Average ages, 19/11/13

[uniquicity]

Based on the October fleet changes plus 4919-23 in service at PB, 1658, 1676, 4003 and 4075 withdrawn, 4104 YW-AG, 4310/11 YW-WN, 4346/50 YW-PE and 4718-20 & 4732 PB-YW.

[Liverpool Street]

Cheers for this Pete, much obliged.

In addition; you did put 4315 back into BC? I know you said October fleet changes but just double checking. :)

[uniquicity]

Cheers for this Pete, much obliged.

In addition; you did put 4315 back into BC? I know you said October fleet changes but just double checking. :)

Yes I did ;)

[PM]

This is really useful so thanks :)  I can't see that bordesley will have the newest fleet for very much longer if and when walsall get new enviro200s

[winston]

This is really useful so thanks :)  I can't see that bordesley will have the newest fleet for very much longer if and when walsall get new enviro200s

Chances are once PB receive all their E400's they will overtake both BC & WA to have the second youngest fleet. Even Pensnett is up there compared with WB

[Stuharris 6360]

This is really useful so thanks :)  I can't see that bordesley will have the newest fleet for very much longer if and when walsall get new enviro200s

Chances are once PB receive all their E400's they will overtake both BC & WA to have the second youngest fleet. Even Pensnett is up there compared with WB

to me Bordesley is a bit of a red herring, they only have vehicles of one type so they are always going to be well up on the list, they have no older buses to bring them down.

[PM]

WB seriously needs some investment as other than a few enviros it last saw geminis well over 6 years ago. Most of the fleet is just tatty mercs, b6s and alx400s.

[Stuharris 6360]

WB seriously needs some investment as other than a few enviros it last saw geminis well over 6 years ago. Most of the fleet is just tatty mercs, b6s and alx400s.

and Presidents, yes they have been done up, but heavy investment is needed at WB.

[wilmotm (Matt Wilmot)]

WB seriously needs some investment as other than a few enviros it last saw geminis well over 6 years ago. Most of the fleet is just tatty mercs, b6s and alx400s.

WB will certainly be one to watch in the next year or two, I personally don't think its too bad though, and if WB are NXBuses worst garage then I personally think well done NX as a lot of the other major operators around the country have some far worse fleets in operation

[Stu]

Would Acocks Green be much further down the list if they didn't have all those old Presidents?

Looking at the list, it does appear that WB should be near the top when it comes to the next allocation of new buses, especially considering some of the promises made at the Sandwell Review regarding new/refurbished buses.

Rather than the Soho Road though, maybe new buses for the 82/87 as well as the 127/128/129, could see Geminis 'upgrading' the 74/75 services?

[winston]

Would Acocks Green be much further down the list if they didn't have all those old Presidents?

Looking at the list, it does appear that WB should be near the top when it comes to the next allocation of new buses, especially considering some of the promises made at the Sandwell Review regarding new/refurbished buses.

Rather than the Soho Road though, maybe new buses for the 82/87 as well as the 127/128/129, could see Geminis 'upgrading' the 74/75 services?

If AG didn't have all those Presidents I would have thought they would be further down the list, the Presidents account for 40% of AG's total allocation

WB are due £3 million of new fleet investment in 2014, but that isn't likely to amount to sufficient new buses to upgrade any of those double deck routes. I suspect WB will be receiving more new Midis i.e. E200's to see off the remaining B6LE & Dart/ALX200's

[Gareth]

It's excellent to have a fleet average at less than 8 1/2 years. Even WB at around 10years isn't too bad.
Older members of the group will remember the time when WMT were striving for a 12year fleet average!

[winston]

It's excellent to have a fleet average at less than 8 1/2 years. Even WB at around 10years isn't too bad.
Older members of the group will remember the time when WMT were striving for a 12year fleet average!

Definitely, and it will improve further still come June 2015 once all 300 new buses have entered the fleet and seen off all the remaining B6LE, B10L, Mercs, Spectra's etc

[Stuharris 6360]

I wonder how many of the 300 buses will be single deckers, we know that WA have put in a bid for some Enviro 200s, and presumably WN will need some singles as well, but are most of them expected to be Double Deckers.

[winston]

I wonder how many of the 300 buses will be single deckers, we know that WA have put in a bid for some Enviro 200s, and presumably WN will need some singles as well, but are most of them expected to be Double Deckers.

At present there are the following single deckers left in the NXWM fleet which may be replaced by June 2015:

5 x Solos
34 x B6LE
27 x B10L
115 x Mercs
8 x Dart SLF/ALX200's

A number of those will no doubt be replaced by cascaded double deckers, although WA have put in a bid it doesn't mean that they will get what they want. WA could have bid for 25 x E200's from a total of say 40 on order. It may be that no new full size single deckers are on order for 2014 which is why WA are potentially looking to replace B10L's with E200's