Arriva take over Midland

[Westy]

Just seen a W reg DAF ALX 400 on the 19 in bloxwich completely empty. When I caught it the other sat it was a dart there and back, 5 on board on way there and empty on way back. Why waste a decker on this route?? Whats the logic? Cant see the route lasting itll just be another massive flop lol

If thats the Wolves to Blocko section, I see your point.

If its the Blocko to Walsall section, thats more of a problem if that goes as that only leaves NX 29 for Blakenall.

Suggestion, run the route from Walsall as advertised to Field Road in Bloxwich, serve Pinfold Health Centre, up the Bloxwich High St & Stafford Road to Turnberry, plus serve Mossley as well, rejoining the current route at Sneyd Lane.


(Suggestion for Centro on evenings & Sundays, run the 8a as far as Abbotts St & enter into Blakenall, looping the Church, then Ingram Road turning left onto Field Road as current route!)

[Trident 4609]

Just seen a W reg DAF ALX 400 on the 19 in bloxwich completely empty. When I caught it the other sat it was a dart there and back, 5 on board on way there and empty on way back. Why waste a decker on this route?? Whats the logic? Cant see the route lasting itll just be another massive flop lol

The bus is newley tranferred 4798

[Bob]

Why run a decker on a dead service though?

[Trident 4609]

Why run a decker on a dead service though?

Don't have a clue. Doesn't need deckers and doesn't even fill a MPD or solo

[Bob]

Exactly they havent got a clue. 12 months max and the 19 & probably the whole ex midland operation will be history.

[bwsau cymru]

The route has potential I feel they just need to market it correctly and I think using a double decker on the route is needed as they are in better condition compared to a lot of the rest of the depots buses and it sends a message to the passenger that it is a bigger route. it needs branding!!! and bob I think competition in Cannock would be good, but is it really that big of a place to support a decent sized competitor....that I doubt sadly!

[s-m-991]

19 route probably has lack of passengers due to the 89 being dominant between Wolves and Bloxwich. Reality is when you have bus passes that lets you travel on hundreds of routed accross Midlands, Joe Public would use NX because of the availabillity. I have used 19 and noticed that OAP's use it most with very few people without passes maybe are actually fare payers (i.e. £1.90).

[Bob]

The route has potential I feel they just need to market it correctly and I think using a double decker on the route is needed as they are in better condition compared to a lot of the rest of the depots buses and it sends a message to the passenger that it is a bigger route. it needs branding!!! and bob I think competition in Cannock would be good, but is it really that big of a place to support a decent sized competitor....that I doubt sadly!

Cannock to walsall and cannock to Wolverhampton routes operated by arriva would be finished if nx stepped in and competed

[Bob]

On the 19 today there's two arriva liveried deckers, admittedly looking very smart. Then theres an mpd pointer and a marshall dart BOTH in midland livery with midland fleetnames!!! Im sorry but this gives a shit awful impression,  surely they couldve used arriva livery darts for christs sake? Its a new service and if this is how seriously they take it god help em

[notepanel]

My personal belief is that Arriva have taken a risk with the 19 service.

The '319' part of the route, whenever I used to see it operated by NXWM at least, always seemed quite popular. Don't forget at one point this was operated by both NXWM & Chase/Arriva. Perhaps completely wide of the mark, but I always believed that in the reviews NXWM would 'compensate' a smaller operator with a decent commercial route, in favour for them doing something bigger with another. I suspected this was the case with the 319. More recently I've found it's loadings are nothing special but decent.

The '560' part of the route operates along an extremely competitive, but busy, corridor. Between Wolverhampton and Wednesfield you have the 59, 69 & 89 direct by NXWM, plus several other less regular services. If you are travelling between these two, unless you know the timings off by heart, you would either get on another service by probability or purposely wait at a location with more buses (E.g. the bus station).

The way Arriva have treated the 560 before (I.e. the interworking in Wolves) will automatically have given it a bad reputation, and now they have removed one of the main things it had going for it, the historic service number. How many passengers who let the bus go by know that it is the 560 renumbered, especially when on several occasions a different operator to previous appears to be operating the service? Certain parts of the route have around 10 different services passing, which seem to change quite frequently, you can't expect an elderly person to keep up to date with all the changes, especially if they have not been communicated well.

The new links between Goscote/Blakenall to Wednesfield, New Cross & Wolverhampton are perhaps useful to have on paper, but in reality the demand is probably not great for such a link. I would imagine the extra passengers probably don't replace the potentially lost passengers from the renumbering and any delays the extended route may cause.

[Bob]

It parked up in bloxwich having carried around 10 passengers on and off btwn walsall blakenall ( what a deprived dump) and there then left for wolves from the stop round the corner empty

[Bob]

Someone previously suggested they should compete with the x51, that could be an idea

[mikestone]

Does the 19 appear on the "where to find your bus poster" at Wolverhampton - it didn't when I last looked.
;
Presumably Arriva fell for the usual "we really need a bus to the hospital" guff - the 38 very rarely seems to do any business at the Manor.

[Westy]

Red Solo with Arriva fleetnames on the sides, but Midland fleetname on the back operating the Bloxwich to Brownhills 23 today.

(I guess the two 23's have swopped garages, with Cannock having the ex Midland one & Wednesfield having the ex Cannock one! It is also technically impossible to have 2 service numbers the same operating from the same depot, as if you remember the Wolves & West Walsall Review Leaflet, the 560 was to change to the 60, but as Arriva Cannock already operated a 60 between Cannock & Lichfield, the Wolves one stayed as the 560!)

[Bob]

The 19 doesnt appear on the walsall bus stn poster either