Dudley bus station to undergo revamp in £9m transport scheme
Dudley bus station will be revamped as part of a £9 million scheme which will also feature new vehicles hitting the streets with leather seats and charging points for mobile phones.
A deal to roll out a new generation of buses alongside the revamp plans, which also include enhancements to shelters in Wolverhampton, has been revealed by bosses at Centro.
Top-of-the range free wi-fi equipped Sapphire buses will be rolled out on services around the West Midlands as part of Partnership Plus, a deal signed by the area's public transport co-ordinator body and operator Arriva Midlands.
They will also have capacity to take electronic smartcards, similar to London's Oyster card, which is a system being developed by Centro to modernise public transport in the Midlands.
Bosses signed the deal which pledges 22 different initiatives between 2014 and 2016 with the aim of making bus travel more attractive, improving customer satisfaction and growing passenger numbers.
The new buses will operate on the 110 route from Birmingham to Tamworth and number one and two services between Walsall and Cannock.
Arriva Midlands regional managing director, Alex Perry, said: "At Arriva Midlands, we are incredibly proud of the part we play in ensuring our customers have access to the very best transport service possible.
"We are delighted to enter into this agreement with Centro, which we believe will facilitate the continual enhancement of not only passenger experience, but also deliver patronage growth and an enriched service provision."
Finer points of the details on the investment scheme are still being worked on including what works will be carried out on Dudley bus station but bosses have revealed a number of schemes which form part of the contract.
A minimum of 20 new buses into the Arriva fleet, of which 18 will be Sapphire buses, riding out across the Midlands.
New shelters will be installed with enhanced passenger information throughout Wolverhampton city centre.
The bus operator will also be working with Centro to improve links to i54 on the Wolverhampton and south Staffordshire border.
Other features include enhanced CCTV on board buses, better training for bus drivers, and the provision of real time passenger information at bus stops for Arriva services.
Centro vice chairman, Councillor Kath Hartley, said: "This brand new partnership agreement commits Centro and Arriva Midlands to working closely together.
"By doing so we can deliver many improvements for passengers that will help make bus travel more attractive in the West Midlands region."
