October Changes

[Sh4318]

2015. The main section (Great Barr-West Brom) was very popular and still to this day there's a lot of angry people here who aren't satisfied considering the 46 always was popular.

I'm surprised the 49 hasn't been cut back to Brandhall... It's near enough fresh air between Brandhall and Bearwood but the instead NX decide to cut the 46...

It was replaced by the 50A/C - which was a bit of a 444 revival on one side of the circular, and the old 450 on the other. In hindsight, I don't remember them being as busy as the double deckers it was allocated justified, and the extra bus per hour on the 48 between Hurst Road and West Bromwich made sense

Living just off Cape Hill the 82/87/89 are my nearest buses and so I occasionally get on an 89 towards Brum city centre if it just happens to be the first one along (and I don't really need one of the city centre stops on the 82/87 loop).
At various times of the day recently I can honestly say it is far less busy than the 82/87. So there really can't be that many passengers travelling through from the places that it alone serves.
On the common section with the 82/87 many passengers appear more picky than me and stand back to wait for one of those, presumably to their preferred city centre stop, rather than get on the 89.
Avoiding the often horrendously congested stretch of the A457 between the city boundary at Grove Lane and City Hospital (don't get me started on the total lawlessness when it comes to parking and loading on that stretch) will help provide a more reliable, stable service for those stretches of the 89 that have far fewer alternatives.
My elderly parents live further up the route near Hales Lane and would benefit from a more reliable service at that end as they more often use it towards West Brom, or only as far as the first stop in Bearwood Road near their GP, and hardly ever go into Birmingham.
Loss of a direct link to City Hospital might disappoint a small number of other passengers, but when the new Midland Met eventually opens in its place, the 89 will be just one stop short and can easily be amended to run across the Grove Lane junction to the new hospital entrance.

I've lived on the 88/89 for half of my life and I worry the removal of the Birmingham - Cape Hill section is the beginning of the end. I can't help but feel like in a year or so from now, we'll be talking about how other routes are being rerouted/introduced to replace the withdrawn 89

[Sh4318]

This would be true if this was happening to key routes but it's not, only these marginal ones that all have decent coverage along them from other routes. Even before the service changes a decade ago, the 88 was always less used than the 82/87 so this is not a massive surprise.

If taking 2 buses off this route means that the 82/87 can financially maintain their high frequencies then I'm pretty sure far more passengers will be satisfied with that than a few put out having to change services on the 89.

I can't imagine passengers getting the 89 to Cape Hill and then changing, especially, as previous mentioned, there are alternatives throughout the route. For me, where I live, I'd rather have a 10 minute walk up the road and get the 12/A rather than having to change buses. This just seems like delaying the inevitable, but I hope I'm wrong

[2900]

89 is the 88 all over again chopped up hacked up messed up nothing new there, the best version of the 88 was city to Blackheath they got the timing on it just right, route length was about right too, then the powers that be change it to the joke 89 merry go around that was the city to Blackheath via every back road in Smethwick,  the altercations with folks we drivers got in Blackheath was a joke, driver why did'nt you say the route would take forever.
The smart cookies use the 89 from city to Capehill then 82/87 at this point those buses thin out in passenger numbers, right now when the 89 reaches Capehill to city punters soon hop off for the 82/87, reliability issues mainly caused by Dudley road improvements 

[Stu]

It doesn't say that anywhere about the 2.

The 27 is being curtailed at Yardley Wood. I imagine the 'timetable revision' for the 2 will see the reintroduction of service through to Maypole on Sundays.

Looking at the new timetable on Tfwm it looks like you're right.

There's also a route change, Prince Of Wales Lane stops are missed out, and from High Street it goes via Gorleston Road to Highters Heath Lane, then via Glenavon Road and Alcester Road South.

[Jimboe89]

What is the reasoning behind cutting the Wolverhampton 5?  Always seemed busy.

[Owen]

Timetable + map released for the 67A.
The 71A won't be, till 8th October.

I don't know if buses are suitable for walmley ash lane but, Im gonna take an eager guess that it it will loop around Walmley ash lane, Peddimore lane, A38 in either direction.

