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

[Stu]

The route is late a lot whether Birmingham are playing or not. It's the tight roads it serves in Small Heath delay it a lot too.

It's nothing to do with tight roads in Small Heath, though the Green Lane diversion is obviously having an impact also at present.
My point is that while NX can't do a lot about traffic congestion, they could do more on occasions like this by adjusting more buses to run short journeys.

[Sh4318]

I am sure nurses, nursing assistants, pharmacists, housekeepers, phlebotomists, porters and locals would welcome that idea. Few of them I know uses taxi to get to the shift and they don't wish to do early shift on Sundays.

You could argue a case for the 48, 98 & X64. Doesn't seem feasible to me

[Sayeed]

You could argue a case for the 48, 98 & X64. Doesn't seem feasible to me

Well apart from X64 that already operate, I genuinely didn't know about 48. But yes it is important to have it though and it would attract agency staffs as well. That route alone carries decent amount of staffs.

[sonic84]

Well apart from X64 that already operate, I genuinely didn't know about 48. But yes it is important to have it though and it would attract agency staffs as well. That route alone carries decent amount of staffs.

I do agree that in theory there should be a demand for early buses to the QE as the shift change happens between 7am and 7.30.

When the 448 replaced the 21 originally a number of short journies were introduced between Bartley Green and the QE. There are still early Sunday journeys on the X64 now which operates the full route.

Provided early journeys were well advertised to NHS staff they could be viable.

[Sayeed]

Provided early journeys were well advertised to NHS staff they could be viable.

Yeah I remember few years ago when NXWM introduced Saturday morning journeys for 99 and look how it turned out.

[Lukeee]

Seriously, please do something with the 17, either split it into two routes, or run more short journeys when major disruptions occur (like when Birmingham City play at home).

I had a nice afternoon out today, which finished with me up at the airport viewing area in Sheldon Country Park. I ended up waiting over 45 minutes for a 17 from The Radleys. I knew what the problem was, as I'd travelled out of city on the 60 to Cranes Park earlier, so had encountered the matchday diversion and the resulting extra traffic congestion.

I've made a case previously for the 17 and now have first-hand experience of the frustrations passengers at the outer end of this route face when service gets disrupted because of congestion, diversions and delays at the opposite end of the route. If the route has to stay as it is, then the controllers should be adjusting more journeys to run short between Yardley and Tile Cross, to at least keep the service moving at that end of the route, and prevent all the buses getting stuck around Small Heath.

A gentleman who joined me at the same bus stop while I was waiting informed me that the other evening when Blues were playing at home, he waited nearly an hour and half for the 17.

When I used to catch the 7 this was also the case every time villa would play, all the buses would get stuck by witton road in the traffic

[Jack]

When I used to catch the 7 this was also the case every time villa would play, all the buses would get stuck by witton road in the traffic

The 11's tend to get stuck on Aston Lane. Also by Brookvale as the traffic often backs up.

[Lukeee]

The 11's tend to get stuck on Aston Lane. Also by Brookvale as the traffic often backs up.

Aston lane is always pretty bad for traffic tbh, especially like as you say when it backs onto the roundabout on witton road

[Jack]

Aston lane is always pretty bad for traffic tbh, especially like as you say when it backs onto the roundabout on witton road

The traffic from Witton Road Island (if it's bad) can back right up to Moor Lane, or worse The Ridgeway. I was riding a President on the Circle (Anti-clockwise)  a few years back when Villa were playing and the traffic was all the way up to The Ridgeway. I remember seeing the 7's in 3/4s.

[Lukeee]

The traffic from Witton Road Island (if it's bad) can back right up to Moor Lane, or worse The Ridgeway. I was riding a President on the Circle (Anti-clockwise)  a few years back when Villa were playing and the traffic was all the way up to The Ridgeway. I remember seeing the 7's in 3/4s.

That's how it often is on match days unfortunately

[sonic84]

I was thinking it might be possible to combine the 54 Worlds End to West Bromwich with the 55 Brandhall to Cape Hill.

They both seem to serve similar places with the main difference being the 55 serving Londonderry and the 54 going via Thimblrmill Baths. If the 54 dropped the hourly a 54B could pick up parts of the 55 but not sure how well both services are used.

[Sh4318]

I was thinking it might be possible to combine the 54 Worlds End to West Bromwich with the 55 Brandhall to Cape Hill.

They both seem to serve similar places with the main difference being the 55 serving Londonderry and the 54 going via Thimblrmill Baths. If the 54 dropped the hourly a 54B could pick up parts of the 55 but not sure how well both services are used.

I'm trying to think of how that could work, but every way either misses out an area, or makes the route more convoluted. The 54 already goes all around the wrekin before getting to West Bromwich

[Crosville]

X1 daytime service operates direct via Dunchurch Highway & Pickford Way, no longer serving Parkhill Shops & Allesley Village, 7 diverted to serve Parkhill Shops & daytime frequency increased to 20 minutes, evening & Sunday X1 unchanged.

[Kevin]

X1 daytime service operates direct via Dunchurch Highway & Pickford Way, no longer serving Parkhill Shops & Allesley Village, 7 diverted to serve Parkhill Shops & daytime frequency increased to 20 minutes, evening & Sunday X1 unchanged.

I think there'd be mileage in something like that, say upping the 82 to every half hour to take on the local work and still provide a reasonable 4 buses an hour via Allesley Village

[Crosville]

That 82 idea isn't a bad idea, gives Millisons Wood area of Meriden a 30 minute bus service in the Coventry direction, because of the road layout it's bizarre Millisons Wood have frequent X1 towards Birmingham, but you have to walk up to Showell Lane stop for the Coventry direction or wait for the hourly 82.