Timesaver 900 - vintage bus ride from Acocks Green to Yardley Wood Bus Garages, October 2013

We continue our look back to the bus garage open days of October 2013 with this vintage bus ride from Acocks Green to Yardley Wood Bus Garages on Saturday 5th October 2013. Starting at Summer Lane in Acocks Green ending at Yardley Wood Road outside the other bus garage! Timesaver 900 in blue livery. I would supect that the bus used to be used on the Coventry Road (the modern X1 bus route).

This West Midlands Travel blue bus was one of three buses that was used to transport passengers (for free) between Acocks Green and Yardley Wood Bus Garages on Saturday 5th October 2013. On the occasions of both bus garages then 75th birthday. Open days were being held at the same time at both garages, and these bus rides was a convenient way of getting between both open days!

West Midlands Travel Timesaver was used on the former 900 route between Coventry and Birmingham, via Meriden, The NEC & Birmingham Airport and then up the Coventry Road via Sheldon, South Yardley, Hay Mills and Small Heath. The bus identification number was 2957. Licence plate number: D957 NDA.

Starting at the bus stop on Summer Lane (not too far from Acocks Green Bus Garage). This bus stop is sometimes used by the no 1 bus route (NXWM keeps changing the route). It was used recently for the 1 and 1A, but is now not in use again (since they changed the route back).

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I sat somewhere near the back of the bus on the bottom deck. This is the interior of an 1980s bus!

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Some of the old WM Travel adverts on the wall near the ceiling of the bottom deck. This one showing a map of the West Midlands with the locations of the WM Travelshop's across the county!

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This one "Get Around for Less". About the Travelcard and Clubcard. The dates on it 1993, make it as it was in the 1990s!

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I remember seeing these ones on the buses in the 1990s! "Something interesting to read on the journey. Your bus ticket.". I'm not sure anyone actually bothered to read it by the way! Garage code, bus number, service number, time, date, ticket serial number, stage number, fare and class of ticket. "Know Your Ticket". By the time people had bus passes or smartcards or apps, I don't think you'd be spending time staring at your pass (apart from when the inspector comes on board of course).

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It's rare now for buses to have adverts about "new" cars but in the late 1980s, they had this for for the Ford Escort Cabriolet! A convertible "ideal for the British summer".

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About 15 minutes later we were in Yardley Wood! The bus standing outside of Yardley Wood Bus Garage on the Yardley Wood Road. Many passengers getting off to start their visit to the bus garage open day in Yardley Wood.

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One of the older vintage buses was also parked outside of the garage. Both buses ready to take passengers back to Acocks Green. That bus (on the left) had the route number  90 and destination Pheasey Estate via Kingstanding. That was MOF 225 / 3225.

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I later saw the Timesaver 900 bus heading over this canal bridge on School Road in Yardley Wood.

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Another view of the bus on the School Road in Yardley Wood.

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Bonus photos of the Timesaver bus at the Yardley Wood Bus Garage open day in November 2018, for the garages 80th birthday! This open day was held on Saturday 10th November 2018, was a bit of a wet day outside!

Timesaver seen from within Yardley Wood Bus Garage.

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Seen from outside the garage, as I started my walk to see other heritage buses towards the Maypole!

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They had cleared the route number and destination board at the front, but only had 2957 on the side where the route number would usually be!

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Later saw the Timesaver bus from the no 50 bus on Alcester Road South! Doing the loop around Kings Heath, Maypole, Yardley Wood and Billesley!

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Photos taken by Elliott Brown

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