We realise the importance of accurate and updated information and are working hard to supply this to you.

Road Closures
Thornhill Road will be closed for resurfacing until Friday, 7th October 2011 from its junction with Foley Road East, in the direction of Chester Road and Birmingham. The 78 bus route will not be affected but there may be delays due to traffic diverting along Foley Road East.

Timetables
New 935 timetable NXWM120
dated 5th June, 2011, has now been printed and will be available at travel shops, at Blackwood Road library, at www.networkwestmidlands.com and at individual bus stops. To check if your bus stop timetable is up to date check the date in the orange strip at the top of the timetable – for the 935 this date should read 5th June.

The new printed timetable NXWM138
for services 76, 77, 78, 88, dated 5th September, is available as above. Unfortunately not all details are correct.

Service 77 - details are correct.

Service 78 - the 1525 bus from Queslett and the 1455 bus from Sutton Coldfield have been omitted in error. Route details towards Streetly, show this bus travelling along the Chester Road, Little Hardwick Road, and Wood Lane. This is incorrect - the route remains unchanged.

Service 88 - times shown are correct.
Route and map details are incorrect. The 88 route remains unchanged with one exception. The 88 no longer travels from Streetly to Walsall so does not now turn from Chester Road into Foley Road West but continues along the Chester Road to the Hardwick Arms which is the terminus. Timetable information is available as above and can also be downloaded on the central buses website.

If you still have any problems with your bus send details to Nick.Newcombe@nationalexpress.com phone 01922 856 129 or contact Centro Customer Relations on 0121 214 7214.

Service 78 provides an hourly service from Sutton Coldfield to the Queslett Pub, Streetly via Four Oaks Station, Mere Green, Streetly Lane, Streetly Village, Foley Roads, and Hundred Acre.

Service 88 provides an hourly service from Erdington to Walsall via Wylde Green, Chester Road, New Oscott, Kingstanding Circle, the Parson and Clerk Pub and travels along Chester Road to the Hardwick Arms.

Centra Buses continue to offer low fares. An Early Bird (concessionary passes before 9.30am) is £1.00, an All Day ticket costs a mere £3.20 and more regular travellers can take advantage of 7 and 28 day tickets which cost £12.00 and £35 respectively (half fare for children). Family tickets are available for just £6.50 per day and cover up to 2 adults and 4 children.

nbus day tickets price £3.80 can be purchased on bus numbers 78 and 88. These tickets can be used on any WM bus service all day and can really help to cut the cost of your travel bills.

Timetable information can be downloaded at central buses website

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CENTRAL BUS SERVICES
I've left my bag...........
Can you run a service down our road ?......
What time is the next bus?
For any information or advice, if you want to make a comment, a complaint or a suggestion, contact us....

By telephone - 0121 333 4533
By fax - 0870 299 0663
By e-mail - geoff.cross@centralbuses.com
Online - www.centralbuses.com
By post - Central Buses, 177 New Town Row, Newtown, Birmingham, B6 4QZ

935 half hourly service from Walsall to Birmingham via Wood Lane, Streetly Hardwick Arms, Chester Road, Bridle Lane, Hundred Acre, Sutton Oak Road, George Frederick Road, Rough Road, Kingstanding Circle and then directly into Birmingham. The 935 follows the same route as the 77 from Walsall to the junction of Wood Lane/Foley Road West, Streetly which provides four buses an hour along this part of the route

Since the 935 was re-routed along Wood Lane, there has been ongoing concern about the suitability of this road to carry buses. There is an additional issue that a left turn from the bus shelter outside Birmingham Registrations, opposite the Hardwick Arms, is extremely difficult with the bus sometimes having to mount the pavement to execute this turn. Residents who live near to or beyond the Hardwick Arms are extremely concerned about any changes affecting this part of the route as the service is invaluable to them.

935A provides two morning and two evening rush hour journeys travelling between Pelsall Lane and Birmingam via Aldridge and Streetly, serving Portland and Erdington Roads. There is a 0719 service fro Aldridge Shopping Centre arriving Hardwick Arms at 0728 and Birmingham at 0816 and a 0749 service arriving Hardwick Arms 0758 and Birmingham at 0849. In the evening, the 1743 from Birmingham arrives at the Hardwick Arms at 1825 and in Aldridge at 1832. The 1813 from Birmingham arrives Hardwick Arms at 1852 and Aldridge at 1859. Both buses then travel to Pelsall Lane. These two buses, which can be caught outside Birmingham Car Registations, are useful services for having a weekday evening meal in Aldridge. Passengers can return to Streetly on the 56A which leaves Aldridge at 24 minutes past the hour travelling via Erdington Road, Foley Pub, Foley Road West, Blackwood Road, Ferndale Road, Bridle Lane, Hundred Acre and the Queslett Pub before continuing to Birmingham.

