Fall in passenger journey's in WM

[Liverpool Street]

Criminal it was too, renumbering such an old and historic route as the 3 to the 103. And as for the 24, I still think of that as Warstock via Showell Green Lane.

Was that operated by Yardley Wood? If I'm honest with you I cant remember what I did this morning let alone all those years ago bus routes. I was more interested in females in my youth then the 103 route I can tell you that for free i'm telling ya. haha

Yep, in the old days the 13, 24 and 38 were the Yardley Wood Road routes. I too was more interested in women than buses in my youth, but I'm married with kids now so alcohol and an interest in buses are two of my few pleasures in life.  :D

Me and you both, Mike K. Me and you both.




Tony, that makes for interesting reading. Thanks.

[Mike K]

Criminal it was too, renumbering such an old and historic route as the 3 to the 103. And as for the 24, I still think of that as Warstock via Showell Green Lane.

Was that operated by Yardley Wood? If I'm honest with you I cant remember what I did this morning let alone all those years ago bus routes. I was more interested in females in my youth then the 103 route I can tell you that for free i'm telling ya. haha

There was some more silliness around the same time.

Someone at Yardley Wood wanted all their routes to have single digit numbers, so the three Yardley Wood Road services which were the 13, 24 & 38 were renumbered. The 24 became the 2 (and still is now). The 38 & 13 he combined and he wanted them numbered 3, But Quinton which operated the 3 (as per above refused to renumber it) so the new YW service became the S3 with short workings being the S3E. It was only when the 100 & 3 combined to make the 103 that YW were able to drop the S and leave it as just the 3 which it is now, but much extended.

Tony, I'll bow to your superior knowledge but I thought that the old 13/38 became the 12, and YW wanted the number 3 to complete the Stratford Rd number series, at the time the other routes being 4 Cheswick Green, 5 Widney and 6 Solihull. The S3 I thought went to Shirley Station via Springfield and The Baldwin, with the S3E to the Baldwin.

The current YW 3 I thought was the old YW 12, and before that the 13/38.

[winston]

How good would it be if they totally cancelled this pathetic tram idea and re-opened Corporation Street and the city centre went back to normal?

That'll be what I'd do. BUT ALAS! NO ONE EVER ADMITS MISTAKES, ESPECIALLY NOT MANAGEMENT.

That would be the best thing Centro have ever done, having buses going in to the heart of the City Centre making it more convenient for bus passengers to jump straight off the bus & in the shops will do more to encourage people to use public transport than extending the current Metro an extra few stops. If it was a new Metro line serving new areas that would be completely different.....

[Tony]

Criminal it was too, renumbering such an old and historic route as the 3 to the 103. And as for the 24, I still think of that as Warstock via Showell Green Lane.

Was that operated by Yardley Wood? If I'm honest with you I cant remember what I did this morning let alone all those years ago bus routes. I was more interested in females in my youth then the 103 route I can tell you that for free i'm telling ya. haha

There was some more silliness around the same time.

Someone at Yardley Wood wanted all their routes to have single digit numbers, so the three Yardley Wood Road services which were the 13, 24 & 38 were renumbered. The 24 became the 2 (and still is now). The 38 & 13 he combined and he wanted them numbered 3, But Quinton which operated the 3 (as per above refused to renumber it) so the new YW service became the S3 with short workings being the S3E. It was only when the 100 & 3 combined to make the 103 that YW were able to drop the S and leave it as just the 3 which it is now, but much extended.

Tony, I'll bow to your superior knowledge but I thought that the old 13/38 became the 12, and YW wanted the number 3 to complete the Stratford Rd number series, at the time the other routes being 4 Cheswick Green, 5 Widney and 6 Solihull. The S3 I thought went to Shirley Station via Springfield and The Baldwin, with the S3E to the Baldwin.

The current YW 3 I thought was the old YW 12, and before that the 13/38.

Yes sorry, missed the 12 stage out

[andy]

How good would it be if they totally cancelled this pathetic tram idea and re-opened Corporation Street and the city centre went back to normal?

That'll be what I'd do. BUT ALAS! NO ONE EVER ADMITS MISTAKES, ESPECIALLY NOT MANAGEMENT.

That would be the best thing Centro have ever done, having buses going in to the heart of the City Centre making it more convenient for bus passengers to jump straight off the bus & in the shops will do more to encourage people to use public transport than extending the current Metro an extra few stops. If it was a new Metro line serving new areas that would be completely different.....

Exactly my point Winston. They have introduced convenience for approximately 2% of the West Midlands travelling public, and withdrawn it for about 40%. Genius!!

This plan would only have made any sense atall if the Metro network had been extended in the way it had been planned to and consisted of at least 3 or 4 routes, but seeing as this extension and the New Street overhaul has taken so much money out of Centro's budget at a time of austerity, and coupled with the uncertainty of what will be needed for HS2 should it ever happen, I can't see Metro being a priority for expansion anytime soon.

Due to the fact that the current Metro line is already served in the majority by a decent train service from New Street, the only useful link it will provide is from New St to Snow Hill and the Jewellery Quarter. And how much is that required? Surely there were more cost effective and less disruptive ways to achieve that? Most people are happy to walk from New Street to Moor Street or vica versa for a connection as it is not difficult these days, or alternatively change at Smethwick Galton Bridge which is much easier. The only line that you can't always do this for is the Chiltern, and not many people are needing to make that connection anyway.

The result is a huge white elephant that has cost a fortune, achieves very little and creates inconvenience and disadvantage for many others including the bus users we are talking about. And then there was the destruction of the trees in Corporation St, for me the most regrettable part.

[D10]

Well said both Winston and Andy, my feelings exactly.

Sadly ever since the PTE lost control of the buses, and now are no longer a signatory to the local rail franchise, it seems as though they feel they have to control something.

Therefore the Metro is something they can have total control over and so they are pushing this over the local bus service.

It is absolutely criminal that with cuts occurring to funding of local bus services and BSOG, that Centro and Central Government are pushing millions into this scheme.

[Mike K]

All of the above posts are spot on. What's frustrating is that in the early 1980s significant efforts were made to bring a number of bus services that finished at often inconvenient terminal points (such as Navigation St, John Bright St, Paradise Circus, Bull Ring Bus Station etc) into the heart of the city. Continued pedestrianisation has over the years impacted more and more bus routes and now, finally, for the sake of a single tram line we're in a worse situation than ever from a bus traveller's perspective - and with dozens of bus services inconvenienced.

[Solo1]

What don't help is where the rivals run just in front rather than
In-between i.e. where a service is every 30 mins run
so the service is a bus every 15 rather than just in front

[Liverpool Street]

What don't help is where the rivals run just in front rather than
In-between i.e. where a service is every 30 mins run
so the service is a bus every 15 rather than just in front

The 99 is a sod for your comment. And alot more besides. I'm sure if you're an independant then you dont want to be following an NX, you'll run between the service as you said that way you'll get the passengers that miss the NX and you'll promote your own service.

I'm interested in starting my own company, y'know.