First Bus - Wyvern

[Kevin]

Will the 144 number be phased out completely. Can't imagine anyone referring to it as "Salt Road" rather than the route number.

How is the new branding been welcomed in Worcestershire?

The thing is, I mostly hear people outside of Worcester referring to it as "the Worcester Bus", so I'm not convinced it makes much difference
I'd expect people on here to kick up a colossal fuss about losing a historic route number though, or is that just particularly anti NX sentiment?

[fleetline6477]

A mixture of branded Volvos and Trident on 144/A today.

[V89MOA]

One thing I've noticed over the last couple of days is they seem to have had the blinds reprogrammed and the via points have been removed, it's just a big "Birmingham 144" or "Worcester 144" now which actually looks smarter. I'm guessing the plan is to eventually alternate between that and the "Salt Road" display seen at the recent exhibitions? 69454's side blind was only showing "144", the others seemed fine though.

[AdamH]

ok thanks  how long after first give the green light will they be in service

That I do not know. I do know the new seat moquette wont arrive until mid-July so we wont see any before that day.

[DD12]

This week there has been news, (and details), that appears to be new, about the Birmingham Clean Air Zone, starting some time in 2020.

It appears to me that the "Salt Road" buses (144/144A), (and similar bus services in and out of the central area), could possibly gain a substantial number of extra passengers (?)


Can anyone "in the know" confirm that, or tell us how things are likely to develop, please ?

[mikestone]

I wasted an hour in Worcester yesterday. Arrived about 17.20 in the bus station to see a Salt Road bus  parked up, so went to wait for the 17.30 departure, whch if it ran was a generic liveried bus. Another one then arrived and was tucked up behind the one already there, so I decided to walk up to Foregate Street to be in position to see inward and outbound journeys.
67659 then turned up on an inwards working and returned almost immediately and was at Foregate Street at 18.16, either the 17.45 nearly 30 late or if the 18.15 it had left early. People at the Foregate Street bus stop  had made other arrangements by then, and more than one person appeared to be festering outside ready to cross the road if a 144 appeared, at least one of whom I saw get off my train at Droitwich.
.
If that's typical I give it about six months after the Bromsgrove electrics start.

[j789]

I wasted an hour in Worcester yesterday. Arrived about 17.20 in the bus station to see a Salt Road bus  parked up, so went to wait for the 17.30 departure, whch if it ran was a generic liveried bus. Another one then arrived and was tucked up behind the one already there, so I decided to walk up to Foregate Street to be in position to see inward and outbound journeys.
67659 then turned up on an inwards working and returned almost immediately and was at Foregate Street at 18.16, either the 17.45 nearly 30 late or if the 18.15 it had left early. People at the Foregate Street bus stop  had made other arrangements by then, and more than one person appeared to be festering outside ready to cross the road if a 144 appeared, at least one of whom I saw get off my train at Droitwich.
.
If that's typical I give it about six months after the Bromsgrove electrics start.

It's not typical, if it was then the company would be up before the traffic commissioner. More than likely a delay somewhere along the route affecting later journeys. At the moment, there are two green buses missing from fleet strength so an Enviro 300 or similar may well have been on the route. It is very rare for 2 buses in a row to be missing, unless there is a major issue, so if I can't imagine both the 17:30 and 17:45 were missing.

[Trident 4194]

Any news on the mercs arrivals?

[winston]

First are cutting back in Worcester:
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/16396531.lifeline-rural-bus-services-to-be-cut-in-worcestershire/

Seems to be mainly late evening service withdrawals:
https://www.firstgroup.com/worcestershire/news-and-service-updates/planned-changes/changes-services-17-september

[Kevin]

First are cutting back in Worcester:
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/16396531.lifeline-rural-bus-services-to-be-cut-in-worcestershire/

Seems to be mainly late evening service withdrawals:
https://www.firstgroup.com/worcestershire/news-and-service-updates/planned-changes/changes-services-17-september

Media does seem to have unnecessarily made a mountain out of a molehill if that's the extent of the cuts

[PointerDart]

Media does seem to have unnecessarily made a mountain out of a molehill if that's the extent of the cuts

You get the same with the Stoke Sentinel when First Potteries make the smallest of changes. All the people they interview kick off at the smallest thing, even when it's only buses being moved forward by a couple of minutes or any other minor timetable changes.

[BN]

Worcester are now due up to 12 ex First Berkshire Citaro's via refresh at Thornton's. Some will be replacing Solo's.

Info courtesy of midlandred.net:
http://forum.midlandred.net/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1497

Anyone heard anymore on the Citaro's arrival?

[Smethwickian]

You get the same with the Stoke Sentinel when First Potteries make the smallest of changes. All the people they interview kick off at the smallest thing, even when it's only buses being moved forward by a couple of minutes or any other minor timetable changes.

I don't think people in the villages around Pershore left with no daytime services or those on the Upton and Tewkesbury route reduced to just a couple of journeys outside school times would agree that the changes are minor.

[PointerDart]

I don't think people in the villages around Pershore left with no daytime services or those on the Upton and Tewkesbury route reduced to just a couple of journeys outside school times would agree that the changes are minor.

My point is more a response to Kevin's post (which I originally quoted), in which he said the media tends to "make a mountain out a molehill" from a limited extent of cuts, in some ways. My point is more that some of the smallest of changes are still blown out of proportion, although I fully understand and sympathise with those having their service completely removed rather than just minor, 5 minute changes.

[Kevin]

I don't think people in the villages around Pershore left with no daytime services or those on the Upton and Tewkesbury route reduced to just a couple of journeys outside school times would agree that the changes are minor.

It would appear the original list I made the comment on only had the city services and no mention of the bigger county cuts, so yeah I now see it's an entirely valid mountain to be made by the press