People in the Black Country can get a taste of things to come from today (21 July 2008), as a new era of bus travel takes to the region’s roads.
The Diamond bus company has launched the first of its state-of-the-art Black Diamond buses meaning passengers can travel in style and comfort, on striking new black, silver and red vehicles with dedicated, friendly drivers.
Five of the 33 eye-catching new buses started turning heads today, going into operation on the 404 bus route from Walsall to Blackheath and Merry Hill via West Bromwich.
The rest of the Black Diamond vehicles, which are top-of-the-range and are powered by the most environmentally friendly engines in Europe, will be introduced at the end of August and in the autumn.
The new Black Diamond buses are part of a new partnership deal between the Diamond Bus Company, Centro and Sandwell Council set to revolutionise bus travel in the West Midlands.
In the near future, they will run on a number of key routes in the heart of the Black Country, including the 401, 402, 404 and 410, which serve West Bromwich, Walsall, Blackheath, Merry Hill, Cradley Heath and Bilston.
The buses, which are all low-floor easy access vehicles with lots of room for pushchairs and wheelchairs, will be cleaned on a daily basis and benefit from CCTV both inside and outside.
Austin Birks, Commercial Manager at Diamond, said: “This £5.4m investment in new easy access vehicles shows our commitment to providing the people of the Black Country with the top-of-the-range public transport choices they deserve.
“This is just the start of things to come, and we look forward to working closely with Centro and Sandwell Council to build on this investment further, so that together we can make a real difference in encouraging people to travel by bus.”
Stephen Rhodes, Bus & Highways Director at Centro added: “With rising fuel and living costs, people want bus services that are not just clean, safe and reliable but affordable too.
“Black Diamond goes a step further than this, by providing passengers with top of the range buses with reasonably priced tickets.
“Working in partnership with the Diamond bus company and Sandwell Council on this initiative is an important step towards our goal of providing the West Midlands with a world class, integrated and sustainable public transport system and attractive alternatives to the car.”
