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City bus services face big cuts
Saturday 20th June 2009, 11:30AM BST.
A series of devastating cuts to bus services has been announced in Wolverhampton, the Express & Star can today reveal. National Express West Midlands is slashing services on 12 buses in July.
The move was described as “devastating for the entire community” by critics. Some services will be cut tot two an hour, with areas such as Wednesfield, Bilston, Tettenhall and Fordhouses hardest.The 501 Tettenhall Wood to Wolverhampton service frequency after 6pm will be cut to every 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday instead of every twenty minutes now.
The 513 service between Warstones and Wolverhampton, via Merry Hill, is being cut to every 15 minutes on a Saturday instead of 12 minutes, as well as the 535 between Codsall and the city.
People wanting to get from Northwood Park to Wolverhampton on a Saturday on the 532 will find services reduced to one every hour after 6pm, instead of two.
The changes have been heavily criticised by a leading member of the Passenger Transport Authority (PTA), a body made of up 27 councillors which oversees policy.
Councillor Judith Rowley, who represents Blakenhall, said: “The service between Tettenhall Wood and Wolverhampton is every 20 minutes, but it’ll be reduced to every 30 minutes.
“That’s just one example of the cuts, one of many that will devastate the entire community.
“I am really angry about this, I certainly was not consulted over it.
“People from all walks of life rely on these services to get them around, it really isn’t on. It is our communities that will pay for this decision.”
A new timetable has been produced by transport body Centro, confirming that the change will apply from July 26.
National Express West Midlands says that the changes are a response to passenger numbers, and have not revealed how much money it will save.
A spokesman for the firm said: “We have informed Centro of the changes and will continue to operate a frequent service.”
List of changes to services
* 501 Tettenhall Wood to Wolverhampton: Every 30 minutes rather than eight minutes
* 503 Wolverhampton to Fordhouses: Peak journeys reduced Monday to Friday
* 511 Wolverhampton to Underhill: Every 15 minutes instead of 12 minutes on a Saturday
* 512 Wolverhampton to Penn Fields: Every 15 minutes instead of 12 minutes on a Saturday
* 513 Warstones to Wolverhampton: Every 15 minutes instead of 12 minutes on a Saturday
* 528 Bilston to Wolverhampton: Journeys to Ashmore Park withdrawn off-peak
* 532 Wolverhampton to Northwood Park: Every hour instead of two per hour during evenings
* 533 Wolverhampton to Northwood Park: One every hour after 6pm instead of every 30 minutes
* 535 Codsall to Wolverhampton: Every 15 minutes on Saturdays rather than 12 minutes
* 559 Ashmore Park to Wolverhampton: Every 12 minutes rather than six minutes on a Saturday
* 598 Wolverhampton to Bushbury Hill: Number of Saturday journeys will be reduced
* 126 Birmingham to Wolverhampton: Sunday evening services every 30 minutes instead of 20
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Not enough passengers use an evening service to justify it operating every twenty minutes so the bus operator reduces it to every thirty minutes instead. No brainer really, isn’t it Judith.
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Remember the good old days when it was a public service and run for the PUBLIC.
Remember Mrs Thatcher and the Tories selling it all off in the name of profit?
Well know you are seeing the benefits.
Here in Spain where there is also a recession they have REDUCED Taxi and bus fares by 10% to encourage more people to use the services. It’s never going to happen in gready Britain though is it?
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Oh no! Someone will have to wait another 3 minutes for a bus. Its the end of the world!
Either way the bus companies arent going to win. if they put prices up to cover the services and increased costs of running the busses you lot would still complain.
Get over yourselves.
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omg if i didnt have a car i would be paying for my family each day aka day savers 6.50 for my family but if i had to go somewhere eles i had to pay an extra 3.30 thats £9.80 thats totaly unaceptable im glad the bus fairs have gone up becouse the fule can go up by 10 pence a year but hey im still lafing becouse it will be still cheaper than getting full of people with coths colds smells spiting music and god knows what els its discusting for a service that people arnt getting and part funded by centro witch is funded by USSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
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The 501 service seems a bit confusing; eight minutes to every 30 seems excessive. Understandable if it’s just Saturday evenings. I suppose the 543 will still be running at 3 second intervals (or so it seems when you’re waiting for a different bus).
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Never mind the frequency, what about the prices?
To go into the centre it costs €9 return for myself and the family. It only costs €1.50 to take the car and park. Hardly helping the environment but until they bring the prices down it’s a no brainer
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supply and demand
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I’ll be even more angry if the bus operator raises the fare after the next new year! Have everyone noticed NXWM claims “Price will frozen until 2010″?
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So glad i drive and don’t have to care about this rubbish…so people will have to wait a couple more minutes not going to kill them is it??
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Those people should think themselves lucky that they still have a bus service, whats a 3 minute or a 10 minute wait for a bus. Some areas don’t get a bus service after 6pm, stop moaning about such a little thing anyway most of these people have free bus passes and only go one stop.
And it’s not the bus drivers fail either, they are losing jobs due to the cut back in services.
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Less parking for cars, Increased parking charges, parking wardens waiting with pen in hand, less public transport.
Is somebody trying to keep us out of Wolverhampton?
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Hang on a minute; National Express\Travel West Midlands actually has a *timetable* that buses run to? It’s laughable hearing them claim that; the buses just turn up whenever, and you’ll be lucky to get a seat if they haven’t bothered to run one.
Oddly enough, the ‘complaints’ department is just there to complain *at* rather than resolve things; when five ’506′ buses to Pendeford hadn’t turned up over an hour and a half, they were more than willing for me to complain, but they wouldn’t call the garage to find out where the damn things were…
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Andy, its not the case of people moaning having to wait an extra 3 minutes for the bus that is the main problem.
In the case of buses being every half hour instead of 20 minutes it means if people have to be somewhere at a certain time that fitted with the old timetable they now will have to either wait around at the destination for ages because they are early or be late.
Stop being such an idiot. Not everybody has access to cars to go to the corner shop on the slightest whim.
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Wouldn’t mind but the buses smell terrible. Remember when the buses were actually cleaned!
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i moved out the area 5 years ago so i cant really comment about the bus service on the here and now but when i was at college i used the bus service heavily……and i used the 598 then the 501 to college……..now everyone knows morning time to get on the 501 is just a crush…..you fight to get on literally and if you dont your late…..and of course your pushed on the bus like sardines!…..and people standing up on the stairs…….and when the bus driver breaks you all fall like a pack of cards……i was traveling and i was pregnant on the 501 in the situation im talking about and i was near the front and everyone fell on top of me and my stomach went into the bar….i was 8 months gone……..now there were not enough buses in 2003 and we wernt in a recession so god knows what its like now!!!!!…….the 501 is a terrible service you’d think being a main college link they would do better!
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