Sandwell Travel

[Tony]

Must've started it cause i aint seen a yellow dart

I saw 3 Sandwell Travel out today, one on the 80, two on the 333x

[Westy]

It doesn't seem to be showing up on the NWM timetable page thing.

[mikestone]

Sandwell still running when they feel like it - R470LGH was parked near the junction of Great Bridge Road around 11.25 and then turned up in Darlaston to start the 11.15 from Walsall there.
;
After lunch caught it at the Globe (where a Green Bus DD was parked up) and although the bus stop outside the hospital carries 333x, driver did a turn onto the 335/6 lay-by stop.
;
In Darlaston "bus station" there are NWM timetables dated 13 March,  although the outbound stop has either none or two journeys missing at lunchtime, depending how you read it, the inwards only has one.
;
Timetable now on traveline - undoubtedly requires three buses and the 80 needs two - vosa still showing VA as five, despite the reduction to 3!.
 

[Solo1]

What was Sandwell travels dart off the 80
was heading from the bus station
approx. 230 down towards Oldbury

[bwsau cymru]

Ive started using sandwell travel as im having to go to hospital everyday. I really dont think they are as bad as they are made out to be. Whilst the buses are old they are cpean amd the staff are quite friendly and have turned up on time. The thing with bradford place bus station I personally feel is caused by the exstremely poor design and it still regularly gets blocked up and you see buses having to reverse to get out. I also dont know how on earth operators can load and unload safely in iust 3 minutes! I think that they have simply been unfairly ousted by the big boys and I reckon thandi couod fall victim next!

[notepanel]

Ive started using sandwell travel as im having to go to hospital everyday. I really dont think they are as bad as they are made out to be. Whilst the buses are old they are cpean amd the staff are quite friendly and have turned up on time. The thing with bradford place bus station I personally feel is caused by the exstremely poor design and it still regularly gets blocked up and you see buses having to reverse to get out. I also dont know how on earth operators can load and unload safely in iust 3 minutes! I think that they have simply been unfairly ousted by the big boys and I reckon thandi couod fall victim next!

Perhaps not so much now, and Bradford Place can be awkward.

However, I would not describe Darlaston as being cramped. There was no legitimate excuse at all for parking a bus on stand there, blocking access to other operators, and then when the next Sandwell bus came along transferring passengers between buses. (I witnessed this several times myself)

Nor is there a legitimate excuse for them changing direction on the 11 mid-circle when it was clear there was a gap in the NXWM service (reported on here and elsewhere several times), nor for them doing a mid-loop turn on Stroud Avenue to get in front of the 9 (and therefore run early) on the route back to Walsall.

Remember, it was Midland that complained to the TC about their behaviour - which out of pure spite Sandwell Travel then made a counter complaint which was totally rubbished by the TC.

[Steveminor]

Changing direction on the 11 mid circle? They don't do the circle & never have. Are you confusing them with Joes Travel?

[notepanel]

Changing direction on the 11 mid circle? They don't do the circle & never have. Are you confusing them with Joes Travel?

Yes, sorry. I have got that part mixed up. However, the 333X & Darlaston issues were most definately Sandwell!

[Tony]

Ive started using sandwell travel as im having to go to hospital everyday. I really dont think they are as bad as they are made out to be. Whilst the buses are old they are cpean amd the staff are quite friendly and have turned up on time. The thing with bradford place bus station I personally feel is caused by the exstremely poor design and it still regularly gets blocked up and you see buses having to reverse to get out. I also dont know how on earth operators can load and unload safely in iust 3 minutes! I think that they have simply been unfairly ousted by the big boys and I reckon thandi couod fall victim next!

I was sent to monitor Bradford Place with a video recorder a couple of years ago. NXWM, Midland and Diamond were all running either on time or equal lateness to each other depending on traffic at different time.

