While details are yet to be officially confirmed and published by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), I understand that Stagecoach have been awarded contracts to operate more services in the West Midlands area, to commence from 1st January 2023.
7 – Coventry to Brownshill Green
While NX Coventry will continue to operate Monday to Saturday daytime journeys on this route, Stagecoach will operate evening and Sunday journeys.
41 – QE Hospital to Heartlands Hospital
Stagecoach will operate this route with no changes, Monday to Saturday daytimes.
46 – QE Hospital to Kings Heath
This route has been revised by TfWM, and will operate from QE Hospital to partly replace the 48 service being withdrawn by NX West Midlands between QE Hospital and Northfield. From Northfield, it follows the reverse of the current 46 service to Kings Norton, before continuing on to Brandwood End, where it will then mostly replace the withdrawn 69 service to Kings Heath.
51 – Coventry (City Centre) to University Hospital
New service that replaces the withdrawn service 1, and part of the curtailed 5 service.
71 – Chelmsley Wood to Sutton Coldfield
All Sunday journeys will be operated by Stagecoach.
169 – Kings Heath to Shirley (Sainsburys)
New service that mostly replaces the current 69 service. Gracemere Crescent in Yardley Wood will be missed out, and from Shirley the route is revised to run via Solihull town centre before terminating at Sainsburys in Shirley. Timetable is extended to provide more daytime journeys Monday to Saturday.
A9 – Kingshurst to Blythe Valley Business Park
New service replaces the current 58 service between Kingshurst and Solihull town centre, and extends to Blythe Valley Business Park via Monkspath Hall Road and Creynolds Lane (Cheswick Green). Benefit to passengers is introduction of Sunday daytime journeys.
Timetables for these services will be available soon at the TfWM website.
The above information is subject to official confirmation.
I understand that Stagecoach will initially be operating these new TfWM contracts from their existing depot in Rugby (!) but their intention is to set up a new outstation to service these, which makes some sense. With them already operating tendered services in Solihull (82, 87, 88 and X20) there would be some considerable benefit in establishing some new depot in the Solihull area, especially if they have ambitions on further expanding into Diamond and NX Bus territory.
wpDiscuz