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The 29.3% of drivers who accepted this deal plus any non- union drivers would be able to run a fairly decent chunk of service coverage if they turn up for work - perhaps not unrealistic to hope now a few more routes will be able to be operated if more drivers are willing to work.

According to the Bromsgrove Standard article:
The new-look service will also run along the route of the current 20 (directly along Bristol Road).
From Longbridge (Bristol Road South), buses will journey along Lickey Road, Edgewood Road and Cliff Rock Road (towards Bromsgrove), Leach Green Lane (from Bromsgrove), Leach Green Lane (northern end), New Road and then to the same route as the current 144A between Rubery and Bromsgrove.

I guess the idea is that for passengers travelling from Bromsgrove/Catshill, they can change at Longbridge Island for other buses to Longbridge station.

It's a maximum 5 minute walk to the station from the stop opposite Bourneville College so not exactly far for anyone wanting to use the train to Brum rather than the bus. For anyone with mobility issues, as you say, they can just change onto a 27 or 49 at Longbridge Island. 

West Brom - Londonderry - Bearwood - Harborne - QE - Northfield - Longbridge - Rednal - Rubery - Catshill - Bromsgrove and back is quite some round trip on that rota.

Good to see NX making something of the old 144.

That route goes through fairly decent areas the whole way so I'm sure they won't struggle to find drivers for that rota. Certainly preferable compared to driving down Soho Road for 5 hours. Many drivers pushed First to divert the 144 (when they ran to Brum) via the QE instead of Selly Oak as there certainly is a need for that link from Bromsgrove.

Good chance of success this increasing patronage I'd say from knowing the area pretty well.

All that is needed now is an 'X' route fast to Brum from Bromsgrove via the Rednal and Lickey Hills route, maybe an X20 😜

[Conductors are not going to make a comeback]

• Conductors are not going to make a comeback.  Not unless you want  to make every bus route in the West Midlands unviable.  The majority of passengers pay their fares and are not using cash.  NXWM could scrap cash as a method of payment or recruit more inspectors.

scrapping cash fares would not do anything to deter fare dodgers. They would still just walk on the bus without paying as they do now. The only way to really stop it would be by having some sort of contraption at the door entrance that would require a ticket or pass to be scanned before it allowed entry on to the bus.

However, the cost of implementing this on every bus would be prohibitive so is a non starter. Also, the number of fare dodgers compared to fare payers would be less than 5% of the total number. Therefore, the cost of lost revenue would still be far less than having to fund additional inspectors or other preventative measures to fully combat this.

It's a shame the police are so under equipped to deal with problem passengers and the courts so weak at actually sending a message to these scumbags by giving them a decent stretch at his majesties pleasure!

Great news, but I presume this 'improved' offer is the same one that Unite didn't put forward to their members.

The offer will hopefully be accepted and the strike action will be called off.

While Unite didn't get their 'all-out continuous' strike action they wanted, they'll still be able to paint themselves in a 'good light' in the media.

"It was us that done it!" and all that.

To be fair if this is the solution to an agreement then so be it. If anything here, no one loses face. The drivers got an improved deal, the unions will say from threatening strikes so they like good and NX haven't had meet the full  (rather ridiculous if the rumours were true) demands of the union. It's probably the best situation for all concerned and hopefully a deal is struck soon.

Now hopefully this news will be carried by the press asap to make people aware they can travel on Thursday.

As a new deiver currently in the latter stages of my training with NX I am actually nervous with this strike action because to be able to go to my garage on the 20th to finalise the training process and be assigned my duties I will have to cross the picket line. Now I am part of the union and having to cross the picket line to be able to do what I need to do for my career is causing me great concern because of the stigma attached to those who cross. Having been a passenger for many years I can obviously understand the point of view of the travelling public and I sympathise with all those who will be affected. I sincerely hope this dispute can be worked out by the company and the union and a happy medium ground is found for both sides because I'm itching and looking forward to carrying my first load of passengers in service, call me naive or call me stupid for getting into the company with all this going on but for me it's been a life long ambition to become a driver and I'm thrilled that I get the chance to do what I wanted to do since I was a little kid

It's a great job 99% of the time, just don't let the 1% wear you down. As for the pickets, the union reps I have worked with have all had a decent amount of common sense and I'm sure your garage rep will be the same. There is no way that them or any of the other drivers would see a new starter like yourself, in this situation, in a bad light. 

