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4876 was quite lost on the 47 this morning at 7:35. It ended up at Kings Heath and caused a massive traffic jam at the Vicarage road traffic lights.

The road was closed at Hazelwell Street in Stirchley this morning outside Farmfoods, the diversion was Fordhouse Lane (the 11 route) then left Cartland Road to come back onto the Pershore Road just before the old Bowling Alley, easy to miss the turning I guess especially if your unfamiliar with the area!

6148 on the 849 today. Is this usual allocation?

Yes it is as its operates off a 50 running board.

Without knowing other proposed changes that would leave Swarthmore Rd and the Northfield to Frankley via Allen's Cross sections of the 29 without a service

No its still covered by the 49 which actually fits into a rumour going round YW that the 49E's are being extended to Northfield to create a 15 minute service along the whole of the route, personally I think the Northfield - Frankley section with 3 29's and 2 49's an hour is a little over bussed, the 20 minute 49 frequency previously in place seemed perfectly adequate as really your only catering for those along Holly Hill Road and parts of the Allens Cross going up to Northfield, most people around New Street in Frankley and parts of the Allens Cross close to Frankley Beeches Road would likely opt for the faster and more frequent 61 and Hoggs Lane is pretty well served by the 18.

Any idea of current day YW rotas please and what new starters would most likely go on at the garage (after Spare)
Thanks

Bartley Green (BG) - 18
Hall Green - 6
Hawkesley  - 84
Kings Norton (KN) - 49/76
Maypole - 50
Pool Farm - 27/35
Warstock - 2/3

May Green - mixture of everything but more on the 6/50 than anything else, this is where you'll end up after learning all the routes, not bad if you like a bit of variety but no good if the 50 or 6 isn't your cup of tea. You can move onto other rotas when other new starters come along and rota fills up but you'll be on there a while. The BG is the old mans road so impossible to get onto without being there a fairly long time, the same also applies to a certain extent to the Warstock as spaces don't come up very often and there a normally plenty of drivers wanting to go on (those with the longest service take precedence). The same also apples to the 84 as its just 1 full time and 2 part time drivers.

While passing through Sparkbrook on my way home this evening, there were two 8Es to 'Saltley' following each other on Walford Road (towards Highgate Road).

If that just after 6pm there was a 8E to Five Ways just in front of those two as well just pulled away from the stop on Highgate Road as the two Saltley buses were just pulling up to the lights.

Saw 4001 today at Alcester Lanes End around 12:00  heading in the direction of Wythall followed by one of the museums BCT liveried half cabs (JOJ something).

I believe all of YW's fleet is all parked undercover, all other garages park some/all outside

Most are in the garage but there are a number (around 10) parked in the 'canal' car park usually Tridents the entrance is the driveway between the garage and the canal, there are also a smaller number of Scanias parked in the other car park at the top end of the garage, the height of the entrance from the garage to the car park prohibits anything but single deckers being parked in here.

I don't know if it's still the case any more, but YW sometimes operated one of the 5A morning journeys.

They used to operate one round trip Monkspath - City, City - Solihull but this reverted to AG at 2-3 years ago.

Two buses per hour on the 18 extended from Bartley Green to Merry Hill via Halesowen, covering the 141/241.

Extending the 18 to Halesowen was an idea which seemed to be doing the rounds during last years South Birmingham Bus Review not sure whether it was the network planners or the drivers who suggested it, while Merry Hill would be useful can't see a complete Yardley Wood - Merry Hill service being operated reliably, its bad enough just with Northfield on the route.

Trying (and failing) to remember the route which did the city centre loop of he old 46 while there were roadworks in the city. Around 10 years ago?

I seem to remember Solo's operating this as the 146, always thought it was a bit silly to duplicate the number of the First 146.

YW1916 spent the day on the 49, an early morning for a President which broke down at Land Rover early this morning.

That 76 has been messed around with a fair times, I seem to remember at one point as Yourbus A6y/C6y it operated all the way from the Airport to Northfield, then Damsonwood to Northfield as TWM's A6, then the Kings Heath - Northfield section was dropped and it operated to Pool Farm to replace the 35S then shortened to Kings Heath and replaced with the short lived 85 and then finally to the QE while at some point along the way dropping the Solihull - Damsonwood section.

What about the 35 when buses were taken out of Corporation Street in July 2012. The original plan was to take buses out of Sherlock Street cutting off a useful link with the Pershore Road services and accessing Chinatown. Buses were to run into town from Gooch Street onto Barford Street, left onto MacDonald Street then right to Bishop Street back onto Barford Street, buses from town operating straight along Barford Street. At some point the first U-Turn occurred before the changes actually came into force it was decided Barford Street wasn't particularly a great plan and buses into town were to operate on the existing route via Sherlock Street and from town operating from Rea Street by the Coach Street straight down Rea Street onto Bissell Street to access Gooch Street. This was the route that buses started operating, not a problem on a Sunday but come Monday morning buses started getting stuck on Bissell Street behind unloading trucks, by the time I started work at 6:30ish the route had already reverted to Sherlock Street were it has stayed since! On top of this the original route in the City replaced the 50 operating via Moor Street and back via Park Street which made the service unreliable this was thankfully changed the January to U-turn in Moor St like the 50.

1911 - 76

50 branded 4746 on the 35 today might have caught a few people out in Kings Heath!

Mirroring the 1 and 31 btwn Acocks Green and Pitmaston Rd is leaving significant sections of existing route with no service, ie the whole of Olton Blvd East, most of Gospel Lane and Shirley Rd south of School Rd. I appreciate the flip to this of course is that the chosen route does gain what NX describe as a 'turn up and go' frequency.

I agree it does leave many roads unserved, the Shirley Road - Pool Farm Road section on the 3 at least isn't busy at all and Pool Farm Road really isn't suitable for buses so doubling the number using it I don't think is a great plan, although it may get busier now its served by a more convenient service, its only really turn up and go if you only want to go as far as Springfield anyone wishing to go to town now has a longer wait than now unless they want to change onto another service, but of course neither NWM or NXWM will publicise where the service offered is actually getting worse.