Midland Bus Company (the blue tatty Carlyles that have now ceased), when they did run were on time, just a lot of registered journeys didn't run. Sandwell Travel ran when they felt like it. On the one day only bus ran to its registered time. Buses would park up in Bradford Place for an hour when they should be in service. At other times I saw them go from parked up onto a stand when they saw a queue 45 minutes away from their nearest registered time!

What I saw, and filmed, tied in almost exactly with the findings at the PI

[PM]

Ive started using sandwell travel as im having to go to hospital everyday. I really dont think they are as bad as they are made out to be. Whilst the buses are old they are cpean amd the staff are quite friendly and have turned up on time. The thing with bradford place bus station I personally feel is caused by the exstremely poor design and it still regularly gets blocked up and you see buses having to reverse to get out. I also dont know how on earth operators can load and unload safely in iust 3 minutes! I think that they have simply been unfairly ousted by the big boys and I reckon thandi couod fall victim next!

I was sent to monitor Bradford Place with a video recorder a couple of years ago. NXWM, Midland and Diamond were all running either on time or equal lateness to each other depending on traffic at different time.

Midland Bus Company (the blue tatty Carlyles that have now ceased), when they did run were on time, just a lot of registered journeys didn't run. Sandwell Travel ran when they felt like it. On the one day only bus ran to its registered time. Buses would park up in Bradford Place for an hour when they should be in service. At other times I saw them go from parked up onto a stand when they saw a queue 45 minutes away from their nearest registered time!

What I saw, and filmed, tied in almost exactly with the findings at the PI

I can understand Sunny want to compete and that is fine. What I cannot tolerate is unfair competition where companies are allowed to get away with this while NXWM/diamond and midland/arriva have to stick to the rules. Totally unfair and glad to see that midland were found quite correctly in my view not to have done anything wrong

[Solo1]

Well said why do the small firms  have to run just
a few mins in front if the other firms
rather than run inbtween

[bwsau cymru]

Well said why do the small firms  have to run just
a few mins in front if the other firms
rather than run inbtween

they do it to make money. I go nuts when Im on the 4 and watch diamond bus drivers not do it! Its business at the end of the day!

[Ash]

Well said why do the small firms  have to run just
a few mins in front if the other firms
rather than run inbtween

they do it to make money. I go nuts when Im on the 4 and watch diamond bus drivers not do it! Its business at the end of the day!

I suppose the diamond drivers have to keep to time on the 4 as they do seem to catch up with NXWM 4 quite a lot but also depends on the driver of the diamond some try to always get ahead of NXWM while other sit back and pull up behind them.

[Tony]

Well said why do the small firms  have to run just
a few mins in front if the other firms
rather than run inbtween

No all companies have to run to their registered timetable! If management register buses just in front of another operator then fine, but buses racing each other just give the whole industry a bad name and risk more accidents.

I feel sure if you ask the management of both Rotala and NX they will tell you all drivers are instructed to run as close to the times on the running board as is safely possible, If that means overtaking the opposition at a stop fine. On a route like the 4 with two companies both  running a 6 minute frequency then yes, you will get quite a bit of this, but 'racing' to get in front? Noooooo

[bwsau cymru]

I know I have recently mentioned Sandwell travel but I wanted to again. Currently I am travelling to the Mannor hospital everyday and today for the first time I purchased a day return on Sandwell travel. it cost £2. So firstly its very good value for money. I have also used my swift card and Sandwell travel are the only operator which currently accept swift to Mannor Hospital. The driver was also brilliant he checked that I wasn't travelling to late back so I could use the return part of my ticket and checked that I knew what time the bus comes back from the hospital. I would bet a lot of money that this wouldn't be done by an nx driver so how! The bus was also spotless and turned up on time. So whats wrong with them. Ive itemised the psotives

1. Only Operator to accept swift from Walsall to Mannor Hospital
2. Great Drivers
3. Clean Buses
4. Great value for money (£2, compared to NXWM @ ££3.40)
5. Punctual Service

I really feel that they seem to be part of some witch hunt to get rid of what is obvious to me a good local independent operator