West Midlands Combined Authorty

[Stu]

I suggest you refer to the Network West Midlands website for details of the scheme as @Tony has posted.

But Tony has correctly pointed out that the Network West Midlands website doesn't actually give any detailed information.

Opportunity for members of the public to complete bus audits on behalf of West Midlands Combined Authority. Quarterly forums take place to discuss results and provide feedback.

If you are interested in joining the group or want to know more, email customerservices@tfwm.org.uk.

Is all the Website has to say

It all seems to me very much a 'closed-shop', and decisions are being made on what a select few people have to say, while the wider general public are being mostly ignored.

And what do these 'bus audits' actually entail? If its simply a case of monitoring a service to make sure it is running to schedule, surely most operators have advanced GPS-based tracking systems that can report this kind of detail automatically?

[richardjones210368]

So if "Doris from Shard End" doesn't have your email address, what opportunity does she have to get a concern about her local bus services raised and discussed at one of these Bus Champion / TfWM meetings?

That's the point I am trying to make; who sets the agenda at these meetings, what is discussed, and how do the public get to have their say?

Doris concerns can be upscaled from visiting her local councillors or member of parlament surgerys that is the prescribed approach all are aware of who thier local TfWM Bus Champions are. That is the long accepted approach for any local authority while if Doris can use her free TfWM Bus Pass she is more than welcome to Meet The Mayor in Tysley and frankly @Stu I have emailed you the personal contact details of the executive who runs the scheme at the WMCA isnt this points scoring just becoming a little bid childish?

[Stuharris 6360]

But Tony has correctly pointed out that the Network West Midlands website doesn't actually give any detailed information.

It all seems to me very much a 'closed-shop', and decisions are being made on what a select few people have to say, while the wider general public are being mostly ignored.

And what do these 'bus audits' actually entail? If its simply a case of monitoring a service to make sure it is running to schedule, surely most operators have advanced GPS-based tracking systems that can report this kind of detail automatically?

Exactly @Stu , what they are doing is all subjective. How can you possibly get any decent results when just one person is travelling on a route, it needs numerous people travelling on the same day starting at different points on a route and then you get a better view of a route. This was it's really just a pointless exercise!

[richardjones210368]

Exactly @Stu , what they are doing is all subjective. How can you possibly get any decent results when just one person is travelling on a route, it needs numerous people travelling on the same day starting at different points on a route and then you get a better view of a route. This was it's really just a pointless exercise!

You forget that's where most of us who also work for HM Government collate the bus statistcs over a 7 day period for DfT, TfWM cherry pick the route data they require.

[Stuharris 6360]

You forget that's where most of us who also work for HM Government collate the bus statistcs over a 7 day period for DfT, TfWM cherry pick the route data they require.

And then send you all out on the same route at the same time starting at different points on the route.

[richardjones210368]

And then send you all out on the same route at the same time starting at different points on the route.

It costs the West Midlands council tax payers nothing to collect the data  as its ONS funded for the DfT as part of the Government's responsibility to collate National statistics on buses legally under Transport Act 1986 it's a statutory requirement. I have posted a thread on the forum that carries all the stats that's how I have the proof everything I have said historically about the X8 on this forum is true and why it's being acted on based on the evidence we have provided. As WMCA are a statutory body the information we collect can be used for thier statistical data we attend and do additional work for WMCA entirely voluntary as we all like buses!

[richardjones210368]

Excellent news for the legacy of The Mayor the overseer of our great West Midlands Bus Network I understand permission has been granted for a life size abstract collage sculpture of Andy Street to be erected in Centenary Square for the next two years around The Commenwelth Games. I understand the proposed effigy of Mr Street will be taken away and melted down and removed for ever in Late 2022 like an old communist leader, funny I thought that some posters on this forum were planning that anyway for Mr Street in May this year?

https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEOZsin2bDDQfEBuw7_-ZnigqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow2c77CjC-yfQCML7g0wU?hl=en-GB&gl=GB&ceid=GB%3Aen

[BK63 YWP]

Excellent news for the legacy of The Mayor the overseer of our great West Midlands Bus Network I understand permission has been granted for a life size abstract collage sculpture of Andy Street to be erected in Centenary Square for the next two years around The Commenwelth Games. I understand the proposed effigy of Mr Street will be taken away and melted down and removed for ever in Late 2022 like an old communist leader, funny I thought that some posters on this forum were planning that anyway for Mr Street in May this year?

https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEOZsin2bDDQfEBuw7_-ZnigqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow2c77CjC-yfQCML7g0wU?hl=en-GB&gl=GB&ceid=GB%3Aen

The "great leader" of the Metro, the brownfields, the man who stands up for the people of Blackheath and the Railways too.

He seems to be ramping up for the election in May

[richardjones210368]

The "great leader" of the Metro, the brownfields, the man who stands up for the people of Blackheath and the Railways too.

He seems to be ramping up for the election in May

Sandwell residents will be delighted to receive today a FREE copy of Sandwell Champions tabloid newspaper delivered direct to their letterboxes which features 12 excellent photos of Andy Street engaging with the good people of Blackheath, Great Bridge, Friar Park, Oldbury, Tipton, Tividale, Warley, Wednesbury and West Bromwich. The newspaper outlines all Mr Streets stunning achievements for Sandwell  residents and includes an excellent interview with The Prime Minister on what he plans for the residents of Blackheath. I am personally very proud of a whole page entitled "Andy Street - getting to grips with the transport challenge" which outlines the stunning achievements Mr Street had made for bus use in Sandwell & includes an actual picture of him on a bus together with him inspecting brand new 82 & 87s.  I am sure you join me in thanking Jay Singh Sohall for coordinating the free newspaper for the benefit of all Sandwell Residents & Sandwell Bus Users.

