6B (Wolverhampton to Fordhouses)

[Badger]

This might be a bit simple (which is why it's plausible!).

On Sundays, every second 6 (Wolverhampton to Wobaston) route shares with the 3 (Wolverhampton to Fordhouses).

Given the world revolves around me, I've found myself catching the 6 from Pendeford to Wobaston, and then walking to the terminus of the 3 anyway, watching the bus carry on past me.

I think that on a Sunday, every second 6 should be instead a 6B (Wolverhampton to Fordhouses via Wobaston). Basically it would run the same journey it's doing now, but the last mile would no longer be a dead service just to link up the two.

This would mean:

- A bus from pendeford to fordhouses, I dunno how useful it would be, but to me personally it would be!
- Two buses an hour to Fordhouses on a Sunday (the 3 only runs hourly at the moment)
- Less dead mileage

Basically it would be absolutely no change from what currently happens, except passengers could stay on to the 3 terminus.

Red: current 6 route
Yellow: 6 on Sundays, to get to the 3 terminus

http://bb.ohsk.net/uploads/6B.png
Source: Google Maps

Alternatively, since the 6 terminus is a bit difficult to get the buses around and they wait around a while I thought a loop around the Harrowby estate might be warranted.

http://bb.ohsk.net/uploads/63.png

[Trident 4609]

the roads around harrowby estate are quite narrow so B7RLE won't be able to fit round there. An Optare Solo might be able to but a B7RLE couldn't

[Discodave]

It is in the nxwm service changes 1st July the 4 and 6 are changing anyway

[Trident 4609]

They were going to change on 1st july. This was what was going to happen:


Wolverhampton changes from 1st July 2012
Services 4 & 6 in Wolverhampton will be changing from 1st July 2012.
The changes are the result of a 7.5 tonne weight limit being imposed on a railway bridge on Barnhurst Lane which means it can no longer be used by buses. The weight restiction comes into force on Sunday, 1st of July 2012 and services 4 & 6 will change as follows:

Service 4:
The route will be extended from Pendeford, Whitburn Close to Wobaston, Patshull Avenue via The Droveway, i54 and Wobaston Road at current frequencies. Service 4A will serve Pendeford Business Park at similar times to the current service 6A.


Service 6:
This service will operate on the current route from Wolverhampton to Green Lane before doing a loop round Pendeford Avenue and Aldersley Avenue then runninging via Oxley Moor Road bridge and Blaydon Road to Pendeford, Whitburn Close and then continuing to a terminal loop at Ryefield at current frequencies.

It says on one of the posts that the latest is that service 4/6 are unchanged. Apparantly the Weight restriction on the bridge will mean two buses can't pass each other on the bridege at the same time so one bus will have to give way to another.

[Ashley]

Two buses dont pass each other at the same time on that bridge, why overcomplicate the 4 and 6 when some people are still left clueless about the 2011 changes, for me, bring back the 504-507

[Discodave]

I know it has been a lon time since i drove a bus but I must agree the circle pendeford services were better than the review as all it has done is just take almost all the buses out of the station due to poor design and reducing the capasity the old station was ok it just needed a refresh and the extra bits for buses to go in and out now some services are unreliable the 1 for example why join 2 very busy routes 501/558 chapel ash is a knightmare and trying to go through the town is a joke as now all the buses are crammed through it on a few shelters in victoria street I have observed this many times when coming in to town on my bus the 89 it takes ages trying to turn to start its loop of the town NWM think everyone lives on a main road I do not but it would be nice to go to the bus station and not walk and defy death crossing roads in Wolves to get on a train

[Badger]

The 3 being taken out of the bus station and taking longer to get to my house has stopped me going out as much and stopped my family using the bus so much. It's also meant my dad has to go out an hour earlier for connections and gets home later. It was hell when I was at University and had to lug a case across town, and there are now three main roads between the new 3 stop (Stafford Street or Princess Street) and the train station. (Lichfield Street, now a through route; Pipers Row (pedestrianised but everybody ignores that); and Broad Street or Princess Street).

The 3 and 4 need to go back into the bus station. Network West Midlands says since the 1 has gone closer and the 2 and 6 gone into the station the complaints have stopped - we just got tired of complaining, we're still here and still in a mess... >:O

The 803, 878, 3, 4, 76, 68/69/70, 1 (both ways), really should use the bus station, and that's just the ones going my way. Stafford and Cannock!

