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WB don't have the Chargers yet unless you get a PB Transfer or two I can see 1 being fixed.

Depending on the priorities for the "other" PBs, I would imagine 69xx's could start to work their way over to WB. Could be completely wrong as usual.

The blue ones are still reasonable although the wrong colour and only have 4 year old trim in. 4943 was in awful condition with worn trim. The choice to take last night was between 4888 & 4943 and 4943 was far more in need

Thanks for the explanation

Well if the weather reports are correct for the summer and the 'fifty days of rain', they'd better start looking for more parking space for new deliveries.

If they are as accurate as the usual SNOW BOMB!, HEATWAVE! click-bait nonsense that infects some news websites there won't be a problem

I'm surprised considering BC still have half a dozen Coventry blue ones to be done. As always I'm sure there are reasons.

National Express West Midlands 11C Outer Circle has suddenly been removed from bus org
Only the 11A Outer Circle tracks on the 11A to Walsall and Dudley

It looks like a BODS data set update from 21/5 has caused this. Hopefully this has been picked up and is being worked on as I need to use the outer circle today.

Data Set ID: 13623
Name: National Express West Midlands_Coleshill_Aldridge_20240107_11
Description: Outer Circle 11A / 11C

The Perry Barr one is excellent with cycle priority at crossings etc. But still some insist in slowing buses down in parallel bus lanes

As is the blue route section of the Bristol Road, other older ones are painfully bad (Stratford Road in Shirley for example).

Yes some cyclists are inconsiderate, some selfish motorists park in bus lanes rather than in a side street or a car park. 

If anything, cyclists using the roads and holding up buses should be even more of a reason for segregated cycle lanes. As I've said, if cycling infrastructure is built properly, then more cyclists will get off the road and traffic can be reduced.

Crucially, segregated cycle lanes that are maintained and kept clear of broken glass, sunken drain covers and raised tree roots. One can dream.

What I think we will likely see as well is a reduced network of bus services, with those that currently rely on subsidy being withdrawn and replaced with 'demand-responsive transport' (DRT) schemes instead. Which sound like great ideas on paper, but actually end up costing more to operate, with the only beneficiaries seeming to be the tech companies selling and providing the software and apps to run them, but are nothing more than glorified taxi services.

Ah, the infamous DRT schemes. Spot On. Some of the figures that Roger French states about the cost of these things are eye-watering, upwards of £40 per passenger journey and as you say, basically a glorified taxi service. And all the while the consultants clean up. 

An interesting read:

https://www.route-one.net/bus/fuel-supply-brings-challenges-for-more-hydrogen-bus-deployment/

I can't say I'm surprised, NX must have been so frustrated having 20 buses sitting idle for want of fuel.

So what of the WMCA's grand plans to generate hydrogen from canal water in Walsall I wonder?

The ZEBRA funding aspect is interesting, will the government allow that phase one funding to be re-specified as electric vehicles like they did for the Sprint bendis? I think the total grant was £30 million for 124 buses.

Quick visit to the NXWM Latest Changes page to see the latest official updates. Loads of nonsense about smashed windscreens, bicycle spaces, random vehicle removals. Won't be bothering with that again.

The route 27 will have a bit of an issue in the coming years. The bridge at Bourneville station is a triange 9' 9, in which a 10' 6(?) Omnilink can fit under nicely. However, since Omnilinks are getting replaced relatively fast (presumably all withdrawn by late-2025 ) and all new electrics seem to be too tall for that bridge. It may require a re-routing of that portion of the 27 because the adjacent Mary Vale Rd looks to be too impractical for any NX bus.

Absolutely correct. Kev's run short length E200s down Mary Vale and I have seen the very occasional double decker use it in the past (can't recall which operator this was). The junction with Pershore Road is very tight, probably too tight for a full length single decker to manage and I have seen the 27 take a lengthy diversion via Cotteridge when there are road works along Bournville Lane. A bit of a dilemma. 

re: E200MMC, is it still the case that they can't be used on the YW27? They were briefly used but but clearly had an issue and possibly one of the reasons they were transferred to WB. The route has been curtailed since then so maybe things have changed?. As has been mentioned before, it will be tricky to find a single deck electric bus to fit under Bournville Lane bridge

The next order, which is likely to start delivery later this year, that I cannot give details of yet, but it will not be BYD

A cynic might suggest the announcement will be timed so it can be made by a victorious mayor. 

I believe the only vehicles that have entered service since October 2019 are the Electrics and (whisper it) Hydrogens, if so it's only four garage's routes that "must" be done by this October, assuming it is enforced. 

I would expect that the requirement to display diversions will be a challenge, especially last minute ones taken to avoid congestion. 

On a slightly related matter, I assume that WMCA's mooted "early spring" implementation of journey cancellations being shown on real time displays at bus stops has slipped?

Yes! Looked up some tickets last night for B'ham to Cambridge for mid June.  Discounted with a certain type of railcard.  Came up at about £49 for a return.  Looked at National Rail website & you can book advance tickets for £24

I've sometimes found that when you click the link from the National Rail website to the website of the train operating company, the ticket they suggest is not actually available to buy!

I always check one of the split ticketing sites that seem to use the same algorithm (one of trainsplit, splityourticket etc.), then trainpal which uses a different algorithm and finally the train company's own ticket site. 

Of course booking fees and share-of-saving costs from split ticket sites also have to be taken into account.