97 finally extended?

[sonic84]

I'm a little confused by the 97, as I don't tend to go that side of town.

Are there actually 3 variants now of the 97;

The Birmingham to Chelmsley Wood, the Birmingham to Chelmsley Wood via the estates, and the Birmingham to Airport?

How often to the variants running to Chelmsley Wood interchange only run? 
Cheers =)

[JB93]

There's Birmingham - Chelmsley Wood that does a loop of the Chelmsley Wood housing estates, and that terminates back at Pine Square. That's every 4 mins during the day.
Then every 30 mins during the day I think and then every hour through the night, it extends to the Airport. It doesn't do the loop, it goes straight up Helmswood Drive onto Coleshill Heath Rd.
Then I think there'll just be short workings like a 97E that just finish at Pine Square without looping first. I'm guessing it might just be like what the 904 does on evening workings, like every other one will only go to Pine Square, but I'm not certain.

[Sh4318]

I'm a little confused by the 97, as I don't tend to go that side of town.

Are there actually 3 variants now of the 97;

The Birmingham to Chelmsley Wood, the Birmingham to Chelmsley Wood via the estates, and the Birmingham to Airport?

How often to the variants running to Chelmsley Wood interchange only run? 
Cheers =)

There are actually 3 variants of the routes, the ones you've just mentioned
97 - Chelmsley Wood (Loop) - Birmingham - every 10 minutes
97 - Chelmsley Wood - Birmingham - every 10-20 minutes
97 - Airport - Birmingham - every 30 minutes

Together all 3 variants combine to create an every 5 minute frequency between Chelsmley Wood and Birmingham, sometimes rising to every 4 minutes

[sonic84]

Has anyone got any idea what the loadings have been like on the nite buses? Its still early days but hopefully they will be a success

[Stuharris 6360]

Has anyone got any idea what the loadings have been like on the nite buses? Its still early days but hopefully they will be a success

What worries me is that if someone gets the night bus at the Airport to travel into town, when they arrive there are no buses to get them anywhere else.

Wouldn't it have been better to set up a mini network of night routes?

[Gareth]

I think the idea may have been to get people to the airport for work etc, rather than the other way around.

[Stuharris 6360]

I think the idea may have been to get people to the airport for work etc, rather than the other way around.

Surely in that case, it would have been cheaper surely for the airport to run a staff bus?

[monkeyjoe]

I think the idea may have been to get people to the airport for work etc, rather than the other way around.

Surely in that case, it would have been cheaper surely for the airport to run a staff bus?

The NEC group are part funding is this route, that is it peeps will just have to see how it goes. I'm sure a lot of people spent a lot of time investigating all of this. Will just have to see if it works.

[JB93]

I think the idea may have been to get people to the airport for work etc, rather than the other way around.

Surely in that case, it would have been cheaper surely for the airport to run a staff bus?

The NEC group are part funding is this route, that is it peeps will just have to see how it goes. I'm sure a lot of people spent a lot of time investigating all of this. Will just have to see if it works.

Well it also benefits people who want to get to the airport to make a plane during the night, since the trains stop running too.

[Kevin]

Well it also benefits people who want to get to the airport to make a plane during the night, since the trains stop running too.

only benefits people who live along the route in that sense then, plus I'm not sure how many flights are scheduled outside the times that normal service buses run

[Stuharris 6360]

Well it also benefits people who want to get to the airport to make a plane during the night, since the trains stop running too.

only benefits people who live along the route in that sense then, plus I'm not sure how many flights are scheduled outside the times that normal service buses run

I suppose that check in opens for early flights before normal service would starts.

For tourists visiting Birmingham, a lot stop at the hotels on the Hagley Road, so maybe a 9N is required even if just between Bearwood & City Centre with city centre's stopping points and timetable coordinated with the 97.

[Stu]

As has been stated and explained previously, the main purpose of the night journeys on the 97 are more to do with getting shift workers to and from the airport, though it is obviously a bonus for people arriving/departing for very early morning flights.

[monkeyjoe]

As has been stated and explained previously, the main purpose of the night journeys on the 97 are more to do with getting shift workers to and from the airport, though it is obviously a bonus for people arriving/departing for very early morning flights.

Here here, you tell em fella  ::)

[andy]

As has been stated and explained previously, the main purpose of the night journeys on the 97 are more to do with getting shift workers to and from the airport, though it is obviously a bonus for people arriving/departing for very early morning flights.

Here here, you tell em fella  ::)

You could count on one hand the amount of people who would consider using a bus to get to the Airport for a flight. It will be Hotel, NEC and Airport staff if anybody atall. These employers have constant problems obtaining reliable staff that can actually get to work on shifts, and there is also restricted parking on site for staff these days.

[monkeyjoe]

That's the reason it's been done it's getting boring now.