Staffordshire councillors have major concerns about National Express bus service changes

Kinver councillor Victoria Wilson and Wombourne Councillor Marie Shortland have said that changes made to the bus services in Himley would adversely affect residents who relied on public transport and wanted to be able to travel to Wolverhampton on Sundays.

The changes by National Express West Midlands saw the 15 service route changed on Sundays to operate between Wombourne and the Merry Hill Centre only, whereas it had previously run towards Wolverhampton, while the 15A service between Wolverhampton and Merry Hill has been withdrawn.

A new 16A service between Wolverhampton and Wombourne has also been introduced to cover some of the routes previously served by the 15A, particularly in the evenings and on Sundays, but Councillor Wilson said that the lack of a direct service into Wolverhampton would leave a large number of residents isolated due to age, both in Himley and in the neighbouring district of Wombourne.

She said: "My biggest concern is that Himley is a very elderly demographic, with two nursing homes here, and staff can't get into and out of work if they live in Wolverhampton and on a Sunday because the bus route has been pulled.

"A lot of people have been having a go at the County Council about taking funding away from the bus companies, but we haven't and have, in fact, told them that they'd have lost their whole bus service if we hadn't intervened and paid a subsidy to National Express.

"I just don't understand how the bus company can arbitrarily just pull this service and while they will say it was decided a month ago, I don't think they've given us any notice at all."

Councillor Wilson said that she presumed the service was being pulled due to lack of use, but argued that with so many elderly people living in the village, it was cutting off their ability to travel to Wolverhampton without changing buses.

She said that all she wanted was for National Express to come and speak to residents about the decisions made.

She said: "I'd ask them to come over and meet the people who are suffering as a result of their decision and to please reconsider your decision as it's left people feeling very worried, very upset and cut in Himley.

"I'm really worried as there's people who meet to go to hospital and can't get to hospital without spending money on a taxi or they can't go shopping and they feel like they've been left to rot."

Councillor Shortland said she shared the same view and felt that it would impact so many other residents.

She said: "People definitely need a direct bus to Wolverhampton as it is having an impact on children as well with getting to school and the elderly getting out and about.

"There's no bus going through direct now and it's cutting people off, especially workers,  and I've had a chat with a few workers who have told me that they are fed up at having to walk after a long day."

A spokeswoman for National Express West Midlands said: "From 1st June 2025 we made changes to some bus services including new services, revised timetables and some route changes. 

"Overall, most of the affected services were timetable alterations to improve reliability and ensure customers are served more efficiently. 

"A small number of services saw other changes to better meet travel patterns and maintain connectivity across the bus network. 

"While some routes operate slightly differently now, we worked closely with Transport for West Midlands to ensure connections and alternatives remain in place to ensure we can maintain the best bus coverage for the people of the West Midlands."