Untimetabled 'E' Workings

[P419 EJW]

4190 is working an 6E to Mere Green. Just left Walsall.

[John]

4190 is working an 6E to Mere Green. Just left Walsall.

It was 10 minutes late leaving on its trip before, as it left with 4189 on the 7 at 3.40pm. I reckon Mill Street roadworks are holding them up

[CL]

4879 was doing a 24E to Four Dwellings when I passed it around 10 minutes ago..

[Stu]

Travelled home this evening on 6712 which was doing a 957E to Sheldon Wheatsheaf.

[Gareth]

Not sure if it's timetabled or not, but certainly one I haven't seen for a long time. 14E Lea Hall. Seen this afternoon at Saltley Gate.

[Squiz1971]

I saw a 14E to Marston Green yesterday on Priory Queensway around 15:30 while waiting for the 72E to Castle Brom (which is timetabled)

[Sh4318]

4751 on a 87E to Tividale. Saw on Oldbury Road about 6:40

[Lukeee]

Unidentified 47xx on an 87E to Tividale about 14:00 near sand Pitts

[2206]

In Sutton at about 16:30, 4920 - 905E Mere Green

[Michael Bevan]

4810 left Birmingham City Centre at 17:45 on a 904E to Sutton Coldfield.

[GeminiFan1991]

17E - Green Lane
97E - Stechford

[Michael Bevan]

With the Walsall Road being a mess again today, I saw quite a few buses being adjusted. I also saw a few 997E's to ASDA Queslett and 51E's to Great Barr Scott Arms.

[Westy]

Are these extra buses on route or does this mean buses are missing from other parts of the route while these 'adjustments' are made?

[GeminiFan1991]

Are these extra buses on route or does this mean buses are missing from other parts of the route while these 'adjustments' are made?

It's usually the latter,

When they reach their "E" destination the bus will run empty to further up the route and take up service which usually circumnavigates the time lost to usually traffic.

[Stu]

It's usually the latter,

When they reach their "E" destination the bus will run empty to further up the route and take up service which usually circumnavigates the time lost to usually traffic.

Or they just turn around and take up the return journey from that point, hopefully getting them back on time, eg any -E journey to Camp Hill Island, Bull Ring Markets or Solihull Touchwood Centre.

Are these extra buses on route or does this mean buses are missing from other parts of the route while these 'adjustments' are made?

The 37E is a good example to demonstrate how adjustments can be made without using extra vehicles, though I am sure in some cases extra vehicles do get sent out. For example, lets say traffic is really bad in and out of city centre (so could be any day really lol), and there are already three 37s crawling through the city centre and Digbeth, which means the outward journeys are getting more delayed, gaps are appearing, passengers are building up at stops and getting angry and frustrated. You could just keep sending more and more 37s into the city to get stuck too, or if you turn one or two at Camp Hill Island, you get an empty bus that can pick up a large number of passengers that have been waiting for ages. The alternative is to just leave things, in which case those buses are already full when they leave the city because of the huge numbers of waiting passengers, which makes passengers who have been waiting for ages further down the route even more angry when a rammed full bus sails past them.

Buses stuck at one end of the route, are essentially believed to be 'missing' anyway in the opinion of the passengers at the other end of the route!  ;D