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No it didn't!
501 was scrapped a long time ago

Except Boxing Day when the railways virtually shut down

ex AMPM

4177 isn't hidden

Three consequetive fleetnumbers, three very different buses
http://wmbusphotos.com/Ring+Ride/104.html
http://wmbusphotos.com/Ring+Ride/105.html
http://wmbusphotos.com/Ring+Ride/106.html

Anybody else noticed yahoo groups doesn't seem to have worked since 15:32?

4028 BC - AG (on 31 today)
4029 WB - AG
4522 AG - WB (on 451 today)
4530 AG - WB (on 451 today)

The bit about Sutton being a well off area isn't so much about actual wealth of the residents or the ability to attract better off people on to buses, it is more about density of housing and main passenger flows.

For example serving Perry Barr, high density housing and nearly everyone wants to go to Birmingham City Centre.

Streetly has been a nightmare to try and serve for a long time and has never been able to produce profitable bus services even though some parts are not as well off as other. The reason for this is not everyone wants to go to one place. An area with a reasonably low level of unemployment means buses buses only fill during peaks and there is a need for people to go to Walsall, Birmingham & Sutton, but not enough to need high frequency service which are what will attract the extra passengers. High frequency better quality peak buses to Birmingham was tried with the 995, 996, 997 when originally launched but failed financially. Minibuses were tried before that with the Metroriders. Higher frequency dedicated buses cleaned more often was tried with the realaunch of the 377 with refurbished B10Ls failed. Walsall are now trying the 935 with brand new buses, so it is not as if all the things tried around the country haven't been tried.

The current Main road Sutton service of providing a 7/8 minute frequency between Birmingham and Sutton and then splitting up to go to the three main areas seems to be the only way profitable buses can be run. If there was a need for any links not provided why aren't any other operators jumping in?

You are way off the mark with some of your comments. One of TWMs first actions after privatisation in 1986 was to create a network of local services covering all parts of Sutton Coldfield using 36 Freight-Rover Sherpas fleetnumbers 501-536 (D501-36NDA). It was a massive failure with a drop in passenger numbers,lots of complaints asking for links from all parts of Sutton direct to Birmingham which is what TWM soon replaced the minibus network with and basically is still what is running today, hence the 'mish mash of services.

As for regulation, there is a route manager dedicated to the Sutton Corridor and an Inspector permanently watching those service. I was on the rota for about 8 months, so have a good knowledge of the problems and what passengers actually want. This brings me to the 68. A really useful service, but never very profitable and an absolute nightmare to try to keep to time. With no terminal point and passengers always on board it was very difficult to get a bus back on time once it was late. It wasn't unknown for 3 of the 5 buses on one ring to catch each other up and leave an hour gap. The only way to cure it was to get two buses together deliberately, throw all the passengers off one onto the other and send the empty bus to where it should be.

The other thing to remember about a place like Sutton is well off areas very rarely make lots of money for bus companies. It is far easier for a bus company to make money in Birmingham inner-city than Sutton Coldfield. This also explains why there is such a concentration of service to Falcon Lodge, about the only less well off part of Sutton

[but no, let's throw some more buses onto the Sutton - Birmingham road to run behind each other virtually empty]

Running the 71A, combined with the changes that had to be made to the 66 and 966, and the resulting overcrowding of the 451 between Oscott and Sutton have probably created cost not too far short of running the 68, which I feel could have been rescued with some frequency and route alterations...but no, let's throw some more buses onto the Sutton - Birmingham road to run behind each other virtually empty.....

Andy posted this on another thread and it rather chimed in with something I was going to post anyway - is the 915 (Birmingham - expressway - Sutton - Falcon Lodge) really necessary?

The route is duplicated by others with high frequency virtually throughout, except for a small stretch in Falcon Lodge estate.

Falcon Lodge already has two links to central Birmingham which arguably are more direct - the 914 (via Expressway) and 115 (through Aston) which give a combined 15m frequency, and it also linked to Sutton via Good Hope by Blue Diamond's 119 (amongst others) again on a 15m frequency.

So is there really any need for the 915?

And are there any other routes you can think of that are effectively "overkill"?

As reards the original quote, amazing isn't it, we have some people on another thread saying double decks are not needed on the 451 and this saying it is overcrowded.

With the 915, if it was withdrawn there would need to be another bus to fill its pace as far as Sutton anyway. Birmingham to Sutton justifies a 7/8 minute frequency, take the 915 out you get a 15 minute gap which would need filling. You also then withdraw the service between Falcon Lodge and Sutton Coldfield Girls School. And several other stops. So yes the 915 is justifield

No it was B6 666. But West Bromwich refused to give it fleetnumber 666 when it was new, so they applied fleetnumber 166 to it for a few years

V700 CBC at Midland was never with AMPM, It went Coakley Bus; Gibson Direct; Midland Classic and them Midland.

The one at AMPM was V800 CBC which is now with Hansons

None of the darts or deckers in the AMPM fleet were leased. The Trident (T201 CLO) was only parked in Green Bus's yard by Ensign who claimed it back when payments were not kept up. Ensign then sold it to McGill's, Greenock in 5/11. It did then return to Green Bus in 7/11.

The final sales are just taking place after the remaining few vehicles were parked up for nearly a year with VIP taking 3 of them

There's a couple of smart card readers installed at Stourbridge Town station - they seem to be operational but are they used at all, and if so, what for?  There's invariably a ticket check by the second man on the Parry People Mover .......

I'm not aware of any other similar readers installed at stations elsewhere - unless you know differently, of course!  ;D

They are on all stations between Worcester and Leamington/Stratford for a smart card being trialled by London Midland on that route.

One of the most noticable is at Jewellery Quarter between the NR platform and the Metro platform

Ive saw blue diamond routes taped to the window in Coventry but this is normally when an all white dart is running it because i think there from the dealer and havent had the routes programmed into them a normal blue diamond dart has the correct routes programmed in.

Blue Diamond do not use dealer hired darts. DeCourcey currently have one which is ex Rotala. The white ones in use with Blue Diamond are either ones painted white ready for sale or ones just moved up from either Heathrow or Bristol

I saw 244 today on what i think was a school service, does this bus ever see normal passenger service anymore or is exclusive to school runs and special shuttles

It is first choice for the college runs because it is the only B6 fitted with a tachograph, but it is regularly on normal work