Just do your thing and focus on building up your in service confidence. You're certainly going to be thrown in the deep end as will be likely very busy with the minimal service operated, but if you come out the other side ok, as I'm sure you will, you can rest assured that you will be able to cope with anything else the job throws at you!

@j789

Can you just clarify something? Earlier you posted the following:

It would only be the cow boy type companies who do not recognise a union, and don't give their drivers that protection, whose drivers could possibly run such things.

Do you consider the following operators as "cow boy type companies"?

Johnson's
LandFlight
Endeavour
Ridley's
Kevs

A simple yes or no will be sufficient.

Thanks

Well a 'simple yes or no' answer won't apply here obviously 🙄 

Johnsons, Endeavour and Ridley's operate coaches only so they are a completely different scenario - bus and coach drivers are a completely different type of person, as you should well know. You won't get many coach drivers transferring to bus work that is for sure so you can't apply your argument here - it seems very odd you've included those coach only companies.

Johnson's reputation for quality is well known industry wide hence who can assume when they did have bus stage work their drivers would have also been held to the highest standards as they are with the coaches. It would be very interesting to know exactly how many former Johnson's drivers transferred over to Diamond with the purchase of the bus work. If it wasn't near 100% you can probably argue that shows that Johnson's were great employers and they knew the new company may not be quite the same.

Kev's seem a perfectly good operator - the fact they have never been the sort of operator that ran in competition with others on the same routes speaks volumes. Landflight is the same. However, I'd ask you  at the next round of tendering, if they lost all their Solihull work to another operator, what would happen to your job? Do you have a set contract that guarantees some sort of payoff in the event of being made redundant? First certainly do this as will NX, Stagecoach, etc. What is your pension projection like? Does your company offer any sort of share save options so you can benefit with the companies success? Unions will ensure that pension money cannot be misused as they scrutinise everything - I hope your employer has an equal scrutiny of any company they use for their employees long term financial wellbeing. These sort of contracts are a safety net and prevents drivers having to move jobs to a new company every few years when tendered work changes hands. Im not sure how you can argue against that point.

The cowboy operators most of us really mean are those from the post deregulation era through the 90s and early 2000s. Thankfully most of these have gone now but it doesn't mean there are cases still around today. All I'm advocating is protecting yourself from malicious passenger and company claims. I don't get why you are unable to see the benefits of union membership purely based on this protection if nothing else.

As an aside, despite being a long term union member, I have also posted a number of times on here  showing my dislike of certain union practices and I do think they should be far more willing to compromise in the current NX negotiations for everyone's sake. I am certainly not a mouthpiece for them but really am mystified by your insistence that you are somehow better off at a company with no union representation. Long term you really will not be.

If you want a simple yes or no answer, ask a simple yes or no question!

Can you name the operators in the West Midlands area that you feel aren't of "quality".

I sense that some members may not wish to disclose their employer.

I will name the West Mids employers that I know have union reps and recognition. NX, First, Stagecoach and Arriva.

Now, I believe Rotala also recognise unions in the garages taken over in the North West as the previous owners did and those conditions would have been 'tupe'd over. However, I do not know if the West Mids ops recognise a union. I am guessing no as if it was Unite they would likely be also supporting the industrial action by NX drivers to get bigger wages across the board for themselves too as this would cause even more disruption. I am happy to be corrected here though by any Diamond employee as they may well do.

As for any other companies, I can't see why any employee would have an issue with saying if their company had union representation or not. It adds to the debate and perhaps they can give further reasons why they don't see it as a problem to not have that representation. Otherwise, I think the silence backs up what I am saying here.

I am also in the above position.

Perhaps j789 should consider that there's no warrant for a union if your employer treats you fairly and sensibly. Perhaps the existence of having a recognised union amongst a workforce speaks volumes on the kind of employer such party works for.

Are you capable of seeing things from another point of view j789?

And you tell me that I speak rubbish! "There's no warrant for a union if your employer treats you fairly and sensibly" is a ridiculously short sighted view!

Being in a union gives you protection from future decisions that may be to the detriment of working conditions and wages. It also guarantees you that there is someone there to support you should you have a grievance against any other member of staff, management or otherwise.  In the example you use, you have NO PROTECTION should someone suddenly take a disliking to you and decide they want you out of the job.

How can you not see that basic fact that the union protects you from that? Say you suddenly got ill and needed regular time off, having no union representation will likely mean that your employer would find a way to get rid of you quickly to save them the hassle. Being in a union gives you protection against this.

