Loss of patronage

[Liverpool Street]

I must admit I avoid Pershore Road buses at all costs!

For the reasons I posted above or...

Please, I'd really like to know what real people think about that law-awful stretch!

[PM]

On the BR, the best way to avoid all that used to be Thandi, Diamond, Travel Express, Midland Rider but now FMR and DTS are the only way forward!!!!!

[Liverpool Street]

On the BR, the best way to avoid all that used to be Thandi, Diamond, Travel Express, Midland Rider but now FMR and DTS are the only way forward!!!!!

I wouldn't be so sure... there's some animals that use FMR.....

[PM]

On the BR, the best way to avoid all that used to be Thandi, Diamond, Travel Express, Midland Rider but now FMR and DTS are the only way forward!!!!!

I wouldn't be so sure... there's some animals that use FMR.....

You think?! I always think they're better than NXWM and similarly the 98 is nicer than the 61/3 as a lot of the undesirables are yet to work out where it goes!! X64 the worst though...

[Liverpool Street]

On the BR, the best way to avoid all that used to be Thandi, Diamond, Travel Express, Midland Rider but now FMR and DTS are the only way forward!!!!!

I wouldn't be so sure... there's some animals that use FMR.....

You think?! I always think they're better than NXWM and similarly the 98 is nicer than the 61/3 as a lot of the undesirables are yet to work out where it goes!! X64 the worst though...

Hahahaha!! You're right! That's excellent - they haven't anything between the ears to realise the 98 stops outside the job centre, walking time for Mr. Tracksuit.

I would say the X64 has improved but then I realised - Bartley Green.......... no chance.

[Mike K]

I must admit I avoid Pershore Road buses at all costs!

For the reasons I posted above or...

Please, I'd really like to know what real people think about that law-awful stretch!

I was brought up in Stirchley and the routes were always ok in those days. Mind you those were the days when it was the 41, 45 and 47, and it was operated by NOV---G and SDA6--S Fleetlines...

[PM]

On the BR, the best way to avoid all that used to be Thandi, Diamond, Travel Express, Midland Rider but now FMR and DTS are the only way forward!!!!!

I wouldn't be so sure... there's some animals that use FMR.....

You think?! I always think they're better than NXWM and similarly the 98 is nicer than the 61/3 as a lot of the undesirables are yet to work out where it goes!! X64 the worst though...

Hahahaha!! You're right! That's excellent - they haven't anything between the ears to realise the 98 stops outside the job centre, walking time for Mr. Tracksuit.

I would say the X64 has improved but then I realised - Bartley Green.......... no chance.

Lol-the thing that really confuses people about the X64 is that it doesn't go to Northfield. And no, I wouldn't have said it had improved by the last time I used it, admittedly a while back. With FMR you get nicer buses and far nicer passengers plus journeys are faster. Pity they stopped accepting Centro passes imo. I reckon if First got their act together on the 144 by re-launching with new buses, leather seats, wi-fi, accepting centro passes and doing returns for within the B'ham border, a lot of the more savvy BR bus users would switch.

[monkeyjoe]

Thought I was reading the Brum version of the Daily Mail in this post my mistake lol.

[trident4370]

I must admit I avoid Pershore Road buses at all costs!

For the reasons I posted above or...

Please, I'd really like to know what real people think about that law-awful stretch!

It's a mixture of reasons really, pretty much all of your list! If I'm not in a rush the train is pretty much the way forward although sometimes the 146. Smoking is a problem for me (health issues), but you run that risk with pretty much every double decker route, not just Pershore. The traffic doesn't help things that way either, especially when the Cricket is on at Edgbaston. I've never really noticed a feet on seats problem on Pershores but usually that's because the bus is too full anyway!
I haven't used it since the new changes came into effect though.

[sonic84]

On the BR, the best way to avoid all that used to be Thandi, Diamond, Travel Express, Midland Rider but now FMR and DTS are the only way forward!!!!!

I wouldn't be so sure... there's some animals that use FMR.....

You think?! I always think they're better than NXWM and similarly the 98 is nicer than the 61/3 as a lot of the undesirables are yet to work out where it goes!! X64 the worst though...

I always catch the 98 into Birmingham.  I will actually check my NWM app to make sure I get to the stop for when it is due, and if I miss it I would rather wait another 20 minutes for the next one than brave the 61/63.

People have actually laughed at the fact I only get the 98 from Northfield to Birmingham and vice versa, but it does genuinely feel safer on there!

[j789]

[/quote]

Lol-the thing that really confuses people about the X64 is that it doesn't go to Northfield. And no, I wouldn't have said it had improved by the last time I used it, admittedly a while back. With FMR you get nicer buses and far nicer passengers plus journeys are faster. Pity they stopped accepting Centro passes imo. I reckon if First got their act together on the 144 by re-launching with new buses, leather seats, wi-fi, accepting centro passes and doing returns for within the B'ham border, a lot of the more savvy BR bus users would switch.
[/quote]

First do do a return fair within the West Mids borders it costs £2.90, quite a few passengers get them especially in the morning. And n network tickets are still accepted, just not nbus. It was a shame when the frequency got decreased to every 30 mins from every 20, it would be good to have a bit more of a presence on that corridor though. We get a fair few passengers who specifically wait for 144, even though these days I don't think there is much time difference between us and NXWM to Rubery.

[PM]

I genuinely didn't know that so thanks j789. Pity nbus is no longer accepted though and I agree it was a shame when the frequency dropped. Do you know when that was, before or after diamond came off the 144?

[j789]

It was after. It certainly wasn't all bad though as the frequency between Worcester and Catshill was increased to every 15 mins at the same time.

[monkeyjoe]

Would people think the yardley wood rd routes 2/3 or 2/13 would be a contender once operated by 6 mins frq mini buses now 10 mins double decks.

[sonic84]

The 144 was reduced to every 30 minutes to Birmingham, at a time when the 143 was extended back to Birmingham, although this was on an hourly basis.

From memory, the timings of the hourly 143 and the 144 were very similar, and this all happened at the time when NXWM launched the X62, which I'm sure must have impacted on First's loadings between Longbridge and Birmingham, even if the loadings weren't up the NXWM expectations at the time.