If you had the chance to modify or add any service, what would you do?

[jasmine]

Express 33? The 934 does that job between Pheasey and the City.

i know i only really said that cause 33 feels a little out of place lol

[the trainbasher]

Fair point, and the X21 and X22 are neither express nor limited stop for that matter. There isn't any consistency with the 900 series of numbered or the X prefix routes. The preference now for anything limited stop or express is an 'X' route but there remain 9xx series routes that have never been renumbered.

I do agree though that there is nothing to be gained from remembering for the sake of it.

No, but like the former X96 was the direct Stourbridge > Merry Hill > Dudley route, the X21 X22 are the direct services between Uni and City. Hence, I think, they remain "X" routes... 

[jasmine]

No, but like the former X96 was the direct Stourbridge > Merry Hill > Dudley route, the X21 X22 are the direct services between Uni and City. Hence, I think, they remain "X" routes...

the only thing making X21/X22 limited stop from Uni and City is that they miss one (1) stop on Bath Row, and while we're at it I think these should be renumbered to 21 and 22, and that this should've happened with the withdrawal of the X20

[Steve3229vp]

the only thing making X21/X22 limited stop from Uni and City is that they miss one (1) stop on Bath Row, and while we're at it I think these should be renumbered to 21 and 22, and that this should've happened with the withdrawal of the X20

There are already 21 and 22 close by operated by Diamond Bus:

21 Bearwood-Oldbury via Londonderry
22 Bearwood-Oldbury via Langley

If it wasn't for the above routes then X21/X22 would have been renumbered 21/22 by now.

[jasmine]

There are already 21 and 22 close by operated by Diamond Bus:

21 Bearwood-Oldbury via Londonderry
22 Bearwood-Oldbury via Langley

If it wasn't for the above routes then X21/X22 would have been renumbered 21/22 by now.

this is entirely untrue and NX do not care about this, first of all they're not even close and second of all we've had an even more egregious example of this from the same operator.

PB 46(52) and WB46 literally terminated on the same road so.

[MasterPlan]

There are already 21 and 22 close by operated by Diamond Bus:

21 Bearwood-Oldbury via Londonderry
22 Bearwood-Oldbury via Langley

If it wasn't for the above routes then X21/X22 would have been renumbered 21/22 by now.

Why would that have any impact? The Diamond routes don't go anywhere near the current X21/X22 routes.

[Justin Tyme]

However when Solihull and Sutton Coldfield are both almost the same distance from Birmingham, and it is almost half an hour on X3/X4/X5 to travel between Birmingham & Sutton, where as it is almost an hour on the X2/4 to travel between Birmingham & Solihull then if anything can be done to reduce journey times and increase patronage, this can only benefit both the operator and the passenger.

The reason why the X3/X4/X5 are quick between Birmingham and Sutton is, of course, the Aston Expressway.  There is no equivalent on the Solihull side - only the A45 comes anywhere near.

The Aston Expressway came at a great cost to the suburb of Aston.  There was talk in the 1970s of a possible expressway to bypass Kings Heath and Moseley, but of course that didn't happen - and anything similar would be politically unacceptable now.

[danny]

If we going to talk about oddities the 126 is pretty unique in being the only Hangley road route not renumbered, it could potentially use the number 26 as I don't believe the number is used in Birmingham or Dudley. 

With regards to the 907 becoming X7, does it not overlap with the current nbr 7, where as we as enthusiasts would know the difference not sure Margeret doing her shopping on a Saturday morning would, I know the X7 was used previously as the express 87 that continued to Wolverhampton so could be feasible.

[Mike K]

If we going to talk about oddities the 126 is pretty unique in being the only Hangley road route not renumbered, it could potentially use the number 26 as I don't believe the number is used in Birmingham or Dudley.

With regards to the 907 becoming X7, does it not overlap with the current nbr 7, where as we as enthusiasts would know the difference not sure Margeret doing her shopping on a Saturday morning would, I know the X7 was used previously as the express 87 that continued to Wolverhampton so could be feasible.

The initial proposal at the time of the changes to Hagley Road services which saw most routes renumbered, was that the 126 would become route 15, which would fit alongside X8/9/X10/12/13 etc. That never materialised. Not sure why, there's already a 15 within the Dudley area (W'ton - Merry Hill) but that's not stopped the same number being used in the past (e.g. the PB and WB 46 routes both serving similar areas). 

[Rachvince53]

this is entirely untrue and NX do not care about this, first of all they're not even close and second of all we've had an even more egregious example of this from the same operator.

PB 46(52) and WB46 literally terminated on the same road so.

Also there are two routes numbered 9 in Wolverhampton, Arriva 9 to Bridgnorth (ex890) and the more recent NX 9 to Walsall (ex89). 

[Steve3229vp]

The initial proposal at the time of the changes to Hagley Road services which saw most routes renumbered, was that the 126 would become route 15, which would fit alongside X8/9/X10/12/13 etc. That never materialised. Not sure why, there's already a 15 within the Dudley area (W'ton - Merry Hill) but that's not stopped the same number being used in the past (e.g. the PB and WB 46 routes both serving similar areas).

They could make the 126 a Limited Stop between Birmingham and Wolverhampton Road/Hagley Road West and renumbered X11, so the the Hagley Road buses could then run as X8, 9, X10, X11, 12, 12A, 13 and 13A

[Stu]

They could make the 126 a Limited Stop between Birmingham and Wolverhampton Road/Hagley Road West and renumbered X11, so the the Hagley Road buses could then run as X8, 9, X10, X11, 12, 12A, 13 and 13A

The problem then would be that leaves only the 9 as the 'all-stops' service along that stretch of route from the Ivy Bush to Wolverhampton Road.

[sonic84]

If we going to talk about oddities the 126 is pretty unique in being the only Hangley road route not renumbered, it could potentially use the number 26 as I don't believe the number is used in Birmingham or Dudley.

With regards to the 907 becoming X7, does it not overlap with the current nbr 7, where as we as enthusiasts would know the difference not sure Margeret doing her shopping on a Saturday morning would, I know the X7 was used previously as the express 87 that continued to Wolverhampton so could be feasible.

At one point NXWM also operated the 10, 10S and X10 with both the X10 and 10 running from Birmingham Colmore Row but being very different routes.

[Stu]

At one point NXWM also operated the 10, 10S and X10 with both the X10 and 10 running from Birmingham Colmore Row but being very different routes.

With different route numbers.

Honestly, I don't know anyone in 'real life' who gets confused by the 2 to Maypole and the X2 to Solihull etc, so I don't know why people here seem to think that it is confusing for people.

[jasmine]

With different route numbers.

Honestly, I don't know anyone in 'real life' who gets confused by the 2 to Maypole and the X2 to Solihull etc, so I don't know why people here seem to think that it is confusing for people.

Because given that common sense isnt so common and X sometimes means express version of another route (51/X51, 8/X8) You can forgive people for thinking it was the same for 2 and X2, 3 and X3, 4 and X4, 5 and X5, 12 and X12, 13 and X13, 14 and X14