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

[Trident 4194]

The 19 was every 20 mins in peak? That could be returned 😉

[Adam 404]

If all these people who say they'd love NX to operate a route between Coventry and Solihull had actually caught the old 192 and 194 routes, then perhaps they'd still be running now.

Likewise, what's all the fuss about the old 21 route about? Again, if it was such a useful and successful route, why was it withdrawn then?

Times change, travelling habits change, and routes have to change as a result. What was great back in the 80s or 90s may not be so useful or cost-effective here in the 21st century.

The difference is that the 82 is quite direct unlike the 192 / 194 which took the scenic route going through Berkswell if I remember correctly.

The 82 has a standing load between Hampton in Arden and Solihull on some journeys from Coventry on the 10:10 service which I have boarded (though many of the seats are taken up by Concessionary Pass Holders). :)

[Mike K]

Likewise, what's all the fuss about the old 21 route about? Again, if it was such a useful and successful route, why was it withdrawn then?

Times change, travelling habits change, and routes have to change as a result. What was great back in the 80s or 90s may not be so useful or cost-effective here in the 21st century.

To be fair the 21 was useful and well used but as Tony has posted before, reliability was becoming an issue. As someone who lives on the 22/23 routes, where rush hour journey times have quite frankly become laughable, it's not difficult to see why.

I just don't think NX have still hit on the winning formula with how the 21 was replaced. The X64 had been tinkered with a lot since introduction, and likewise the 29 and 48 have both had the route changes that were introduced after the 21 was withdrawn amended since. I don't have a magical solution and I'm not going to suggest any but the number of changes to bus routes along Swarthmore Rd in Northfield over the last few years (the 44, 20, 29 now 48) shows the challenges in getting it right around Weoley and Northfield.

[MasterPlan]

We'd all like loads of buses running everywhere we might want to go, unfortunately someone has to pay. I have no problem with fantasy routes that are never going to happen being posted on here, but don't think an operator would take any suggestions seriously if they are going to cost a lot of money

Yeah I know, to be honest it was just a hypothetical suggestion wondering whether that route would work in an ideal world. It wouldn't need to run on brand new buses though if that's the isssue.

To be fair the 21 was useful and well used but as Tony has posted before, reliability was becoming an issue. As someone who lives on the 22/23 routes, where rush hour journey times have quite frankly become laughable, it's not difficult to see why.

I just don't think NX have still hit on the winning formula with how the 21 was replaced. The X64 had been tinkered with a lot since introduction, and likewise the 29 and 48 have both had the route changes that were introduced after the 21 was withdrawn amended since. I don't have a magical solution and I'm not going to suggest any but the number of changes to bus routes along Swarthmore Rd in Northfield over the last few years (the 44, 20, 29 now 48) shows the challenges in getting it right around Weoley and Northfield.

Exactly. It shows how key the 21 was when they've spent so much time tinkering trying to get things right and honestly I still believe they haven't. The X64 may be slightly quicker to town but that's about it. Aside from that it's reliability is laughable, even when there's no traffic around, and it barely picks up any passengers anyway on the Bristol Road whereas you'd get more customers on the 21 route. Plus there's a lot more call for Broad St and Colemore Row than Queensway.
As for the 48 I'm not sure what can be done about that. So many routes have tried down the years. I remember the old 69 to Heartlands Hospital and more recently when the 49 was extended to Weoley Castle Square.
Even the 29 has been messed about with too much. Why it was taken off of Somerford Road I'll never know as it just adds more journey time going through Gregory Avenue.
Unfortunately though I don't see things over here ever improving.

[the trainbasher]

While I was in bed last night I had the idea for the 82/X96

In order to improve some of the reliability issues on the X96, curtail it so it runs Dudley to Wollaston Farm only with that extra bus being used to ramp it up to every 15 between Dudley and Stourbridge with Wollaston losing a bus a hour as every other bus on the quarter hour frequency would be a Stourbridge short

To replace the X96, the 82 would also get a frequency increase to every 15, but alternate trips would run as 82A via Maple Green, Eve Lane, Burton Road and Old Park Road and Limes Road (the 82 would run direct via Wrens Nest Road and Hazel Road) in Wrens Nest and via Dudley Road and Bankfield Street in Bilston.

