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Having seen some of these Emirates vehicles in person, I have to say, they look absolutely amazing. 

Kudos to the team who did this. The design is on point and the application is seamless. 

Is this a "new technology" or is it case of this essentially being another all-over advert?

To confirm, does this mean there won't be an Open Day at any National Express Garage, or there just won't be one at WN?

I often wondered what a Gemini would look like in the new grey livery...

http://wmbusphotos.com/NXWM/4475-4699/4526.html

It actually suits it! Doesn't look like a 21 year old bus!

My my, what a beauty!

I like to think Geminis adorn route branding particularly well as I loved the yellow Outer Circle branding they once had. 

Alas, they're becoming a rarity now. 

Call me biased, but speaking from the perspective of a bus passenger, there is no bus that moves quite the Gemini.

I'm happy I managed to do a loop on the Outer Circle (Before the split) as well doing a trip on the X12 from Birmingham to Solihull on a Gemini before it's time was up.

If I had the money, I'd happily buy one for the sake of hoping to drive it some day! A fine bus that has served it's region well. 

4890 has an allover advertisement for Mentos/

4893 is due to get the same tomorrow

I have to say, it looks rather .... fresh!

Nice. I'm not all too familiar with Running Day events. What do they consist of?

Most Interesting. I do quite like seeing these types of yearly fleet totals. Having done some quick maths, I put the garage totals as; PN 116, YW 135, AG 147, WB 165, CV 178, PB 196, WA 205, WN 206 & BC 223. This seems pretty much the same ranking as when I started on this forum, with the exception being BY being gone, and CV overtaking WB. Nice to see BC having regained the throne from WN.

I do appreciate when folks go about breaking down these types of stats.

I suppose while we are on the topic, it might be worth discussing the operational benefits of Interworking and why certain routes are better of interworking as opposed to running to separate routes with their own vehicle requirements etc...

I reckon this would give many members here a better insight into the operations.

I catch the 11 to and from Stechford, and the layover at Acocks Green Village is a lifesaver for me ! If they didn't have that, I'd be waiting too long for my liking.

Some instances with the 11 can be infuriating, at times, I'll check the app before I leave and it'll say the bus is due in a 2 minutes, then the next 3 buses are after 25+ minutes ! Since being on this forum and having taken an active interest in how the operations work, I can't say I genuinely get frustrated at the company, the buses, or drivers, its a case of the notion of waiting that long for a bus isn't what I'd consider ideal.

I remember when the 98 used to run, I was at a stop and someone asked me whether it like the 97, also went to Chelmsley Wood ! Most end to end journeys are well over 30+ minutes and many people who take bus journeys exceeding that, are often making a connecting journey via another bus.

I was there today and the work done looks remarkable. Maybe it was just luck, but the traffic seemed to flow well but work isn't complete. Roads are still lined with cones.

Does anyone know whats going on with the island just further up that the 14/ 28 & 55 also use ? My guess is a lane being created so traffic heading towards the retail park gets its own dedicated lane. If so, coupled with the improvements to the Bromford Lane/ Fortparkway Island (Created another lane onto Bromford Lane (11C)), this should greatly help the 11C.

6709 is on the 11A

I echo others in regards to buses not being cheap, to buy or run !

I seem to recall it being mentioned on here, that a bus costs upwards of £100'000 annually to run. Given the fact that the NXWM fleet consists of upwards of 1'500 buses, you begin to realize not everything can get it all. Frankly, I'm surprised a daysaver is as cheap as it is. 

GeminiFan1991 - As long as classic buses website http://www.classicbuses.co.uk/events.html is updated (which it is on a regular basis) there is no need to duplicate that website's content on this forum.

That is quite the comprehensive list ! I can concede that it would be pretty pointless for replicate the information on that site on our calendar but I still feel as though we should add NXWM events.

6702 is on the 11A

Good to see a suggestion of mine is being well received.

I seen an event for next month has been added as well. I would add, it might be worth incorporating nationwide events but I can't help but think that it would clog up the calendar, especially considering the forum is generally geared towards public transport in the West Midlands.