Blackheath Bus Services

[richardjones210368]

The Buses Act had not passed into statute when the 42 & 43 and 31 & 32 plans were drawn up granting the powers to compel operators only voluntary agreements could be drawn up, while bus priority measures and bus lanes are not devolved to the Mayor and outside the scope of my comments. There is no provision within the act to compensate operators

[winston]

The act is floored then, because It won't happen as per Nexus & now TfGM is looking increasingly likely not to happen.

Operators are simply not going to give up their commercial businesses without any financial compensation. Even properties / land in the way of new road / instrastruture schemes have to be 'compulsory purchased' & owners compensated / relocated.

[richardjones210368]

TfGM are planning to buy the garages of the incumbent operators using the normal government compulsory purchase ratios the act allows this. The Bus Services Act passed into statute on 27th November 2017 it provides a comprehensive framework for the provision of bus services I cannot see any flaws in it & I was happy to contribute to the drafting of the act and gave evidence to a commons select committee on the matter.

[winston]

TfGM are planning to buy the garages of the incumbent operators using the normal government compulsory purchase ratios the act allows this. The Bus Services Act passed into statute on 27th November 2017 it provides a comprehensive framework for the provision of bus services I cannot see any flaws in it & I was happy to contribute to the drafting of the act and gave evidence to a commons select committee on the matter.

TfGM may be 'planning' on buying the garages, but nothing has happened yet, and with a potential change in Mayor In Greater Manchester as well, that plan may still get shelved.

Despite all the cost & time of putting together these comprehensive frameworks, not ONE has actually been delivered.

[Busboy105]

What the Mayor wants & gets are two very different things.

As NX are still refurbishing their non Platinum fleet in Crimson, it's highly unlikey they will be repainting them again within 3 years in TfWM WMB livery prior to 2022. Plus, Platinum is only a NX brand, why should other operators give up their unique identities.

The Mayor & TfWM would do well to ditch white elephants like using artics on Sprint & spending hundreds of millions extending the Metro short distances within B'ham City Centre and causing endless distruption. The money would be far better spent improving bus priorities / infrasture / bus lanes / park & ride schemes that benefit the majority rather than minority.

Why should all the buses in the West Midlands be painted into the same livery? Are we trying to be a "Mini London"? I've always liked the fact that buses can be different colours, it's just nice. It gets boring seeing all the buses with the same colour. Even in London before they made operators paint buses all red, there was a little bit of variety in them. Arriva had their cream strip down the side, Metroline had a blue bar on the bottom of the buses and First had yellow streaks on the bottom as well. So yeah that's my take on the WMB livery.
End of rant.
Feel free to ridicule me; I don't care.

[richardjones210368]

TfGM may be 'planning' on buying the garages, but nothing has happened yet, and with a potential change in Mayor In Greater Manchester as well, that plan may still get shelved.

Despite all the cost & time of putting together these comprehensive frameworks, not ONE has actually been delivered.

Ours has been agreed by all the operators in the West Midlands and delievered our next aim the Mayors legally binding conditions of carrage rules due to be signed off in January

[winston]

Why should all the buses in the West Midlands be painted into the same livery? Are we trying to be a "Mini London"? I've always liked the fact that buses can be different colours, it's just nice. It gets boring seeing all the buses with the same colour. Even in London before they made operators paint buses all red, there was a little bit of variety in them. Arriva had their cream strip down the side, Metroline had a blue bar on the bottom of the buses and First had yellow streaks on the bottom as well. So yeah that's my take on the WMB livery.
End of rant.
Feel free to ridicule me; I don't care.

It's because everyone wants to model their regional transports systems on what they consider is the perfect model i.e. 'London' wholly managed by TfL. However, it's rarely publicised how much tax payers money TfL gobbles up to subsidise it all.

West Midlands Trains are certainly a shining local example delivering a top class service....

[richardjones210368]

Why should all the buses in the West Midlands be painted into the same livery? Are we trying to be a "Mini London"? I've always liked the fact that buses can be different colours, it's just nice. It gets boring seeing all the buses with the same colour. Even in London before they made operators paint buses all red, there was a little bit of variety in them. Arriva had their cream strip down the side, Metroline had a blue bar on the bottom of the buses and First had yellow streaks on the bottom as well. So yeah that's my take on the WMB livery.
End of rant.
Feel free to ridicule me; I don't care.

I fully agree with you personally I cannot see any point in.corporate livery's of any kind my fave was the post dereg Midland Red West livery swept away by  Barbie unfortunately the final decisions on these matters are made well above my pay grade by people who would never be seen dead on a bus!  I also agree TfL is a money pit and their ideas in London are deeply flawed my opinion is franchising and the London system is stupid and lines the operators coffers mind you the MD of Tower Transit still refuses to speak to me after we had a very heated debate at last years Tory Party Conference I did feel sorry for the chair Prof David Begg!!!

[Tony]

The livery is mandatory as part of the agreement but subject to vehicle availability the roll out is still underway and the Mayor aims to achieve all buses non platinum by the Commonwealth games will be in West Midlands Bus colours from what I understand

I would say the chances are zero. Not only would you have to find the money to do it, you would have to find the capacity and provide the operators with vehicles to cover those extras away for repaint

[richardjones210368]

I would say the chances are zero. Not only would you have to find the money to do it, you would have to find the capacity and provide the operators with v
ehicles to cover those extras away for repaint

Yes  your most likley right as always Tony but all the operators have agreed in the legally binding bus alliance document to it & -TfWm are planning for it but not paying for it but everything could change in May

[Tony]

Yes  your most likley right as always Tony but all the operators have agreed in the legally binding bus alliance document to it & -TfWm are planning for it but not paying for it but everything could change in May

I don't think they have all agreed to it by 2022

[richardjones210368]

I don't think they have all agreed to it by 2022

Well they all did at a meeting I attended at TfWM and I raised the matter at the last meeting I attended last month & TfWM and the operators present all seemed to agree on this shall you tell the WMCA differently or shall i !!!

[Tony]

Well they all did at a meeting I attended at TfWM and I raised the matter at the last meeting I attended last month & TfWM and the operators present all seemed to agree on this shall you tell the WMCA differently or shall i !!!

Well I am still planning company livery repaints for 2020 and not one other operator is currently even making a start. That would leave 1000 repaints to do in 2021 many of which would have been repainted in 2020 so would be an awful waste of money

[winston]

Well I am still planning company livery repaints for 2020 and not one other operator is currently even making a start. That would leave 1000 repaints to do in 2021 many of which would have been repainted in 2020 so would be an awful waste of money

Wouldn't 1000 repaints also be approx. 3 years work for NXWM's paintshop, based on capacity of circa 17 at anyone time.

[richardjones210368]

Well I am still planning company livery repaints for 2020 and not one other operator is currently even making a start. That would leave 1000 repaints to do in 2021 many of which would have been repainted in 2020 so would be an awful waste of money

That is very intersting to know Tony would you mind if I raised your points at our next Bus Alliance meeting on the 28th Jan as TfWM & the operators all seem to be in the belief that the majority of buses other than your Platnum and cross boundry buses will be in West Midlands Bus colours by the Commonwealth Games.