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The MAN to caernathen trains are absolutely appalling for reliability. Currently on a 35 minute delayed class 150 from Crewe to MAN. This train was started from Cardiff central and not caernathen.

Also instead of announcing Wilmslow automatically, it announces Alderley edge! I presume this train was an ex northern train.

Some WB buses ended up in random positions this morning. Saw a Dudley road branded e400mmc parked on the bus stop just after oldbury heading to birch field island. Also the driver on 80* parked up opposite Sandwell and Dudley station to help a WB e400 to turn round- reversing into Sandwell and Dudley station side road.

No trains from local stations on the Dorridge line into Birmingham for 2 hours this morning. Pretty pathetic when you consider Birmingham's supposedly the second city. I think they're still blaming Covid for some reason while in reality, as has been the norm since the days of Central trains on this line, they just can't get the staff.

Yeah they are a complete disgrace. The Williams review can't come into action fast enough. Twice this week the Wolverhampton- Birmingham New Street (originate from Shrewsbury) has been cancelled.

158 and 153 coupled on the 8:11 from Wolverhampton- BHI. One of the 153s was an ex EMR carriage (still in EMR colours)

I took my first ride on one of the two MetroDeckers recently  --  UPSTAIRS  --   and it was the most tastefully finished bus interior I've seen in over 50 years !! , - high quality, very fashionable seats with integrated (neat) car-style seat belts, and traditional /"retro" flooring, - nice colours !! -

I didn't like the two tables ( - one each side, behind the staircase), because it means having two lots of rear-facing seats,  --  --  when I ride upstairs I want to look at the various views ahead, and don't want eye-contact with passengers in front of me ( - facing the wrong way!).

Also, I was lucky to be able to sit at the front, because further back the high-backed seats made it seem claustrophobic  ("sardine-can job") - although that is probably true of many double-decker coaches (?)
  --  but FOUR skylights in the roof helped to alleviate that feeling.

- nice new "shoe-shop" smell upstairs, too !!
:)

Definitely the most luxurious vehicle I've ever travelled on. The rear seat facing isn't really an issue as the route doesn't tend to be that busy. Also having tables means families of more than 2 can all sit together

More personal critisism? Never done anything wrong in your life?

Must say those metrodeckers sh*t on the nx platinum brand. Tables inside and everything

Metro decker taken out of service on x20 after taking the tree reflector off in Meriden. Shame the driver got too close to trees

Please name these former 'innovative' companies. Apart from the already mentioned Yourbus and Ludlows, which other companies in the West Midlands in the last 35 years have been innovative, rather than just chosen to run 2 minutes in front of WMT/TWM/NXWM. If you think any of those other companies would have offered a better service over these years than that provided by NXWM, that is laughable in the extreme.

I have used a regular bus user in the West Midlands since the 1980s and worked in the industry in Worcestershire for many years too. I am so Pro-NXWM because what they offer is superior to most other places around Britain. Passengers benefit from having one known operator, they don't want multiple operators.

Central connect used to run the 192 Birmingham- Kidderminster and the 123 Merry Hill- Perry Barr. And can I remind you that the 417 now 4H was a ludlows route that got taken over when diamond took over. Nx are the ones that have jumped to compete on the 4H. Do we need nx on the 4H? @j789

Irizar i3, fleet number 26, on its first day in service
https://flic.kr/p/2m6rb3v

What nice vehicles they look!

Is that the lot? Leaving some lengths unserved in each direction.

This sounds bonkers to me, surely reliability could be improved by increasing key short workings in the peaks (as was done in BCT and WMPTE days?)

The route is broken and desperately needs fixing. Even off peak the service is a disgrace. The problem is the 11 travels through too many heavily congested areas and due to how busy the service gets, it's practically impossible to get time back whilst running in service.

The 11A/11C is definitely one of the crappest services I've ever had to travel on in terms of reliability

If you're a Diamond driver running very late on say the 50, drivers previously could just adjust themselves by terminating short, as long as you inform them of the lost mileage.

I cannot confirm if this is still the case though. I did hear about a dedicated inspector being put onto the 50 (Diamond) due to reliability issues when Redditch took over, so perhaps this freedom has been removed and left to the inspector.

They've stopped that now I'm pretty sure. You have to ring up the garage if you are running late or want to take a shortcut so to speak. At least that was my impression from one of the drivers from tividale.

Always seems a lot of standard diamond vehicles on the joint routes such as 40,42,43 instead of using the vehicles in red

Will any ALX 400 B7TL be allowed in the city. I've seen quite a few omnilinks on 13A and they do seem to struggle with loadings

Still at least one voyager operating on the BHM- NOT service. Went up on Saturday morning and the 10:12 departure was a voyager.

On return I got a class 156 EMR to derby and then changed onto the HST to Birmingham. These trains really are brilliant, so smooth.