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Well ...

When I was a teenager - many years ago - I used to think about radical new routes, and I'm sure I'm not the only person to have done this.

I once thought about a huge sort of "Outer Outer Circle" linking Solihull, Northfield, Halesowen, West Bromwich,  Sutton Coldfield, Airport and back to Solihull. At the time it would have taken around 4 hours. I kept it to myself.

I suppose it is theoretically possible to link anywhere to anywhere. But would they be links that people want? And take into account that the more agglomeration you make, the more difficult timekeeping tends to be. That's why routes like the 11A/11C Outer Circle have been split.

You could try a slightly different challenge. If you were a TfWM planner charged with planning a new bus route network for franchising, what would you come up with?  And why?

When TDC ran the 585 Coventry - Rugby wasn't it a 30 min frequency?
The two hospitals served had an arrangement with TDC for NHS staff needing to get to the other hospital to travel free I think?
If so then there was also some 'NHS' funding for TDC to do this as well.

Yes, it was a 30 min frequency for most of its time with de Courcey, and I think, for a time with A-Line Travel as well. I think it was largely commercial with de Courcey as well.

I would expect we will eventually see a thinning out of the 85/85b timetable to a similar number of journeys to the new 84/84a particularly if taking the assumption it is eventually recontracted to Stagecoach.  Is there an obligation for Warks Council to subsidise bus services which goes to Coventry, or perhaps just University Hospital which serves the population of Warwickshire?

The 84 timetable is now on the Stagecoach website, although nothing has appeared in its Service Updates area yet.

The one thing that intrigues me is that most journeys on the Stagecoach 84 group will run via Easenhall, whereas most journeys on the NX Coventry 85 group run via Pailton.  Also it looks like only one 84 journey each way will be extended to Rugby Schools, compared to three 85/85H/85S journeys.

Could it be that the 84 is designed to supplement the 85 - maybe a BSIP improvement - rather than replace it?

It could be achieved by sending buses in both directions via Dudley Road and Grove Lane to do a u-turn where the 82/87 do on outbound journeys. Not ideal....

Yes indeed. The convenience of a useful new link to the hospital would have to be weighed against the inconvenience to existing passengers of an unwelcome diversion and longer journey.

The 11A/11C do not serve Queen Elizabeth Hospital, of course, even though they pass fairly close by.

I assume the page will be updated and corrected once other details get confirmed. It's early days yet!

No doubt it will be.  It would have been better for TfWM to wait a week or two until more details of any replacements were known before announcing route withdrawals.

Another regrettable inaccuracy is that the 46/46A do not serve Frankley.  Did they mean Hawkesley?

I believe south Staffordshire coaches are temporary covering the 7

Thank you! South Staffs Facebook page states they will operate a free LC11 from 2 June to 12 July.

The variation to the registration for the 7 is shown as a 'Cancellation' so it means that Stagecoach won't be involved in the route after 1st June.

What is actually happening to the service remains to be seen - when Leicestershire County Council get round to bothering to advertise the changes! Hopefully, it isn't being cut to the single journey in each direction which Arriva will be operating.

Stagecoach have announced that its 7 will be withdrawn after operation this Saturday, 31 May.

I can't find any sign of a replacement until Arriva's LC12 starts on 14 July.  I have used Leicestershire CC's "Choose how you move" planner to try Measham to Atherstone next week. The options are via Burton and Lichfield ... or by bike.

Do Stagecoach still do half price Megarider tickets on a Sun?

I'm afraid not.  This was ended before the pandemic (in 2019, as part of a number of economies).

I though that as well, I would have gone with X36, X37 intstead of 936, 937 and X38 and X39 instead of 997, 998.

Might this be because they call at two stops on New Town Row whilst the X51 does not?  At least Royal Mail workers know that the X service won't stop but the 900s will.

I've just realised.  Whoever drew up the nBus area got hold of a 1976 WMPTE bus map to see where the blue buses ran to outside the West Midlands County - except that the Cannock/Lichfield part was mysteriously missing.

Midland Red 145 (and its short working 146, Birmingham - Rednal island) was the route serving Cofton Hackett before 1986.

However, "Cofton Hackett" appeared on blinds of buses from several Birmingham City Transport and WMPTE garages (plus a few TWM ones) as many Longbridge works services ran to and from Cofton Hackett.  Being there at 5 pm was a joy to behold, as there were many independents services as well to places further afield such as the Black Country, Bromsgrove and Redditch.


The Wergs: don't forget that Midland Red Wolverhampton - Telford - Shrewsbury services passed through there as well.  After 1973 it was entirely Midland Red (running hourly in the early 1980s), then Midland Red North and Arriva until 2016.

A shortage of open tops at Stratford led to Enviro 200 36943 being used on the City Sightseeing Tour yesterday - and apparently today too.

Enviro 400 10034 is being converted to open top for Stratford.  Looks like it is needed asap.

If that is the case, why don't they run it as a through service instead of splitting it into 2 different services?

It isn't as if long routes have not been run before!

I don't have any connection with Chaserider so I wouldn't know.  However, if the 70 and 71 are commercial (I think they are), it is probably best that the contracted service 5 is kept separate - just as NX West Midlands keep the commercial 48 and contracted 20 separate rather than have a West Bromwich - Bromsgrove service.

Also, it is better in my mind to have one number for the Codsall service, rather than two (the 70 and 71).  And ... is there likely to be much demand for a NE to NW Wolverhampton link via the City Centre?

I was speaking to one of the Chaserider drivers and he thinks that the 70 will change to a 5 and the 5 to a 70 throughout the day as its the reason that the 70 is going to start using the bus station. Don't know that for definite though

Looking at the new timetables on Chaserider's website, that would make sense.

The 70 and 71 are due to arrive in Wolverhampton Bus Station 8-9 minutes before departures on the 5, and the 5 gets back to Wolves Bus Station 9 minutes before the 70/71 departure for Cannock.  This looks just right for interworking.

I see there has been discussion on relevant boards this week about the top speeds of NXWM and other electric double deckers.

For the record, giving my experience as a passenger, in January I rode on Stagecoach Midlands E400 EV 80068 from Coventry to Leamington on the X18. 

When going along the A46 Kenilworth bypass, which was running clear and has a 70 mph speed limit, the GPS speedometer app on my phone said that we were travelling at a steady 52 mph.