People in Solihull are getting their first ever direct bus link to the new Queen Elizabeth Super Hospital from 25 October 2009, making it easier for residents to visit the facility and access the 16,000 jobs it will provide.
Passengers will be able to directly access the hospital and the Selly Oak area seven days a week following improvements made to the 76 service.
Four direct services an hour will operate from Solihull from Monday to Saturday and for the first time the 76 service will also be available during the evenings and on Sundays thanks to a subsidy from Centro.
The service has been improved following feedback from residents, community groups and schools as part of the South Birmingham bus network review.
Transport authority Centro and bus operator National Express West Midlands are working together to improve the already extensive bus network in South Birmingham and provide passengers with better connections to several new developments in the area.
The changes will compliment the enhancements made to Solihull’s bus network in January (2009), when several bus routes in the area were improved to provide a more up-to-date and effective public transport system which meets the needs of 21st century passengers.
The improvements will give people across South Birmingham and Solihull better access to key centres, existing shops and services and new developments, making it easier than ever for them to benefit from the facilities and employment opportunities they offer.
The improved 76 service will go from the town centre, through Shirley, Yardley Wood and King’s Heath to Selly Oak and the new hospital which becomes the region’s second largest employer when it opens next summer.
The route will also provide more direct links from Solihull with Selly Oak and Birmingham University
Guy Craddock, Bus and Highway Development Manager at Centro said: “To make improvements to bus services that really benefit passengers we’ve had to look at how people want and need to travel across areas as a whole together with neighbouring districts.
“Therefore, we’ve ensured that when we make improvements to the South Birmingham bus network, we also build on the changes we made earlier this year in Solihull to provide residents with even better links to key centres in South Birmingham.
“And, with all the new developments taking place in the area, we’ve not only had to think about providing people with better links to existing hubs of employment, retail, education, health and leisure services, but also to the emerging areas of new growth and services that will appear over the next few years.”
Mark Kipling, from National Express West Midlands added: “The improved 76 bus service will offer regular, reliable connections to the new QE hospital as well as local shops and amenities at Shirley, King’s Heath and Selly Oak. All bus services operating on the 76 service will be low floor, easy access to make travelling to the hospital easier for people with limited mobility and buggies.”
Details of all the changes taking place including timetables and route maps are available at www.networkwestmidlands.com/busreview
Exhibitions are taking place across South Birmingham over the next two weeks where staff from Centro and National Express West Midlands will be on hand to take any questions or comments on local services.
A National Express West Midlands bus will also be parked on Station Road by the Solihull Travel Shop between 9am and 11am on Tuesday 20 October.
