INIT - Ticket Machines

[Justin Tyme]

Didn't Stagecoach display the C on a couple of tendered routes they operated about 10 years ago.

One operator definitely did.

Yes, Midland Red South did - in the NBC, Western Travel and Stagecoach eras.  Not every Coventry city service they ran on showed the "C" but many did.  Over the years Midland Red South won tenders for many Coventry routes.  I think G&G also sometimes showed the "C" on tendered routes.

[Walsall1955]

Yes, I believe that was true. Think I first saw it many years ago in Malcolm Keeley's book on WMPTE. Coventry fleetnumbers had 1000 added to their ex Coventry number. For example 123Y became 1123.

I believe that the origin of 1000 being added to Coventry fleet numbers was a computer issue at South Division (Birmingham) where at the time it was said that the computer said "no" to Y suffices - so ex Coventry buses at AG carried numbers 1211 etc rather than 211Y etc.  In fact 720N when transferred from Wolverhampton to PB that got renumbered 1720, so any letter suffix was presumably a problem at South division at one time.  However by 1977 it was able to cope with H suffix ex West Bromwich buses.

[paulb1973]

Yes, I believe that was true. Think I first saw it many years ago in Malcolm Keeley's book on WMPTE. Coventry fleetnumbers had 1000 added to their ex Coventry number. For example 123Y became 1123.

Quite a few ex-CT buses ended up carrying the 1xxx series after 1979/80, even to as late as 1986. It was possible to see Dennis Lancets 1053-54 (for the Coventry Easyrider services) alongside 1xxx numbered Fleetlines in 1985/6 presumably. I think those two did actually start life as 7053-54 but for a brief time only. Cov would have also had a few 18xx Nationals too.

Re. the route numbers in Coventry; being physically separate it made sense to retain the CT style numbers I guess (1 to 50 or thereabouts). I suppose a similar system used by WMPTE could have been adopted; 2xx for Dudley, 3xx for Walsall and so on. Not sure what Coventry would have used, the 600's perhaps - 601 to Chapelfields or 623 to Allesley Park sounds a bit strange though!

[Trident 4194]

Does 6106 have one of these or is it a contactless payment thing??

[Ally]

Didn't Stagecoach display the C on a couple of tendered routes they operated about 10 years ago.

One operator definitely did.

With duplicate service numbers I mean where Coventry one duplicated Birmingham ones, that is why the C was used

They would be:
C37/C47 Lentons Lane Circulars
C54 City - Finham
C64 City - Hexworthy Drive (to avoid the political argument over the spelling of the estate)

The services Stagecoach operated on New Year's Day all used the C prefix for the first 2 or 3 years, I have some photos on my external HDD somewhere.

As for the previous second 48 route in Coventry, that I believe was Courthouse Green - Walsgrave Hospital, with similarities to the current 26 route.

There's another photo of a Midland Red National on MidlandRed.net (I believe NHA284M) which shows C49 on the blind, I imagine the old Rail Station - Coundon via City route.

[Tony]

Does 6106 have one of these or is it a contactless payment thing??

Seeing as I posted that Pensnett was being fitted this week what do you think?

[paulb1973]

They would be:
C37/C47 Lentons Lane Circulars
C54 City - Finham
C64 City - Hexworthy Drive (to avoid the political argument over the spelling of the estate)

The services Stagecoach operated on New Year's Day all used the C prefix for the first 2 or 3 years, I have some photos on my external HDD somewhere.

As for the previous second 48 route in Coventry, that I believe was Courthouse Green - Walsgrave Hospital, with similarities to the current 26 route.

There's another photo of a Midland Red National on MidlandRed.net (I believe NHA284M) which shows C49 on the blind, I imagine the old Rail Station - Coundon via City route.

At least the Lenton's Lane circular wasn't 37A/37C - denoting anticlockwise and clockwise - we could have ended up with C37C etc. I seem to recall a 48 starting at Ernesford Grange heading to the Walsgrave area and possibly further on - but that probably goes back almost 30 years.

[Ally]

At least the Lenton's Lane circular wasn't 37A/37C - denoting anticlockwise and clockwise - we could have ended up with C37C etc. I seem to recall a 48 starting at Ernesford Grange heading to the Walsgrave area and possibly further on - but that probably goes back almost 30 years.

New Year's Day gave us the C32C!
Ah yes Ernesford Grange is the one sorry! Courthouse was the 44 which also served Ernesford.

[JPC]

At least the Lenton's Lane circular wasn't 37A/37C - denoting anticlockwise and clockwise - we could have ended up with C37C etc. I seem to recall a 48 starting at Ernesford Grange heading to the Walsgrave area and possibly further on - but that probably goes back almost 30 years.

New Year's Day gave us the C32C!
Ah yes Ernesford Grange is the one sorry! Courthouse was the 44 which also served Ernesford.

C48 [Courthouse - Hospital - Ernesford] began about 1991 (when Sainsburys opened?), the Hospital - Ernesford bit axed around 2001 and the remainder axed in 2004 in favour of DeCourcey's new 703/4.
C44 [City - Rail Station - Ernesford] was a different peak only service which ran for a similar period of years.

C61 [City - Brade Drive] is probably the most recent such Stagecoach tender which lasted for a few months in 2012.

C64 City - Hexworthy Drive (to avoid the political argument over the spelling of the estate)

And you still managed to spell 'Avenue' incorrectly.  ;D

[paulb1973]

C48 [Courthouse - Hospital - Ernesford] began about 1991 (when Sainsburys opened?), the Hospital - Ernesford bit axed around 2001 and the remainder axed in 2004 in favour of DeCourcey's new 703/4.
C44 [City - Rail Station - Ernesford] was a different peak only service which ran for a similar period of years.

C61 [City - Brade Drive] is probably the most recent such Stagecoach tender which lasted for a few months in 2012.And you still managed to spell 'Avenue' incorrectly.  ;D

Yes, the 44 was to Ernesford Grange only [possibly Princethorpe Way/Binley Rd] - I remember going home on it from work, I think it used the Ring Road, London Rd & Allard Way (rather than use Stoke Aldermoor) to get to its destination. I recall grabbing a ride on Fleetline 6922 one weekday. The only time I can remember travelling that end of Allard Way on a bus.

[karl724223]

Over half of pensnetts buses been fitted with new ticket machines
Just got to get the faults fixed now

[karl724223]

Had two buses with new ticket machines today I'm really impressed with the thought that has gone into them
Really weird driving a bus not having to look at a running board
Once you find out where all the tickets are and what the machine can do it's really easy
Don't want to see another old ticket machine again
On that note Pensnett should be finished by Wednesday

[Jack]

Had two buses with new ticket machines today I'm really impressed with the thought that has gone into them
Really weird driving a bus not having to look at a running board
Once you find out where all the tickets are and what the machine can do it's really easy
Don't want to see another old ticket machine again
On that note Pensnett should be finished by Wednesday

Will West Bromwich be next for the new INIT machines?

[Tony]

Will West Bromwich be next for the new INIT machines?

No, The team move to Walsall once Pensnett is finished

[John]

Over half of pensnetts buses been fitted with new ticket machines
Just got to get the faults fixed now

We still have lots of faults on ours. The scanner seems to get confused eaay and the red screen comes on it. You have to wave people with smart cards past until it wakes up. Sometimes you even have to manually reboot it.

The other is that they have not been instaiied properly and the screen with the times does not come on when pulling away. Fed up of putting it on the VCR now