Walsall Garage

[DJ]

Must admit I've never been a fan of the Omnilinks.

Along with the B6's, I found them a bit cramped.

Likewise, while the look and feel of them has held up remarkably well (slap a private plate on a 57 plate one and you could convince a lot of people that it's a lot newer!), the interiors do feel very cramped. I get both OmniLinks and B7RLEs on my local 11/11A, and I much prefer when one of the latter turns up.

[Westy]

Likewise, while the look and feel of them has held up remarkably well (slap a private plate on a 57 plate one and you could convince a lot of people that it's a lot newer!), the interiors do feel very cramped. I get both OmniLinks and B7RLEs on my local 11/11A, and I much prefer when one of the latter turns up.

Feel your pain, for the 11 / 11a mate, having caught that for a few years!

[Jack]

Likewise, while the look and feel of them has held up remarkably well (slap a private plate on a 57 plate one and you could convince a lot of people that it's a lot newer!), the interiors do feel very cramped. I get both OmniLinks and B7RLEs on my local 11/11A, and I much prefer when one of the latter turns up.

I'd much rather an Omnilink over an Urban 2, liked them since they first came about in 2007 at Perry Barr, a lot better things than a boring and dreary Urban 2. NX's Urban 2's are decent but the Omnilinks I much prefer and love. Diamond's Urban 2's seem a lot more better than NX's in my opinion they have more power and speed as soon as the driver hits the accelerator.

Besides that I can't see Walsall not having no Omnilinks at all, they have nowhere near enough Urban 2's to use, I can see a lot from Coventry being used if that was to happen which I hope doesn't, the Omnilinks have aged well, and the recently repainted ones look brand new on the outside!

[Tony]

I'd much rather an Omnilink over an Urban 2, liked them since they first came about in 2007 at Perry Barr, a lot better things than a boring and dreary Urban 2. NX's Urban 2's are decent but the Omnilinks I much prefer and love. Diamond's Urban 2's seem a lot more better than NX's in my opinion they have more power and speed as soon as the driver hits the accelerator.

Besides that I can't see Walsall not having no Omnilinks at all, they have nowhere near enough Urban 2's to use, I can see a lot from Coventry being used if that was to happen which I hope doesn't, the Omnilinks have aged well, and the recently repainted ones look brand new on the outside!

Omnilinks are not aging well, you will notice NX are not the only company choosing to park up Omnilinks and Omnicities  at the moment. Your dislike of B7RLES is because they are boring? That is exactly what a bus should be. It is bad journies that put people off buses, if they are instantly forgettable the bus is doing what it should.

[DJ]

Omnilinks are not aging well, you will notice NX are not the only company choosing to park up Omnilinks and Omnicities  at the moment. Your dislike of B7RLES is because they are boring? That is exactly what a bus should be. It is bad journies that put people off buses, if they are instantly forgettable the bus is doing what it should.

I'll have to disagree with that statement, if the journey is forgettable, then the company is doing a bad job. Now, if customers remember the journey, perhaps for being quick, frequent, or having a nice vehicle such as a Platinum, or the staff being friendly and helpful, then it's doing what it should. Providing a good service that people will remember will keep customers returning, and hopefully attract new ones through word of mouth.

Current passenger numbers are still down compared to pre-Covid as far as I'm aware, and the industry as a whole needs to be doing more to attract people back to buses, both to keep the industry sustainable, and to play a part in reducing pollution and congestion.

[Tony]

I'll have to disagree with that statement, if the journey is forgettable, then the company is doing a bad job. Now, if customers remember the journey, perhaps for being quick, frequent, or having a nice vehicle such as a Platinum, or the staff being friendly and helpful, then it's doing what it should. Providing a good service that people will remember will keep customers returning, and hopefully attract new ones through word of mouth.

Current passenger numbers are still down compared to pre-Covid as far as I'm aware, and the industry as a whole needs to be doing more to attract people back to buses, both to keep the industry sustainable, and to play a part in reducing pollution and congestion.

I go into work every day on the train. In general WMR do an excellent job and I get a comfy enough seat and arrive on time. I don't remember those journies as the service is to the standard I expect which will attract people onto the train. Same applies to bus journies If the company does the job to a high standard every day you don't remember those journies, only the one where they don't meet a high standard.

[Wumpty]

Omnilinks are not aging well, you will notice NX are not the only company choosing to park up Omnilinks and Omnicities  at the moment. Your dislike of B7RLES is because they are boring? That is exactly what a bus should be. It is bad journies that put people off buses, if they are instantly forgettable the bus is doing what it should.

Agree with this statement, and could be applied to any journey whether by bus, coach or train (as mentioned further down).

.................... the Omnilinks have aged well, and the recently repainted ones look brand new on the outside!

If I'm reading right (and you won't hear this very often!), @Jack does have a point. From an aesthetics perspective, the Omnilinks have aged very well IMHO, though this is very much subjective. They're a smart looking bus and don't look their age on the surface, however as @Tony has pointed out, structurally and underneath it's a different story altogether, with many operators retiring, or have already retired the type, much earlier than they'd have wanted. Certainly passengers that I've spoken to on the WA9 have lauded the arrival of the Omnilinks in favour of Platinums (as I've posted previously).

It's testament to NXWM, indeed the Walsall engineering team that they've gotten the best out of Omnilinks for this long given their issues, though even with their expertise and as the old adage goes, "you can't polish a turd".

[Sh4318]

Absolutely nothing wrong with the Urban 2s. Solid single deck buses, remarkable that they're only 10-12 years old.

Omnilinks on the other hand, I don't dislike, but have not aged well at all

[Bob]

Has something happened on the X51 route? The 13.30 and 13.50 havent turned up in Cannock and the nearest Cannock bound ones in Gt Wyrley!

[cris 99]

probably because of M6 being closed at junction 7 in Great Barr

[I love Walsall buses]

4569 has had a thermal incident while on the 10 today

[Westy]

4569 has had a thermal incident while on the 10 today

Pictures on Facebook somewhere!

[Bob]

probably because of M6 being closed at junction 7 in Great Barr

Ah i did wonder

[PB2938]

4352 has Been involved In a RTC on Bloxwich Road by Leamore whilst working Route 31

[Tony]

4352 has Been involved I an RTC on Bloxwich Road by Leamore whilst Route 31

Looking at the damage that is another March withdrawal!