Blackheath Bus Services

[richardjones210368]

Never understand the drivers who drive those in silence. Wtf is wrong with them? You have a radio and will rather sit in silence

Nothing better in life than speeding  up Mucklow Hill  on a Mellor with Dave from  Depeche Mode belting out "I Just Cant Get Enough" on Absolute GHR from all speakers on the bus it ought to really be my Diamond Bus Anthem heres an idea for an album - Now Thats What I Call Diamond Bus featuring the best tracks heard on a Mellor.......................................

[MW]

To be honest after using one I am surprised it wasnt more popular it seems head and shoulders over a E200 it must have bern the cost and NBV writedown value for the big groups.

My biggest gripe with any Optare I've driven is the terrible cab design. Optare cabs are very small. If you're over 6ft, legroom is terrible. Wrightbus have the roomiest cabs from my experience. A B7TL / Gemini / Eclipse Urban and the Streetlite DF have excellent cabs. MMCs have good cabs too.

Second biggest gripe with Optares is the driving position. The angle of the steering wheel etc, and the massive steering wheel. Again, the buses I listed above are superior.

I think a Cummins Versa with a cab similar to an MMC / Streetlite or a Wright bodied Volvo would make it one of my favourite buses to drive.

One thing Optare gets right, especially on Solos, is the suspension. Perfectly swallows up imperfections in the road.

[richardjones210368]

My biggest gripe with any Optare I've driven is the terrible cab design. Optare cabs are very small. If you're over 6ft, legroom is terrible. Wrightbus have the roomiest cabs from my experience. A B7TL / Gemini / Eclipse Urban and the Streetlite DF have excellent cabs. MMCs have good cabs too.

Second biggest gripe with Optares is the driving position. The angle of the steering wheel etc, and the massive steering wheel. Again, the buses I listed above are superior.

I think a Cummins Versa with a cab similar to an MMC / Streetlite or a Wright bodied Volvo would make it one of my favourite buses to drive.

One thing Optare gets right, especially on Solos, is the suspension. Perfectly swallows up imperfections in the road.

Never ever driven any Optare have to say at 6foot 1ins the Dennis Lances had great driving positions well superior to a Lynx at MRW and my god could they shift a beast of a bus I am sure the Merc 608s started the trend for DVT!

[Westy]

Nothing better in life than speeding  up Mucklow Hill  on a Mellor with Dave from  Depeche Mode belting out "I Just Cant Get Enough" on Absolute GHR from all speakers on the bus it ought to really be my Diamond Bus Anthem heres an idea for an album - Now Thats What I Call Diamond Bus featuring the best tracks heard on a Mellor.......................................

Get the branding right.

It's either Absolute or Greatest Hits Radio!

[richardjones210368]

Get the branding right.

It's either Absolute or Greatest Hits Radio!

They are both owned by Bauer & on my Absolute Radio app its Absolute GHR & so your point is?

[richardjones210368]

Just got this text from my mate Deano  whilst sitting on my Diamond 231 'I'm on the x8 bro f*** Uber followed you knew you would luv me on a bus its on time great bus dude about 15 mins away get me a Stella in" Im speechless Happy Christmas everyone

[ARBB]

Never understand the drivers who drive those in silence. Wtf is wrong with them? You have a radio and will rather sit in silence

Possibly due to the fact it's a bus and can easily cause a distraction, potentially putting passengers at risk. and also the fact it doesn't look very professional when you have passengers that may be hard of hearing and can't hear the driver over the sound of the radio.

[richardjones210368]

Possibly due to the fact it's a bus and can easily cause a distraction, potentially putting passengers at risk. and also the fact it doesn't look very professional when you have passengers that may be hard of hearing and can't hear the driver over the sound of the radio.

My late mum was completly deaf and despite @pndriver comments would have considered being deaf an total advantage from her point of view when Depeche Mode are blasting out on a Diamond Bus Mellor I doubt she would have wanted to.hear the driver either unless coming dowm Mucklow Hill he was shouting "the breaks have gone"................................

