Bus services
Bus services in the West Midlands are run by private companies called operators.
We work to improve buses in the West Midlands. We work with bus operators, local authorities and other organisations.
We do this through the West Midlands Bus Alliance and Bus Operators Group (BOG).
Our work with bus operators on Sprint
We have worked closely with operators who also run services along our first Sprint Corridors (A34 North and A45) and have created an Enhanced Partnership to improve services. See our Enhanced Partnership page for further information.
How we support bus travel
Free and discounted travel
We run the English National Concessionary Scheme for older people and disabled people.
We also run discount schemes for:
- children aged over 5 and under 16
- 16 to 18 year olds
- Students
- Jobseekers
Subsidised bus services
We subsidise specific bus routes to ensure they remain operational, particularly those that run on weekends, during early mornings or late at night. These services are contracted out to private companies through a bidding process known as tendering.
We publish the outcome of tenders online.
You can view the WMCA Bus Service Accessibility Standards for information on the access standards WMCA use for funded bus services and reviewing requests.
The current Value For Money threshold is £4.10 per passenger.
Bus stops
We maintain over 12,200 bus stops. This means most people live within 400 metres of a bus stop.
We also clean bus stops and fix problems with them. You can report a problem with a bus stop online.
Passenger information at bus stops
We keep bus stop information up to date. This includes:
- signs, sometimes called stop flags
- timetable posters
- onward travel information
- real-time information
We charge bus operators based on how many bus stops they use. We use this money to pay for keeping bus stops up to date. This is called the roadside information recharging scheme. It keeps our passenger information consistent as it is only created by one team.
Bus stations and interchanges
We provide bus stations and interchanges in major centres. They help people to change between different services and modes of transport.
Bus Service Registrations within the West Midlands
West Midlands Bus Service Improvement Plan
The Bus Service Improvement plan sets out our ambitions for continued investment in our local bus services to level up the West Midlands.
Enhanced Partnership
We have worked closely with operators and local districts to create the second Enhanced Partnership in the country.