New route?

[Nathan4775]

Hence why I scorned a suggestion made on the NXWM Facebook page to introduce a service between Birmingham and IKEA in Wednesbury.

Would it be possible to re-route the 75 to serve IKEA if not then couldnt WB introduced a 75A to IKEA,

[D10]

Don't think that NXWM would serve Ikea commercially, it would need to be sponsored by IKEA or the owners of the Retail Park to make it viable.

[Ash]

Diamond's 399 used to operate a service via IKEA at Wednesbury and even a bus branded for it and was subsidised by IKEA but becuase of low usage go withdrawn last year, also the problem with this bus is that who is gonna buy some large heavy flat packed furniture and travel on a bus with it that operates every hour so it got withdrawn.

[4504]

Why not extend the 401 to Wolverhampton? Would that work?

[Ashley]

The question being, what sort of route could you operate a 401 extension to Wolverhampton on as every possible route is well covered

[Ash]

The 79 does the job from west brom along with the metro a 401 extension is not needed, the 401 used to run from Bilston to Walsall via West Brom but was stopped between Walsall and West Brom and replaced with the 405. Hence you get the diamond 401E between Walsall and the yew tree

[Nathan4775]

WA covered all possible bus routes to WN when the Bus Station Re-opended.

[Ash]

The 405 i think was created around 1997 as i have a picture of 1527 on the 404 and was new then in west brom bus station with b6le 668 on the 405 in front, there was also the 402 which worked from Walsall to Tipton via the yewtree and the 403 from Walsall to West Brom via caldmore and sandwell hospital i think the 403 was used when the 404 was every 10 minutes or even less frequent than that. Then when the 404 was increased to every 8 minutes and the 405 to every 15 minutes the 403 was withdrawn. The 405 was transferred to Walsall in 2002 i think along with 634-639 dunno why it was transferred tho.

[Stu]

I recall I started working in Great Bridge in 2001, and used to catch the 401/402, and I only ever remember them terminating at West Bromwich.

[Ash]

Yeah as i have a pic of b6le 668 when new operating the 405 it must have been around 1998 when the 401/2 started terminating at west brom

[Paul]

I remember 403/5 being MCW operated & extended
To Princes end on the evening also 401/2 being Lynx operated.
I not to sure but think 403/5  was created in 1995

[Ash]

I remeber fleetline being used around the yewtree and charlemount farm along with the metrobuses and i dunno wether this was the 401 or 405 then as i was too young to remembers so Paul you could well be right with your dates, later on the 403 was extended to Europa Village but then the whole service was withdrawn and it wasnt needed.

[Paul]

Yeah I remember fleetlines on this route (403/5)
also the fleetline that Was converted into a single decker that ran on the 403!
The fleetlines slowly being withdrawn around this time

[D10]

I think the last Fleetline I travelled on in service was on the 403 or 405 very close to the final end for Fleetlines. I was very surprised when it turned up at Bradford Place as it would have been on a Saturday and the loadings didn't justify a Double Decker. It must have been all that was available.

[Ash]

At that time i remember the 404 being lynx operated from metrobuses to trial out to see if the route could cope being single decker operated and proved so hence the arrival of the mercs for the route.