Major shake-up of Arriva’s timetables revealed
Bus services have been axed in a shake-up of routes which have been labelled a ‘step backwards’.
Arriva Midlands has announced a raft of changes to services in Walsall, Stafford and Cannock but Walsall Council leader Mike Bird has slammed the ‘disappointing’ decision.
He said: “This is all about integrated transport and the consumer doesn’t seem to matter in this case.
"I’m disappointed by the changes and hope that Transport for West Midlands look at this.
"It’s a step backwards for transport in the region but unfortunately it’s a case of use it or lose it.
"I will speak to the people involved and see if this is a done deal.”
Arriva says that the changes will mostly affect evening and early morning journeys.
Most of the changes start on October 29 with the number 3 service between Cannock, Brownhills and Walsall seeing a cut in journeys in the week and on Saturdays.
A number of buses across Stafford and Cannock and nearby villages will also be affected, including:
The 1B in Stafford/Baswich, which will run 14 minutes later
The 12 in Stafford/Doxey will run hourly rather than every 30 minutes – meaning a cut in journeys
The 25 and 26 in Cannock will run less frequently on a Saturday
The 63 in Cannock/Rugeley, will see a drop in early morning and evening services
From October 28 the 3A service between Walsall and Brownhills will no longer be run by Arriva but by National Express West Midlands.
It’s not all bad news though as an extra early morning journey, at 6.10am, is being added to the 75, 75A and 75B buses between Cannock and Stafford to help workers on shifts at the Argos Distribution Centre in Stafford. Passengers in Cannock can also expect newly refurbishment buses.
Simon Mathieson, area managing director for Arriva Midlands North: “We have an excellent core network throughout Staffordshire which we remain incredibly proud of.
“Our intention with these changes is to build on that and create a bus network that is as successful as it can be.
“What we have done is make the necessary alterations to ensure our customers are able to benefit from more punctual, reliable services, linking the areas they most need to get to, at the times they need to travel.”
Changes have also been made to services X65, 765, 785 and 786 across Tamworth and Lichfield, that come into force on October 27.
Full timetables and route maps are available to view at www.arrivabus.co.uk/midlands