[Stu]

I've lived on the 88/89 for half of my life and I worry the removal of the Birmingham - Cape Hill section is the beginning of the end. I can't help but feel like in a year or so from now, we'll be talking about how other routes are being rerouted/introduced to replace the withdrawn 89

I can't imagine passengers getting the 89 to Cape Hill and then changing, especially, as previous mentioned, there are alternatives throughout the route. For me, where I live, I'd rather have a 10 minute walk up the road and get the 12/A rather than having to change buses. This just seems like delaying the inevitable, but I hope I'm wrong

I have been told that the 89 is actually being revised to terminate in Bearwood. Not sure exactly how this will work, I'm guessing that from Victoria Park it will head back down Bearwood Road, as it restores a link lost a few years ago.
And gives onward passengers the choice of changing at Victoria Park or at Bearwood to get more frequent services to city centre.
I don't know any more than this at present.

[Owen]

I have been told that the 89 is actually being revised to terminate in Bearwood. Not sure exactly how this will work, I'm guessing that from Victoria Park it will head back down Bearwood Road, as it restores a link lost a few years ago.
And gives onward passengers the choice of changing at Victoria Park or at Bearwood to get more frequent services to city centre.
I don't know any more than this at present.

If this is true passengers will be able to change into many routes along the way like the 80,87,12/A, all the other Hagley rd series exc.. maybe it could inter work with the 49/48A

[Rachvince53]

What is the reasoning behind cutting the Wolverhampton 5?  Always seemed busy.

Not sure unless the driver shortage is to blame. Presumably Banga are in a position to cover the daytime services, perhaps by interworking with say the 891.  The cutting of Sunday journeys may be simply that not enough passengers are carried to warrant putting it out to tender. 

[Sh4318]

I have been told that the 89 is actually being revised to terminate in Bearwood. Not sure exactly how this will work, I'm guessing that from Victoria Park it will head back down Bearwood Road, as it restores a link lost a few years ago.
And gives onward passengers the choice of changing at Victoria Park or at Bearwood to get more frequent services to city centre.
I don't know any more than this at present.

I actually hope this is the case, Smethwick and Victoria Park in general haven't had a direct service to Bearwood in years

[Straightlines]

Not sure unless the driver shortage is to blame. Presumably Banga are in a position to cover the daytime services, perhaps by interworking with say the 891.  The cutting of Sunday journeys may be simply that not enough passengers are carried to warrant putting it out to tender.

It's quite amusing that years ago Banga used to compete on the 535, now they will be returning as the operator of the corridor! 

[j789]

If this is true passengers will be able to change into many routes along the way like the 80,87,12/A, all the other Hagley rd series exc.. maybe it could inter work with the 49/48A

If the 89 and 49 share a similar frequency probably could turn it into a West Brom circular service combining both routes.

Would be a far more useful service than the 50a/c was too.

[Owen]

If the 89 and 49 share a similar frequency probably could turn it into a West Brom circular service combining both routes.

Would be a far more useful service than the 50a/c was too.

100%.

only things is... some people wouldn't understand that it was circular, the same dense backward people who apparently can't keep up with... 3 digit bus numbers, but happen to understand every 'single digit' (number) route, even tho there's loads with that number.

I mean, there's people who still can't understand the 8 and 11 circular routes. (Which I don't think these people are road safe).

[ellspurs]

Timetable + map released for the 67A.
The 71A won't be, till 8th October.

I don't know if buses are suitable for walmley ash lane but, Im gonna take an eager guess that it it will loop around Walmley ash lane, Peddimore lane, A38 in either direction.

Artics regularly go up Walmley Ash Lane, the goods entrance for Wickes is not far from the bridge over the a38. The map shows it is going in off a new road off the new roundabout on the a38 and it'll come back put the same way, so will have no need to go up Walmley Ash Lane. 

[Owen]

Artics regularly go up Walmley Ash Lane, the goods entrance for Wickes is not far from the bridge over the a38. The map shows it is going in off a new road off the new roundabout on the a38 and it'll come back put the same way, so will have no need to go up Walmley Ash Lane.

I can't find any maps online, do I have a link?