Bus changes ahead of pupils' return to schools
Changes are being made to bus timetables across the region in preparation for the opening of schools.
Routes between Walsall and Wolverhampton and in Sandwell will see changes made to routes, as well as a new express route.
The changes in Sandwell come after the council made Smethwick High Street one-way only, meaning service 80 will be withdrawn and all journeys being on service 80A.
Additionally, service 89 will see buses turn right onto Tollhouse Way and pass through a number of streets before rejoining the normal route, with the return journey from West Bromwich following Smethwick High Street.
There will also be a new X529 service between Walsall and Wolverhampton, which will follow much of the same 529 route, but will run non-stop between Portobello island and Junction 10 of the M6.
The X529 will be 10 minutes quicker from end to end as it stops at fewer stops and will operate Mondays to Saturdays from 7am to 7pm, every 20 minutes. Chris Gibbens, National Express West Midlands’ commercial director, said the new services were in response to an expected increase in customers.
He said: “We are putting more buses into service, making more double deckers available and changing timetables so people can safely social distance.
“These changes make 90,000 more seats available every day and we still have our fleet of sweeper buses on standby at various locations so that if a route or location gets busy, we can send reinforcements.
“We have worked closely with councils and Transport for West Midlands to speak to all the schools about what they need.
“We have added extra journeys and introduced new services where there are lots of people needing to get to school, college and work.”
