Predictions for 2025 (including ONE wish)

[Steve3229vp]

My Predictions for 2025:

Sprint will not start (but we know this already)
Cross-City services will be not start but there will be more information about them, including there own series of numbers, I will predict a 'C' prefix.
More Electric buses to be announced beyond the 'proposed' Electroliners, including single-deckers mainly for Coventry.
The 27 (Yardley Wood-Frankley) to be given up and given to another operator.
Stagecoach and Arriva will be 'bigged up' by Richard Parker in his attempt on franchising
Richard Parker to increase the franchise dream of his, but will get a rougher ride than he is expecting for other departments.

My Wish for 2025:

As many Scania Omnilinks to be withdrawn as possible.

[the trainbasher]

Diamond to gain more tenders in April
WM Bus On Demand to expand to the rest of the WM area
Banga loses its tendered work and then sells to Rotala
Dudley Bus Station to be delayed opening until 2026

My wish - Franchising to be given the nod

[Ingleboro261F]

My Predictions for 2025:

Sprint will not start (but we know this already)
Cross-City services will be not start but there will be more information about them, including there own series of numbers, I will predict a 'C' prefix.
More Electric buses to be announced beyond the 'proposed' Electroliners, including single-deckers mainly for Coventry.
The 27 (Yardley Wood-Frankley) to be given up and given to another operator.
Stagecoach and Arriva will be 'bigged up' by Richard Parker in his attempt on franchising
Richard Parker to increase the franchise dream of his, but will get a rougher ride than he is expecting for other departments.

My Wish for 2025:

As many Scania Omnilinks to be withdrawn as possible.

My man has a serious problem with the scania omnilink please tell me why cus they are best singles in fleet

[Steve3229vp]

My man has a serious problem with the scania omnilink please tell me why cus they are best singles in fleet

Stick to the topic please !

[2206]

If 2025 (And they don't see 26) is the last for the tridents and Gemini, wonder if a final running day is in the planning for the Autumn?

The WMCA have more occasional free travel days/nights throughout the rest of 2025.

Diamond to purchase more Streetlites mainly to see off older B7RLEs?

[Coventrybususer95]

Stagecoach try to  buy nx Coventry in a bid to have a central operating centre for the midlands

Franchising won't start as it will cost more then originally thought

Nxwm transfers some double deckers that are due for YW to replace Coventrys single deckers

[B7RLE]

West Midlands Trains nationalised by the government
The metro extension to Dudley will still not be completed
HS2 will be going to Crewe
Lets Go will lose their appeal and cease to exist
NXWM will try to use bigger buses on the WN 11 after Lets Go finally disappear
Diamond will cut the 002 to just run between Merry Hill and Halesowen
There will be a new tendered service or an extension of an existing one to replace the 002 between Weoley Castle and Halesowen
Banga will lose their TfWM tenders and shortly after will cease to exist on all services; Chaserider will take the 5/5A, Diamond will take the 53 and 81, whilst taking over the 530 commercially. Select will take over the 891 comercially.
First will purchase Arriva Telford
Either Rotala or, in a shock move, Wellglade, will purchase Arriva Tamworth

[Ingleboro261F]

Quote from: 2206 on 01/01/2025, 22:54:22

If 2025 (And they don't see 26) is the last for the tridents and Gemini, wonder if a final running day is in the planning for the Autumn?

The WMCA have more occasional free travel days/nights throughout the rest of 2025.

Diamond to purchase more Streetlites mainly to see off older B7RLEs?


I hope not I love b7s

[Steve3229vp]

Where are your predictions ?

[Steve3229vp]

I hope not I love b7s

Where are your predictions ?

[Sandy Lane]

Coventry & Warwickshire crystal ball predictions

1. Due to extremely poor management of bus services, routes and bus stops in Coventry by TfWM they are finally booted out and replaced by a dedicated Transport for Coventry organisation that really understands local needs and geography (TfWM to note that Coventry is a city 18 miles due east from Birmingham city centre).
2. Coventry Very Light Rail (VLR) tram project will finally be canned. Realisation that the bus is a better solution.
3. Coventry Rail station will again be served by buses that will call at the very front of the original station building instead of the recent scattergun approach of bus stops all over the place as devised by TfWM.  Transport for Coventry will recognise the need for an integrated modal interchange that is simple to understand, use and is actually right at the heart of the station and not a remote location somewhere in Earlsdon or a bus stop a fair distance away on a busy main road.
4. Diamond will take over SC Rugby depot and local Rugby routes. They will gain a useful operating base on the east side of the West Midlands and expand on these operations. Will include the 86 Coventry - Rugby route and this will revert back to the pre-covid 30 minute frequency.
5. Diamond will also take over the Coventry 60 from SC Nuneaton and improve the frequency to 30 mins intervals. Route will be altered to the Sunday route and then going through to turn arounds at the rail station instead of the University.
6. Electricity will be introduced into the town of Rugby to allow Diamond to run electric buses from the old SC Rugby depot.
7. The Fridays only single service Flexibus 218 will lose local authority funding when they realise it rarely seems to reach its final timetabled destination.

[cardew]

No predictions as everything seems to be perennially up in the air these days, but I thought I would look back at the predictions for 2018 thread

Some highlights

Sprint to be cancelled and priority given to Platinum/Sapphire etc. :)
-- no comment

The progress on Camp Hill chord will pass a major hurdle meaning it's no longer a pipe dream any more.
-- well we got the Midlands Rail Hub announced last year but who knows when that will be completed

Drastic actions will be taken in regards to worsening traffic conditions in Birmingham to determinant of car drivers.
-- I suppose Digbeth High Street counts but that just moves cars elsewhere

I think 22nd July will be an interesting date. Solihull will then require buses to be euro4.
-- Euro3 still operating there today, although I appreciate that wasn't the plan

[frostjay974]

My man has a serious problem with the scania omnilink please tell me why cus they are best singles in fleet

They are going to eventually get withdrawn regardless of whether you like them or not, the same goes for ALX400s, Geminis and E400 tridents, they are all 'seeing their age' as you had stated previously.

[BlackCountryBusSpotter]

Predictions 
Let's Go Lose there appeal
Chaserider Invest heavily into modifying the Cannock Network in fear of any Franchising heading there way
Franchising will be scrapped as it is deemed not cost effective
WMR gets taken over 
The Metro Extensions get scrapped either causing Digbeth and half of the City to have their roads put back in, and Merry Hill section also to be scrapped. 
Sprint/CrossCity never materialises 
Optimistic but unlikely 
Darlaston and Willenhall Train Station finally open

[Stu]

I've already listed some of my bus predictions for 2025 on my website:
https://wmbu.org.uk/2024/12/my-predictions-for-2025/

From that lot, the main one for me is Dudley bus station, in that I don't believe that will be completed and in operation this year, and as a result, neither will the Metro extension (to Dudley at least).

Away from buses, I'm doubtful that the new stations on the Camp Hill line will be ready and in use before the end of this year.
But even if they are, I don't think they will have too much of a detrimental effect on the 50, not immediately anyway. Passengers going to/from Moseley and Kings Heath might give the train a go for a bit as a 'novelty', but if the service ends up reliable with numerous cancellations then passengers will go back to the bus, as it's more frequent despite being a longer journey.

A wish?

That NX management have 'learned lessons' from the fiasco of getting electric buses into service at Perry Barr and Yardley Wood this year, and for the last ones in storage to actually get used!
And hopefully other operators have watched and learned the valuable lesson: get the charging infrastructure organised and in place before the vehicles are ready to be delivered!