Bus passengers today claimed a victory in their fight to improve services in Wolverhampton following the launch of the city’s £22.5 million new terminus.

Thousands of passengers signed petitions objecting to changes when the  station –- the busiest in the West Midlands – opened three months ago, but with one in three services not stopping there.

People complained that stops in Lichfield Street were “ill thought out”, causing jams, and that the New Cross bus does not circulate around the grounds of the hospital, an issue transport authority Centro today pledged to look at.

Councillors in the Oxley ward gathered a petition calling for former services 504-507 to be re-instated, claiming the new number 4 and 6 services effectively “cut Oxley in half”.

Last night it was announced the number 6 service from Wolverhampton to Wobaston will stop at the bus station on a trial basis from January.

The new changes have been announced following three months of consultations with passengers.

Over the next two years the city will also have bus stops replaced and new electronic signs giving real-time information on buses and the timetable. National Express and Centro also announced 29 new buses  will be phased in on the cross city routes two, three and four covering areas including Bushbury, Warstones, Fordhouses, Castlecroft and Pendeford from next week.

Centro also pledged to look at tackling congestion in Lichfield Street and Stafford Street, with plans to include bus stops near the Grand Theatre.

But bus bosses insisted there would be no universal return to the Pipers Row bus station for all city routes during a meeting last night. They also claimed passenger numbers are up by six per cent on last year.