[richardjones210368]

This forms the basis for Boris Johnsons plans to improve Blackheath's bus services in 2020 & provide the framework for the future of Transport for West Midlands.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users

[richardjones210368]

Diamond Bus new low fare structure which allows Blackheath Bus Users to travel within Sandwell & Dudley for just £2.85 all day is avaliable from today. 7 & 28 day versions are also avaliable. Full details of all Diamond Bus ticket products are on the link. Other bus operators serving Blackheath have increase fares for Swift & Contactless tickets by 4.4%. The current rate of RPI is 2.2% (data from ONS on 19th December 2019)
https://www.diamondbuses.com/news/fares-revisions-midlands/
Full Details of Fares of Other Operators:
https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/news/fares-frozen-again-for-2020
https://www.networkwestmidlands.com/tickets/#/

[pb2012]

Only £3 for NXWM Sandwell & Dudley considering the amount of services & buses they operate that's not bad value for money.

[Kevin]

Diamond Bus new low fare structure which allows Blackheath Bus Users to travel within Sandwell & Dudley for just £2.85 all day is avaliable from today. 7 & 28 day versions are also avaliable. Full details of all Diamond Bus ticket products are on the link. Other bus operators serving Blackheath have increase fares for Swift & Contactless tickets by 4.4%. The current rate of RPI is 2.2% (data from ONS on 19th December 2019)
https://www.diamondbuses.com/news/fares-revisions-midlands/
Full Details of Fares of Other Operators:
https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/news/fares-frozen-again-for-2020
https://www.networkwestmidlands.com/tickets/#/

Would these "other operators" be the one that has had a fare freeze?

[richardjones210368]

Would these "other operators" be the one that has had a fare freeze?

I fail to understand your concept of a fare freeze when another operator in the West Midlands has increased it fares by twice the rate of RPI on some of its products perhaps that is the accountant in me seeing thru the spin & just to let eveyone know as I post both good and bad in my world of Diamond Bus on the way to my lane swimmng tonight my Diamond Value 4H B7 ended up hitched to the back of a RSS Recovery Truck!

[richardjones210368]

" 08:04:06 AM »
Quote
Hartshornes:- 2074; 2100; 2109; 2176; 4289; 5509
RWT, Lye:- 4494
Powertrain, Willenhall:- 4434; 4799
MAN, Bedworth:- 1858
PCS, Wootton Bassett:- 5409
Graysons, Tyseley:- 4760; 4809; 5401
Plaxtons, Anston:- 2136

AG:- 4496
BC:- 4266; 4546; 4550
PB:- 2243; 4588
WB:- 6953
YW:- 4654"

Blimey @Tony some of your haulks are in as worse state as the Diamond Value 4H B7 which gave out a hissy fit in BLACKHEATH last night and spewed oil all other the road. Mind you isnt sawdust a very usefull product in the bus industry? Brace yourself I wonder how well your companies buses will be running today from BLACKHEATH to Bearwood, only time will tell as I have to be at the QE for 3pm................

[Tony]

" 08:04:06 AM »
Quote
Hartshornes:- 2074; 2100; 2109; 2176; 4289; 5509
RWT, Lye:- 4494
Powertrain, Willenhall:- 4434; 4799
MAN, Bedworth:- 1858
PCS, Wootton Bassett:- 5409
Graysons, Tyseley:- 4760; 4809; 5401
Plaxtons, Anston:- 2136

AG:- 4496
BC:- 4266; 4546; 4550
PB:- 2243; 4588
WB:- 6953
YW:- 4654"

Blimey @Tony some of your haulks are in as worse state as the Diamond Value 4H B7 which gave out a hissy fit in BLACKHEATH last night and spewed oil all other the road. Mind you isnt sawdust a very usefull product in the bus industry? Brace yourself I wonder how well your companies buses will be running today from BLACKHEATH to Bearwood, only time will tell as I have to be at the QE for 3pm................

Perhaps you could look at which of the large groups was the only one in 2019 not to have a single vehicle fire, even a minor one caused by the vehicle themselves.

Perhaps you could also look at which transport group was not responsible for a single death (employee, passenger or other road user) in 2019 anywhere in the world.

Two statistics every other large transport group would love to have.