From passenger to station manager

Meet Steve Lawrence, the proud manager of Dudley Bus Station, who’s overseeing its biggest transformation yet.

Growing up in Dudley, Steve’s life has always revolved around the station, from childhood trips with his grandparents to Dudley Zoo and local markets.

“I'm 38 now and the station itself has pretty much looked the same ever since I was a child,” Steve explained. “I remember coming up here as a four five-year-old with my dad and grandad, I used to meet with my nan and my aunties at a cafe just at the top of bird cage walk.

“The only thing that has changed is a lick of paint - just a bit of a refresh and automatic doors were introduced I think about six years ago.

“I'm probably walking on the same blocks that I walked on as a child so yeah it's got a lot of character, a lot of history but she's a bit tired now so I'm looking forward to the new challenge and the new chapter of the site.”

Now, as demolition work begins, Steve leads the way towards the new Dudley Interchange, which will seamlessly connect bus and metro services in the region.

More than just a transit hub, Steve envisions the station as a community cornerstone that Dudley residents can be proud of.

He added: “This is my hometown so anything that improves your hometown and obviously helps the people here is a positive.

“This was a community bus station. Obviously people don't probably meet here as much as they used to, but I'm hoping with the new site we can make it a community site.

“There's going to be some interesting challenges that we're going to overcome as the station's going to be built, but I’m looking forward to it.

“I think the people here are really friendly and we're misrepresented sometimes. We’re quite friendly people talk to and a new station will be a nice way for people to actually see Dudley in a better light.”

The West Midlands Combined Authority is driving this transformation, making the region an even better place to live and work.