No rescue for axed bus route

An axed bus route between Halesowen and Oldbury will not be reinstated, despite a 300-strong petition to save it.

Centro says the 441 service was underused, and does not warrant taxpayers' funding. But the mission to bring back the service had gathered such pace that Sandwell Council's transport bosses undertook its own review of bus provision in the area, and passed on the petition, and a recommendation to continue running it, to Centro.

The bus was axed in January 2008 and the scrapping of the route caused uproar at the time, with more than 400 people adding their names to an original petition to save it.

But bosses at Centro, the region's transport authority, said today they were standing by their decision, instead saying that the whole bus service around Langley would be the subject of a review next year.

Steve Swingler, spokes-man for Centro said: "We can confirm that we have received a petition concerning the withdrawal of the 441 and have investigated to see if the service can be reinstated by using taxpayers' money to subsidise it.

"Obviously we have very firm standards and guidelines that need to be met. The investigation shows there is an alternative direct bus link from Brandhall to Oldbury in the form of the 200 and 201 services and that other bus routes operate along all the roads previously used by the 441 with the exception of Farm Road and Langley Green Road.

"However, the number of passengers that boarded the 441 on these two roads averaged at just 1.5 in Farm Road per journey and 0.6 in Langley Green Road/High Street.

Unfortunately this falls far below the minimum standard needed."

Councillor Martin Prestidge who had spearheaded the 441 campaign, said the news came as a "double whammy" to locals after the 88 service, which runs between Causeway Green and Blackheath, was also cut in March.

He said: "They have taken absolutely no notice of a local protest. I think the travel companies have shown a lack of responsibility here."