Something I've been thinking about for a long time, and even gone into a fair amount of detail about just for procrastination purposes... Anyone else reckon the Inner Circle (8a/8c) could do with a complete change?
I know that at the moment it isn't terribly unreliable and does a job fairly well, but personally I think the areas it serves could be much better connected in other ways, and I know in the latest "South Birmingham review" they were hinting at the possibility of changes (which obviously never happened).
I would suggest replacing the circle with a host of end-to-end routes either starting and finishing in different bits of the city centre or heading out from the city round a bit of the route and out to somewhere useful like City/Heartlands/QE hospitals. One particular service I'd suggest would be something specifically linking the various bits of Ladywood and Hockley with the city centre and markets, ie markets - bath row - five ways - monument road - st Vincent street - tesco spring hill - Camden st - Hockley Circus - unnett st - hospital street - Snow Hill and maybe even terminating at the markets again.
Got other ideas meself, and even gone as far as a full on spreadsheet detailing all of the current connections available and how they'd be maintained, but just curious what other people's thoughts.
I'd love for it to go back round Hockley, Heaton Street. VERY close to home, quite literally. Saves me losing yet another bus route to somewhere I wouldn't like to walk to/alight onto various buses.
Quite far to walk to the closest stop now, which is Hunters Road.
I'd like 8A/C to cover Heartlands hospital, but not sure how they can do this without losing bus service to busy sections of 8A/C route in Small Heath and Bordesley. Following thye
8A/C covering Heartlands hospital does sound like a good idea, but I don't think it's possible to cover it without either losing a heavily used sections in Small Heath and Bordesley or doubling back on Bordesley Green road.