[Stuharris 6360]

Sandwell residents will be delighted to receive today a FREE copy of Sandwell Champions tabloid newspaper delivered direct to their letterboxes which features 12 excellent photos of Andy Street engaging with the good people of Blackheath, Great Bridge, Friar Park, Oldbury, Tipton, Tividale, Warley, Wednesbury and West Bromwich. The newspaper outlines all Mr Streets stunning achievements for Sandwell  residents and includes an excellent interview with The Prime Minister on what he plans for the residents of Blackheath. I am personally very proud of a whole page entitled "Andy Street - getting to grips with the transport challenge" which outlines the stunning achievements Mr Street had made for bus use in Sandwell & includes an actual picture of him on a bus together with him inspecting brand new 82 & 87s.  I am sure you join me in thanking Jay Singh Sohall for coordinating the free newspaper for the benefit of all Sandwell Residents & Sandwell Bus Users.

Excuse me but this isn't the Andy Street appreciation society forum, it's about buses and transport themes.

[richardjones210368]

Excuse me but this isn't the Andy Street appreciation society forum, it's about buses and transport themes.

The Sandwell Champions tabliod newspaper delivered FREE to Sandwell Residents is a play on the Bus, Rail & Metro Champions theme and is mainly about The Mayors involment with not only buses in Sandwell but also West Midlands Metro & West Midlands Railways as  well as an excellent feature on Mr Street inspecting some 82 & 87s in Sandwell, a feature on the benefits to Sandwell Bus,Rail & Metro users over the last 5 years together with Mr Street actually using a bus in Sandwell how are the comments from the man who oversees Sandwells Buses not relevant to a bus forum?

[the trainbasher]

The Sandwell Champions tabliod newspaper delivered FREE to Sandwell Residents is a play on the Bus, Rail & Metro Champions theme and is mainly about The Mayors involment with not only buses in Sandwell but also West Midlands Metro & West Midlands Railways as  well as an excellent feature on Mr Street inspecting some 82 & 87s in Sandwell, a feature on the benefits to Sandwell Bus,Rail & Metro users over the last 5 years together with Mr Street actually using a bus in Sandwell how are the comments from the man who oversees Sandwells Buses not relevant to a bus forum?

I think you forgot your "Paid and Promoted by Andy Street and the Conservative Party of..." disclaimer after that post

[richardjones210368]

I think you forgot your "Paid and Promoted by Andy Street and the Conservative Party of..." disclaimer after that post

The newspaper has no public funding and was funded privately by those of us in the business community to promote local issues relevant to the residents in Blackheath and other Sandwell districts mainly with regard to transport and environment issues. Mr Sohal who coordinated it  is a member of The Conservative Party which is acknowledged in the newspaper and it is promoted  by Tony Lee on behalf of The West Midlands Conservatives both of 2 Manor Drive, Solihull B91 2BH of which Mr Street is a member & for the record I am not a member of The Conservative Party or any other political party.

[don]

What a load of old garbage (which is where most of the leaflets will end up)!!

I have concluded that @richardjones210368 talks very unobjectively about transport matters, has serious potential conflicts of interest and in fact, I don't recall him posting an accurate statement on this forum. Basically a load of old twaddle.

The very idea that the Conservative party could be championed as the saviour and promoter of integrated transport is rather literally like the leopard changing his spots (but not really 😏 only for the spin doctors). What we need is a Socialist mayor to get proper public transport and environmental responsibility.

And how much of a burden on the environment has been placed by creating the leaflets, and the public disposing of them? Clearly the perpetrators have no idea of carbon footprint let alone the environment!!

I'm sure all these businessmen are well placed to identify public transport issues and environmental issues (not) - in my experience most of them are in it for themselves and not the greater good... 

Where did you say Andy Street lives - oh yes Lapworth - nowhere near the problems of West Bromwich, Warley and Cradley Heath.

[richardjones210368]

What a load of old garbage (which is where most of the leaflets will end up)!!

I have concluded that @richardjones210368 talks very unobjectively about transport matters, has serious potential conflicts of interest and in fact, I don't recall him posting an accurate statement on this forum. Basically a load of old twaddle.

The very idea that the Conservative party could be championed as the saviour and promoter of integrated transport is rather literally like the leopard changing his spots (but not really 😏 only for the spin doctors). What we need is a Socialist mayor to get proper public transport and environmental responsibility.

And how much of a burden on the environment has been placed by creating the leaflets, and the public disposing of them? Clearly the perpetrators have no idea of carbon footprint let alone the environment!!

I'm sure all these businessmen are well placed to identify public transport issues and environmental issues (not) - in my experience most of them are in it for themselves and not the greater good... 

Where did you say Andy Street lives - oh yes Lapworth - nowhere near the problems of West Bromwich, Warley and Cradley Heath.

I am not a member of The Conservative Party & have never championed any political party on this forum. I understand as a Sandwell resident the newspapers can be placed in the Blue Bin and recycled. I would be very curious as having resigned from all my jobs last November and only work for our family accountancy practice what my conflict of interest is as I undertake no paid work for The Mayor, WMCA or TfWM whilst I can assure you someone keeps The Mayor very updated on the needs of Blackheath residents. It is regrettable you do not support those who live, work and use the in Sandwell as I do, tell me @don do you live elsewhere in the West Midands and are simply jealous of the benefits that Sandwell has had in the last 5 years?