Dudley Network Review

[Stevo]

I rode on the X7 today. No stop announcements, which was a pity, as the driver admitted to a passenger he wasn't sure where he stopped. We called at many stops from city to Heath st, none of which had X7 on them, and had to explain where the bus went or didn't go. Then he missed the Spon Croft stop in spite of a passenger having rung the bell. Only me on at Dudley, but only 1 late. It'll get better but will the trade build up?

[Dom]

I rode on the X7 today. No stop announcements, which was a pity, as the driver admitted to a passenger he wasn't sure where he stopped. We called at many stops from city to Heath st, none of which had X7 on them, and had to explain where the bus went or didn't go. Then he missed the Spon Croft stop in spite of a passenger having rung the bell. Only me on at Dudley, but only 1 late. It'll get better but will the trade build up?

The announcements are being loaded into every Platinum over the next few days. Only a few have them as a test to check they work at the moment.

Spon Croft? Where is this stop?

[BN]

The announcements are being loaded into every Platinum over the next few days. Only a few have them as a test to check they work at the moment.

Spon Croft? Where is this stop?

No they aren't. 2 done so far until a few issues are ironed out. No more till further notice.

[I love Walsall buses]

No they aren't. 2 done so far until a few issues are ironed out. No more till further notice.

Yes one was on the X8 yesterday a YouTube filmed it


His name is Wilko plantet blogs
It is in the channel section and has 923 vids

[karl724223]

Also X10 gornal pensnett hospital brierley hill doing well at the moment

[Mike K]

The announcements are being loaded into every Platinum over the next few days. Only a few have them as a test to check they work at the moment.

Spon Croft? Where is this stop?

The Spon Croft was a pub (now demolished) on the island at the junction of Oldbury Rd and Spon Lane South. I'm sure that years ago 'via Spon Croft' was on the lower blinds of Oldbury and / or West Brom garage vehicles. Pub long since gone.

Edit: photo of preserved 4738 showing this on the lower blind:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16797800@N07/12596426035

[don]

The Spon Croft was a pub (now demolished) on the island at the junction of Oldbury Rd and Spon Lane South. I'm sure that years ago 'via Spon Croft' was on the lower blinds of Oldbury and / or West Brom garage vehicles. Pub long since gone.

Terminus of the B85 - one of the B87 (87) short workings. As a matter of interest, the B80-B89 routes started as tramway replacements in 1939 - losing the B prefix in 1968. The 87 was also the number of the previous tram service - so that route number has an extremely long history. However the Midland Red and BCT buses showed Spon Lane (at least from the 60s). Was Spon Croft actually a destination or via point on West Bromwich CT buses/West Bromwich allocated PTE vehicles?

[CL]

The Spon Croft was a pub (now demolished) on the island at the junction of Oldbury Rd and Spon Lane South. I'm sure that years ago 'via Spon Croft' was on the lower blinds of Oldbury and / or West Brom garage vehicles. Pub long since gone.

...

They were on the Hockley blinds too.  ;)

[Dom]

The Spon Croft was a pub (now demolished) on the island at the junction of Oldbury Rd and Spon Lane South. I'm sure that years ago 'via Spon Croft' was on the lower blinds of Oldbury and / or West Brom garage vehicles. Pub long since gone.

Edit: photo of preserved 4738 showing this on the lower blind:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16797800@N07/12596426035

Ooooh Mallin Street!

[Stevo]

I'm showing my age! Once Spon Croft, always Spon Croft. I used to ride there on West Brom wartime Daimlers with post war bodies.

[BK63 YWP]

I'm showing my age! Once Spon Croft, always Spon Croft. I used to ride there on West Brom wartime Daimlers with post war bodies.

There's a stop by me called the summer house pub which was closed about 10 years ago and has been demolished two years ago yet the stop is still called the summer house

[Kevin]

Also X10 gornal pensnett hospital brierley hill doing well at the moment

So well in fact that the driver of 3302 yesterday didn't even realise he had a passenger...

[BK63 YWP]

An old lady was moaning at the bus stop say the 15 towards merry hill from Kingswinford had be reduced to every 30 mins and I said said the number has just changed not the times to the reply I got "it's on this timetable leaving every 25 past and 55 to". I replied "dear it departs as normal every 10, 25, 40 and 55 per hour...."

To which she said "I haven't got my glasses on so I can not read the timetable"

[Sh4318]

Some people talking on the 12A in Oakham this morning:
"so it's 12 and 12A and it's just every 10 minutes together now? Oh that's rather good isn't it?"

Other people on the X7 in Smethwick:
"so this goes through to Roseville now? Oh that's great I only need the one bus now"

On the 3 on Tuesday a number of people talking about how useful it is now it's a simpler every 15 minutes through Lion Farm

6 people alighting the 2A on Wallows Road, half the bus load leaving Merry Hill

But of course it's all doom and gloom and they're just changing routes for the sake of it....

Was it well used when you used it? Admittedly the 3/3A was a great idea, should help with reliability

[Kevin]

Was it well used when you used it? Admittedly the 3/3A was a great idea, should help with reliability

Didn't seem all that well used but to be fair this is an area that previously had 3 x B7RLEs and 2 x minibuses an hour, now suddenly 6 x deckers. I imagine at the city end that may well be needed but out in Oakham it seems overkill