Passengers are being urged to check for changes to a small number of bus services set to be introduced from January 2025 across Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and the Black Country.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) spends £18.7 million each year funding essential bus services that private operators are unable to provide on a commercial basis. As part of a regular review of expiring contracts there will be changes to 28 services after private bus companies submitted bids for the work.

The revisions will see a few changes from Monday, 5th January 2025 and passengers are being urged to check if their routes are affected on the TfWM website.

In the small number of cases where services are reducing, alternative buses are available for passengers to continue to make their journeys. Pete Bond, director of integrated transport services for TfWM, said: “We have, working with the bus operators, used the funding available to secure the maximum benefits for bus passengers – especially those living in areas where commercial services are not financially sustainable.

“There are changes to some services and where there is a reduction for the vast majority there are suitable alternatives. I urge people to check the TfWM website for full details ahead of January.

“Buses account for more than 232 million journeys a year in the West Midlands. They are relied upon by many residents and businesses so it is essential we keep these services on the road.

“The bus industry is facing severe cost challenges and is increasingly reliant on subsidy support – that is why at TfWM we are developing a bus reform plan to better secure the long-term sustainability of our bus network.”

Changes across Dudley are as follows:

From 5 January, the following National Express West Midlands services in the Dudley area will be revised or replaced by alternative services:

• 14 - Foxyards Estate to Halesowen via Dudley
• 14A - Dudley to Merry Hill via Blackheath
• 24 - Dudley to Merry Hill via Blackheath
• 74A - Dudley to West Bromwich via Kates Hill Service

14 currently operates on a commercial basis which is no longer financially viable. TfWM carried out a review of this service and have secured ongoing provision in the revised services detailed.

Service 74A has been deemed at risk of withdrawal due to low passenger numbers. The revisions to this service is aimed at attracting new passengers to secure its longer-term future.

The new group of services that will all be operated by Diamond Bus from 5 January 2025 are:

• 14 - Dudley to Blackheath via Tividale Hall: every 60 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime
• 14A - Dudley to Halesowen via Tividale Hall and Blackheath: every 60 minutes, Monday to Saturday evenings and Sunday all day.
• 24 - Merry Hill to Blackheath via Rowley Regis Hospital: every 60 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime
• 24H - Merry Hill to Halesowen via Cradley Heath: every 60 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime
• 74A - Horseley Heath to West Bromwich via Great Bridge: every 60 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime
• 214 - Foxyards Estate to Dudley: every 60 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime
• 215 - Dudley to Warrens Hall via Kates Hill: every 60 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime

The new services aim to provide passengers with an equivalent level of provision. Frequencies and first/last buses have been kept the same as they are now wherever possible. New timetables will be linked here once available.

This review of contract services does not include the wider grants currently being paid to bus operators to shield the commercial bus network from rising costs and keep services running.

That funding has been extended to the end of March 2025 to allow for further discussions with bus operators.

Alongside funding support for bus services, TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), the Government funded Bus Service Improvement Plan is investing in a series of initiatives.

This includes ticket incentives for car users and putting extra transport safety officers on patrol, to encourage more people to use bus services. In addition to this further bus lanes and priority measures are being funded through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, to improve reliability of service.