Whats Diamonds Best & Worst Route ?

[Tony]

I thing Diamond are keeping the 56, those hybrid buses are brilliant so smooth especially with  the leather seats, some of them have a small monitor which announces every stop before you get there. the only thing I don,t understand is why they don,t use the flyover & underpasses at perry barr as nobody ever gets on or off at these stops, but still Diamond have done a good job with this service.

Apparently centro said there were too many services using the flyover and they had to change it although that could be a load of ****!!

Correct it is a load of....................

Centro do not have any say in where Diamond wants to run commercial journies on the 56, that is purely up to Diamond. The tendered evening/Sunday journies are of course a different matter

[Discodave]

I thing Diamond are keeping the 56, those hybrid buses are brilliant so smooth especially with  the leather seats, some of them have a small monitor which announces every stop before you get there. the only thing I don,t understand is why they don,t use the flyover & underpasses at perry barr as nobody ever gets on or off at these stops, but still Diamond have done a good job with this service.

Apparently centro said there were too many services using the flyover and they had to change it although that could be a load of ****!!

Agree with you bu07lgo aas loads of NXWM services use the flyovers and you have the 51 and 33 using the slow roads the old 156 used the flyovers and was limited stop to kingstanding (proper limited stop fare stages only)

[sonic84]

Slightly off topic, but I guess connected a little, I remember being really impressed when Pete's Travel extended the 84 Birmingham - Hawkesley evening and sunday journeys to Redditch.  Thought it was a really clever thing to do, especially as it was running at an hourly frequency on a Sunday, compared with the 146 which ran every 2 hours.

Unfortunately, from what I remember Pete's Travel won the contract to operate the 146 on Sundays and so they curtailed the 84 back to Hawkesley, but it was a nice little extension while it lasted. 

There was also an 84N which ran to Redditch, 2 or 3 journeys on a Friday and Saturday night.

[Diamond Geezer]

I thing Diamond are keeping the 56, those hybrid buses are brilliant so smooth especially with  the leather seats, some of them have a small monitor which announces every stop before you get there. the only thing I don,t understand is why they don,t use the flyover & underpasses at perry barr as nobody ever gets on or off at these stops, but still Diamond have done a good job with this service.

Apparently centro said there were too many services using the flyover and they had to change it although that could be a load of ****!!

Agree with you bu07lgo aas loads of NXWM services use the flyovers and you have the 51 and 33 using the slow roads the old 156 used the flyovers and was limited stop to kingstanding (proper limited stop fare stages only)

This was trialled as the 56X but was short lived due to the number of passengers who didn't want it to be limited stop from Perry Barr to the City.

[Ash]

Bit off topic but apart from the branded vehicles do diamond try to allocate a certain type of vehicle to a certain service as at the moment the solo's seem to get used on some of diamonds busier services and services like the 417 get the centro's and for me passenger numbers dont seem to match up to the need of them.

[Discodave]

with the review cant see the 417 lasting now nxwm will be running to halesowen via blackheath or to be honest any of diamond

[Mike360]

My view on Diamond's best routes are routes 002, 56 and 404e, Blue Diamond services are pretty rubbish with the buses they use, reliability etc. Diamond do seem to be going down hill lately with the withdrawal of services. Can anyone see them being taken over soon? and once NXWM operate there new route from Walsall to Halesowen unless Diamond operate alongside this route, no one will use the 417 and even if they operate the same route Diamond won't get many customers.

[Stu]

with the review cant see the 417 lasting now nxwm will be running to halesowen via blackheath or to be honest any of diamond

The operators of the new services haven't been revealed yet, its possible that Diamond might be operating the new 4H and not NXWM.

[Stu]

The 417 goes through to Hayley Green remember, doesn't terminate in Halesowen.

That is true, but we don't know for sure yet what will happen to the 417 at the Sandwell review. I suppose it depends on the loadings between Halesowen and Hayley Green, it could end up being withdrawn, if Centro decide that there is ample coverage provided by the 244. And if NXWM do end up operating the 4H anyway, it could spell trouble for Diamonds 417.

[sonic84]

I would be interested to know the thought process behind the 4H... after all do people of Halesowen want or need a like to Walsall?

[Ash]

Merry hill is a nightmare in the evening with all the traffic so there will be quite a bit of congestion surely this could cause the 4M to be unreliable because its well over an hour to get from Walsall to Merry Hill on a sunday let alone a weekday but im glad there is going to be a weekday service though. The 417 is every 20 minutes at the moment and the 4H is going to be every 30 minutes but diamond could make the 417 or the equivalent every half an hour and run slightly infront of NXWM services.

[Nathan4775]

The 82? I no they dropping the 56

I thought the 56 was staying and it was a mistake on VOSA or centro's part its the 56A which is going to NXWM and being operated by 935A services.

So 935A will be operating in the evenings then to cover 56A

[John]

So 935A will be operating in the evenings then to cover 56A

Yes, and on Sunday's, I guess via the current 56A route.

[Ashley]

Its very rare I use a Diamond bus. But I do like the 002

[Nathan4775]

So 935A will be operating in the evenings then to cover 56A

Yes, and on Sunday's, I guess via the current 56A route.

I looked at the timetable on NXWM and ive noticed that the 935A& 934 on Sundays will Run From Kingstanding - Birmingham 3 minutes apart. Will the 934 timetable change or stay the same ????