Wednesfield Garage

[Bob]

Because ive used it loads of times and arriva previously withdrew it....or maybe they withdrew it cause it was making too much money? ??

[andy]

Operators withdraw perfectly viable services all the time. They also continue to operate unviable ones all the time. There are very variable reasons for this. I would love to explain but you wouldn't listen. Because Arriva are crap, their buses are empty, threadbare sheds that nobody likes and sound rough. They can't go up hills. If they were red and white the world would be a perfect place and everything would be great again.

[Bob]

So why would they withdraw a service if it was profitable?  Threadbare sheds...yea you're spot on...

[Tony]

Operators withdraw perfectly viable services all the time. They also continue to operate unviable ones all the time. There are very variable reasons for this. I would love to explain but you wouldn't listen. Because Arriva are crap, their buses are empty, threadbare sheds that nobody likes and sound rough. They can't go up hills. If they were red and white the world would be a perfect place and everything would be great again.

Come on Andy, while Bob's views can be extreme against Arriva the 62 was withdrawn because it lost money. At the time the people of Cannock Wood complained and Arriva said it was not viable. Heartlands Bus then registered it and sold it to Midland with two darts

[Ck]

I live on the 62 route and I can remember it being every 20 minutes years ago but when the service got cut right down it forced people to find other ways of travelling hence why the service failed arriva put big buses on which the service doesn't need so that's gotta be losing money on diesel the fact the last one is around 5 ish is a bit silly

[Kevin]

Just to throw an observation in, I caught the 62 on my travels the other week and it seemed to carry healthy numbers, quite a few people using it from Burntwood and Prospect village to Hednesford, even about 4 people boarding in Cannock Wood. Granted it's only one journey but from that one journey I wouldn't be worried

[Steveminor]

I won't go into cash figures but it was certainly profitable at heartlands & that was with drivers "allegedly" fiddling. The reason for selling the route to midland was simple, Mike was trying to sell the whole business but when the figures were checked they determined the only part of the business worth buying was the 62. Mike needed the cash so he did the deal.

[bwsau cymru]

I heard that Bridgnorth was going, it will be a sad loss. TELFORD WILL NOT BE RUNNING EVERYTHING!!! The 436 is going back to Shrewsbury and why on earth would telford run the 890 when it goes no wear near to telford yet runs into a city where an arriva garage is under 5 miles away??

[Bob]

Just to throw an observation in, I caught the 62 on my travels the other week and it seemed to carry healthy numbers, quite a few people using it from Burntwood and Prospect village to Hednesford, even about 4 people boarding in Cannock Wood. Granted it's only one journey but from that one journey I wouldn't be worried

It gets a few on but a lot of its custom is pensioners. I cant understand why its not more popular for cannock to lichfield passengers..its a much nicer ride and takes roughly same time!

[646]

I heard that Bridgnorth was going, it will be a sad loss. TELFORD WILL NOT BE RUNNING EVERYTHING!!! The 436 is going back to Shrewsbury and why on earth would telford run the 890 when it goes no wear near to telford yet runs into a city where an arriva garage is under 5 miles away??

The 890 makes more sense at Telford for now. Telford is 20 minutes away from Bridgnorth and the timetable is Bridgnorth-ended, not Wolverhampton-ended.

[andy]

Operators withdraw perfectly viable services all the time. They also continue to operate unviable ones all the time. There are very variable reasons for this. I would love to explain but you wouldn't listen. Because Arriva are crap, their buses are empty, threadbare sheds that nobody likes and sound rough. They can't go up hills. If they were red and white the world would be a perfect place and everything would be great again.

Come on Andy, while Bob's views can be extreme against Arriva the 62 was withdrawn because it lost money. At the time the people of Cannock Wood complained and Arriva said it was not viable. Heartlands Bus then registered it and sold it to Midland with two darts

I'm sure it possibly could have lost money. But my point is that neither myself or Bob has access to the figures so cannot make remarks about the route being 'chronically unprofitable' so it is a pointless remark to make with no foundation.

You know aswell as I do Tony that operators have different methods of costing a service and that as a result a cash rich corridor sometimes doesn't actually end up paying as well as some lesser populated ones depending on subsidy, concessionary claims, fuel consumption, PVR, positioning of vehicles etc etc....you can't just sit and count bums on seats then come out with rubbish like he does and it annoys me.

I have mentioned before that Staffs CC offer a diabolical concessionary payout to operators in most areas and it is therefore little wonder that registrations come and go so frequently.

[Bob]

Andy im not gonna argue with you. Weve got views at the complets polar opposite ends of the scale. Half of cannocks fleet are threadbare unreliable nails. And sb200 buses do struggle getting up hills.

As for your remark about me thinking everything would be wonderful if nx took over or came back, I dont think that but I think theyd give them a run for their money!  And be more reliable.

Im pretty sure passengers didnt have to prove to their employer that theyd made a complaint to the bus company about buses not running at all on around 5 occasions to avoid being disciplined when NX ran the walsall services.

Itd be interesting to compare figures over say 12 months as tohow many trips were lost to breakdowns on the 351 & how many have been lost on say the 2/2a.

Finally compare the standards nx are now refurbishing 07/57 plate buses. Arriva havent even refurbed or resprayed some of their 52/03 plate vehicles in many cases.

As I say no offence meant but weve just got opposing views

[Westy]

Early start Bob?

[Bob]

Haha yea I go the baths and gym at half 6 before work

[Bob]

And I woke up from a mad dream that me n my bro were on a metrobus from London to cannock and it only took half an hour!