Diamond West Midlands - Kidderminster

[StourportSam]

X637 AKW in service in Kidderminster today, on the 292. This means I must have been correct in sighting it the other day.
It has a DIAMOND logo on the front, but the back and sides have blue diamond logos in white but with the 'blue' wording removed, making the bus look rather odd. Good to see another full size dart in service at Kidderminster.

30500 MW52 PZR was in service today on the 294, so is no longer VOR.

T418 MNH is still in service in red and white, on the 2 today.

30406 YN08 NXL is still making welcome appearances on the X3.

KU52 RYN and YJ06 YPU are still VOR. These have now been rejoined by V654 HEC which has presumably re-emerged from the garage.

[StourportSam]

Didn't see 30406 today, so it may have left Kidderminster.

[iamwilljh92]

Wouldn't be surprised as it was noted down at the depot as "On loan - Tividale"

[jc]

30406 on the 146 this morning, so appears on loan to Redditch, 30828 still remains too.

[StourportSam]

V654 HEC is back in service.

[winston]

Tony's latest picture of 20854 paints a good picture of the need for bigger buses on the X3

http://wmbusphotos.com/diamondpages/20854.html

[Tony]

Tony's latest picture of 20854 paints a good picture of the need for bigger buses on the X3

http://wmbusphotos.com/diamondpages/20854.html

There were actually more passengers than that. That photograph was taken while it was failing to start. An engineer appeared in the service van to jump start it, and when it did leave other passengers who were waiting off the bus got on and it left with about 8 standing

[winston]

Tony's latest picture of 20854 paints a good picture of the need for bigger buses on the X3

http://wmbusphotos.com/diamondpages/20854.html

There were actually more passengers than that. That photograph was taken while it was failing to start. An engineer appeared in the service van to jump start it, and when it did leave other passengers who were waiting off the bus got on and it left with about 8 standing

From your obs, it definitely suggests that higher quality / full size buses would make a big impact / increase carrying capacity of the route, shame no more of the ex Transdev B7RLE are available. I'd have though that the X3 must be one of KR's profitable routes with those kind of loadings 

[PM]

Tony's latest picture of 20854 paints a good picture of the need for bigger buses on the X3

http://wmbusphotos.com/diamondpages/20854.html

There were actually more passengers than that. That photograph was taken while it was failing to start. An engineer appeared in the service van to jump start it, and when it did leave other passengers who were waiting off the bus got on and it left with about 8 standing

From your obs, it definitely suggests that higher quality / full size buses would make a big impact / increase carrying capacity of the route, shame no more of the ex Transdev B7RLE are available. I'd have though that the X3 must be one of KR's profitable routes with those kind of loadings

I agree about bigger buses being needed. Personally I feel Kidderminster has far far too many MPDs but having said that there are a fair few full size darts there so why aren't they being used on the X3? Hopefully things will change with the implementation of the network review but the X3 is mostly OAPs on a long route so may not actually be that profitable...

[winston]

Tony's latest picture of 20854 paints a good picture of the need for bigger buses on the X3

http://wmbusphotos.com/diamondpages/20854.html

There were actually more passengers than that. That photograph was taken while it was failing to start. An engineer appeared in the service van to jump start it, and when it did leave other passengers who were waiting off the bus got on and it left with about 8 standing

From your obs, it definitely suggests that higher quality / full size buses would make a big impact / increase carrying capacity of the route, shame no more of the ex Transdev B7RLE are available. I'd have though that the X3 must be one of KR's profitable routes with those kind of loadings

I agree about bigger buses being needed. Personally I feel Kidderminster has far far too many MPDs but having said that there are a fair few full size darts there so why aren't they being used on the X3? Hopefully things will change with the implementation of the network review but the X3 is mostly OAPs on a long route so may not actually be that profitable...

A cramped MPD with Urban 90 seats would certainly discourage potentially new passengers using the route.
The other alternative may be whether the frequency of the X3 could be increased to try and grow patronage along the route and smaller buses could still be utilized in the interim. 

[PM]

Tony's latest picture of 20854 paints a good picture of the need for bigger buses on the X3

http://wmbusphotos.com/diamondpages/20854.html

There were actually more passengers than that. That photograph was taken while it was failing to start. An engineer appeared in the service van to jump start it, and when it did leave other passengers who were waiting off the bus got on and it left with about 8 standing

From your obs, it definitely suggests that higher quality / full size buses would make a big impact / increase carrying capacity of the route, shame no more of the ex Transdev B7RLE are available. I'd have though that the X3 must be one of KR's profitable routes with those kind of loadings

I agree about bigger buses being needed. Personally I feel Kidderminster has far far too many MPDs but having said that there are a fair few full size darts there so why aren't they being used on the X3? Hopefully things will change with the implementation of the network review but the X3 is mostly OAPs on a long route so may not actually be that profitable...

A cramped MPD with Urban 90 seats would certainly discourage potentially new passengers using the route.
The other alternative may be whether the frequency of the X3 could be increased to try and grow patronage along the route and smaller buses could still be utilized in the interim.

I agree and I think upping the frequency could be a good move. The problem is at rotala that there are far far too many smaller buses. No more MPDs need to enter service as I really question which routes they can be used on with the exception of tendered services. With some buses presumably to be withdrawn after being retained short term to speed up repaints I would like to see a withdrawal of the red diamond MPDs combined with the acquisition of more large single deck buses such as e300s and b7rles to enable more full size darts currently at Redditch to move over to Kidderminster

[StourportSam]

^^^Completely agree with all of the above about 20854 and the need for larger buses on the 3/X3^^^

I couldn't see 30445 in Kidderminster depot today (It sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the sea of blue and two First liveried darts) so it may have gone for repaint finally.

Posts merged due to double posting

[winston]

Does anyone have any idea which are the busiest sections of the X3?

At the very least without any extra larger buses allocated to KR, KR should ensure that the X3 is always allocated full size Darts and the more frequent 3's MPD's if nothing bigger is available due to that routes higher frequency

[tank90]

Does anyone have any idea which are the busiest sections of the X3?

At the very least without any extra larger buses allocated to KR, KR should ensure that the X3 is always allocated full size Darts and the more frequent 3's MPD's if nothing bigger is available due to that routes higher frequency

Redditch to Bromsgrove is high due to it being quicker than the 142/143/145.
and i think the 3 section is high too.

[winston]

Does anyone have any idea which are the busiest sections of the X3?

At the very least without any extra larger buses allocated to KR, KR should ensure that the X3 is always allocated full size Darts and the more frequent 3's MPD's if nothing bigger is available due to that routes higher frequency

Redditch to Bromsgrove is high due to it being quicker than the 142/143/145.
and i think the 3 section is high too.

Cheers Dan,
I wonder if there would be scope to curtail the X3 between Redditch & Kidderminster bus station only, enhance the frequency to half hourly, reliability would be increased due to it being a shorter route and not getting delayed around the Stourport area. Then have the existing 3's & a new 3A once an hour to cover the Kidderminster General Hospital section previously covered by the X3.

I can't really see many passengers traveling right through from Redditch to The Walshes, would many people from Redditch or Bromsgrove be inconvenienced if they lost a direct link to Kidderminster General hospital?