Least reliable NXWM services

[the trainbasher]

Some evenings the 276 from the Norton road to Stourbridge has a habit of turning up late, sometimes 10 to 20 minutes late meaning I miss a X96., although Tuesday it did give a chance to see a Arriva unusual working., so it can be useful

[JB93]

The 97 lately has been getting worse I've found. Especially if Blues are playing, but even under normal rush hour circumstances you'll get bunching of up to 6 buses all together and then not another for ages. I was sat in a queue in Bordesley Green today with 4 buses right behind each other wondering what the hell was going on. And it was clear that one hadn't been on the other side for some time as there were tons of people waiting at bus stops. Need an express service to Chelmsley Wood! I know it's been suggested and shot down before but there's no direct train access and although the 97 is the quickest route there it's still taken me 45+ minutes the past few times I've had to go there.

[BCMobile]

The 97 lately has been getting worse I've found. Especially if Blues are playing, but even under normal rush hour circumstances you'll get bunching of up to 6 buses all together and then not another for ages. I was sat in a queue in Bordesley Green today with 4 buses right behind each other wondering what the hell was going on. And it was clear that one hadn't been on the other side for some time as there were tons of people waiting at bus stops. Need an express service to Chelmsley Wood! I know it's been suggested and shot down before but there's no direct train access and although the 97 is the quickest route there it's still taken me 45+ minutes the past few times I've had to go there.

Say 4 buses together.. the worst delay is 20mins mate.. then 15 mins.. then 10 etc, one goes airport then the loop then piney. After drop backs etc they'll be on time, not forgetting a long turn around time in the city.

[Typhoon2000]

48 & 129 tend to run in pairs and the 120 can be strangely unpunctual during the evening. I'm sure the timetable amendments commencing will sort that out. Generally never had any problems with the 80 or 87

Yeh, it's a massive pain in the backside and sometimes you won't actually get to see one for around 35-40 minutes during the rush hours. And that's just for one bus as you rarely seem to get any bunching on this line.

11 can be a ball ache in both directions though.

[vinh1000]

46 Birmingham - Six Ways Aston

Unreliable before, even more unreliable now going to Six Ways Aston
Stupid rota (1 minute to get from Perry Barr Rail Bridge , into one stop and round again to the other side in 1 minute - makes no sense)
Often 10 - 90 minutes late (waited hour and a half b4 :L) - usuailly peak journeys but even first journey of the day is damn late by 4/5 minutes  :-\

It is physically impossible for a bus on that route to be 90 minutes late, if it was it would have just missed a trip out and be a few minutes late on the next. If you have really waited 90 minutes then obviously something is seriously wrong out of the control of the bus company, because with 4 buses on a route each going around in 60 minutes you cannot possibly be waiting that long under normal circumstances

Tony
Aston villa were playing
On the return trip back from SWA, our driver pressed the button 3 times on the radio (meaning late) but AVL didn't respond or never adjusted it
Standstill
ended up at city 40-50 late then 75 back at perry barr

[Tony]

46 Birmingham - Six Ways Aston

Unreliable before, even more unreliable now going to Six Ways Aston
Stupid rota (1 minute to get from Perry Barr Rail Bridge , into one stop and round again to the other side in 1 minute - makes no sense)
Often 10 - 90 minutes late (waited hour and a half b4 :L) - usuailly peak journeys but even first journey of the day is damn late by 4/5 minutes  :-\

It is physically impossible for a bus on that route to be 90 minutes late, if it was it would have just missed a trip out and be a few minutes late on the next. If you have really waited 90 minutes then obviously something is seriously wrong out of the control of the bus company, because with 4 buses on a route each going around in 60 minutes you cannot possibly be waiting that long under normal circumstances

Tony
Aston villa were playing
On the return trip back from SWA, our driver pressed the button 3 times on the radio (meaning late) but AVL didn't respond or never adjusted it
Standstill
ended up at city 40-50 late then 75 back at perry barr

