Drivers - Bus Reviews & Opinions

[monkeyjoe]

Tell a lie i do remember the 7n

[Stuharris 6360]

Night buses used to make up a bit of time on the inbound journeys as they often carried fresh air but you would think an 87 between city and Oldbury would still be tight for single bus operation.

Weren't the last buses on the original 'Night Services' traditionally around 2am  from Birmingham though?

If I remember right, routes which traditionally had night services were the 6N, 9N, 16N, 45N, 50N, 51N, 63N, 74N, 87N, 91N, 104N & 916N. I'm sure there were more over the years

The 12N (Bartley Green, later the 22N), the 37N and the 94N were others.

By Me There was a 58N & 60N but they withdrew the 58N and introduced a 60N around 1986-1990 2 buses operated the 58N between Colmore Row and the Old Airport on a half hour frequency but I'm not sure how many were needed for the 60N. :)

Don't think there was ever a 30 min frequency night service.

They were all deliberately times to depart at the same times from two adjacent roads so that one inspector could help with all loading.

They all left Birmingham from Colmore Row or Upper Bull Street and left City at 00:02; 01:02; 02:02; 03:02; 04:02

I'm not trying to cause an argument Tony but my Grandad was a regular user of the 58N and he used to get the half 1 from Birmingham back to Sheldon as he worked at the Royal Mail in Birmingham between 1971-1992 and he told me there was a half hour frequency on the 58N within that period :)

From when I started work in 1978, through to when they went weekend only there was definately only a bus every hour on all routes. The 23:32 journey was done on the last journey on a daytime running board, then the night services came out to do the 00:02 journey onwards. Night service fares were charged from 23:32 journey. I have copies of timetables here from the 1980s and they were all the same.

My father was regularly one of the two night service Inspectors of the time as well. They both worked from the same car but at two minutes past each hour had to go to the city centre, one in Bull Street, the other to Colmore Row

Have to say in this respect, i agree with Tony, all departures for night buses were always coordinated to leave City around the hour mark.

[Westy]

Didn't they have a crack at Black Country night services too sometime late 80's / early 90's?

Remember seeing timetables for 404N & 529N & also 51N extended odd journey to Bloxwich, past the depot (surprise surprise!)!

Didn't last long obviously.

[winston]

Didn't they have a crack at Black Country night services too sometime late 80's / early 90's?

Remember seeing timetables for 404N & 529N & also 51N extended odd journey to Bloxwich, past the depot (surprise surprise!)!

Didn't last long obviously.

They introduced some night buses in Wolverhampton of a Fri/Sat Evening in co-operation with the night clubs for a while. They were approx 5 routes, each bus had a bouncer on board.

[Trident 4609]

Didn't they have a crack at Black Country night services too sometime late 80's / early 90's?

Remember seeing timetables for 404N & 529N & also 51N extended odd journey to Bloxwich, past the depot (surprise surprise!)!

Didn't last long obviously.

They introduced some night buses in Wolverhampton of a Fri/Sat Evening in co-operation with the night clubs for a while. They were approx 5 routes, each bus had a bouncer on board.

I remember my parents telling me about that but i didn't believe them. The Wolverhampton-Wednesfield route was one of them. Apparantly they used single deckers. Do you know what the time period was for these? ie. In the 90's?

[winston]

Didn't they have a crack at Black Country night services too sometime late 80's / early 90's?

Remember seeing timetables for 404N & 529N & also 51N extended odd journey to Bloxwich, past the depot (surprise surprise!)!

Didn't last long obviously.

They introduced some night buses in Wolverhampton of a Fri/Sat Evening in co-operation with the night clubs for a while. They were approx 5 routes, each bus had a bouncer on board.

I remember my parents telling me about that but i didn't believe them. The Wolverhampton-Wednesfield route was one of them. Apparantly they used single deckers. Do you know what the time period was for these? ie. In the 90's?

They didn't use single deckers anytime I saw them, they were always Metrobus Mark 2A's. I always used to catch the equivalent of the 256N. It was around the mid to late 90's

[Bob]

 Was there ever any trouble?  I wouldnt fancy hanging around brum in the early hours or being on a bus in the ahem less desirable areas  :P

[Bob]

Will walsalls X51 examples get a refurb at some point?  Theyre still good buses though. Have to say I prefer the sound of a voith box though, I find the ZF ones sound a bit dull. ZF in a tridents a different matter though!

[winston]

Was there ever any trouble?  I wouldnt fancy hanging around brum in the early hours or being on a bus in the ahem less desirable areas  :P

I used to catch the 2.15am 9N (MRW & Pete's Travel) from Broad St frequently on a Fri or Sat night (which was generally standing loads/left people behind at times) & the 256N equivalent on occasions from Wolverhampton on a Fri night after the Civic. Never saw any trouble on the buses, if fact quite the opposite, everyone was in good spirits (i.e. Vodka)  8), more often than not the entire bus would be singing..... It probably wasn't so much fun if you were sober.....  :-[ Wolverhampton bus station back then wasn't that nice if waiting for your bus

[JB93]

I get the 97 most days a week at either 2:03 or 3:03am and I've never had or seen any trouble on there. As a matter of fact, you can sometimes see full loadings and there's no noise or trouble or anything.

[winston]

I get the 97 most days a week at either 2:03 or 3:03am and I've never had or seen any trouble on there. As a matter of fact, you can sometimes see full loadings and there's no noise or trouble or anything.

I take it from your comments, that some 97's during the night are doing pretty well

[Kevin]

You know what, I reckon it's a marketing thing. They aren't really marketed as a "get you home from a night out" service, just as a "this bus route runs 24 hours", ie the night journeys are just a continuation of the day services, they dont start specially from broad st or anywhere, just exactly the sane route and prices etc. Ergo, not entirely populated with drunken idiots

[JB93]

I get the 97 most days a week at either 2:03 or 3:03am and I've never had or seen any trouble on there. As a matter of fact, you can sometimes see full loadings and there's no noise or trouble or anything.

I take it from your comments, that some 97's during the night are doing pretty well

Definitely. Last Sunday (monday morning) I caught the 02:03 journey from Moor St., the downstairs was full by the time we left Digbeth, and only a small handful were people that had been out drinking.

[winston]

I get the 97 most days a week at either 2:03 or 3:03am and I've never had or seen any trouble on there. As a matter of fact, you can sometimes see full loadings and there's no noise or trouble or anything.

I take it from your comments, that some 97's during the night are doing pretty well

Definitely. Last Sunday (monday morning) I caught the 02:03 journey from Moor St., the downstairs was full by the time we left Digbeth, and only a small handful were people that had been out drinking.

Generally a 2am journey should only carry more people under the influence after a night out on Thurs / Fri / Sat nights etc

[2900]

4708 dull dull dull , does every thing ok , it's all so very average. Gotta to be one of the most boring gemni,s to drive at west brom. Interior still has it's original trim faded looking worn. Exterior still presentable. 6/10