East Birmingham Sevice Changes - 4th June 2017

[monkeyjoe]

It's just a joke - a very bad one. Someone with a common-sense bypass has scheduled City-Bromford in 10 mins (best of luck with that one), which of course will make the timetable for the of the X12 route to Solihull a 'make it up as you go along' situation.

As if that's not bad enough, replacing 4 buses an hour between Chelmsley & BHX with three and boasting that it's an improvement is just crass.

So to recap, here's the situation local to me:

14 - yet more hokey cokey at Marston Green. Rerouted to serve a school previously ignored (& one i'd have considered more seriously for my daughter if it hadn't)

17 - Improvement to route to the Tile Cross terminus, by reverting to the old route. One which will add to journey times & result in a 0 increase in pax.....

59 - The one which is really making my p*** boil. Removal of through journey options in both directions. Basically, sod you if you want to get to Shard End / Chester Arms in one direction, or you've at least one change to get to Yew Tree / Yardley / Hay Mills in the other. 

71/72 - Curtailed at Chelmsley, so through destinations reduced then. (don't attempt a counter to this by citing reliability delays elsewhere, see X12 comments above) And the wonderful realisation now that should my daughter's school bus go AWOL (happened several times already so far since September), she's now no alternate direct bus home (a major selling point when choosing that school).

97A - retrograde removal of 24 hour service (two fingers to carless BHX staff, mostly on minimum wage) & removal of the BHX section, which was delivering pax useage, despite the ridiculous scheduling close to 966 services.

I wouldn't have minded so much if the mucking about had only affected a couple of routes. But to find all have been b*ggered up is beyond belief.

They will surely have school jouneys going to on 94  to CTC and Grimshaw ???

[andy41]

How to destroy a network in 3 easy steps. Mr coates probably rubber stamped tgese changes before he left.

I haven't always agreed with you on much but am with you on this. Most bizarre and staggering network review I've seen in a long time. Appears to benefit absolutely nobody.

[winston]

I haven't always agreed with you on much but am with you on this. Most bizarre and staggering network review I've seen in a long time. Appears to benefit absolutely nobody.

It appears to have cut the vehicle requirement for the East Brimingham services

[andy41]

It appears to have cut the vehicle requirement for the East Brimingham services

Yes I should have mentioned the shareholders! I meant benefits absolutely no passengers! It may cut vehicle requirements indeed but in time footfall and revenue may move downwards in line.

The area is clearly suffering badly from having no depot to centre an operation at. The current network probably involves a lot of dead mileage from AG, BC and PB and coupled with congestion the sums haven't been adding up, but the draconian measures resulting appear to be a massive over reaction.

[the trainbasher]

So that means no buses to the Genting on a weeked or after an event there...

That is really annoying

[winston]

Yes I should have mentioned the shareholders! I meant benefits absolutely no passengers! It may cut vehicle requirements indeed but in time footfall and revenue may move downwards in line.

The area is clearly suffering badly from having no depot to centre an operation at. The current network probably involves a lot of dead mileage from AG, BC and PB and coupled with congestion the sums haven't been adding up, but the draconian measures resulting appear to be a massive over reaction.

As you say, long term I doubt it will even benefit the shareholders. It will be interesting to see how these cuts are received by the travelling public. They don't appear too popular from the comments on here, lots of through journies have been cut......

[Mike K]

As you say, long term I doubt it will even benefit the shareholders. It will be interesting to see how these cuts are received by the travelling public. They don't appear too popular from the comments on here, lots of through journies have been cut......

Indeed - this review looks to have gone down like a fart in a lift based on the reactions on here. It always surprises me how often changes are just reversals of changes made on previous reviews - the shortening of routes 72 and 73 being examples. I'm concerned for the South / South West review now. The umpteenth change for the X64 is a given, but I wonder what else is in the pipeline.

[Brummie45]

There is noway the X12 and X70 will make Bromford Lane from City Centre in 10 minutes especially in the rush hour. Both services will become unreliable. I'm amazed Warwickshire County Council have agreed to the changes in Coleshill.