They could put stops/shelters either side of pipers row and run all "cross city" excuses down there, essentially extending the bus station.

As for the Pendeford Circulars, they were very popular and worked well, and tied in well with the sort of express nature of the 503/W. There are many complaints of Pendeford basically being cut in two, with the 4s and the 6s, and if you wait at Pendeford around school ending time you can see the many kids having to change just to go a short distance.

If as may be the case the bus station turns out to be over capacity by adding these extra buses then land should be made available for a new complimentary bus station, such as Pipers Row car park, or the express and star building once they move to Telford.

[Ashley]

Placing the 3 and 4 into the station would increase the end to end journey time of the route which could result in the need for extra buses, it would also take a chunk out of both routes income through stupidly high station entry fees which if increased further will push up fares next year. As for the 76,803 and 076, they couldnt afford to go into the bus station, one reason why Diamonds 59 doesn't go into the station anymore

[4006]

On sundays the 6 also interlinks with the 4 on some boards! which incidentally is a short hop round the corner from finishing a 4 at Whitburn Close to go toPatshull Ave. to start a 6

The latest we know is there will be no changes to the 4/6 apart from only one can pass the bridge at a time

We can debate all day about route changes etc but we do not have the data NX have in relation to passenger numbers, running costs of course verses complaints and service commitments and the schedules how they manage to fit them all in and arrange the duties so drivers work their allocated hours/days/rest periods etc. Must be a nightmare sorting all that out!!!!

[Discodave]

Placing the 3 and 4 into the station would increase the end to end journey time of the route which could result in the need for extra buses, it would also take a chunk out of both routes income through stupidly high station entry fees which if increased further will push up fares next year. As for the 76,803 and 076, they couldnt afford to go into the bus station, one reason why Diamonds 59 doesn't go into the station anymore

I understand logistical problems being an ex bus driver myself I know the economy is not so good but if NWM want to have a proper intergrated transport system why basically give the people of wolverhampton a second rate transport system by charging so much for entry to the station and be kept away from other transport connections depending Its a joke when NWM is paid for by the West Midland council tax payers (Sandwell,Dudley,Walsall,Wolverhampton,Birmingham,Solihull)

[Badger]

I think the main issue, or why it gripes the users so much, is that when the new bus station was built we expected due to it's cost a service better, or at least no worse, than what we had before. For those along the 3 corridor and pendeford etc, we've got it worse in many compounding ways: a reduced service, lengthened routes, and no bus station.

NWM should not be charging buses to use the bus station. They are pushing for an integrated transport network, they should not be harming small bus companies and users like that! Fair enough they could decide which routes get to use it, but it shouldn't be based on who can afford to be in it.

[Jack Grove]

Unfortunately, you'll find that bus station/interchange departure charges are a nationwide thing - the cost of maintenance and running has to come from somewhere!

As it happens, Wolverhampton - and for that matter most similar facilities in the West Midlands - are relatively cheap compared to other areas which we pay for the privilege of using. Most West Midlands stations/interchanges are between 30p and 65p per departure, whereas at SLT in Manchester departure charges for interchanges (of a lesser quality!) such as Wigan are anything as high as 85p.

Did you also know that publicity (Centro-designed timetable leaflets etc.) is also recharged to operators?

[Ashley]

I thought from what I'd been told that it was more expensive than 30 to 65p, sounds pretty reasonable to me come to think of it.

As for the 3, I live at the opposite end of the route and despite the slight frequency reduction, from every 12 minutes to every 15 minutes, weve got a much better service, quite frankly, the 543 was a shambles the last few years, never ran to me, morning , noon or night, rubbish buses and when the driver changes took place on Lichfield Street, we'd have to wait 10 minutes in the rain while the 2 drivers had a good old chinwag, no apology, that would have been asking for the earth, now they let us board before the changeover and the drivers are friendlier now as well, new vehicles, so can't really complain

[j_rp_wright]

It would be better to link these together but then again, NXWM want you to spend more cash and make routes more proffitable hence why there not joint. Also the 3 was retimed not to do a complete trip from town and back to stop people alighting on the fordhouses bound side and come back up. Another anti social crack down.