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FMR Changes from Jan 2020.

Posted: 15:32 Tuesday 3rd December 2019
by TimBrown
The West Midlands Traffic Commissioner's Notices & Proceedings paper reference number 2424 of 29/11/2019 page 10 gives the following information;

PD0000480/330

(Quote) Operating between Worcester Bus Station and Bevere (Green Lane and Warndon, Glovers Needle) given service number 36/36A/37 effective from 05 January 2020. To amend Route and Timetable. (Unquote).

For me the change of route is the interesting part; does anyone know if this involves the 36/36A or 37; or both? Also if it is the 37, will it be running via the Cherry Orchard residential development north of Green Lane?

Re: Changes to Worcester city 36/36A & 37 from 05/01/20.

Posted: 18:58 Thursday 5th December 2019
by bmmoboy
Apparantly, services are being re-timed in January, as the current schedules are unworkable. The 36 will have a slightly different route, going via Tetbury Drive, Sheepscombe Drive to the Glovers Needle, then left to the lights at the end of Windermere Drive, to Tesco and then to the Hospital. This is to cut the journey time by a few minutes to make it just under a one hour round trip.
The 44's running times are being increased as it is virtually impossible to keep time, and absolutely impossible to catch up if running late.
The 144 is being reduced to an hourly service for most of the day, with the Cathills staying the same, and a service to Bromsgrove only in between.
The 37 is also being given an increase in running time, but as yet I do not know if there is any alteration of the route.
I am not aware of any other changes at the moment.

Re: Changes to Worcester city 36/36A & 37 from 05/01/20.

Posted: 23:18 Thursday 5th December 2019
by DD12
bmmoboy wrote:
18:58 Thursday 5th December 2019

The 144 is being reduced to an hourly service for most of the day
That's a shock !!
:shock:

Re: Changes to Worcester city 36/36A & 37 from 05/01/20.

Posted: 08:43 Friday 6th December 2019
by chason
DD12 wrote:
23:18 Thursday 5th December 2019
bmmoboy wrote:
18:58 Thursday 5th December 2019

The 144 is being reduced to an hourly service for most of the day
That's a shock !!
:shock:
It would appear then that the Salt Road rebranding exercise has been a failure. I have always felt that giving buses silly names and painting them in odd colours is not really what passengers (sorry, customers) are looking for. Although the extension of the Cross City Line from Barnt Green to Bromsgrove giving a much better rail service cannot have helped, the remoteness of the stations from the A38 don't really provide direct competition for the 144, depending on where you live of course. I suspect that the vast majority of the extra passengers now travelling by train from Bromsgrove would previously have gone by car.

Re: Changes to Worcester city 36/36A & 37 from 05/01/20.

Posted: 11:26 Friday 6th December 2019
by DD12
bmmoboy wrote:
18:58 Thursday 5th December 2019

The 144 is being reduced to an hourly service for most of the day, with the Cathills staying the same, and a service to Bromsgrove only in between.
Does anyone know if the average loadings between Droitwich and Bromsgrove are good enough to justify a bus every 15 minutes ??

(I rarely ride north of Droitwich).

:?:

Re: Changes to Worcester city 36/36A & 37 from 05/01/20.

Posted: 12:36 Friday 6th December 2019
by marck
I've always thought that an express route say at peak times would be a good idea then more people might use it

Re: Changes to Worcester city 36/36A & 37 from 05/01/20.

Posted: 14:40 Friday 6th December 2019
by Julie
They could call it "Midland Express"!

Re: Changes to Worcester city 36/36A & 37 from 05/01/20.

Posted: 19:04 Friday 6th December 2019
by 943KHA
Or they could even run CM6T's down the M5 on the X44; now that 5656 is back in action it might just do that next summer.................

Re: Changes to Worcester city 36/36A & 37 from 05/01/20.

Posted: 19:33 Friday 6th December 2019
by Brendan
chason wrote:
08:43 Friday 6th December 2019
DD12 wrote:
23:18 Thursday 5th December 2019


That's a shock !!
:shock:
It would appear then that the Salt Road rebranding exercise has been a failure. I have always felt that giving buses silly names and painting them in odd colours is not really what passengers (sorry, customers) are looking for. Although the extension of the Cross City Line from Barnt Green to Bromsgrove giving a much better rail service cannot have helped, the remoteness of the stations from the A38 don't really provide direct competition for the 144, depending on where you live of course. I suspect that the vast majority of the extra passengers now travelling by train from Bromsgrove would previously have gone by car.
It would be interesting to see the figures pre and post Salt Road.

I think it's fair to say as well that the roadworks at Copcut almost all of the year and also Fernhill Heath in the summer won't have helped matters.

That said West Mids rail are not doing themselves or anyone and favours at the moment

Re: Changes to Worcester city 36/36A & 37 from 05/01/20.

Posted: 22:12 Friday 6th December 2019
by Noggin1
Julie wrote:
14:40 Friday 6th December 2019
They could call it "Midland Express"!
I'm old enough to remember when Bromsgrove- Birmingham was the strongest part of the route. It's Bromsgrove which loses out here. Bromsgrove needs a service called 'National Express West Midlands'.