Whittles

[PM]

@Matt-I don't actually know Whittle's fares so if you or anyone else could fill me in that'd be great-it isn't in their useful guide. Diamond's fares are incredibly cheap as well, don't forget!

Not sure on the quality of the operation. Obviously I'm not going to dispute their vehicles are newer but many members of the fleet look pretty tatty with adverts peeling off etc though it had improved the last time I was over there.

There were also reliability issues at one time as well, if I'm correct?

In terms of not taking everything as seen in N and P, that was in relation to WCC contracts not commercial competing services.

Potentially, cutting these presumably loss making services could improve Whittles no end, allowing them to withdraw older vehicles and create a more streamlined, efficient, smaller operation EYMS would want to keep? Resources could even be focussed on winning more NX/coaching work instead of bus work in the future to potentially utilise spare drivers?

[Cedric]

@Matt-I don't actually know Whittle's fares so if you or anyone else could fill me in that'd be great-it isn't in their useful guide. Diamond's fares are incredibly cheap as well, don't forget!

Not sure on the quality of the operation. Obviously I'm not going to dispute their vehicles are newer but many members of the fleet look pretty tatty with adverts peeling off etc though it had improved the last time I was over there.

There were also reliability issues at one time as well, if I'm correct?

In terms of not taking everything as seen in N and P, that was in relation to WCC contracts not commercial competing services.

Potentially, cutting these presumably loss making services could improve Whittles no end, allowing them to withdraw older vehicles and create a more streamlined, efficient, smaller operation EYMS would want to keep? Resources could even be focussed on winning more NX/coaching work instead of bus work in the future to potentially utilise spare drivers?

thanks for clearing the point I made about N&P up.

[Cheese]

PD1030553/7 - WHITTLE COACH & BUS LTD, FOLEY BUSINESS PARK STOURPORT ROAD, KIDDERMINSTER, DY11 7QL
    Variation Accepted: Operating between Stourbridge BS and Bridgnorth, Stanmore given service number 125 effective from 01-Sep-2014. To amend Timetable.

PD1030553/62 - WHITTLE COACH & BUS LTD, FOLEY BUSINESS PARK STOURPORT ROAD, KIDDERMINSTER, DY11 7QL
    Cancellation Accepted: Operating between kidiminster town hall and kidiminster town hall given service number 1 effective from 01-Sep-2014.

PD1030553/78 - WHITTLE COACH & BUS LTD, FOLEY BUSINESS PARK STOURPORT ROAD, KIDDERMINSTER, DY11 7QL
        Variation Accepted: Operating between KIDDERMINSTER BUS STATION and BEWDLEY LOAD STREET given service number S15/15 effective from 01-Sep-2014. To amend Route and Timetable.

PD1030553/83 - WHITTLE COACH & BUS LTD, FOLEY BUSINESS PARK STOURPORT ROAD, KIDDERMINSTER, DY11 7QL
        Variation Accepted: Operating between Kidderminster Town Hall and Kidderminster Town Hall given service number 2A/2C effective from 01-Sep-2014. To amend Route and Timetable.

Think the 125 is reducing to every 2 hours between Stourbridge and Kidderminster, still hourly or so between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth.

[StourportSam]

PD1030553/7 - WHITTLE COACH & BUS LTD, FOLEY BUSINESS PARK STOURPORT ROAD, KIDDERMINSTER, DY11 7QL
    Variation Accepted: Operating between Stourbridge BS and Bridgnorth, Stanmore given service number 125 effective from 01-Sep-2014. To amend Timetable.

PD1030553/62 - WHITTLE COACH & BUS LTD, FOLEY BUSINESS PARK STOURPORT ROAD, KIDDERMINSTER, DY11 7QL
    Cancellation Accepted: Operating between kidiminster town hall and kidiminster town hall given service number 1 effective from 01-Sep-2014.

PD1030553/78 - WHITTLE COACH & BUS LTD, FOLEY BUSINESS PARK STOURPORT ROAD, KIDDERMINSTER, DY11 7QL
        Variation Accepted: Operating between KIDDERMINSTER BUS STATION and BEWDLEY LOAD STREET given service number S15/15 effective from 01-Sep-2014. To amend Route and Timetable.

PD1030553/83 - WHITTLE COACH & BUS LTD, FOLEY BUSINESS PARK STOURPORT ROAD, KIDDERMINSTER, DY11 7QL
        Variation Accepted: Operating between Kidderminster Town Hall and Kidderminster Town Hall given service number 2A/2C effective from 01-Sep-2014. To amend Route and Timetable.

Think the 125 is reducing to every 2 hours between Stourbridge and Kidderminster, still hourly or so between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth.

Do you have a source/reasoning for this please Cheese?

[StourportSam]

I reckon this is the tipping point in Kidderminster from over the last few years Whittle being more successful against First and then Diamond to Diamond pretty much taking over there...

