Service Changes August 29th 2021.

[ellspurs]

Just found this "News" article from these changes.

It does bring up a fair point: Since the 96 route was changed in Castle Bromwich/Smith's Wood, there's no longer a bus from the Parkfield Estate to any local shops. The nearest shops they have access to by bus is now in Water Orton via the X13.

NX say that there was low bus usage, and that getting the X12 from Water Orton Road (accessible via back alleys from Parkfield Drive) is acceptable.

[2206]

Just found this "News" article from these changes.

It does bring up a fair point: Since the 96 route was changed in Castle Bromwich/Smith's Wood, there's no longer a bus from the Parkfield Estate to any local shops. The nearest shops they have access to by bus is now in Water Orton via the X13.

NX say that there was low bus usage, and that getting the X12 from Water Orton Road (accessible via back alleys from Parkfield Drive) is acceptable.

But of course, i'm sure NX aren't a charity though so if the bus service is no longer viable then it will be cut. There is clearly an important line in that article that "the number of customers using the 96 in that area had been low for a long time".

I'm not to sure what shops they wanted to go to that the 96 went to. As the main shops I can think of in the East Birmingham area are on the Chester Rd (which the 96 didn't go to). Or other than that at Chelmsley Wood or the Fox & Goose.
But as you say X13 goes to Water Orton or I think theres a little tesco store on Chipperfield Rd like the one on Green Lane/Water Orton. And the X13 does continue to go to Chelmsley Wood like the 96 used to.

[CBBUser]

The X13 isn't very useful for shoppers - the first "major" supermarket served directly would be Morrisons in Coleshill.
The X12 isn't much better - serving Chelmsley Wood and adding the walk to Arden Hall is quite significant from some areas of Parkfield Estate.

The 96 served Chelmsley Wood as directly as the X12, without the walk. It also provided a near link to Sainsbury's Castle Vale.

I wondered whether the 53 could be re-routed from Hurst Lane North down to Parkfield and either doing a circuit or terminating at Park Hall School, given the Lanchester Way section was covered by the revised 96...I don't think it would be possible though without adding a vehicle or trimming the route somewhere else. At the time, the 53 served both major shopping centres in Castle Bromwich (Morrisons - Hurst Lane & Timberley Lane area) - the revised 93 no longer serves Timberley Lane.

But as others have said...if it was profitable then NX would have done it!

[ellspurs]

But of course, i'm sure NX aren't a charity though so if the bus service is no longer viable then it will be cut. There is clearly an important line in that article that "the number of customers using the 96 in that area had been low for a long time".

I'm not to sure what shops they wanted to go to that the 96 went to. As the main shops I can think of in the East Birmingham area are on the Chester Rd (which the 96 didn't go to). Or other than that at Chelmsley Wood or the Fox & Goose.
But as you say X13 goes to Water Orton or I think theres a little tesco store on Chipperfield Rd like the one on Green Lane/Water Orton. And the X13 does continue to go to Chelmsley Wood like the 96 used to.

Green Lane shops would've been where a lot of them went to. It was only one stop away from Morrisons Chester Road as well (thanks to the bus stop layout on Hurst Lane North). It's the first time since before I remember where Parkfield Drive and Green Lane weren't linked with a bus. Been through the 71, 966, 96 and now nothing. Well I guess that's what happens when patronage goes down.

Also the X13 change was roughly around the same time that the bridge in Coleshill got closed for repair until December, so that hasn't helped much.

[the trainbasher]

It's areas like this where a Demand Responsive Transport system could work... we could call it WM Bus on Demand even

[ellspurs]

It's areas like this where a Demand Responsive Transport system could work... we could call it WM Bus on Demand even

It's North Solihull... we're hated so much that they're palming us off onto Birmingham Hodge Hill's constituency when the boundaries get changed... giving Solihull council even less reason to give a darn.

They're just happy they youths haven't gone all smashy smashy with the bus windows yet.