Messages

I would like to nominate the 73 Birmingham to Solihull as the least reliable service. The schedule between Yardley and Solihull seems impossible and there is only 7 minutes in Solihull to turn round. The Yew Tree is one of the worst junctions in the suburbs and the opening of the new Waverley School opposite the entrance to Heartlands Hospital canonly make things worse.

73 for the win. There have been five complaints raised on FixMyTransport regarding this service, and still it doesn't seem to have improved:
http://www.fixmytransport.com/routes/west-midlands/73-bus--2

I detest this route more than I can actually describe!

Never quite understood this route, or indeed other routes that end up like this, a double decker with a low frequency running round the back and beyond of everywhere down roads that would probably be better off with a minibus? Anyone remember the 10?

I thought Long Acre was quite a busy depot, from what I see going to/from work in Nechells

[but I think to enhance its growth we need a network of night routes along key corridors to boost growth and really give people the option of being able to use the bus at anytime]

I would also think it would make more sense to use a small bus at nigut enviro 200 ideal with its smaller engine tyres etc would have lower running costs. And the service isnt going to be a kassive boom of night travellers it will build gradually but I think to enhance its growth we need a network of night routes along key corridors to boost growth and really give people the option of being able to use the bus at anytime

I agree with this: a 9 and 97 double act would be great for linking east with west- although the 9 should stop up by the 97 stop after 1am.

97 doesn't just provide jobs to the airports, it's a lifeline to those that work in the bars and clubs in town late at night. I just hope the drivers are properly protected out there and any anti-social behaviour on the buses is stamped out by the police either by response or by information. It'd be great if this ended up being successful after 3 years

We can but hope, although people will always have the view that we don't need night buses

Perfect excuse methinks, been meaning to go out and explore some Arriva routes

I can see the 97 stop from my kitchen and all the ones I've seen throughout the middle of the night have been double deckers like normal.
And if it's any consolation, when I temporarily move back home next month I'll be using it at about 3am to get home from work :')

Well maybe the volvo single decker displaying 97 on the front driving through the wood was really just a phantom bus in disguise?

It connects at International station with the ghost train....


....ill get my coat

Replacing Arriva on the 10 I believe

I would actually hazard a guess its more as a connection thing for people from Brandhall, cause face it there aren't really that many options without going up to the hagley road and getting the 9

Hazarding a guess it was a breakdown, I saw an Omnilink earlier taking a left turn from Nechells Park Road with hazard lights flashing, it went off down toward Aston station which to me says it was heading back to PB garage

Does it need testing? Cause I've seen numerous buses going that way as it is whenever the traffic's bad so surely people already know the answer to that

No mention of it here or on the list of changes on the networkwm website, but just seen a poster on the X51 this morning saying the route in the city centre is changing, to run via Newton street, old square and priory Queensway. It mentions the terminus is remaining the same, and there will be a new stop on Newton street so I imagine it will be instead of the stop by Aston uni so it can go through the underpass instead of the traffic round Lancaster circus. Anyone know if this is the only service going to take this route?

I bet the 16 has drama.

I'll be honest I wouldn't say so, NX and diamond drivers possibly a little erratic at times but from experience its usually down to the other car drivers being general idiots round there, most of the time id say there's no real difference in driving style to others, and GRS just plod along regardless of being just in front or just behind another companies bus. I would say on a fair few occasions the 16 will go out of his way to outdo a 74/75 from Hockley into town, no idea why

449x (4493 if my memory serves correctly, was going past on me bike at the time) on the 33 at One Stop
And a trident (4128?) on the last 51 from town

Been done before as a diversionary route for all manner of problems

Christ I had a magical mystery tour on the replacement bus to and from town from tame bridge on Sunday, I don't know about the tame bridge - Hamstead section because I've never done that but regularly been on the route taken for the rest, and both efforts on Sunday were nowhere close, the one from town ended up going via saltley, star city and holford drive. They seriously need to standardize the routes and stops for these things, because at both Aston and witton coming from town people were waiting at the usual bus stop, the bus came on the other side of the road and they had to hurry across the road to try and catch it, all three buses on the route stopped at different places at Hamstead

823 was on the X96 today  :)

Again! I just wish they'd hurry up and put it on the 9 ;D

You would like it for the comedy value mind you it would be funny to see.

Valid, but face it it's only a step up from other garages putting them on busy routes like WB on the 5 and BC on the 14/45/47 etc