Service changes June 2025

[GoldenSquid]

Does anybody know why the new 48 timetable has included 3 minute layovers at Uni Station on each trip? I could understand layover times at the hospital entrance maybe with its previous route, but sitting at Uni Station for 3 mins will end up blocking the X20/X21/X22.

I think its to help reliability, the unis have an un-official minute at uni station. As they are timetabled an extra minute to get there sometimes.

Seems a bit of a strange one to me why it doesn't serve the hospital entrance given that it turns into Hospital Way and is within about 30 seconds of the QE main entrance stops.

Guessing they've gotten rid of it because of taxis/other cars blocking the QE area.

[SO6597]

Seems a bit of a strange one to me why it doesn't serve the hospital entrance given that it turns into Hospital Way and is within about 30 seconds of the QE main entrance stops.

Does anybody know why the new 48 timetable has included 3 minute layovers at Uni Station on each trip? I could understand layover times at the hospital entrance maybe with its previous route, but sitting at Uni Station for 3 mins will end up blocking the X20/X21/X22.

The 48 timetable had layover time built in at the QE when it went to Northfield via Bournville/Cotteridge/Hawkesley (albeit at the QE stop itself rather than the Uni station). 

[MasterPlan]

Got told 3 ways of doing it:
- Roundabout after Uni station before Uni campus
- Do a loop around Uni campus
- Spin around at the North gate large area.

I thought all short workings for Uni terminated at Uni Station then the island was used to go back towards City. At least that's how it used to happen IIRC.
I have been on a bus which spun around at the gate but that was due to a diversion. 

[GoldenSquid]

I thought all short workings for Uni terminated at Uni Station then the island was used to go back towards City. At least that's how it used to happen IIRC.
I have been on a bus which spun around at the gate but that was due to a diversion.

Thats for the X20 Bromsgrove > Uni Short on a Sunday

[MasterPlan]

Thats for the X20 Bromsgrove > Uni Short on a Sunday

Ah, okay. Makes sense.

On the topic of the X20, I noticed on Weoley Park Rd earlier that one of the stops (from what I could see) has been updated but almost completely hidden by the overgrown trees and the other still says not in use but is a little less hidden now.
I still think both stops need moving. It's a rather long road.

EDIT: Looking at the route maps / Google maps, it seems that the one that still says not in use needs to be moved as it shows a stop adjacent to the one in the middle.

[keyy927]

so i got on the X20 earlier, it's quite a nice route, and for 11am it doesn't seem too empty, people were getting on and off between northfield and weoley castle which i didn't expect (whenever i got the 46 that bit was quiet)

as another poster said, i'm unconvinced that it will stay like this for long tho. i feel like it'll eventually be diverted into weoley castle before going to lodge hill cemetery as it will be faster than the X21 which has to go through selly oak, and i do think in september it will become 20 minutes for university students, but that's just my thoughts as someone who doesn't know anything about how buses work 😭😂 

i also do think the 46/A will go at the end of its tender as between northfield and selly oak that and the X20 follow the exact same route, and the X20 has the added benefit of going to the city centre - between northfield and hawkesley, it's only 18 -> 45 if it goes, and they're both much more frequent than the 46/A. 

i've also noticed that the front dest boards "via" text now scrolls instead of flicking between destinations like it used to - is there a reason for that? and that the back dest board's "via" text disappeared completely a while ago, still haven't worked out if it was a "look" choice or if there was a reason behind it

[Tony]

Give it time and I can see the 998 being extended and the 77 being put back to its original route, as they've completely wrecked a system that worked.

It didn't work any more though, those routes were costing a lot more to run than the income they were bringing in.

[keyy927]

also noticed that the new X20 stops at mavis road towards birmingham, a stop that closed back in 2018, but the 63 hasn't started stopping there, wonder why that is too because i thought that would have been the other way round 

[Stu]

No one is missing out? Tell that to people on the Chester Road where a long section will now have no bus, or Sutton Oak Road. They will have quite a walk to their nearest bus stop. Which is funnily enough where a lot of people are kicking off about these changes.

People in Pheasey have been given a raw deal too, yet they still couldn't have extended the 33 to Asda Queslett?

Hundred Acre Estate is quiet clearly now going to over-bussed, whereas the 2x buses an hour on the 935 was fine as well as the hourly 78.

Strikes me is that the 935 has been a long established route now for the last 15 years and is now being chopped, same goes for the 934, which has been in its current format since 2013.

Thanks, I see what you mean now, those parts of Chester Road and Sutton Oak Road that are only now served by the 77S.

It does seem a bit odd, but I would assume that passenger loading data suggests otherwise, NX would hardly be likely to omit well-used sections of route. 

When you say "people kicking off" I assume you mean comments on social media, as opposed to people physically rioting in the street? It seems there is a similar situation as to that in Cofton Hackett, where there are suddenly a load of 'phantom passengers' complaining about services being removed that they hardly used. 

[Steve3229vp]

It didn't work any more though, those routes were costing a lot more to run than the income they were bringing in.

I've been using the 934/5/6/7 for years and I always did wonder about how much NX was losing, there were some parts of the day when they were more than half empty. It was always over bussed between Walsall and Beacon Hill with 6 buses an hour.

Tony, I seem to recall some time ago that the old 995/996/997 also lost revenue as well.

[Stu]

Does anybody know why the new 48 timetable has included 3 minute layovers at Uni Station on each trip? I could understand layover times at the hospital entrance maybe with its previous route, but sitting at Uni Station for 3 mins will end up blocking the X20/X21/X22.

I imagine it is to alleviate possible delays at either end, in an attempt to keep the route reliable overall.

Looking at the timetables, if all services run on time then there shouldn't be any issues with 'blocking', besides those stops look to have plenty of space to accommodate more than one bus anyway. 

Seems a bit of a strange one to me why it doesn't serve the hospital entrance given that it turns into Hospital Way and is within about 30 seconds of the QE main entrance stops.

You could make the same argument as to why the X22 never directly served the hospital interchange. I guess those extra couple of minutes can make all the difference to the running time.

[Steve3229vp]

I imagine it is to alleviate possible delays at either end, in an attempt to keep the route reliable overall.

Looking at the timetables, if all services run on time then there shouldn't be any issues with 'blocking', besides those stops look to have plenty of space to accommodate more than one bus anyway.
You could make the same argument as to why the X22 never directly served the hospital interchange. I guess those extra couple of minutes can make all the difference to the running time.

The Old 98/X64 used to serve the QE Interchange, but the delays getting in and out in peak-hours probably led to the replacement X20/X21/X22 no longer serving it.

[karl724223]

Bus stops on the new pn 15 havnt been changed.flags still say 15/15A and old timetables still up cracking job mitie and tfwm

[Rachvince53]

Bus stops on the new pn 15 hav my been changed.flags still say 15/15A and old timetables still up cracking job mitie and tfwm

You're lucky. Bus stops in Penn still have both the 15/15A on the flags and the old timetables. Nice to have up to date info isn't it?!

[Mike K]

EDIT - apologies, response to Stu's note re the X22 serving the hospital entrance.

I understand it with the X22, to have one of the X2x group or services serve the hospital entrance when the X21 (and the old X20 at the time) continued along the road and up Aston Webb Boulevard may have caused confusion.

But having 2 very elderly parents who are in and out of the QE fairly frequently these days, from what I've seen the situation with taxis and waiting cars blocking bus access has significantly improved since the introduction of the right hand bus lane up to the hospital entrance.

And changing a route that's always served the main entrance isn't ideal.