OK, so one bus is 75 min late there are 3 others on the route which, whether they were on time or late would still be in that 75 minute gap, so impossible for there to be a 90 minute gap (even if your bus was the only one on the road it would only be a 75 min gap). Your bus, is now only 15 late, because he would have missed a full trip, and with his layover for both trips would probably be able to actually leave 'on time'

[BCMobile]

46 Birmingham - Six Ways Aston

Unreliable before, even more unreliable now going to Six Ways Aston
Stupid rota (1 minute to get from Perry Barr Rail Bridge , into one stop and round again to the other side in 1 minute - makes no sense)
Often 10 - 90 minutes late (waited hour and a half b4 :L) - usuailly peak journeys but even first journey of the day is damn late by 4/5 minutes  :-\

It is physically impossible for a bus on that route to be 90 minutes late, if it was it would have just missed a trip out and be a few minutes late on the next. If you have really waited 90 minutes then obviously something is seriously wrong out of the control of the bus company, because with 4 buses on a route each going around in 60 minutes you cannot possibly be waiting that long under normal circumstances

Tony
Aston villa were playing
On the return trip back from SWA, our driver pressed the button 3 times on the radio (meaning late) but AVL didn't respond or never adjusted it
Standstill
ended up at city 40-50 late then 75 back at perry barr

OK, so one bus is 75 min late there are 3 others on the route which, whether they were on time or late would still be in that 75 minute gap, so impossible for there to be a 90 minute gap (even if your bus was the only one on the road it would only be a 75 min gap). Your bus, is now only 15 late, because he would have missed a full trip, and with his layover for both trips would probably be able to actually leave 'on time'

Tony's right.

Although I've never been in that situation, I would expect you would have to still get authorisation from AVL before doing the 'adjustment'.

[Eric Shaw]

I would like to nominate the 73 Birmingham to Solihull as the least reliable service. The schedule between Yardley and Solihull seems impossible and there is only 7 minutes in Solihull to turn round. The Yew Tree is one of the worst junctions in the suburbs and the opening of the new Waverley School opposite the entrance to Heartlands Hospital canonly make things worse.

[Rob H]

I would like to nominate the 73 Birmingham to Solihull as the least reliable service. The schedule between Yardley and Solihull seems impossible and there is only 7 minutes in Solihull to turn round. The Yew Tree is one of the worst junctions in the suburbs and the opening of the new Waverley School opposite the entrance to Heartlands Hospital canonly make things worse.

Eric the 73 isn't that bad for reliability I use the 73 most days and it's always been On Time every time I want to catch it on some occasions it does run late but it doesn't run late all the time and at The Yew Tree it only has to do like a Zig Zag and I'm just saying that as a 73 User

[bwsau cymru]

the 33/51 often get bunched together and there are often a lot of 51's bunched up coming into Walsall around the evening rush hour. they tend to get stuck up to Scott Arms junction.

The worse one I would say in my option is the 97, this is due to bordesley I think.

[Mike K]

Going back some years now, but the old 45 Beaudesert to Lichfield service was terribly unreliable, I once waited 4 days for one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walsall1955/4608813322/

[vinh1000]

OK, so one bus is 75 min late there are 3 others on the route which, whether they were on time or late would still be in that 75 minute gap, so impossible for there to be a 90 minute gap (even if your bus was the only one on the road it would only be a 75 min gap). Your bus, is now only 15 late, because he would have missed a full trip, and with his layover for both trips would probably be able to actually leave 'on time'
[/quote]

So Tony, OK that makes sense but any reason why AVL would not answer? Busy at all? since every time the call was made it was queued and then cancelled and cleared a while later

[wilmotm (Matt Wilmot)]

544 and then 502 literally 2 minutes apart on the 244 towards Hayley this evening

[nitromatt1]

544 and then 502 literally 2 minutes apart on the 244 towards Hayley this evening

That keeps happening! It's usually the same working which is 20 minutes late too

[richie]

544 and then 502 literally 2 minutes apart on the 244 towards Hayley this evening

Which one was slower?