Joy as new bus route to launch

A new bus service will run between Brownhills and Walsall starting in the new year, it emerged today. It comes after a popular bus route linking Bloxwich and Walsall was recently axed, prompting anger from pensioners.

Midland Bus Company will launch its brand new number 33 bus service on January 3. It will be a half-hourly bus service which will pass through Pelsall and Rushall. It comes after the 346 bus from Bloxwich to Walsall was recently taken off the road by provider Sunny Travel.

Bosses at the Willenhall-based firm said they had no choice but to cut the service after it ran at a loss of £10,000 over the past two-and-a-half months.

Pelsall councillor Garry Perry, who was concerned over the axing of the 346 service, welcomed the announcement of the new 33 bus. He said: "This is really good news.

"We have a high proportion of elderly residents and young families in Pelsall. I'm hopeful that people will use the service now they know it's available. That gap in the service we saw after the 346 was taken off will hopefully not be felt so much with the introduction of this new service next year."

Neil Snook, senior traffic controller for Midland Bus Company, said: "There will be two buses on that route.

"The service will run between Brownhills and Walsall, and it will also serve Pelsall, Rushall and include the Clayhanger Road estate in Brownhills."

He said the new service would operate between Monday and Saturday, with the first bus of the day leaving from Brownhills at 8am, and from Walsall at 8.35am.

Mr Snook added: "It's a completely new half-hourly service. We felt like there was a need to provide a service on that route. We will be offering a special day ticket, which can be used all day on any of our services for £3."