My money is now on the 2 getting competitive between the two operators.

This frees up/means Whittles are losing 4 vehicles' worth of work...

It also leaves the bus station even more empty if their 3 is no longer serving there...

Sadly looks as though Whittle are losing the fight. The 2/2A/2C/125/292/291 corridor is, in my opinion, not busy enough to compete on properly.

Exactly DD, what will they do with 4 spare vehicles, and what was the point of transferring 4 ALX300s down from EYMS?

A sad day for Whittle coming off the 3, just as the operation had become reliable and upgraded with a good stream of ALX300s......

[StourportSam]

diamonds  and whittles 3 run different ways from  stourport to areley kings and back  so they only  complete  between Kidderminster and stourport  .

Actually Cedric, Whittle and Diamond still serve exactly the same stops on the 3 in Areley Kings and the Walshes, its just once they have served them they turn different ways back to Stourport.

[PM]

I reckon this is the tipping point in Kidderminster from over the last few years Whittle being more successful against First and then Diamond to Diamond pretty much taking over there...

My money is now on the 2 getting competitive between the two operators.

This frees up/means Whittles are losing 4 vehicles' worth of work...

It also leaves the bus station even more empty if their 3 is no longer serving there...

Sadly looks as though Whittle are losing the fight. The 2/2A/2C/125/292/291 corridor is, in my opinion, not busy enough to compete on properly.

Exactly DD, what will they do with 4 spare vehicles, and what was the point of transferring 4 ALX300s down from EYMS?

A sad day for Whittle coming off the 3, just as the operation had become reliable and upgraded with a good stream of ALX300s......

@StourportSam I guess the 192 means they still maintain presence on the Kidderminster-Stourport corridor but still. I agree it is a shame for them and that they are losing the fight. They still have their contracts and coaching to fall back on so all is not lost! I guess as well an operator only truly stops running a route when their buses are no longer out operating on it as opposed to when VOSA registrations pop up in advance.

Maybe the 2 is as you say not busy enough to compete on but was Whittles 1 ever particularly busy? MPDs with a few OAPs whenever I saw it and Diamond competed on that!

[iamwilljh92]

I reckon this is the tipping point in Kidderminster from over the last few years Whittle being more successful against First and then Diamond to Diamond pretty much taking over there...

My money is now on the 2 getting competitive between the two operators.

This frees up/means Whittles are losing 4 vehicles' worth of work...

It also leaves the bus station even more empty if their 3 is no longer serving there...

Sadly looks as though Whittle are losing the fight. The 2/2A/2C/125/292/291 corridor is, in my opinion, not busy enough to compete on properly.

Exactly DD, what will they do with 4 spare vehicles, and what was the point of transferring 4 ALX300s down from EYMS?

A sad day for Whittle coming off the 3, just as the operation had become reliable and upgraded with a good stream of ALX300s......

I strongly believe that some vehicles (although which ones will remain to be seen) will return to Yorkshire once the routes have ceased running otherwise they will be parked up in the yard dis-used!

But it is as you say Sam sad times but that's life at the end of the day I'm afraid the truth is Whittle's are very slowly dying off but when or even IF they do even really does remain to be seen and even if they do then at least they still have the coaching side & private contract side of the business

[StourportSam]

@Matt-I don't actually know Whittle's fares so if you or anyone else could fill me in that'd be great-it isn't in their useful guide. Diamond's fares are incredibly cheap as well, don't forget!

Not sure on the quality of the operation. Obviously I'm not going to dispute their vehicles are newer but many members of the fleet look pretty tatty with adverts peeling off etc though it had improved the last time I was over there.

There were also reliability issues at one time as well, if I'm correct?

In terms of not taking everything as seen in N and P, that was in relation to WCC contracts not commercial competing services.

Potentially, cutting these presumably loss making services could improve Whittles no end, allowing them to withdraw older vehicles and create a more streamlined, efficient, smaller operation EYMS would want to keep? Resources could even be focussed on winning more NX/coaching work instead of bus work in the future to potentially utilise spare drivers?

The fares were even cheaper until January this year. Now a day ticket for Kidderminster is £2.50 (Diamond £2.60) for example. Indeed fares on the 3 were cheaper but from January have been Kidderminster - Areley Kings Single £2.10 (Diamond £2) and Areley Kings - Stourport Single £1.40 (Diamond £1.20). Most tickets used on the 3 are Connectas anyway.

Reliability issues have all but disappeared since the April fleet changes. Indeed, Diamond is the less reliable operator nowadays with darts breaking down left right and centre!! Just this Thursday gone KU52 RYH decided to seemingly break its gearbox on the X3 coming through Stourport where all passengers were eventually crammed onto Y3 JPT on a 3 service.

I do agree with what you say about streamlining the business and hope this works out for the company.