77 half-hourly service from Walsall to Sutton Coldfield via Streetly. The bus runs along Blackwood Road, Bridle Lane, Chester Road, Sutton Oak Road, George Frederick Road, Banners Gate, Chester Road, New Oscott, and into Sutton. Between Foley Road West and Walsall the 77 shares the route with the 935 providing four buses an hour. A 20 minute service has been introduced on the 77 during peak times 8.00 - 9.30am and 3.30 - 6.00pm to solve punctuality issues.

56 half hourly service from Birmingham to Brownhills via Streetly and Aldridge. This Diamond bus travels through Streetly during daytime hours Monday to Saturday, via Aldridge and Barr Common Roads. There are additional buses during peak times. After the evening peak times the service changes to the 56A - see below.

Diamond Bus 56A replaces the 56 bus after 1800 and re-routes through Streetly along Hundred Acre Road, Bridle Lane, Ferndale Road, Blackwood Road, Foley Road West, Erdington Road and Portland Road into Aldridge. This hourly service runs evenings Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday. It provides a quick and efficient service from Streetly into Birmingham. The last bus leaves Birmingham at 2303 so is excellent for attending the theatre or concerts. It also provides the only Sunday and bank holiday service in Streetly and can be used to access Streetly Crematorium. Diamond Bus Service 56 and 56A. The latest available orange and white Centro timetable is dated 6th December, 2010. Timetables are available from the places shown on this page, and at www.networkwestmidlands.com The printed timetable and the timetable available at www.networkwestmidlands show a 0640 service from Birmingham to Aldridge and a 0556 service from Aldridge to Birmingham. These two services are not shown on the Diamond website as they are provided by a different company Diamond Buses can be contacted on 0121 557 7337 or visit www.diamondbuses.com website and bus text times

X56 Midland Rider service provides an early morning bus from Boney Hay to Birmngham via Bridge Cross, Chasetown, Brownhills, Shire Oak, Streetly, Kingstanding Circle and Perry Barr from Monday to Friday. This service picks up at the Hardwick Arms, Chester Road at 0732 arriving Birmingham Carrs Lane at 0810. The return evening service departs Birmingham at 1745 arriving Hardwick Arms at 1816.

Have Your Say....West Midlands Local Transport Plan 2011 – 2026

Centro in partnership with local authorities in the West Midlands want your views on the Local Transport Plan.
What is a Local Transport Plan ?
A Local Transport Plan (LTP) is where we look at the transport needs of the metropolitan area and set out a way forward to deliver those needs through short, medium and long term transport solutions.
How can I give my views ? visit the LTP website for more information on the Local Transport Plan and details of exhibitions.

West Midlands Special Needs transport (WMSNT) and its' Ring and Ride service ( see website here ) will receive £35 million from Centro, the area's integrated transport authority, over the next 3 years. The money will be used to improve the current service and meet the demands of a rising elderly population. The specially adapted buses will be given a new computer system with the result that extra journeys and more flexible routes can be booked.

Information on bus, rail and metro in the West Midlands plus information about Centro, West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive with the latest upto date network news including the latest bus times at your fingertips in a free real time text message on your mobile phone. SMS TextTime is a new way to provide information about your local bus service and tell you when the next buses will arrive at your stop via your mobile phone.
Network West Midlands website and bus text times

Aldridge - Streetly Buses first to trial new pre-paid systems
The first pre-paid Smartcards are set to be introduced on National Express West Midlands buses as part of a trial launched in January 2010. The new £20 million system will allow passengers to "top up" their fares before they travel, similar to the Oyster card system used in London. The first trials of the Smartcard technology are currently under way in the region on some Silverline and Central buses, including the 78 Sutton Coldfield to Kingstanding via Hundred Acre 88 Streetly to Erdington via Chester Road services. But trials are set to be rolled out to routes operated by National Express West Midlands, the region's biggest bus operator, by the end of January. The first of its fleet to get the swipe card technology will be in the Yardley area of Birmingham. If successful it would pave the way for the scheme to go live across the region's 2,500 buses later in the year. Centro spokeswoman Babs Coombes said the trial was already going well on the Central and Silverline buses since coming in at the end of November. "We are seeing how that goes at the moment and we are now looking to put the machines in the first National Express buses in the Birmingham area," she said. "The trials are going well but we want to make sure we get it right." She said there was no specific date for the general roll-out of the scheme as it depended on how the trials went. The new concessionary passes issued to pensioners all contain a chip to make them Smartcard-enabled and are being used in trials.

Streetly train service:
Streetly railway plans go off the rails - In the same week when Birmingham was named as the worst city in the country for commuting, it still looks unlikely that Streetly will be served by passenger trains. One problem is in finding a suitable site for a new station - the previous one was demolished to make way for flats which now block off access to the line. A Walsall Area Study of rail services was held in October 2008, but it seems that any extra services could not be implemented for several years until re-signalling has taken place.
More information on the Streetly Train Station page