Blackheath Bus Services

[Pat]

I've thought about withdrawing the 4 and upping the frequency of the 4H/M.  The 4 has always seemed a pretty pointless route to me.

[Busboy105]

I've thought about withdrawing the 4 and upping the frequency of the 4H/M.  The 4 has always seemed a pretty pointless route to me.

How about extending the 4 to Hayley Green replacing the 4H and then increase the frequency based on the loss of the 4H. That makes much more sense to me.

[Tony]

How about extending the 4 to Hayley Green replacing the 4H and then increase the frequency based on the loss of the 4H. That makes much more sense to me.

That makes no sense at all

[Steve3229vp]

I've thought about withdrawing the 4 and upping the frequency of the 4H/M.  The 4 has always seemed a pretty pointless route to me.

The 4 provides a 6-7 minute service between Walsall and Blackheath combined with the 4H and 4M, if the 4 was withdrawn then the 4H and 4M would have to be increased and that would be a waste of money and it would lose money.

[richardjones210368]

The 4H is one service Diamond Bus do well I use it 7 days a week 364 days a year. I have lived on the route in Coombes Wood long enough to know it as Midland Red 217, WMPTE 417, Midland Red West 233 and the utterly pathetic useless LUDLOWS 417. The NXWM service is an utter shambles with drivers not knowing the route, what a Sandwell & Dudley Daysaver is & do not ever think of asking for any N bus tickets the service operated by NXWM is laughable for all Diamond Bus many faults the service they operate is the best I have known in 51 years of living on Gorsty Hill you cannot trust NXWM in Blackheath look at the recent cuts to the longstanding 127 now 13A & the shambles they have made of the 140 & yes I work in Birmingham as far as I am concerned there is no need for an expansion of the 4H by them they cannot get 3 buses per hour right so who wants more from them?

[Busboy105]

The 4H is one service Diamond Bus do well I use it 7 days a week 364 days a year. I have lived on the route in Coombes Wood long enough to know it as Midland Red 217, WMPTE 417, Midland Red West 233 and the utterly pathetic useless LUDLOWS 417. The NXWM service is an utter shambles with drivers not knowing the route, what a Sandwell & Dudley Daysaver is & do not ever think of asking for any N bus tickets the service operated by NXWM is laughable for all Diamond Bus many faults the service they operate is the best I have known in 51 years of living on Gorsty Hill you cannot trust NXWM in Blackheath look at the recent cuts to the longstanding 127 now 13A & the shambles they have made of the 140 & yes I work in Birmingham as far as I am concerned there is no need for an expansion of the 4H by them they cannot get 3 buses per hour right so who wants more from them?

Looks like you're not a fan of NXWM.

[richardjones210368]

Tony no wonder the X8 is such a shambles for NXWM the security question I have been asked to complete on the forum would only accept 126 as the answer for the question what bus runs from Wolverhampton to Birmingham after 13 months of the utter hopelessness of the X8 funny that.........

[richardjones210368]

Looks like you're not a fan of NXWM.

It's not me being a fan of any bus operator I am commenting on
me using the 4H 13A & X8 most days and what I experience you wouldn't have had to post that comment in early 2017 as I would not have criticized  NXWM about the 127 or 140 or half hourly NXWM 4H but times change sadly not for the better if you use NXWM in Blackheath

[Busboy105]

It's not me being a fan of any bus operator I am commenting on
me using the 4H 13A & X8 most days and what I experience if you had posted that comment in early 2017 I would have not have criticised NXWM about the 127 or 140 or half hourly NXWM 4H but times change sadly not for the better if you use NXWM in Blackheath

How bad is it?

[richardjones210368]

Numerous mornings I get 2 X8's at 6.48 in the morning or none at all so thankfully there is the 13A to fall back on. I cannot remember the last time I got the X8 back to Blackheath from Colmore Row the 13A always arrives first and usually on time. I met some mates at The Stag and one night the last X8 was 90mins late the old 140 was a good service with old buses the X8 is a very bad service with posh buses but that's life NXWM seem to think they know best!

[Pat]

The 4 provides a 6-7 minute service between Walsall and Blackheath combined with the 4H and 4M, if the 4 was withdrawn then the 4H and 4M would have to be increased and that would be a waste of money and it would lose money.

But I don't see why Blackheath needs a 6 min frequency.  If the 4 was withdrawn, the vehicles from that could be redeployed and increase the frequency of the 4H/M and provide more services to Merry Hill/Halesowen & Hayley Green.

[Sh4318]

But I don't see why Blackheath needs a 6 min frequency.  If the 4 was withdrawn, the vehicles from that could be redeployed and increase the frequency of the 4H/M and provide more services to Merry Hill/Halesowen & Hayley Green.

Walsall to Blackheath is the main part of the corridor, as it always has been, Blackheath to Merry Hill/Hayley Green are essentially extensions

[richardjones210368]

Walsall to Blackheath is the main part of the corridor, as it always has been, Blackheath to Merry Hill/Hayley Green are essentially extensions

It certainly has NOT always been so with the 4H. Walsall to Blackheath as a thru service began on 26th October 1986 as 404 previously the service was the 415 from Cradley Health & 417 from Halesowen to West Bromwich only which had previously been cut earlier from Hayley Green. Before 1976 it was the 217 from Hayley Green to Oldbury & 15 from Oldbury to West Bromwich. The section of route from Halesowen to Blackheath in 1986 became Midland Red West 233 later Ludlows 417. The section of route from Blackheath to Hayley Green known as 4H is not an extension of the 4 but a direct replacement for Ludlows later Diamond Bus 417 which was joined with short workings of Diamond Bus 404E to create the 4H. For many years after 1986 West Midlands Travel failed to serve Gorsty Hill & Coombes Wood. The 4 is the successor to 404 while the 4H is the successor to the 417 & 404E The 4H is NOT an extension of the 4 but a direct successor of the Diamond Bus 417 & 404E the 4M yes is an extention of what was the 404 as 404M.

[Pat]

It certainly has NOT always been so with the 4H. Walsall to Blackheath as a thru service began on 26th October 1986 as 404 previously the service was the 415 from Cradley Health & 417 from Halesowen to West Bromwich only which had previously been cut earlier from Hayley Green. Before 1976 it was the 217 from Hayley Green to Oldbury & 15 from Oldbury to West Bromwich. The section of route from Halesowen to Blackheath in 1986 became Midland Red West 233 later Ludlows 417. The section of route from Blackheath to Hayley Green known as 4H is not an extension of the 4 but a direct replacement for Ludlows later Diamond Bus 417 which was joined with short workings of Diamond Bus 404E to create the 4H. For many years after 1986 West Midlands Travel failed to serve Gorsty Hill & Coombes Wood. The 4 is the successor to 404 while the 4H is the successor to the 417 & 404E The 4H is NOT an extension of the 4 but a direct successor of the Diamond Bus 417 & 404E the 4M yes is an extention of what was the 404 as 404M.

The current 4H replaced the 244 between Halesowen & Hayley Green.

[richardjones210368]

The current 4H replaced the 244 between Halesowen & Hayley Green.

My post  refers to the MAIN Diamond 4H service which operates 7 days a week over it's full length unlike the less regular 4H which you refer to that follows a different route between Hayley Green & Blackheath by the hapless NXWM. The Hasbury loop of NXWM has been everything from 234/5 to a 205 to 445 to 218 & 131/2 to more recently 241 & 19 then 244 amongst others as NXWM can never make up it's mind the Diamond 4H is unchanged since it commenced as Ludlows 417 and did not replace the 244 that is a different route.