[StourportSam]

I reckon this is the tipping point in Kidderminster from over the last few years Whittle being more successful against First and then Diamond to Diamond pretty much taking over there...

My money is now on the 2 getting competitive between the two operators.

This frees up/means Whittles are losing 4 vehicles' worth of work...

It also leaves the bus station even more empty if their 3 is no longer serving there...

Sadly looks as though Whittle are losing the fight. The 2/2A/2C/125/292/291 corridor is, in my opinion, not busy enough to compete on properly.

Exactly DD, what will they do with 4 spare vehicles, and what was the point of transferring 4 ALX300s down from EYMS?

A sad day for Whittle coming off the 3, just as the operation had become reliable and upgraded with a good stream of ALX300s......

@StourportSam I guess the 192 means they still maintain presence on the Kidderminster-Stourport corridor but still. I agree it is a shame for them and that they are losing the fight. They still have their contracts and coaching to fall back on so all is not lost! I guess as well an operator only truly stops running a route when their buses are no longer out operating on it as opposed to when VOSA registrations pop up in advance.

Maybe the 2 is as you say not busy enough to compete on but was Whittles 1 ever particularly busy? MPDs with a few OAPs whenever I saw it and Diamond competed on that!

I would say the 1 had reasonable loadings - it is the only bus serving a large low income estate. That said, loadings only seem good at peak times and are probably only able to support one operator on the route. You say Diamond have competed with Whittle on the 1 but I think its more a case of pushed them off (not undeservedly) with a better service, better fares and better route, although worse quality buses!

[PM]

@Matt-I don't actually know Whittle's fares so if you or anyone else could fill me in that'd be great-it isn't in their useful guide. Diamond's fares are incredibly cheap as well, don't forget!

Not sure on the quality of the operation. Obviously I'm not going to dispute their vehicles are newer but many members of the fleet look pretty tatty with adverts peeling off etc though it had improved the last time I was over there.

There were also reliability issues at one time as well, if I'm correct?

In terms of not taking everything as seen in N and P, that was in relation to WCC contracts not commercial competing services.

Potentially, cutting these presumably loss making services could improve Whittles no end, allowing them to withdraw older vehicles and create a more streamlined, efficient, smaller operation EYMS would want to keep? Resources could even be focussed on winning more NX/coaching work instead of bus work in the future to potentially utilise spare drivers?

The fares were even cheaper until January this year. Now a day ticket for Kidderminster is £2.50 (Diamond £2.60) for example. Indeed fares on the 3 were cheaper but from January have been Kidderminster - Areley Kings Single £2.10 (Diamond £2) and Areley Kings - Stourport Single £1.40 (Diamond £1.20). Most tickets used on the 3 are Connectas anyway.

Reliability issues have all but disappeared since the April fleet changes. Indeed, Diamond is the less reliable operator nowadays with darts breaking down left right and centre!! Just this Thursday gone KU52 RYH decided to seemingly break its gearbox on the X3 coming through Stourport where all passengers were eventually crammed onto Y3 JPT on a 3 service.

I do agree with what you say about streamlining the business and hope this works out for the company.

I guess Diamond do have an older fleet so perhaps there is the potential for more breakdowns and reliability issues. Out of interest, how much is a Whittle's Network ticket as planning to explore their whole network at some point? Thanks :)

Thanks for the info on the 1-you reckon the route Diamond picked is better then? Do you see scope to double the frequency to every 20 mins?

[StourportSam]

Whittle's are very slowly dying off

Hardly. The bus operation in its current form seems bigger than ever before (pre-September), vehicle standard is the best it has ever been, corporate image has been improved in the past few years, new ticket machines last year, etc.!!

[iamwilljh92]

Whittle's are very slowly dying off

Hardly. The bus operation in its current form seems bigger than ever before (pre-September), vehicle standard is the best it has ever been, corporate image has been improved in the past few years, new ticket machines last year, etc.!!

Meh! 

Tom-ato - Tomato

[StourportSam]

Out of interest, how much is a Whittle's Network ticket as planning to explore their whole network at some point?

Sorry I don't know exact fare. Have never needed to buy one. It is around the £6.50 mark. Do the trip before end of August!!

1-you reckon the route Diamond picked is better then?

Knowing Kidderminster, without a doubt. It is far, far more logical and saves on pointless doubling back.

Do you see scope to double the frequency to every 20 mins?

Not really, at the moment.

[StourportSam]

Whittle's are very slowly dying off

Hardly. The bus operation in its current form seems bigger than ever before (pre-September), vehicle standard is the best it has ever been, corporate image has been improved in the past few years, new ticket machines last year, etc.!!

Meh! 

Tom-ato - Tomato

In Kidderminster
Whittle's oldest bus - 2000 / Newest - 2007
Diamond's oldest - 1998 / Newest - 2004