Also the X12 will be the only bus route from Solihull to Castle Bromwich. There is currently three routes to Solihull (71,72,966).

Badly thought out in my opinion with airport staff suffering also.

Those working at DHL/JLR will need two buses to get home as some travel further than the 96 will go.

Kingshurst has gone from five routes (55,55A,56,59,71) to 1 route (55). Kingshurst loses its link to Castle Bromwich Morrisons.

Passengers on the 55 route (old 59) lose their link to Castle Bromwich Morrisons.

Seems like a money making exercise to me.

A terrible review tbh, seems very harsh. I think some of these changes will end up being reverted back after a few months.

[monkeyjoe]

Yes I should have mentioned the shareholders! I meant benefits absolutely no passengers! It may cut vehicle requirements indeed but in time footfall and revenue may move downwards in line.

The area is clearly suffering badly from having no depot to centre an operation at. The current network probably involves a lot of dead mileage from AG, BC and PB and coupled with congestion the sums haven't been adding up, but the draconian measures resulting appear to be a massive over reaction.

Someone agreeing with me finally.

I will defend NXBUS by saying they have probably lost their subsidies from the NEC or who ever it was.
Also they given it 11 mins in rush hour lol. You sit that long in the bromford lane roundabout queue sometimes. However the traffic in brum is nothing compared to Northolt .


I don't understand how Bromford crew will get to the job centre though. Write to Liam Byrne.

[monkeyjoe]

There is noway the X12 and X70 will make Bromford Lane from City Centre in 10 minutes especially in the rush hour. Both services will become unreliable. I'm amazed Warwickshire County Council have agreed to the changes in Coleshill.

I think since the train service became enhanced the 70 must be losing money. Maybe they are testing this to see if the long term tram plan will work.

Also the X12 will be the only bus route from Solihull to Castle Bromwich. There is currently three routes to Solihull (71,72,966).

Not needed.

Badly thought out in my opinion with airport staff suffering also.

Was always subsidised I reckon.

Those working at DHL/JLR will need two buses to get home as some travel further than the 96 will go.

Probably have special journeys

Kingshurst has gone from five routes (55,55A,56,59,71) to 1 route (55). Kingshurst loses its link to Castle Bromwich Morrisons.

Not needed, can walk from 55. Online etc habits are changing. I always thought that 59 was a failure but I got shot down when I said it.

Passengers on the 55 route (old 59) lose their link to Castle Bromwich Morrisons.

55 with an amazing silly loop, but you cant please everyone, claribels will pick up the rest.

Seems like a money making exercise to me.

I always said since lea hall shut you can see where the direction is going, but I got shot down. This proves me right to a fair degree. Will the ex lea hall patch see new buses now all these cuts have been made.

A terrible review tbh, seems very harsh. I think some of these changes will end up being reverted back after a few months.

Probably not, when ever I am in brum at weekends the 94s etc always seem empty. I think the years of neglect are showing, please the demographic of the area is changing people use cars. I don't think people in Hodge hill use buses anymore.

[monkeyjoe]

is the x70 a tester for the silly super tram line they are thinking of introducing?

[Steveminor]

All these cuts are happening at a crucial time for buses in Birmingham. We are supposed to be trying to attract people out of cars to reduce congestion, this in my opinion will lose bus passengers back to their cars.
We also have the new bus bill in place. I think this will make it almost inevitable that we will end up with franchising.

[Kevin]

While I agree with some of the comments, I don't quite understand most of the negative comments about these changes.

The comments about JLR and airport staff needing more than one bus now is laughable. Awww diddums, what about all the other staff there that already have to catch two even three buses? What about people in literally every other job that has to change buses on their way to work?

The 59 was only ever a gamble, the route itself has no real historical base.

The airport links on the 97 were through funding, NX presumably had to chose whether to continue it out of their own pocket and, as much of a shame it is, they obviously decided against that.

[MasterPlan]

I'm concerned for the South / South West review now. The umpteenth change for the X64 is a given, but I wonder what else is in the pipeline.

So am I. I don't think it will be good...

[monkeyjoe]

Come on Claribels!!!!!!!! Time for strategic direction lol