Next Stop Announcments

[MasterPlan]

Seems like it's been ages since I travelled on a bus with NSAs!

Had 6910 on the 2 home this evening, was doing exactly as you describe. I'm not sure if it's been done intentionally, but does get a bit annoying, especially when the bus isn't having to call at stops, as it's announcing "the next stop is" as it is passing by that stop.

I'm wondering if it is another 'coding error', as I notice the system announces "the next stop is" at the point where the display changes to show the stop name without "next stop" above it.

I agree it's a bit overkill, and seems a bit unnecessary to me.

It reminds me of the jumpy NSAs back in 2017 when the 22 and 29 still ran!

[Jack]

It reminds me of the jumpy NSAs back in 2017 when the 22 and 29 still ran!

Hope they aren't as loud as what Walsall's were a few weeks ago. Jumpy and deafening, and now majority of the ones that did work now don't have any announcements at all.

[MasterPlan]

I've experienced a few where the NSA were showing but completely silent, and some, like 7525 which had sound for part of the route and then went silent after.

[Tony]

Hope they aren't as loud as what Walsall's were a few weeks ago. Jumpy and deafening, and now majority of the ones that did work now don't have any announcements at all.

Which have stopped working?

[SCS]

I've noticed all of the issues mentioned on the many E400MMCs on the 97/A and X12 routes. Sometimes it's just visual announcements with no audio and sometimes the ones that have it announce "the next stop is..." twice. It does sound a bit odd when we're flying past a stop and then it doesn't finish before skipping onto the next stop on the announcements. I would give fleet numbers but I've honestly stopped trying to keep track as it's been a recurring issue that I thought it wouldn't be worth mentioning. I don't want to turn into that one person constantly complaining about NSA all the time

I do find NSA quite useful at the darker hours when you can sometimes end up losing track of where you are if you're busy reading something or just phasing out for the 30-40 minute ride. I get it's probably a complete pain in the backside to be kept up to date. Being an aspiring software engineer, I can sense the frustration of managing a system like that. It's probably a complete nightmare whenever issues do come up and having to fix and load it onto all the Hanover systems across entire garages worth of buses.

[Jack]

Which have stopped working?

Ones that haven't clearly haven't been reprogrammed as they are showing just CCVTV images. Some have still got Mrs Platinum, and then some with the new ones, and the ones that haven't worked for years. 

Why mess with something that worked fine? Should've redone all the announcements in Mrs Platinum with the other routes added.

[MasterPlan]

A separate issue is when stops get moved. I noticed another stop moved on X21 route today, on Woodcock Lane, so no doubt the GPS will be out on the NSA now. Same with the stop on Long Nuke Road which was moved.

I am guessing this is maybe down to Tfwm.

[2206]

Which have stopped working?

I just caught 6948 on the 95. Announcements showing on the display but no audio as of yet.

[Tony]

Ones that haven't clearly haven't been reprogrammed as they are showing just CCVTV images. Some have still got Mrs Platinum, and then some with the new ones, and the ones that haven't worked for years.

Why mess with something that worked fine? Should've redone all the announcements in Mrs Platinum with the other routes added.

So not ones that have stopped working then?

There's only 3 known problems at Walsall, so perhaps you can identify the others for us?

Why mess? because as has been mentioned the law changed on next stop from 1st October so they had to be changed.

[Stu]

A separate issue is when stops get moved. I noticed another stop moved on X21 route today, on Woodcock Lane, so no doubt the GPS will be out on the NSA now. Same with the stop on Long Nuke Road which was moved.

I am guessing this is maybe down to Tfwm.

Yes, the 2 and 3 had this problem when the from-city Fulham Road stop on Stoney Lane (now Brunswick Road) was relocated further south, so the geolocation was 'off'. Only got resolved when the system was updated with the new stop names (same time the Clifton Road stop became Chesterton Road).

Another separate issue is where TfWM have changed the names of stops, yet haven't updated the stop flags to show the new names, but that is down to TfWM rather than NX.

[Jack]

So not ones that have stopped working then?

There's only 3 known problems at Walsall, so perhaps you can identify the others for us?

6719, 6724, 6735 and 6755.

[Tony]

6719, 6724, 6735 and 6755.

Thank you!

[Jack]

Thank you!

I wouldn't hold my breath as 6719 hasn't worked for years.

[Tony]

I wouldn't hold my breath as 6719 hasn't worked for years.

As I said, there's three long term trouble makers which are being looked into

[Gareth]

One thing that doesn't help with NSA are routes that interwork where the driver changes the display far too early.
The whole point of NSA is to be accessible for everybody. When you catch a 95 to Birmingham and all of a sudden you're hearing 94 to Chelmsley Wood when you've barely left Nechells and still three/four stops to go, it's not on. There's no need to change your display at the lights at the middleway.