Re: FMR Fleet Movements
Posted: 08:11 Saturday 19th August 2017
Mr DD12, has anyone ever told you that you are obsessed with double decks? I really hope you don't have a weak heart as there will be a story breaking in October that may well finish you off! 
Anyway, back to the here and now... With the arrival of the 59-reg Volvos for use on 144, that route will be converted back to single-deck only. A huge disappointment for some I know, but bear with me on this as there is method in their madness. You'll just have to wait and see what it is!
As previously pointed out (most likely by DD12), this will leave the school double-decks (the Tridents) with not much to do between schools. Because of the low bridges in the City, there are limited options for where they can be used, so don't expect to see them on the 35, 36 or 38 etc. In theory they can now be used on the 33 and 34 since the last bridge was removed, but there is still an uneasy feeling after the Olympian accident on Tolladine Road so that is unlikely.
At the moment, the 30 route is linked to the 31 and operated with Solos due to the weak bridge in Comer Road. These two routes will be worked independently from the October changes so expect to see more doubles on the 30. Likewise, the 37 is currently linked to the 36 and some 332 journeys, and while I haven't been specifically told they are to be separated I believe that is the plan.
The 32 is also a prime candidate for double-decks, but looking at the new timetable I see a lot of "32" journeys are really 52, 53, 54, 332 and 333 journeys passing through. Personally I don't like these composite timetables as having six route numbers up the same bit of road really does confuse passengers and does little to improve reliability, but with low passenger numbers on the rural services it is the only way to make them viable.
Anyway, back to the here and now... With the arrival of the 59-reg Volvos for use on 144, that route will be converted back to single-deck only. A huge disappointment for some I know, but bear with me on this as there is method in their madness. You'll just have to wait and see what it is!
As previously pointed out (most likely by DD12), this will leave the school double-decks (the Tridents) with not much to do between schools. Because of the low bridges in the City, there are limited options for where they can be used, so don't expect to see them on the 35, 36 or 38 etc. In theory they can now be used on the 33 and 34 since the last bridge was removed, but there is still an uneasy feeling after the Olympian accident on Tolladine Road so that is unlikely.
At the moment, the 30 route is linked to the 31 and operated with Solos due to the weak bridge in Comer Road. These two routes will be worked independently from the October changes so expect to see more doubles on the 30. Likewise, the 37 is currently linked to the 36 and some 332 journeys, and while I haven't been specifically told they are to be separated I believe that is the plan.
The 32 is also a prime candidate for double-decks, but looking at the new timetable I see a lot of "32" journeys are really 52, 53, 54, 332 and 333 journeys passing through. Personally I don't like these composite timetables as having six route numbers up the same bit of road really does confuse passengers and does little to improve reliability, but with low passenger numbers on the rural services it is the only way to make them viable.
