 PM
NX Website seems to be one of the simplest to use and find timetables/maps of all operators.I think Birmingham Library at Centenary Square has a tourist information desk last time I went in there.
NX website does not have network maps and does not have timetables of all operators, only NX and many of those in a printer-unfriendly format with much wasted empty space and no street-by-street route listing.
The tourist information desk at the library is just the library information desk that's always been there with a single rack of heritage trail leaflets, no other tourist information whatsoever and I doubt very much the staff expect or are equipped to deal with the kind of visitor questions, accommodation requests, travel questions and theatre and event bookings that a traditional tourist information centre would handle.
Slightly off topic, but I just popped into the newsagents in Walsall Bus Station & asked if they were likely to be taking on extra responsibilities with the Travelshops closing (Having the leaflets that sort of thing!) & they said that they were closing down themselves at the end of November, not renewing the lease.
Does TfWm own that actual building in the Bus Station & if so, have they said what is eventually happening to it?
Quote from: Smethwickian on September 20, 2021, 09:35:42 PM
NX website does not have network maps and does not have timetables of all operators, only NX and many of those in a printer-unfriendly format with much wasted empty space and no street-by-street route listing.
The tourist information desk at the library is just the library information desk that's always been there with a single rack of heritage trail leaflets, no other tourist information whatsoever and I doubt very much the staff expect or are equipped to deal with the kind of visitor questions, accommodation requests, travel questions and theatre and event bookings that a traditional tourist information centre would handle.
That may well be, but of the bus companies, NXWM is by far the easiest site of all the major bus operators to use, try navigating through Arriva & Stagecoach's sites for example, which is one of the worst sites on the net, as for network maps, NXWM don't really need to publish there own maps, as Network West Midlands publish the network maps for the West Midlands which include all operators anyway.
Copies of A4 booklet "Where I can buy my tickets and other useful information" have appeared in Coventry Travel shop. Page 2 has a family aboard a Platinum bus in a state of bliss looking out if the window.
Quote from: JoNi on October 26, 2021, 10:24:41 AM
Copies of A4 booklet "Where I can buy my tickets and other useful information" have appeared in Coventry Travel shop. Page 2 has a family aboard a Platinum bus in a state of bliss looking out if the window.
Any idea when these started appearing in the Travelshops?
Seem to have left it a bit late in my opinion.
It was lucky I booked the week off, to make sure I renewed my pass early enough.
However the book does look informative at first glance.
Quote from: Westy on October 29, 2021, 01:10:39 PM
Any idea when these started appearing in the Travelshops?
Seem to have left it a bit late in my opinion.
It was lucky I booked the week off, to make sure I renewed my pass early enough.
However the book does look informative at first glance.
Coventry Travel Centre staff are working outside the closed Travel Centre for two weeks to help people acclimatise to the new world.
They had a pile of those booklets this morning. Dunno what is happening elsewhere.
I'm probably passing through at the wrong times, but I've seen nothing at Walsall since last Friday!
Wonder what's happened to all the booklets that never got picked up?
Quote from: Westy on October 19, 2021, 07:07:27 AM
Slightly off topic, but I just popped into the newsagents in Walsall Bus Station & asked if they were likely to be taking on extra responsibilities with the Travelshops closing (Having the leaflets that sort of thing!) & they said that they were closing down themselves at the end of November, not renewing the lease.
Does TfWm own that actual building in the Bus Station & if so, have they said what is eventually happening to it?
Update.
Newsagents now shutting tomorrow!
So renewed my Swift card at the 'replacement ' facility in Walsall.
Had to pay by cash, as his bank card machine was kaput!
Let's see if all's well on Monday, when the new pass activates!
Quote from: JoNi on October 26, 2021, 10:24:41 AM
Copies of A4 booklet "Where I can buy my tickets and other useful information" have appeared in Coventry Travel shop. Page 2 has a family aboard a Platinum bus in a state of bliss looking out if the window.
Said booklet is now available electronically via the NX website, I've noticed!
https://nxbus.co.uk/media/6620/travelshop-other-ways-to-buy.pdf
Can anyone tell me whereabouts in Walsall bus station the swift kiosk can be found please, i had a look earlier but was unable to locate it.
Quote from: 37351ml on February 02, 2022, 03:48:34 PM
Can anyone tell me whereabouts in Walsall bus station the swift kiosk can be found please, i had a look earlier but was unable to locate it.
Top of the steps right in front of you as you walk up
How does Twfm justify keeping Wolverhampton Travelshop open?
New Street is shut isn't it?
Could I theoretically renew my Walsall Nbus pass in Wolverhampton, even though I couldn't travel using it to Wolverhampton itself?
Quote from: Westy on February 02, 2022, 09:32:54 PM
How does Twfm justify keeping Wolverhampton Travelshop open?
New Street is shut isn't it?
Could I theoretically renew my Walsall Nbus pass in Wolverhampton, even though I couldn't travel using it to Wolverhampton itself?
You can purchase it on the swift app and use your phone to save it to your card save you going to Wolverhampton
Quote from: BK63 YWP on February 02, 2022, 10:17:11 PM
You can purchase it on the swift app and use your phone to save it to your card save you going to Wolverhampton
To be honest I renew at that newsagents in Walsall anyway, but curious to know.
Quote from: BK63 YWP on February 02, 2022, 10:17:11 PM
You can purchase it on the swift app and use your phone to save it to your card save you going to Wolverhampton
Can't pay with good old fashioned cash on a mobile can you??
Quote from: the trainbasher on February 02, 2022, 10:30:48 PM
Can't pay with good old fashioned cash on a mobile can you??
No but trying to help
@Westy with other ways to pay for the ticket...
Thank you for pointing out you can not pay for the mobile ticket in cash...
Must admit, after seeing other people have problems with their phones, I'll stick to my Swift card!
Quote from: BK63 YWP on February 02, 2022, 10:17:11 PM
You can purchase it on the swift app and use your phone to save it to your card save you going to Wolverhampton
Only if the phone is NFC enabled! ;) (To be fair though, most are these days).