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 services!

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We've all seen this happen - gone are the days when people would use 'dodgy' out-of-date tickets, people are more brazen now, and will just simply walk onto a bus, knowing full well that they will get away with it.

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

7 hours, 9 buses, 61 miles - my West Midlands road trip

Well done to everyone who spotted this morning's April Fool joke! Back to seriousness, here are details of changes to Coventry Road services following the end of the Easter holiday break...

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.

For some reason, Transport for West Midlands still think that what the Walsall-Solihull Sprint route needs are "tram-like buses". While they do look quite smart, ultimately they are just the latest iteration of what used to be called 'bendibuses'.

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.

Getting to new rail stations in south Birmingham 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.

Just a couple of changes happening at the end of this month, one of course was postponed from the start of the year.

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.

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?

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.

School half-term and other timetable changes in February 2026 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…

Three mini-blogs for the start of February 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,…

Predicting what will happen in 2026 should be quite easy, because it is all the things that should have happened in 2025!

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.

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...

Save money on Christmas travel by pre-purchasing day tickets from NX Bus 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…

"It'll be great when it's finished"

Service changes in January 2026 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…

Months of disruption ahead as Burnt Tree junction works commence early November 2026 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…

OPINION: Are QR codes at bus stops really necessary? 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…

New Blackheath bus interchange set for November opening 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…

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.

Cross-City bus priority routes to bypass traffic jams and save commuters time 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…

Free bus travel for parents this October half-term 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,…

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.

November sees the start of new TfWM contracts, with some services having new operators, and we also say goodbye to Stagecoach in Birmingham.

Birmingham city centre bus stop changes – 28th September 2025 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…

How to get your lost property back 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…

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.

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.

August Bank Holiday, end of summer timetables and new routes to Chelmsley Wood and Birmingham Airport

Summer Holiday timetables explained 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…

Starting a new job? 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. Workwise offers two 4-week travel passes free and a third pass at half price, to help new job starters get to their place of work

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 that have partnered with NX West Midlands and NX Coventry?

Save on summer travel by bus – nBus Summer Specials 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…

Service changes from 20th July 2025 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…

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.

From Sunday 1st June 2025, a large number of bus services will have timetable changes as 'early Summer' schedules are introduced, however there are some routes that will see more significant changes, including routes serving Wombourne, Kingstanding and the QE Hospital.

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', while 18% opposed the proposal.

Wolverhampton service changes in May 2025 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…

An event to keep in your diary for later this year...

Travel together and save with a Group Day Ticket 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…

Service changes in April 2025 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…

Kings Heath station works – amendments to 35 and 50 services Due to roadworks taking place in Kings Heath to facilitate the construction of the new railway station, NX West Midlands are introducing temporary timetables for their 35 and 50 services from Sunday 30th March. The new timetables will…

Reminder: bus franchising consultation closes Sunday 30th March 2025 If you've not yet participated in the 'bus reform consultation' being run by the WMCA (West Midlands Combined Authority), time is running out for you to 'have your say' as the consultation closes next Sunday, 30th March. At the…