Public transport promoter Centro has stepped in to replace a bus route linking Wednesbury, Great Bridge and Dudley which has been axed by a local bus company.

The new Centro-funded 610 service begins this Monday, 16 May after the 310, which was previously commercially run along the route, was withdrawn by Diamond Bus.

The replacement service will run half-hourly between 7.30am and 6pm Monday to Saturday using vehicles operated by Central Buses.  The only change to the route is that from Alexandra Road the 610 will now go down Lower Church Lane to serve a number of new housing developments, before continuing via Dudley Port and Burnt Tree to Dudley.  Upper Church Lane will continue to be served by the 300 and 311 buses.

More than 200 bus services across the West Midlands are subsidised by Centro-PTA.  The public transport body uses money from the council tax to help meet passenger need where commercial bus operators do not provide services.  This is usually because they are in areas or at off-peak times that the private bus companies do not consider profitable.

For more information on all bus services in the West Midlands, call the Traveline on 0870 608 2 608.