Bus network protected until 2025 following £40 million investment from TfWM

Bus services across the West Midlands will continue to operate at near current levels until the end of 2024 following an agreement between Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and the bus operating companies, including National Express West Midlands and Diamond Bus.

The deal heads off the immediate threat of around one third of the region's bus services being withdrawn or frequencies reduced following the ending of Government Covid support funding in June.

Operators have faced increasing cost pressures due to steep rises in fuel, maintenance, and staff costs over the last two years and are struggling to keep buses on the road.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, led talks with the bus companies and Government to secure the agreement to protect services.

Under the agreement TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has re-allocated part of the region's £88m Bus Service Improvement Plan grant to keep services running while a long-term sustainable funding solution is found.

This grant, awarded to TfWM by the Department for Transport last year, was to be used on a variety of initiatives to encourage more people to use buses - but now approximately £40m will be used to support bus operators to maintain services at their present level.

However, TfWM is still on course to invest in improved bus priority, more electric and hydrogen buses, as well as securing agreements with operators.

The West Midlands has managed to retain the vast majority of its bus routes despite a dramatic drop in usage during and since the covid-19 pandemic. The current network is at around 90 per cent of pre-covid levels, a level many other regions have failed to maintain.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA Chair, said: “Buses are the backbone of our public transport network - providing a vital daily service for tens of thousands of local people right across our region at the same time as helping us to tackle the climate emergency and reduce traffic congestion on our roads.

“That's why we simply could not allow a substantial reduction in services and I personally made the case on behalf of our region during intensive discussions with the likes of National Express West Midlands and Government.

“By stepping in and arranging this funding package to maintain bus service provision, we've successfully secured much needed certainty for the network all the way through to the end of next year.”

Alex Jensen, CEO National Express UK & Germany said: “We welcome the support from Transport for West Midlands which will ensure we can maintain the bus network at the current level until the end of 2024.

“Our many customers depend on our services every day and we are pleased to confirm they can continue to rely on them.

“Meanwhile we are continuing the investment in electric and zero-emission buses which are both good for the environment and will help keep costs low. We will also work closely with our partners to seek a long term solution to the issues facing the bus industry at the present time.”

Further investment is going into the region's bus infrastructure, including the ongoing development of the Sprint routes in Birmingham where bus lanes and junction upgrades have already improved journey times and reliability.