Arriva take over Midland

[arrivaaston]

Just to correct you on 23's, Arriva Cannock run the Ex Midland 23 (Cannock - Hednesford) and Wednesfield run the Former Hill Top 23 Brownhills to Bloxwich

[arrivaaston]

And I've just thought, cannock do it have 2 routes with the same service number.
26 Pye Green "Circular"
26 Springfields
23 Cannock via Wimblebury and Heath Hayes
23 Pear Tree

[Westy]

So if thats the case, how do Cannock tell the difference between the 2 26's etc then?

Hill Top had a bit of a trek to run their 23 then?

[Bob]

26 springfields and the peartree route are just rugeley local services :)

[Solo1]

Why don't Cannock run the 23 from bloxwich-
Brownhills rather than the former Midland depot

[Bob]

Not much in it really is there wednesfield to bloxwich or cannock to bloxwich its probably about the same distance

[Westy]

It's worth noting that it isn't always proximity to a depot that is the deciding factor.

Go on then, how does it work then?

I gather a bus that works in on one route can swop to another route. (I presume this is how tenders work, if a bus is already in the area, otherwise how else do you explain Diamond getting the evening & Sunday 33 in Walsall. In fact it'll be interesting now that Diamond has withdrawn the evening & Sunday 404's, which enabled this to happen, how long they will stay on certain routes? I'm surprised they're still on the 301!)

[s-m-991]

The 9 seems to be pretty dead lately, even with nice 12 reg buses on it. I see more passengers on the 333X. Tuesday i got on and i was the only passenger on all the way to Walsall just before i got on the 19. I wonder how the Wednesfield depot is going to survive; they have done enough to promote services but they don't seem to be picking many fare paying passengers up.

[Bob]

Doubt it will survive in all honesty. Arriva have got form look at the mess they made with Chase only one service survives now ( I suppose 2 if you count the 19 replacing the 560), and lets face it Midland cant have been doing that well if they were they wouldntve had such a terrible fleet. Plus Arriva didnt last long on the 9 before. But then again maybe theyll pick up, possibly start competing on some decent routes.....

[s-m-991]

Today on a 529 getting off in Bentley from Wolves, and a 9 branded Arriva Enviro has broken down in the middle of the four way junction by the old Lane Arms pub.

[Westy]

Today on a 529 getting off in Bentley from Wolves, and a 9 branded Arriva Enviro has broken down in the middle of the four way junction by the old Lane Arms pub.

There was one of those further down Bentley Road North, parked on the BCR bridge.

Presume its the same vehicle, but I dont recall seeing branding on it!