(NXWM) coaches

[windy miller]

I have never really been 'into' coaches,(all a bit of a mystery to me i'm afraid) I assume the coach list prepared by tony is for NXWM OWNED buses only?I'm guessing there are/may be many other coach co/operators licenced to carry the Nat Ex logo? I was sure I saw another coach recently )on a '10' plate with the last 3 letters ?KN-definately carrying the NX branding.

[andy]

Can someone give a list of operators who have drivers based in this area on NX contracts please?

[winston]

National Express Sub Contractors in the West Midlands/surrounding areas are as follows:

Flights Hallmark (Long Acre Depot, Birmingham)
Mike de Courcey Travel (Miller Street coach depot, Birmingham)
Travelstar European (Walsall)
Whittles Bus & Coach (Kidderminster)

There is a Yahoo group dedicated to National Express coaches:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/national_express/

For a full list of sub contractors / fleetlists / NX diagrams operated by each operator I can recommend the recent HB Publications fleetbook

http://hbpub.co.uk/HB/national.htm

http://nxcoachblog.blogspot.co.uk/

[andy]

Thanks Winston I should have known it would be you, you are a mine of information!

[winston]

No worrries Andy, if you need to know anything else then let me know as my main interest is the National Express Group

[nx4737]

Anyone know who operates the Penzance - Glasgow service? 336 I think it is.

[winston]

The 336 is operated by Bruce Coaches, Salsburgh

According to the HB Publication NX Fleetlist, the NX336 operates between Plymouth & Edinburgh though

[windy miller]

Q for winston.my original post was are all national express branded coaches owned by NXWM or is the logo carried by any operator authorised to use it?  I think what stu was trying to establish was whether NX have a data base for contracting drivers?

[winston]

NXWM don't own any National Express liveried coaches

NX coaches have owned operations which are the one's listed on Tony's site; these are based at the following four sites:

Crawley (NX Coaches)
Sipson Road, West Drayton (Hotel Hoppa & NX coaches)
Start Hill, Stansted (NX Coaches)
Stansted Airport (Park & Ride / airport transfer work)

NX Group also own Airlinks based at Gatwick Airport which operate airport transfers airside & landside

NX only operate/supply the vehicles on NX routes operated from Crawley, Sipson Road & Start Hill depots. In the main NX choose to sub contract out the routes to various coach operators located around the country, the coach operators themselves own the vehicles that are painted in NX livery. The coaches used have to be to NX spec interior, an NX approved model, maximum 7 years old etc

Coach operators providing coaches for the network have to meet strict NX performance standards/targets which are regularly checked & enforced

NX group tend to place bulk orders for coaches, therefore passing on the discount to the individual sub contractors when updating/adding to their NX fleet. The current favoured type is Volvo B9R / Caetano Levante II

[nx4737]

The 336 is operated by Bruce Coaches, Salsburgh

According to the HB Publication NX Fleetlist, the NX336 operates between Plymouth & Edinburgh though

Thanks!

Oh that's right, I tough it was Glasgow because that's where I chose to get off... I couldn't handle another hour to Glasgow.

[4504]

My main interests are trains, then buses, never really seen the appeal of a coach

[BN]

I believe the main reason behind the Levante choice was because of the best deal. Order 10 get 1 free hense the infux of new vehicles within the last 12 months to the Nat Ex own ops fleet. I thik own ops is about 150 vehicles?

[winston]

I was under the impression one of the main reasons was Irizar's refusal to re-design the front door layout to accommodate the magic-floor wheelchair lifts, Scania / Irizar PB's were the order of the day before the Levante

[windy miller]

winston. thanks for the info on NX. The info you gave clearly suggests that tonys coach list,(although very informative) would only apply to NX branded (and owned) vehicles operating to/from a very narrow geographic ,ie Crawley,Drayton, and Stansted/Airport. How many of these vehicles are we likely to see at Digbeth? obviously not the hoppa's, but I'm sure I have seen many Irizar's in the C series ,some of which may have been under WM control for a while around 2004?

[winston]

Windy,

Yes Tony's Coach fleetlist under NXWM includes owned operations (Crawley, Sipson Road & Start Hill) & Airlinks vehicles (based at gatwick Airport) which are all part of NX UK Bus & Coach division

You will see NX owned operations coaches in Digbeth on certain diagrams mainly on routes 210, 410 & 420, there are possibly others which pass through as well, NX ops vehicles are distinctive as they have the garage codes as part of their fleet numbers i.e. CY, SH & SR

There is also the NX contractors folder on Tony's main page (at the bottom)

Yes TWM did operate 10 x Scania/Irizar PB's in NX livery from Birmingham Central depot prior to transferring to Veolia Birmingham depot. Prior to Veolia setting up in Birmingham, much of the Birmingham NX diagrams / vehicles were provided by The Birmingham Coach Company