From 1 to 31 August 2026, children and young people aged 5 to 15 can travel free on participating bus services across the West Midlands. Whether you’re planning a family day out, heading into town …

This month, we have some changes to services operated under contract to TfWM, as well as two new special services for getting to two popular attractions during the summer, and the introduction of s…

Bus fares are set to increase from Sunday 28th June 2026, due to rising operational costs. Please don’t ‘shoot the messenger’, I don’t set ticket prices or run any bus servi…

For the past three weeks or so, I’ve been using the X2 to get to and from work, and its been remarkable to see the difference from when I previously used to travel that way, back in 2016-2018…

We’ve all seen this happen – gone are the days when people would use ‘dodgy’ out-of-date tickets, people are more brazen now, and will just simply walk onto a bus, knowing f…

There will be changes to services 8A, 8C, 14, 94 & 95 from Sunday 10th May 2026 due to closure of Saltley Viaduct

Last weekend was a Easter bank holiday weekend; no work, and plenty of time to kill! The perfect combination of circumstances to try out something I'd been thinking about for a few weeks - a big epic road-trip by bus around the West Midlands! And beyond a vague idea of how I intended to get around, I didn't really put in a lot of time for planning this, it ended up as an off-the-cuff "see what happens" trip, that mostly worked out quite nicely!

From Sunday 12th April 2026, following the end of the schools Easter Holiday break, most services will revert back to normal Monday to Friday timetables, however some services will see alterations to their timetables. 60 - Birmingham to Cranes Park, via Small Heath, Yardley & Sheldon Daytime timetables are completely revised - while the overall service between Birmingham and Cranes Park sees a reduction in frequency, the addition of short journeys between city centre and Swan Island sees a frequency improvement through Small Heath and Hay Mills.

German luxury car manufacturer BMW is taking its first steps into the bus and coach market with the launch of it's new 'B-series' integral bus models. At an exclusive press launch held yesterday in Birmingham, journalists were shown images of what will be new single and double deck bus designs, with the German company keen to stress that it is aiming its offerings at bus operators looking to entice new passengers with an all-new luxury offering.

It's quite incredible that I first wrote about Sprint on this website just over seven years ago! And yet we still seem to be no nearer to this vision actually becoming reality. In recent weeks, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) have agreed to purchase 24 electric articulated 'tram-style' buses, and the associated charging infrastructure, at a cost of £26m.

From Sunday 29th March through to Sunday 12th April 2026, there will be some alterations to Monday-Friday timetables on a number of bus services, owing to reduced levels of traffic while schools are closed for the Easter Holiday break, in particular during the morning peak time. In most cases, this is just tweaks to the timetable to allow for shorter journey times, while some very-frequent services may see a slight frequency reduction due to fewer buses being required to maintain the same levels of service.

From Tuesday 7th April, passengers will be able to catch trains from new stations on the reopened Camp Hill Line between Birmingham New Street and Kings Norton. The three new stations at Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road are aimed at local residents, so there are no car parking facilities available, though there will be drop-off spaces and cycle storage available - the intention being that local people will mainly walk or cycle to these stations in order to take advantage of quicker journey times by train into the city centre.

Just a couple of changes happening at the end of this month, one of course was postponed from the start of the year. 27 - Rubery Great Park to Yardley Wood/Solihull From Sunday 29th March, this service will be operated by Diamond Bus, with no change to current route or timetable. 98 - Solihull to Heartlands Hospital, via Lyndon & Sheldon…

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) have recently been posting on social media about changes to the price of their nNetwork ticket prices from 1st March 2026, however the wording of these posts seem to have been confusing some people. It seems, from reading comments being left on these posts, that many people are under the impression that bus fares are increasing from the same date.

Is anyone else getting tired of the 'teasing' being done by TfWM and the local media? There's been several news stories recently, yet none of them answer the 'big question' that everyone is asking! Which is... When will trains start calling at the new stations? It didn't take a lot of digging or research to find out when passengers will be able to catch trains from the new stations at Darlaston, Willenhall, Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road.

