late running diamonds

[the trainbasher]

Seeing as NXWM has a late running thread I thought one here would be useful ( there again the amount of times the diamond routes I have to catch are late, I forsee it becoming bigger than the NXWM one!)

To start

1750 226 10 late and counting

[vinh1000]

The 22:30 to sutton 71 has been late 15 minspast 2 days

[broma1k]

I catch the 22:17, 71 from Sutton early in the week & although the bus usually arrives before the departure time always leaves 8-10 min late & then embarks on a race to catch up.

[nitromatt1]

I've just seen four 002s heading to the Castle within the space of 25 minutes - in true Diamond fashion!

[Stu]

Seeing as NXWM has a late running thread I thought one here would be useful ( there again the amount of times the diamond routes I have to catch are late, I forsee it becoming bigger than the NXWM one!)

To start

1750 226 10 late and counting

To be fair, I started the 'Late running services' thread with a report of a school service running over an hour late, and then some others joined in with some other spectacular late runnings. It's not my fault that after that people just started reporting buses that were a few minutes late! Buses run late, it's a fact!  :P

[nitromatt1]

Seeing as NXWM has a late running thread I thought one here would be useful ( there again the amount of times the diamond routes I have to catch are late, I forsee it becoming bigger than the NXWM one!)

To start

1750 226 10 late and counting

To be fair, I started the 'Late running services' thread with a report of a school service running over an hour late, and then some others joined in with some other spectacular late runnings. It's not my fault that after that people just started reporting buses that were a few minutes late! Buses run late, it's a fact!  :P

Yes, I think someone reported one being 6 minutes late in there  ::)

One of the few things I admire about NX, though, is the rarity with which buses run early. At infrequent times, the earliest I've seen a 9 leave a timing point is by 2 minutes.

[the trainbasher]

Whereas the 226 is regularly late for no reason whatsoever. In fact I had to wait for one once which left merry hill over half hour late, in fact the next one was due to arrive 5 minutes after the one I got eventually left (and that was on the evening service too!)

And the 002 almost always leaves merry hill in pairs. It's no wonder people get annoyed waiting for diamond services that's almost always late.

In fact I'm sure today was the first Sunday where all three buses on the diamond 226 was on time!!

[Steve6544]

Today I was in merryhill at about 14:30 and two 002s arrived one after the other ! no service for about 40 minutes as both drivers were out of sight not even on the bus or in the cab !

[the trainbasher]

Whereas the 226 is regularly late for no reason whatsoever. In fact I had to wait for one once which left merry hill over half hour late, in fact the next one was due to arrive 5 minutes after the one I got eventually left (and that was on the evening service too!)

And the 002 almost always leaves merry hill in pairs. It's no wonder people get annoyed waiting for diamond services that's almost always late.

In fact I'm sure today was the first Sunday where all three buses on the diamond 226 was on time!!

If Sunday 226's are still running they must be running months late litrrally as it has been the 226W for months :p

226/226W then if you intend to be perdantic

[nitromatt1]

Today I was in merryhill at about 14:30 and two 002s arrived one after the other ! no service for about 40 minutes as both drivers were out of sight not even on the bus or in the cab !

I doubt that sincerely.

And I wasn't being PEdantic-it was humour.

I don't doubt it at all knowing how Diamond behave on the 002

[Steve6544]

I was there 1400 to 1500 and around those times there were two 002s there

[Steve6544]

this a according to my nextdoor neighbour as they were wating for the bus and I was at sainsburs and burgerking then

[nitromatt1]

Today I was in merryhill at about 14:30 and two 002s arrived one after the other ! no service for about 40 minutes as both drivers were out of sight not even on the bus or in the cab !

I doubt that sincerely.

And I wasn't being PEdantic-it was humour.

I don't doubt it at all knowing how Diamond behave on the 002

Well they turn up, unlike TGB and have a timetable. Of course routes like the 002 and 226 are going to suffer delays as are NX routes like the 244.

I just fail to understand how at 2:30, when one would have just arrived, another would arrive. Are you seriously telling me on a Sunday, the 2 o'clock 002 would have been running 30 minutes late. Even if that is as you say, there would have been another 002 30 mins after that. So the claim "no service for 40 minutes" is stretching the boundaries of credibility. I can guarantee that you didn't witness this-it is merely an interpretation and exaggeration of someone else's post.

Quite the opposite I'm afraid, you'll wait ages for a Diamond 002 and then two will come along at once, with a third not far behind. Diamond have no concept of sticking to a timetable on the 002. TGB meanwhile run to the timetable and collect the passengers who have given up waiting for a 002. In my eyes Diamond are easy competition on the 002 and I hope TGB take advantage of their poor reputation amongst the users of the route

[Trident 4609]

this a according to my nextdoor neighbour as they were wating for the bus and I was at sainsburs and burgerking then

I didn't think "Sainsburs" had a Burger King Outlet inside? How can you be in two places at once?

I did see a 002 go down Manor Way about 14:28 as i got off 30824 by Cloister Drive (Sandvik) and got onto the 9 behind. Looking at the online timetable the 002 is due at 08 and 38 from Manor Way towards MH so whether the 14:08 (Running 20 minutes late) was still parked up when the next one pulled in at Merry Hill?

[fleetline6477]

The main problems with 002 has always been tight running times and a lack of layover time at both Weoley Castle and Merry Hill. At one time, and this may have changed, buses only had 1 or 2 minutes turn around time, it often took longer to get round Weoley Castle or Merry Hill Bus Station than the layover time. Late buses never have the chance to catch up time. With Green Bus they have around 15 minutes layover at Merry Hill giving plenty of time to catch up time if arriving late. Where I think TGB loose time is at the Town Hall, drivers seem to relief every trip and it seems to take several minutes.

With respect to buses being parked up in Merry Hill on Sundays drivers may well take their break 'with the bus' rather than have a relief driver for their bus.