What maternity leave rights dies your company or others give female drivers - I bet it is the most basic statutory rights because, let's face it, no company is going to pay extra money to someone if they can avoid it. What about paternity leave? With the union, you can at least rely on them to ensure you have a job to go back too - the alternative without them is you have to fight yourself through the employment court for unfair dismissal. Having the union in your corner takes that hassle away.

I'm sorry if you think I don't see things from your point of view but I know plenty of drivers who have been shafted by these sort of cowboy companies because they didn't toe the line, eg purposefully blocking competitors in, running 1 minute in front of the competition, driving past concession holders to get cash fares, working too many driver hours a fortnight, etc etc. Plenty of West Mids companies did this, fortunately most have folded or gone under now.

In 95% of cases, there is something 'suspicious' when a company won't recognise a union because they know it will be far harder to get away with dodgy practices because they are under more scrutiny. I have  very high standards of what I expect from fellow employees and drivers, the least I'd expect is that they have the self-desire to be protected from abuse and manipulation by being in a union.

More fool you if you think your happy little non-union existence is guaranteed for the rest of your career, find one person who takes a dislike to you and you'll be gone with no one to fight your corner. I don't understand how you can't see that.

And also anyone please name a few examples of 'quality' companies that don't have union recognition to prove what I said is rubbish,I'll wait 👍👍👍

The above poster posting rubbish as usual I see

And how many companies have you been through in the West Mids - odd you didn't stay with each company very long, makes you wonder!

Are you being serious?

Totally and as usual I'm guessing your previous company/ies didn't recognise unions hence your statement?

There is a reason why 'certain' companies don't recognise union membership and guidelines - their drivers don't have any comeback or support if they query any management decision. Easy to get away with 'dodgy' practices then. 

NX/First/ Stagecoach etc drivers (whose companies have union agreements) can happily refuse to take a bus out if they feel there is a fault, not fully type trained, etc etc KNOWING THAT THEY WILL HAVE UNION SUPPORT FROM THEIR REP!
Now, you imagine that situation with a 'cowboy' company with no union reps or support, are you honestly saying that those drivers would have the same confidence to refuse what the management asked - of course they wouldn't!

No doubt you'll be sending an incoming lecture about how much your drivers loved working for your company and what high standards you had (which I am not necessarily doubting by the way) however it is a complete joke (and you should know with your experience) to say other such companies would not take advantage of drivers in this way where there is no union protection. 

I am sure some drivers are decent and happy to accept this situation yet it is also VERY true that such companies also end up with those less than decent drivers who've been sacked by other companies. So yes I am being very serious Metrocity!

Would drivers from other companies and members of Unite be willing to run services instead of fellow union members?  Would they be able to refuse?

The point of a strike is to cause the maximum amount of disruption possible. Clearly Unite are not going to encourage or allow members from other bus companies in the same union to undermine the efforts of the NX drivers! It would only be the cow boy type companies who do not recognise a union, and don't give their drivers that protection, whose drivers could possibly run such things.

And let's be honest any driver working for a company like that that doesn't protect worker rights is not going to be very high quality anyway if the only driving job they can get is with such a cowboy company. 

Well half of coventry has no buses and andy street doesn't seem to care about it,  nx have seem to have left thngs to the last minute and now have seemed to  enter panic mode

I think you'll find it's the union that has caused the delay here as the company wouldn't know if any last minute pay offer would be offered to members to be voted on or whether this initial strike was set in stone whether a new offer came in or not.

It is not realistic to expect a company in this position to plan weeks ahead for this strike as clearly they would have hoped that a compromise with their workers was reached. Maybe it still will but not looking very likely.

Also, why criticise Andy Street for this when he can't personally get involved in any industrial dispute between a private company and its employees? I'd much rather have Andy 'I love a photo' Street as mayor than Andy 'I'm about to waste all your money and will then blame someone else' Burnham!

Oh that's alright then. We wonder why the public have 0 confidence in the public transport sector. He was displaying 16 Stourbridge not 16 Wolverhampton

Did you or the other passengers actually bother to let the driver know it was wrong when you were on the bus or did you just keep quiet so you could moan on here?

Also, there are occasional faults with displays that get frozen on the main destination display yet are showing as correct in the drivers cab display. Maybe don't jump straight to criticising the driver.