From 23rd February to 6th June 2026, there will be changes to the 82 service between Solihull and Coventry while HS2 works take place in Hampton-in-Arden. On the following dates, buses will be unable to serve Hampton-in-Arden due to a road closure while a new bridge is installed. 23rd February to 8th March 13th April to 17th April 20th April to 24th April…

Monday 16th to Friday 20th February Owing to school half-term closures, there will be minor changes to a number of bus timetables in Birmingham and the Black Country during peak times as traffic levels reduce. I feel the need to stress that bus services will continue to operate as normal, however some times are being adjusted to account for lower levels of traffic during this time, especially during the morning peak period, as overall journey times are reduced due to less traffic congestion.

Well folks, January soon passed by, and as we roll into February, with not much going on to write about, I thought I'd try something a bit different following an afternoon out I had last Sunday. They don't really warrant long-form articles of their own, so I thought I'd just combine them into one. Dudley Interchange progress The main purpose of my Sunday afternoon out was of course to go up and see what progress was being made on the new Dudley Interchange, as I had seen some comments suggesting that there were rumours of a 'Spring opening'.

Looking back at some of my previous predictions for this year, I'm starting to think I might as well just give this up, but I'm going to have another go anyway! One recurrent theme that has prevailed throughout 2025 is that of "delayed". And that will no doubt continue into 2026, along with the theme of "better late than never".

Following on from service changes that occur at the beginning of the month due to new contract awards, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) will be making some changes to contracted services in the Dudley area from Sunday 25th January 2026. 12A - Dudley to Oldbury, via Oakham14 - Dudley to Blackheath, via Oakham14A - Dudley to Halesowen, via Tividale Hall and Blackheath…

Well folks it's almost that time of year again when bus service levels get altered during the Christmas holiday period! So here's what's happening this year... Monday 22nd to Tuesday 23rd December 2025 Most bus services will operate to Saturday timetables. Christmas Eve - Wednesday 24th December 2025 Most bus services will operate to Saturday timetables again, however some high-frequency services will begin to reduce from mid-afternoon onwards, with last buses on all services at around 10pm.

National Express West Midlands are running a special Black Friday offer from Friday 28th November to Tuesday 2nd December 2025. The offer is for the pre-purchase of their NX Outer Zones day tickets at £2.75 each (normally £5.50), which will become valid for use between Saturday 27th December 2025 and Sunday 4th January 2026. The offer is only available through their mTicket app.

After hearing about the new £2.9m Blackheath Bus Interchange being opened today (Sunday 2nd November), I decided to head over and have a look for myself at what bus passengers can expect from this …

2026 will begin with a number of bus service changes mainly due to the commencement of new tender contracts. Birmingham & Black Country area changes 19 - Dudley to QE Hospital, via Netherton, Halesowen and Quinton From Sunday 4th January 2026, this service will be operated by Diamond Bus, no change to route, some minor revisions to timetable during peak times.

Bus passengers are being warned to expect months of delays and alterations to bus services from Sunday 10th November, as improvement works commence at Burnt Tree junction in Dudley. What's happening? From 10 November 2025, works will begin on the highway at Burnt Tree Junction in Dudley and on the border with Sandwell. This project is part of a larger scheme to improve bus journey times and help those walking and cycling around the main roads in the area.

I only recently became aware of this new development which has seen Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) adding new signs to bus stops that display a QR code, which when scanned, take the user to a website that shows upcoming scheduled and real-time bus departures from that stop. What is Real Time Information (RTI) Real-time information is displayed on digital screens at your bus shelter, showing departure times.

