Questions for the NXWM Operations Director

[NX OD]

Simon,

would like to ask about Night Buses in general.

Now London have such a good night bus service, as Birmingham is regarded as the 2nd city, has it never been thought of to bring back Night buses to a number of routes.

i kn ow you have made the 97 a 24hr service, but when the bus gets into city, it links with nothing.

Thanks

We are monitoring it to see how it goes but it is not really supposed to link with anything.  It is for people in East Birmingham and North Solihull to access employment opportunities at the Airport, NEC and the surrounding area.

Stu

[NX OD]

Hi simon,

Have you got any idea if buses on the lion farm estate will be improved at all.

We have lost the 128/129 twm side and the 200/201 from midland.

TO get to bearwood i now have to get the 89 which is constently late and full to wait 20 mins in oldbury for the 128 which i used to be able to get there in the first place.
And to get to brimingham from my own door i have to get on a service which takes forever instead of the 40 or so mins on the 128.

The 238/289 is now useless as it does not go to merry hill, so we have to change buses yet again.

We had a very good bus services a few years ago and now they have gone to pot.

Is there anything anyone is doing about it????

I will pass your comments on to the Network Planning team but I am not aware of any other plans for the area.

[s94]

Hi Simon, fantastic to have you on board here (No pun intended hehe) :D

Now that the 246 is becoming pretty much fully trident operated, I think its important that the 276/X96 get use of the E400's and B7RLE's that operated on the route before. The 276/X96 are two very popular routes that I frequently see with people having to stand up on, especially at peaks. Could it be made sure these buses especially the Double deckers get more involved on these routes in order to improve capacity? I see the 276 has often had an E400 on it most days this week already which is a start. To keep this going would be an improvement.

Many thanks.

[Liverpool Street]

Simon,

When will the Minories close, to save money?

LS.

[NX OD]

Simon,

When will the Minories close, to save money?

LS.

Hi,

That is not something I can talk about here.  Thanks.

[NX OD]

Hi Simon, fantastic to have you on board here (No pun intended hehe) :D

Now that the 246 is becoming pretty much fully trident operated, I think its important that the 276/X96 get use of the E400's and B7RLE's that operated on the route before. The 276/X96 are two very popular routes that I frequently see with people having to stand up on, especially at peaks. Could it be made sure these buses especially the Double deckers get more involved on these routes in order to improve capacity? I see the 276 has often had an E400 on it most days this week already which is a start. To keep this going would be an improvement.

Many thanks.

Hi,

I will ask Pensnett garage to have a look at this.  I have certainly seen some busy X96 journeys recently.  Thanks.

[NX OD]

Thanks for all the questions.  I have really enjoyed reading them all.

I am on annual leave now until 7th August so will not be able to reply to your questions until then.  I will, however, do my best to answer any posted here between now and then as soon as I can when I get back.

[winston]

Simon,

When will the Minories close, to save money?

LS.

Hi LS,

Which particular 'Minories' were you referring too?

[Stu]

Simon,

When will the Minories close, to save money?

LS.

Hi LS,

Which particular 'Minories' were you referring too?

I presume he's referring to the driver's rest location in the Minories shopping centre (between Bull Street and Old Square)

[B.C Driver]

Simon,

When will the Minories close, to save money?

LS.

I hope it doesnt close, it makes life easier or drivers to sign on without having to trek to the garage.

[Ex BC driver]

Simon,

When will the Minories close, to save money?

LS.

I hope it doesnt close, it makes life easier or drivers to sign on without having to trek to the garage.

You won't be saying that when you lose your walking time

[nitromatt1]

Hi Simon,

Just a small issue but one which has proved very annoying for me.

In the second half of the evening, the 9 has a half hour frequency, departing Stourbridge at 20 and 50 minutes past the hour. However, the final 9 departs Stourbridge at 23:45 - 5 minutes earlier than you'd expect it to. The other night I forgot that the last 9 runs 5 minutes early and just missed it, meaning I had to walk all the way home.

Would it be possible for the final 9 to depart at 23:50, not 23:45, so it fits the pattern and stops people from making the same mistake?

[Liverpool Street]

Hi Simon,

Just a small issue but one which has proved very annoying for me.

In the second half of the evening, the 9 has a half hour frequency, departing Stourbridge at 20 and 50 minutes past the hour. However, the final 9 departs Stourbridge at 23:45 - 5 minutes earlier than you'd expect it to. The other night I forgot that the last 9 runs 5 minutes early and just missed it, meaning I had to walk all the way home.

Would it be possible for the final 9 to depart at 23:50, not 23:45, so it fits the pattern and stops people from making the same mistake?

Go home earlier.

Or jump a taxi.

;)

[pb2012]

Hi simon?

Just wondering is what centro is saying that the 33 new buses provided for Coventry are also part of the 300 confirmed new buses that are due?

If so are the 19x BC, 5 x WA, 1xPN also part of this order, that would leave us with 216 buses for 2014/15 including the 26 due later this year?

Thanks.

[mistertee]

Hello, I have just discovered this site, and would like to thank everybody involved for their efforts in making it available. Hope this gets through this time...

My concern is about the proposal to join the 71A to the 638, and how this would work in practice given that both routes - for good reason in IMHO - go round Castle Vale in a clockwise loop. Heading from Sutton, the two routes do of course run into each other rather nicely, but in the other direction it doesn't work quite as well: running a 638 into a 71A at the Tyburn House would result in missing Castle Vale out altogether.

So assuming the combined route heads into Castle Vale via either Kingsbury or Chester Road, how does it get back out again?
Spitfire Island and Chester Road would be to go round a long circle and waste a lot of time;
The right turn from Yatesbury Avenue into Kingsbury Road didn't work last time, and nothing has changed since;
Minworth via Park Lane is a long way round, prone to disruption and would dictate use of single-deckers.
I was told it had been a long-standing ambition of the company to use double-deckers on the 71, and given that they re-appeared on the 71A after the changes in June I take it this is still valid?

My latest journey on a 71A, on Saturday afternoon from Sutton Parade, was typical in that the bus arrived at the stop seconds after a 71 had left, carrying nearly all the people who had been waiting. When we passed the other 71A, heading in the opposite direction, that too was trailing a 71 which again would have taken all the waiting trade - there being very few places for buses to pass. Of course, for three months of the year one of the 71As is doomed anyway because it is actually timetabled to be right behind a 71. I'm sure if all the buses left Sutton on time the 71A would see improved numbers; either way both variants should be considered together, rather than as separate routes.

For me, the 71A is there to provide capacity and reliability to the 71 and so am concerned about changes which may affect these factors. The 71 is far too long a route, and passes through too many congested areas, to be operating reliably (if at all) by the time it gets to Sutton, so it would be bad news if the 71A were also to import delays from further afield. The 71A is used for journeys to school from the western end of Castle Vale, as it is far quicker than the 71; what would be the effect on these users of any change, for example?

The 71A may well be something and nothing, but I think it most important that the role it does play continues beyond any proposed changes. The danger is that if the combined route doesn't work out the 71 gets overloaded and all three routes get messed up, and buses stuck in traffic in Castle Vale means no service in and out of Sutton - particularly in the evening peak.

Following on, what are the plans for the 71/71A/72 for Autumn? Haven't these routes been messed around enough already in the last few years?

Oh, and one last thing. Wouldn't a Sutton - Castle Vale - Erdington route take the number 68?? To go with 66, 67, that kind of thing.