Metropol

cdd wrote:That's how it works, right?

Goodness me, I do believe you're right there, Chris.

Pity you can't respond, however.

Nick Harvey wrote:

cdd wrote:That's how it works, right?

Pity you can't respond, however.

You're wrong, Nick!

+++Outrageous self-indulgent bump of thread older than Tumble Tower's mental age+++


There has been a development to add to my story, even if it is a slightly boring detail I thought I'd share it with you.

I was again stranded by the bus a couple of Fridays back, to the extent where he turned up at the station 5 minutes before I was due to start work. As I got on he informed me that on a Friday (and only on a Friday) the 22:35 didn't go past my work, but instead took a route south to go via the out-of-town Cineworld. This wasn't marked on the timetable on the station, although it was marked next to the 20:35 route. Shome mishtake surely??

Now this particular cinema is in the middle of two housing estates and most of the patrons at it either WALK home or come in a car. In any case, I doubt there's a massive amount of demand for a bus that basically drives straight to the English border and stops, especially when the city's own service already goes over there several times in a night.

Anyhoo if he had not been late, he would still have made it to a place about 800 metres from my workplace where I could have easily walked in on time. Sadly though, I was forced to taxi it, and the other night (Friday) I didn't risk it and left the house an extra half-hour early at 9:30 - necessitating a 90 minute gap (but only a combined 20 minute bus ride) between house and workplace.

However the local rep from BusUsers UK also uses this route, and in the midst of my frustration that night told me that Stagecoach were unable to keep up with the route-card timings needed to provide the 22:35, so they were offloading the route back to SEWTA. Joy unbounded....except they have a 6 month minimum contract to run so we must endure it for the summer at least.

OK, back to your lives! Refunds for those 5 minutes you lost reading this are available via Nicky Campbell at BBC Watchdog.

I'm glad you don't havee to live with Travel West Midlands, They donate all the new buses to TLDN and we get stuck with old , roary bangers called MkII and MkIIa MCW Metrobuses, Which are full of vintage branding and ad's. The best was "Birmingham Corporation Transport are pleased to announce ... West Midlands Travel, starts in '85 "

Beepy wrote:I'm glad you don't havee to live with Travel West Midlands.

Are you really that concerned with Alexia's travel arrangements? Bless.

Mr Beep, I do believe we haven't met yet, either here or on t'other place. As a gesture of kindness may I recommend that you come to London and try out our Oyster card system, which beebs repeatedly when you tap your card against the yellow reader. If you are of a similar disposition to a friend of mine, I'm sure it will render you breathing heavily. You may want to take a video too.

Definition of a Jovis: Metropol member designed to respond to Beep Chubby's posts, consistently and immediately, with a cutting remark!

Not been here for a while - hello!

How is this for confusing, in Manchester some routes by the same company have the same route number!

http://thisisgreatermanchester.co.uk/gmrail.aspx

meanwhile, one of stagecoach's ancient clunking buses caught fire yesterday up here
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2008 ... 1548t0.asp

I've noticed that these ones (a wright bus) are also run by Travel Dundee yet their ones are noteably quieter and less clunking. Perhaps they bother to service their buses and don't just run them until they explode.

Hymagumba wrote:Perhaps they bother to service their buses and don't just run them until they explode.

Yes, I too believe that Stagecoach think it's more viable to buy a new bus rather than continually repair old ones. Pre Stagecoach, Red & White had a superb fleet of Bristol VRs that were so well looked after they purred up and down the valleys all day, even going up quite steep inclines with no fuss. In 2002 they were gradually chucked away and are now sadly being cut up for scrap. http://bcv.robsly.com/

I'm not sure that servicing old buses and coaxing what little life out of them that remains is such an unworkable plan: Magic Bus (owned by stagecoach, naturally) in Manchester and other cities do just that, ancient buses are bought in from all over the UK (kent, for example) and poorly painted blue then run alongside Stagecoaches until they die. The fares are much lower than Stagecoach, something like half the price, although they are utterly grotty.