With work now drawing to a close, it has been revealed that the new bus interchange in Blackheath town centre will be up and running from Sunday 2nd November 2025. Diversions will end, and buses will begin serving the new stops that are in place. Buses will now board at the following stops: Bus stop BA (Birmingham Road) ∙ Service 3/3A towards West Bromwich 

Less frequent travellers have a new way of saving money on the cost of their bus travel with NX Bus. The NX Bus mTicket app allows the purchase of a bundle of 10 single journey tickets for £25, which means a single fare costs just £2.50, compared to the regular £3 price. The app is available for Android and Apple devices, and allows users to purchase tickets before they board the bus, then they just scan the QR code under the card reader when they board, no messing about trying to find loose change or your bank card!

New bus gates and lanes being installed across the Birmingham and the Black Country are set to slash journey times for passengers. Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has now appointed a new contractor so work can start on three new bus priority routes as part of the Cross-City bus programme. The routes, which are being delivered in partnership with local councils, will see a raft of measures installed on key routes so that buses can bypass traffic jams.

Richard Parker, the Mayor of the West Midlands, is offering parents free bus rides to help cut the cost of keeping children busy this half-term. Parents and carers can apply for a Swift travel card pre-loaded with free bus travel between Monday, October 27nd and Sunday, November 2nd 2025 as part of the region’s ongoing campaign to get more people to try buses.

I wrote a 'speculative' piece last month about the impending arrival of more new electric buses, and I'm happy to post this follow up to provide a further update. As I wrote previously, the latest delivery is of 130 brand new Wrightbus Streetdeck Electroliners (as pictured above), and I have now been advised that 97 will be heading to Wolverhampton garage, with the remaining 33 being delivered to Perry Barr.

November sees the start of new TfWM contracts, with some services having new operators, and we also say goodbye to Stagecoach in Birmingham. 5 - Dudley to Kingswinford, via Pensnett5A - Dudley to Wall Heath, via Pensnett and Kingswinford From Sunday 2nd November, these services will be operated by National Express West Midlands, with no change to current route or timetable.

Following the completion of Midland Metro works, which has seen tram tracks extended from Lower Bull Street across Moor Street Queensway to a new terminus point next to the Clayton Hotel, there will be some bus stop changes for bus routes from Sunday 28th September 2025, in order to make use of a new bus-only road that has been constructed between Park Street and Moor Street Queensway, while some services revert to previous stopping points.

I'm amazed how many people accidentally leave something behind on a bus or train, and then 'turn to social media' to try and get it back. The best way to get your lost property back is not to post about it on Facebook, and hope that someone sees your post and finds your left-behind item, but to contact the operator of the bus/train directly!

Following the delivery of 170 brand new ADL Enviro400EVs into their Perry Barr and Yardley Wood garages, National Express West Midlands have started receiving the first of 130 new Streetdeck Electroliners from Northern Irish bus manufacturer Wrightbus. This will conclude the delivery of 300 new electric buses that was announced back in 2023, and it has been a painfully long process!

Following service changes that took place last Sunday, today I decided to try out the 'new' 27 route today and see how it was doing. In a nutshell, the 27 has been substantially changed between Kings Heath and Yardley Wood, so it can accommodate parts of the former 46 route through Brandwood End, as well as being extended to Solihull to replace much of the former 169 route, both previously operated by Stagecoach under contract to TfWM.

August Bank Holiday On Monday 25th August, buses will run to Sunday levels of service owing to Summer Bank Holiday. End of summer timetables As the school summer holiday period draws to a close, bus services will revert to normal timetables from Sunday 31st August. Other service changes this month Following last month's changes, there will be some further changes happening in August 2025.

For many years now, bus operators have introduced what are known as 'summer holiday timetables' during the period covered by the schools 'six-week' holiday from mid-July to early-September. With the main reason given being "reduced levels of traffic". In the last couple of years, I have seen lots of comments on social media from people 'moaning' about these changes, and asking questions like "how will we get to work?"

When starting a new job, the cost of travel by public transport to your new place of work can often be a barrier, especially if your first wage packet isn't for another few weeks. However this is where Workwise comes in - it is a scheme provided by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) through Transport for West Midlands (TfWM).

