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Dozens of bus routes to be scrapped or changed

BBC Pete Bond looks at the camera. He has short, grey hair and red tie, blue shirt and dark suit jacket.BBC
Pete Bond, transport manager at Transport for West Midlands, told the BBC some routes did not attract enough passengers to remain viable

Dozens of bus routes running through Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and the Black Country are set to be changed or withdrawn.

Services are affected after Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which subsidises services that do not make money, reviewed contracts with operators across the region.

But TfWM insisted most people would see “no or very small change” and that some of the areas impacted could see service frequency increased to “better meet local demand".

A blue bus number 80 bus with the word Diamond is parked in front of a bus station with a blue metal structure for a roof. It is a single decker, small bus.
The number 80 bus route will be scrapped from January 2025 under the plans

Most of the changes will come into force from 5 January, while negotiations over further changes continue with grants to shield operators from rising costs due to expire in March.

Pete Bond, director of integrated transport services for TfWM, said: “There are changes to some services and, where there is a reduction, for the vast majority there are suitable alternatives.

"I urge people to check the TfWM website for full details ahead of January.”

Passengers also face uncertainty over pricing after the government announced it would scrap the £2 cap on a single fare from January.

The BBC understands no final decision has been made on single fare pricing in 2025, although weekly and monthly ticket prices are expected to remain at the current level.

Most of the routes which will be scraped and replaced by other services are in Solihull.

The routes affected in Solihull are:

  • A3 – Solihull to Knowle via Widney Manor and Dorridge
  • A4 – Solihull to Inkford Brook via Dickens Heath
  • A5 - Solihull to Cheswick Green via Dickens Heath
  • A12 - Solihull to Acocks Green via Olton
  • A15 - Solihull to Shirley Station via Acocks Green and Lyndon
  • 88 - Solihull to Balsall Common via Warwick Road

Several other services, including some routes to Coventry, will be replaced with new route numbers and operators.

Picture showing bus services listed on a sign, including the number 80 to Moxley. It is written in blue with a white background. There are grey bricks behind the sign.
Dozens of routes across the West Midlands face changes, including the number 80 service which runs between Moxley and Bilston

The Black Country will see the number 80 route, running between Walsall and Wolverhampton, scrapped entirely. The number 24, running between Dudley and Merry Hill will also be scrapped and replaced with other services.

TfWM said it spends £18.7m subsidising routes which are not commercially viable and that the industry is “increasingly reliant on subsidy support”.

The full list of services changes can be found on the TfWM website.

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