New Deliveries / New Livery & Branding Discussion

[the trainbasher]

@Rhys S, what I think Mr @Other Walsall Tony was referring to was the fact that before west midlands travel limited (ie NXWM and previous trading names) ran the 9 it used to be midland red (BMMO) running it under the number 130. Now the buses are red on it again, renumbering it 130 was suggested as a hark back to its heritage!

[Other Walsall Tony]

@Rhys S, what I think Mr @Other Walsall Tony was referring to was the fact that before west midlands travel limited (ie NXWM and previous trading names) ran the 9 it used to be midland red (BMMO) running it under the number 130. Now the buses are red on it again, renumbering it 130 was suggested as a hark back to its heritage!

Correct!

[Ashley 60171]

Has there always been so much excitement about Hagley Road upgrades?

[Ashley 60171]

Has there always been so much excitement about Hagley Road upgrades?

Probably, but there wasn't a forum for them to express themselves on last time!

Well in 1999 I could understand (I like Presidents). 2009 there was just a glitch in the matrix but we still could read all the sightings and opinions (not keen on Enviros if there's an alternative, nor do I like the I remember when stuff but I think id blend in better if I did). I'm waiting for all 22 to be here, makes life much easier

[Oozells]

It's absolutely crazy if NX don't start painting everything in the all over red! Does the marketing department have no idea about brand continuity? There are now going to be 4 liveries, 3 logos, 2 "West Midlands" fonts, 2 types of branding, 4+ interior designs.

When people, such as tourists, visit the website or collect the leaflets and see the red/white and blue/white buses then that's what they'll be expecting to find when they go to catch a bus!

[Tony]

It's absolutely crazy if NX don't start painting everything in the all over red! Does the marketing department have no idea about brand continuity? There are now going to be 4 liveries, 3 logos, 2 "West Midlands" fonts, 2 types of branding, 4+ interior designs.

When people, such as tourists, visit the website or collect the leaflets and see the red/white and blue/white buses then that's what they'll be expecting to find when they go to catch a bus!

Strange, General view of which companies are good are generally those that have multiple liveries, brandings etc
(Go-Ahead group ones, Trent, Nottingham..)

[Stuharris 6360]

It's absolutely crazy if NX don't start painting everything in the all over red! Does the marketing department have no idea about brand continuity? There are now going to be 4 liveries, 3 logos, 2 "West Midlands" fonts, 2 types of branding, 4+ interior designs.

When people, such as tourists, visit the website or collect the leaflets and see the red/white and blue/white buses then that's what they'll be expecting to find when they go to catch a bus!

Strange, General view of which companies are good are generally those that have multiple liveries, brandings etc
(Go-Ahead group ones, Trent, Nottingham..)

So why the rush to repaint the buses left in NXWM livery, surely it didn't matter.

[Oozells]

Strange, General view of which companies are good are generally those that have multiple liveries, brandings etc
(Go-Ahead group ones, Trent, Nottingham..)

But their buses are all different colours and generally match the route. We are going to have different colour buses - just because! And then different route brandings on top. Places like Nottingham also provide maps with the colour of the route and their bus stops have the number with the colour of the bus as the background. We've still not managed a colour-coded map!

[Stevo]

It's one thing to create liveries and identities for particular routes, as for instance Trent Barton and Go North East do. It's another to have two red-based liveries for no apparent reason. And this could go on now for 15 years until the last 49xx Enviro 400s are withdrawn.

[Tony]

It's one thing to create liveries and identities for particular routes, as for instance Trent Barton and Go North East do. It's another to have two red-based liveries for no apparent reason. And this could go on now for 15 years until the last 49xx Enviro 400s are withdrawn.

So it is OK for Trent to buy new buses in a new livery and put them on specific routes but not for NX to do it

[winston]

It's one thing to create liveries and identities for particular routes, as for instance Trent Barton and Go North East do. It's another to have two red-based liveries for no apparent reason. And this could go on now for 15 years until the last 49xx Enviro 400s are withdrawn.

The 'apparent reason' of a new livery is to highlight where the new investment has gone, most of which will be in conjunction with 'Gold Corridor' infrastructure improvements which sets the chosen routes apart from other corridors.

Even based on the previous 125 new buses per year, that implies a max vehicle life of 12 years in future. If current investment levels are maintained that will fall further.

No one had so many issues with TWM running two liveries in tandom i.e. low floor livery & red band Metrobus livery, that got really confusing when TWM started painting step entrance B10B's & Lynx in low floor livery

[Oozells]

So it is OK for Trent to buy new buses in a new livery and put them on specific routes but not for NX to do it

But that is just a specific route. These ones will be on the 9 and the 50 and then more and more slowly until NX either withdraw everything pre-2015 or they get bored of painting buses into various liveries. I can understand the express routes getting platinum and hybrid buses being green, but to have the older buses in red & white and the new ones in all red, this just creates a "Why does their route get to have these new, fancy buses, whilst I've got this faded red and grey bus...?"

[CL]

It's one thing to create liveries and identities for particular routes, as for instance Trent Barton and Go North East do. It's another to have two red-based liveries for no apparent reason. And this could go on now for 15 years until the last 49xx Enviro 400s are withdrawn.

The 'apparent reason' of a new livery is to highlight where the new investment has gone, most of which will be in conjunction with 'Gold Corridor' infrastructure improvements which sets the chosen routes apart from other corridors.

Even based on the previous 125 new buses per year, that implies a max vehicle life of 12 years in future. If current investment levels are maintained that will fall further.

No one had so many issues with TWM running two liveries in tandom i.e. low floor livery & red band Metrobus livery, that got really confusing when TWM started painting step entrance B10B's & Lynx in low floor livery

The way I see it, a new livery should keep the paintshop workers busy for the next couple years. lol :)

[winston]

So it is OK for Trent to buy new buses in a new livery and put them on specific routes but not for NX to do it

But that is just a specific route. These ones will be on the 9 and the 50 and then more and more slowly until NX either withdraw everything pre-2015 or they get bored of painting buses into various liveries. I can understand the express routes getting platinum and hybrid buses being green, but to have the older buses in red & white and the new ones in all red, this just creates a "Why does their route get to have these new, fancy buses, whilst I've got this faded red and grey bus...?"

It's much better to implement a new livery route by route, rather than having a couple of existing buses painted in the new livery each month/from each garage & dotted all over the place on various routes. Even if you start painting the existing fleet in the new colours, the faded old red & grey buses as you put will still be around for the foreseeable, as it takes time to repaint a fleet of this size.

[monkeyjoe]

Multi tier of standards across the network, but suppose they have to start from somewhere. Really annoys me how you get better standards of Tescos down south and crap ones with limited ranges here, some similarities ;). Only joking just bored.