Stuck for ideas to keep the kids (or yourself!) occupied during the summer holidays? Did you know that if you travel by bus, you can get discount offers at selected locations who have partnered with NX West Midlands and NX Coventry? How it works Go to the Offers page on the NX West Midlands or NX Coventry websites Choose an attraction to find out more details and see terms and conditions…

In partnership with Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), Diamond Bus and National Express Bus are offering new Summer Special tickets to help families and groups with the cost of bus travel during the school summer holidays. Family Summer Special - £75 Introducing a brand new 'Family Summer Special' ticket - giving you and your family unlimited bus travel for the whole of the school summer holidays.

From Sunday July 20th 2025, a large number of bus services will have summer timetables introduced, owing to reduced levels of traffic during the school summer holiday period. From the same date, there will also be some other significant service changes, which are detailed below: 12 / 12A - Birmingham to Dudley, via Bearwood and Oldbury12A - Dudley to Oldbury…

Friday's announcement about nBus ticket prices increasing from 15th June came as a bit of a surprise to me, and has prompted a lot of angry responses on news articles and social media posts. First of all, I do think it was a bit underhand to give passengers only two weeks notice of these price increases, and I do sympathise with anyone who is affected, but as we shall see, it's not the end of the world, as the alternative would have been far worse.

From 15th June 2025, bus fares will be changing. Due to the continued steep rise in industry costs, including overheads and labour, a review of fares has been necessary to ensure the bus network remains operating at current levels whilst still being able to cover costs. The last increase to nBus tickets was in July 2024. The new nBus prices are agreed between all West Midlands Bus Operators and Transport for West Midlands.

From Sunday 1st June 2025, a large number of bus services will have timetable changes as 'early Summer' schedules are introduced, mainly due to fewer university students travelling, as well as schoolkids revising for exams, however there are some routes that will see more significant changes, including routes serving Wombourne, Kingstanding and the QE Hospital. 15 / 15A - Wolverhampton to Merry Hill, via Wombourne…

The WMCA (West Midlands Combined Authority) board is due to meet on Friday 9th May 2025 in Wolverhampton, where it is expected that board members will vote to implement bus franchising, with the Mayor giving the formal sign-off, following the public consultation that was undertaken at the start of the year. In a nutshell, despite the reporting in the local news, as well as the WMCA's own press release, 52% of respondents to the consultation were in support, with 30% who 'strongly support', and 32% who 'somewhat support'.

Following the cancellation of the commercial daytime journeys on the 5/X5 services operated by Banga Buses, Staffordshire County Council have stepped in to part-fund a replacement service. To accommodate the award of this contract, new operator Chaserider will be making changes to their 70 and 71 services in Wolverhampton city centre. 5 - Wolverhampton to Codsall, via BilbrookX5 - Wolverhampton to Codsall…

The Black Country Bus Bash is back – and you’re invited! Join us on Sunday 10th August 2025 at the Park Lane Depot in Wolverhampton for a fun, family day out celebrating all things bus. The event runs from 10am to 4pm and there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Here’s what you can look forward to: Take a ride through the bus wash - a big hit with kids and grown-ups…

Whether you're a family or a group of friends/colleagues, if you're all travelling together then you can save money on the cost of travel. Rather than buying individual tickets, choose the Group Day nBus Ticket instead! For just £8.50, the Group Day nBus Ticket allows a group of up to 5 adults, or 2 adults with up to 4 children, unlimited bus travel all day on all bus operators' services within the nBus region.

Well we're almost a quarter of the way into 2025 and spring is finally here! So what's in store for April? With the clocks going forward an hour early this morning, the evenings will be much lighter now. This month features Easter, which gives us two bank holidays on Good Friday and Easter Monday. But the end of the month sees some further timetable changes, with some services seeing a slight frequency reduction, as NX West Midlands tries to keep them commercially viable.