Bus Service Changes from January 2025

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. 

View an interactive map of all changes in the area.

A significant number of services in the Solihull area are operated with financial support from TfWM. 

We have carried out a comprehensive review of services to ensure that they continue to meet residents’ needs and provide value for money, with the aim of creating a sustainable network for the future.

The following services will be revised, withdrawn, or renumbered:

• A1 - Solihull Damsonwood Circular (Diamond Bus)
• A2 – Solihull Buryfield Road Circular (Diamond Bus)
• A3 - Solihull to Knowle via Widney Manor & Dorridge (Landflight)
• A4 - Solihull to Inkford Brook via Dickens Heath (Landflight)
• A5 - Solihull to Cheswick Green via Dickens Heath (Landflight)
• A7/A8 - Solihull Circulars via Knowle, Dorridge, Hockley Heath & Blythe Valley (Landflight)
• A12 - Solihull to Acocks Green via Olton (Landflight)
• A15 - Solihull to Shirley Station via Acocks Green & Lyndon (Diamond Bus)
• 87 - Solihull to Coventry via Balsall Common (Stagecoach)
• 87A - Solihull to Coventry via Balsall Common (Stagecoach)
• 88 - Solihull to Balsall Common via Warwick Road (Stagecoach)

The new group of services that will operate from 5 January 2025 will be:

188 - Solihull to Coventry via Knowle, Dorridge and Balsall Common

The service will be operated by Stagecoach, every 60 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime. Buses will follow a new route in Solihull to cover the previous Landflight service A3 (Solihull to Knowle). Additionally, buses will extend from Balsall Common to Coventry via Torrington Avenue.

601 - Elmdon Park to Solihull Circular

This service will be renumbered from A1 and will be operated by Landflight with no change to route or timetable. 

602 - Kineton Green to Solihull Circular

This service will be renumbered from A2 and will be operated by Landflight with no change to route or timetable. 

630 - Solihull to Shirley via Lyndon and Acocks Green

This service will be operated by Landflight, every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime. This replaces the A12 and A15 services.

664 / 665 - Solihull Circulars via Dickens Heath, Wythall & Maypole 

This service will run every 60 minutes each direction, providing two buses per hour overall in the daytime from Monday to Saturday. An hourly Solihull to Dickens Heath service is provided on Sundays, operated by Landflight.  This replaces the A4 and A5 service.  The section of route to Hollywood and Wythall is funded by Worcestershire County Council.

A6 - Solihull to Dorridge via Knowle

This service will be operated by Landflight, every 60 minutes between 09:30 and 14:30. This service replaces the A3 along Longdon Road and Purnells Way.

A7/A8 - Solihull Circulars via Knowle, Dorridge, Hockley Heath & Blythe Valley

The timetable and route has been amended in Blythe Valley Park to improve punctuality.

View an interactive map of all changes in the area. 

The following Diamond Bus services in the Wednesbury and Bilston area will be revised or replaced by alternative services:

• 23 - Portobello to Wednesbury via Bilston
• 30 - Stone Cross to West Bromwich via Albion
• 41 - West Bromwich to Friar Park via Stone Cross
• 41A - West Bromwich to Wednesbury via Hall End 
• 80 - Moxley to Bilston via Lower Bradley 

A review of the 30 service showed that it was at risk of being withdrawn due to low passenger numbers. The service will now operate to Wednesbury instead of Stone Cross. This will create new links aimed at attracting additional passengers, such as from Harvills Hawthorn to Wednesbury. 

Service 80 between Moxley and Bilston will be withdrawn.  A review of this service showed poor usage across much of the route and was not viable to continue given the cost of operation.  Key sections of the 80 will now be covered by a revised service 23/23A to ensure that residents remain within reasonable walking distance of a bus service. 

Residents of Wallace Road, Rose Street, Peter Avenue, Wedell Wynd, Batmanshill Road, Brierley Lane, Hall Green Street, Hill Street, or Lord Street West are advised to use alternative services following the withdrawal of the 80 route.  Alternative services operate along some of these roads, or within reasonable walking distance:

• 23/23A - Wednesbury to Willenhall (Diamond Bus)
• 43 - Bilston to West Bromwich via Great Bridge (National Express)
• 82 - Wolverhampton to Dudley via Bilston (National Express)
• 530 - Wolverhampton to Rocket Pool via Bilston (Banga Buses & National Express)

Changes will be made to service 23 to cover parts of the 80 route.  Additionally, all buses will extend to Willenhall which will provide residents with new direct links.  A half-hourly frequency will be maintained between Bilston and Willenhall via Stowlawn and between Bilston Road, Farmers Way and Wednesbury.

Minor route changes will be made to the 41A so that it has a longer section of route in common with the 41.  This will give more residents a half-hourly rather than hourly bus service to West Bromwich.

The new group of services that operate from 5January 2025 will be:

• 23 - Wednesbury to Willenhall via Moxley: every 60 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime. Operated by Carolean Coaches.
• 23A - Wednesbury to Willenhall via Bradley Lane: every 60 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime. Operated by Carolean Coaches.
• 30 - West Bromwich to Wednesbury via Harvills Hawthorn: every 60 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime. Operated by Diamond Bus.
• 41 - West Bromwich to Friars Park: every 60 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime. Operated by Carolean Coaches.
• 41A - West Bromwich to Wednesbury: every 60 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime. Operated by Carolean Coaches.

View interactive map of all changes in the area.