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@metrocity you are quite correct. Although to be fair it did call for a bus no longer than 8.4 mtrs ^ we can currently get an 8.9 mtr round (just)

Thank you. @Davismt2000

Mr Thandi has been route learning the 424 today & has suggested he will be allocating 10.2 mtr e200s like those on the 53 to the service

Says the man whos buses are in tfl Red

As usual bus spotters showing absolutely no understanding of the realities of large scale operational management!

How do you know some people who make comments are not from the industry or even management of operators.

The point still stands the traffic commissioner would take a poor view of an operator running with incorrect service numbers & or destinations & would not accept "we got too many buses" or "something else came up". If you got too many buses to manage then its simple don't run as many buses & well there's no answer to something more important than basic operations. Remember some passengers haven't been out for months we need to win them back & we need to attract people out of cars. That isn't going to happen if people do not have basic information as to where the bus is going or what the route number is. Would even be better if every bus on the route was displaying the wrong number but this is just a pick & mix & we ain't running woolworths

Courtesy of Bob Baker I have seen the design for the vinyls and I think they look rather good

Can't really say anything about branding it does take time to alter vinyls but destinations take a minute

Withdrawing a loss making service that is adequately covered by another operator has not left passengers confused about timing of buses or left anyone not knowing what was happening & was communicated through on bus notices a month in advance.

Likewise buses with no branding (because the plan with tfwm was to increase contract to euro 6 with an uplift in tender costs which never materialised) but buses were blinded up & at stop timet& bus stop plates were there so that passengers knew which number bus & at what time.
We now have a situation where people some of whom have not even been out of their homes for months are getting to bus stops with incorrect timetables incorrect route numbers & then to top it off buses from the same company are running the same route with two different route numbers or showing the incorrect destinations.

So no I really don't think you can compare the 2 can you.

It is also a traffic commissioner requirement that buses should show the correct route number & destination. Would he accept the excuse "we got too many buses to do".

No idea I'm afraid.

I look forward to see what enhancements Thandi recan bring to the service.

Nope

Service 424 will be operated by Thandi commencing next week as part of the Perry Barr service enhanced partnership.

Programing blinds takes about 1 minute & can easily be done while the bus is being fuelled or de vaulted by a shunter or other ancillary engineer. There simply is no excuse fir the wrong destinations on this scale. A lot of critism has to be laid at them as well timetables not changed flags not changed. We're in a poor place industry wise in getting passengers back onto bus & having faith in public transport again. This shoddy show is not going to help that cause at all.

Couldn't put service extra up anyway as that would need to be programmed into the blinds

Still quite a few 55s knocking around THREE days into the changes the T.C would find that unacceptable

What people also forget is that these services have had a 100% increase on the previous Saturday service.