Dead Mileage

[Steve3229vp]

Since the closure of NXWM garage (most recently Lea Hall) how much dead mileage does NXWM have each day?  Some routes must have lots of dead mileage e.g the 94 as it is from Perry Barr garage !!

[JoNi]

Many dead runs at the start and ends of days have been livened up in Coventry to get fuel duty rebate. Dunno if this is the case elsewhere.

[bususer12]

Many dead runs at the start and ends of days have been livened up in Coventry to get fuel duty rebate. Dunno if this is the case elsewhere.

What do you mean Livened up?

[JoNi]

In years gone by last journeys to Coventry suburbs (2 to Cheylesmore, 7 to Brownshill Green as examples) invariably came back dead (empty) to Wheatley Street garage. These now run in live (in service) hence they have been livened up. It is a well used phrase amongst my circle of friends.

[Stuharris 6360]

Its amazing how much dead mileage there is and how some of it could be saved with a little thought,

eg: 246/222/205  take up and finish service service at Russells Hall Hospital
     
     

[Liverpool Street]

BC's 58, 59, 60, 900, 957, 97 most first journeys start from Adderley Street or in the 97, Great Barr Street. Then they've timed it so minimal journeys have to start at the outer termini. I guess garages such as YW and PE have the most dead mileage due to the location of the depot.

[Liberator9]

YW does have a lot of dead mileage; certainly on the 76 and 6 routes. The 76 tend to finish service at the Q.E or Solihull(or Kings Heath); and they start at Q.E and Solihull, apart from two services that start at Haunch Lane in the morning. Going down to Solihull they tend to run down from Robin Hood Island, along Solihull Lane and Streetsbrook Road. The 6 usually start & finish at Solihull and also come in at Haslucks Green Road (island) and just north of Robin Hood Island at Hall Green. 6pm onwards tend to see a large no' of 6s coming back along Robin Hood Lane,Highfield Lane and School Road to YW.

[lynx1103]

Walsall most route for dead millege is the 4 journeys running dead to and from

West Bromwich
Blackheath
Cradley Heath
Merry hill

X51

Cannock
Birmingham

997

Pheasey

10

Burntwood
Brownhills

[YWDriver]

The biggest dead mileage at YW is the 18 and 49 (Bartley Green and Weoley Castle respectively). Quite a few of the 18's now start and finish at the garage but a few still run to and from BG dead. As said, the 6's come on at Solihull, School Road and the Shirley tesco (the 6 relief point for anyone interested). A few 6's also come on at Stoney Lane and run from the garage down the number 2/3 route to join the Stratford Road.

Nearly all 76's come on at Solihull apart from the couple that start at Haunch Lane (mainly to help with the school rushes of a morning and afternoon). A few do come off at the QE in the evening which is a long run back to garage.

And then we have the Hawksley routes (35/27/84).

Edit: Forgot to mention there is a board on weekday afternoons that runs dead to Light Hall School, completes an 863 to the garage and then runs dead to Bartley Green to do an 18A back to the garage again before swapping driver and then running dead into city to come out as a 35. This then runs to Hawksley and then runs dead back to garage ! Lots of dead running on that one !

[Liberator9]

Wow, that latter board has a lot of dead mileage. There's also the morning board on a weekday morning with the 76E and 863. The bus (usually a trident although the odd Enviro turns up) runs dead from YW to Solihull Station to pick the 07:27 76E departure from Solihull Station. It then runs through to Kings Heath Vicarage Road. After that it runs dead to the garage and then becomes the 863 to Light Hall School. I don't know what happens then; but possibly it runs dead back to the garage or takes up service on another route.

[Liverpool Street]

Naturally, the one or two 900 boards from BC which start/finish at Coventry are the largest dead.

[Tony]

Naturally, the one or two 900 boards from BC which start/finish at Coventry are the largest dead.

Not as good as when I was on the 900 rota at Walsall running DP metrobuses up down the M6 at 65mph between Walsall & Coventry

[YWDriver]

Wow, that latter board has a lot of dead mileage. There's also the morning board on a weekday morning with the 76E and 863. The bus (usually a trident although the odd Enviro turns up) runs dead from YW to Solihull Station to pick the 07:27 76E departure from Solihull Station. It then runs through to Kings Heath Vicarage Road. After that it runs dead to the garage and then becomes the 863 to Light Hall School. I don't know what happens then; but possibly it runs dead back to the garage or takes up service on another route.

It does pick up another service but for the life of me I can't remember it at the moment, the bus is back at garage at 0955 in any case.

[fleetline6477]

There is obviously a fuel cost involved in dead mileage, but dead mileage will be the most direct route practical for a bus and quicker than running in service.

If instead of running dead a bus runs in service there will be possible layover time and the route will most probably incur more fuel, waiting at timing points, longer hours for the driver (although I realise he/she will not get more / less than the 7h 36 pay for the day). On the counter side to this there may be increased revenue.

I'm sure it balances out in the end.

[Westy]

In a similar vein, why were certain services in the late 80's / early 90's transferred to Metrowest, but some others wasn't?

(The one's I'm thinking of, for example, that wasn't transferred, were the old 247 & 248 which were operated by WB I believe)

Was Metrowest owned by TWM at that point?

You had all those long routes operated mainly by Wolverhampton & West Bromwich, plus Walsall's Dudley routes that extended to Stourbridge & Merry Hill.

Why didn't TWM open a new Dudley area depot sooner rather than later?

What was the story with Metrowest ownership anyway?