The 82a would also terminate at Bilston, thus not requiring any additional vehicles to operate the service (interworking between the 82/A would be in operation at Dudley similar to how the 27/A operate).

These would improve reliability on the X96 during the Peak hours, especially with a layover being inserted at Dudley, and will still keep to TfWM accessibility compliance standards for the Wrens Nest parts that are served currently by the X96.

[Solo1]

The difference is that the 82 is quite direct unlike the 192 / 194 which took the scenic route going through Berkswell if I remember correctly.
How busy is the 82 compared to the old 192/4
The 82 has a standing load between Hampton in Arden and Solihull on some journeys from Coventry on the 10:10 service which I have boarded (though many of the seats are taken up by Concessionary Pass Holders). :)

how busy was the 192/4 compaired with the 82

[Tony]

Yeah I know, to be honest it was just a hypothetical suggestion wondering whether that route would work in an ideal world. It wouldn't need to run on brand new buses though if that's the isssue.

No-one mentioned brand new buses. I don't think you realise how much it costs to run a bus. adding one extra bus to a route can cost over £100,000 per year, that's any bus, not a new one. Starting a new route needing about 5 buses like your suggestion is half a million pounds per year. A new route like that would need an awful lot of extra passengers (not just transferring from a different service)

[MasterPlan]

No-one mentioned brand new buses. I don't think you realise how much it costs to run a bus. adding one extra bus to a route can cost over £100,000 per year, that's any bus, not a new one. Starting a new route needing about 5 buses like your suggestion is half a million pounds per year. A new route like that would need an awful lot of extra passengers (not just transferring from a different service)

Ah fair enough, I didn't know that. So essentially it would have to run at the same frequency as the current route you'd be taking out unless there's an increase in passengers? The 21 used to get more passengers than the X64 does but by how much I don't know obviously.

[JoNi]

how busy was the 192/4 compaired with the 82

The 192 got decent loads as it was great way for retired people to  save on their fuel bills in the winter as well as having a day out in Solihull!

[Stu]

how busy was the 192/4 compaired with the 82

I only ever caught the 192 once, admittedly it was the first journey on a Saturday morning, from Acocks Green to Solihull, only because I had just missed a 37, and I was the only passenger onboard; apart from picking me up on Warwick Road, it didn't stop again until Solihull station.

Sorry, that's my only experience of using that route, no idea what it was like during the daytime between Solihull and Coventry. But it couldn't have paid well, hence why it was withdrawn.

[winston]

The 192 got decent loads as it was great way for retired people to  save on their fuel bills in the winter as well as having a day out in Solihull!

The loads obviously weren't  decent enough to make the routes pay otherwise they wouldn't have been withdrawn.

[Kevin]

how busy was the 192/4 compaired with the 82

From my observations not much difference, but it has to be noted that the old 192/4 had the through traffic and the Balsall Common traffic, whereas the current 82 only through passengers really so I'd say patronage has actually gone up with the current routes
Plus don't forget the 87 is more of a through route now as well, so overall all passengers are better off, can't speak really for numbers on there though haven't done it all the way enough

[nxplatinum6805]

I would make the X51>Cannock every 30 mins and 15A/C every 20 mins, remove 38 and send 66 to Castle Vale and go down College Rd and continue normal line of route Revert X4 to Falcon Lodge and send X14 up to Minwort instead.

[2206]

I would make the X51>Cannock every 30 mins and 15A/C every 20 mins, remove 38 and send 66 to Castle Vale and go down College Rd and continue normal line of route Revert X4 to Falcon Lodge and send X14 up to Minwort instead.

The 15 doesn't need an every 20 minute frequency.
How would you send the X14 to Asda Minworth?
Why send the 66 to Castle Vale. If you were to how would you replace the Kingstanding section, Castle Vale High Street to Spitfire Island does not need a more frequent service to Erdington if the 38 was well used when every half hour, surely it would still be every half hour today. Spitfire Island to Erdington already have the 966.

[nxplatinum6805]

The 15 doesn't need an every 20 minute frequency.
How would you send the X14 to Asda Minworth?

The Erdington Circular is too infrequent and inconvenient at the moment. Frequency could be improved.
Secondly, the X14 could do the ARR 116 to Birmingham from Minworth