Diamond West Midlands - Kidderminster

[winston]

20164 operating from Kidderminster?
Has this transferred over?

I'd expect it is a transfer, this is the bus that was involved in the accident in Tipton where the child died. 

[Westy]

I'd expect it is a transfer, this is the bus that was involved in the accident in Tipton where the child died.

Surprised it wasn't renumbered, like the NX one, but each to his own.

[BlackCountryBusSpotter]

Surprised it wasn't renumbered, like the NX one, but each to his own.

I think the NX one was because she was murdered on the bus, NX buses in the last couple of years have been involved In fatal crashes and haven't been renumbered, 4443/47 in WN hit an old man, plus a BC E400 that hit a kid On a Scooter, It was probably transferred as it was highly unlikely any Kidderminster driver would have known 20164 was involved in an incident in Tipton let alone that resulted in a death of a child.

[D10]

125 to go out to short term tender after Diamond have told Shropshire they want to withdraw it:

https://newsroom.shropshire.gov.uk/2025/01/shropshire-council-acts-to-save-125-bridgnorth-to-stourbridge-bus-service/

[Westy]

125 to go out to short term tender after Diamond have told Shropshire they want to withdraw it:

https://newsroom.shropshire.gov.uk/2025/01/shropshire-council-acts-to-save-125-bridgnorth-to-stourbridge-bus-service/

Could the tender be split up, eg run as Stourbridge to Kiddy or Bewdley & the rest as Kiddy/Bewdley to Bridgnorth, or has it got to be run as one service?

What do most people do between Stourbridge & Kiddy? Bus or train?

[2206]

Could the tender be split up, eg run as Stourbridge to Kiddy or Bewdley & the rest as Kiddy/Bewdley to Bridgnorth, or has it got to be run as one service?

What do most people do between Stourbridge & Kiddy? Bus or train?

Train.
There are 4 trains per hour, 7 days a week, starting early as 5AM & running as late as midnight & takes as little as 5-10 minutes.

The bus only runs hourly starting after 7 finishing rather early. Last one to Stourbridge at 17:40, no Sunday service. Its probably hard for the bus to compete with the train.

It's only the part beyond Bewdley towards Bridgnorth that falls in Shropshire as well.

[Budgie]

It's a route that often has newer buses on it as well so a real shame it doesn't work out, can't blame the quality of the buses or service frequency etc for this withdrawal.

[2206]

https://wmbusphotos.com/forum/index.php?topic=2074.msg339438#msg339438
21105 is tracking as being on the Bewdley Shuttle today.
According to one network the diversions in the Bewdley area are in place until the end of October.

I saw 21105 by the Silverwoods Way Aldi junction on the Stourport Road running dead back to the depot from Bewdley this afternoon as well.

[BK63 YWP]

Train.
There are 4 trains per hour, 7 days a week, starting early as 5AM & running as late as midnight & takes as little as 5-10 minutes.

The bus only runs hourly starting after 7 finishing rather early. Last one to Stourbridge at 17:40, no Sunday service. Its probably hard for the bus to compete with the train.

It's only the part beyond Bewdley towards Bridgnorth that falls in Shropshire as well.

Unfair comparison, not all bus services are to compete with the train... Number 9 is still going every 10 mins, starts earlier from Stourbridge and runs later in the evening (last bus roughly 1am) Not everyone on the 125 can access the rail stations easy. Not everyone goes termi to termi. Plus 125 goes into the town centre at Kidderminster. 

[2206]

Unfair comparison, not all bus services are to compete with the train... Number 9 is still going every 10 mins, starts earlier from Stourbridge and runs later in the evening (last bus roughly 1am) Not everyone on the 125 can access the rail stations easy. Not everyone goes termi to termi. Plus 125 goes into the town centre at Kidderminster.

They're hardly comparable operating areas.
I bet you most people on the 9 don't travel end to end and there's loads of places inbetween through a dense urban area.

With the 125 there's literally nothing (By that I mean fields etc not houses, shops, workplaces) all the way Broadwaters Park to an affluent area of Norton for most of the route.

And to be fair you can do that with rail and plus bus ticket and change onto the 52 etc as well.

[Westy]

They're hardly comparable operating areas.
I bet you most people on the 9 don't travel end to end and there's loads of places inbetween through a dense urban area.

With the 125 there's literally nothing (By that I mean fields etc not houses, shops, workplaces) all the way Broadwaters Park to an affluent area of Norton for most of the route.

And to be fair you can do that with rail and plus bus ticket and change onto the 52 etc as well.

I must admit I did do the 125 one day between Stourbridge & Bewdley & got caught in roadworks on the outskirts of Kiddy, back in Whittles days & ended up changing buses at Kiddy as a consquence!

Looking at Google Maps, could they divert off the A491 & serve Cookley, or if there's already a Cookley to Kiddy route, merge it with that instead?

(Or send it via Norton, 'bottom of' Wollaston , Stourton, then to Cookley onwards instead?)

The route north of Bewdley is another matter entirely.

[Rachvince53]

As the article only mentions the 125 between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, could it be that the Stourbridge to Kidderminster section would be retained commercially? 

[Simon Dunn]

As the article only mentions the 125 between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, could it be that the Stourbridge to Kidderminster section would be retained commercially?

For information.  Coming out of the COVID the recovery of passenger numbers on the 125 hasn't happened.  

What the article doesn't say is that Shropshire has provided financial support - which they have withdrawn from March.   There is on going dialogue about extending that.  

In the absence of support the corridor Kidderminster to Bewdley is over bussed.  The 8,125, 292 need to be reduced to make it work, but at the same time provide the connections that are needed.


Simon.

[Budgie]

Thanks for clarification Simon.  There is no way from the article you can tell financial support is offered as you say, it makes it look like it is fully commercial and bustimes hints that as well.

PD0001374/467 – bustimes.org

I guess there are multiple ways financial support can be offered which isn't considered a subsidy. Maybe as a bigger package?  Realise this might be commercially/contractually sensitive and nothing can be added to what is already provided. Just interesting to hear and very informative so thanks again.

[satters]

I bet you most people on the 9 don't travel end to end and there's loads of places inbetween through a dense urban area.
 
I commute from Lye to Birmingham on the 9, so not quite end to end but very nearly, true there are not so many passengers  that do the whole of the route as did in the days of the Midland Red 130, it however remains the cheapest option and works for all my shifts, which the railway does not, ironic since I work for the railway,

As the 125 is the only bus Stourbridge to Bridgnorth, and indeed Stourbridge to Kidderminster, it would be a great loss, cutting off access to onward services such as to Ludlow, admittedly it is not used by a great number of passengers, perhaps a little publicity might help there, a pity that retention of services by subsidy from all councils on the route is not considered important for the people of all communities,