New timetables after complaints on Wolverhampton buses

The number 32 and 33 buses travel to Wolverhampton via Bushbury, Northwood Park, and Fordhouse Road.

They will both have new timetables introduced from April 10.

It follows the work of Labour councillor for Bushbury North, who attended Birmingham's National Express control centre earlier this month, meeting with officials from the tracking and management systems team.

Changes to the services also include an additional bus being run during morning rush hour and another during the evening rush hour to take the pressure off existing services.

Previously, drivers of the 32 and 33 buses had completed a long shift on the 126 buses to Birmingham, meaning that if they were delayed in the second city, creating a knock-on effect on services in Wolverhampton.

Councillor Daniel Warren said: "There's been a lot of complaints over the last few months about the reliability of the 32/33 Northwood Park bus services.

"The timetable hasn't changed since about 2009, but a lot has changed in the city since then.

"National Express (NX) managers have stated that there has been issues with route due to a number of factors, some out of NX control, and they are introducing a new timetable in the hope that this makes the bus services more reliable for passengers on the route."

The councillor spoke to officials about the route of the buses after he received dozens of messages on social media from people who had experienced an unreliable service.

He has also asked transport bosses about how to improve cleanliness on the buses and the possibility of newer buses being introduced on to both routes.

He said: "Wolverhampton is set to have new Platinum buses running down the Stafford Road as part of The Stafford Road Rapid Transport offer over the next few years.

"This will hopefully mean the older fleet of buses being withdrawn from service and newer bus introduced to the 32/33 service."

The price of bus tickets in the city has also been on the agenda for the councillor, who has asked that National Express consider implemented special offers on buses in and around the Bushbury area.

He said: "For the moment, I'm pleased that we've been able to secure this result for people who use the buses.

"It is not acceptable that people should have to experience an unreliable service, particularly when it's advertised as a 20 minute service. If it's advertised as a 20 minute service, it should be a 20 minute service."