First West Midlands

[Badger]

So I caught the 3 today, one of the shiny new ones they bought us (won't make up for them not going into the bus station sorry nx).

Anyway, everyone throws their tickets in the metro bin, nothing new there. What was new was that they were First group tickets.

Read anything into this? Or just a weird mistake?

This: http://www.indepthsheffield.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/FirstWeek-ticket-Bus-52-300x113.jpg

Can't find a pick of what they should look like.

Some context for people who don't know, National Express West Midlands is pretty much the monopoly in the county, with a fleet of 1741 buses (wp). First were going to buy them at some point but never did.

 

[transportphoto]

Pardon, are you saying that you have had a First Group ticket issued on a National Express West Midlands bus I am totally confused.

TP

 

[Badger]

Yes, basically. It seems like the paper they were printing them on was a roll with the wrong company's logos on the back.

I guess a plausible explanation is a group of people all with first tickets got the bus and dumped their tickets on it, but there are no first buses anywhere near here.

 

[BestWestern]

Did you actually see the machine on the bus spit out any First tickets, or were they just sat in the used ticket bin? It'd be very strange indeed if NatEx were banging out Barbie tickets! I flick through a bus mag monthly and there's been no mention of any takeover that I've noticed, and even if there was I'd imagine there would be a healthy stock of the correct ticket rolls that needed using up!

 

[dvboy]

Are you sure it wasn't just a ticket from one of the First services from Worcestershire that come into Birmingham? They all terminate on Smallbrook Queensway.

 

[Badger]

There were a bunch of them but that sounds likely. It was a brand-spanking-new 11 plate bus, that would likely have never seen Birmingham, but things have a habit of moving around heh. I wasn't aware First came into Birmingham, I should check that out. NX:WM pale in comparison to their Leicester buses.

 

[dvboy]

First buses to/from Birmingham:
http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/wor...rom=birmingham&operator=14&page=1&redirect=no