Does anyone have a list of services that called at the Bullring bus station in the mid 1990s, around 93/94? I used to catch the express route to Shrewsbury a lot (x95???) but was wondering where the other services went.
Also, although it was mainly Midland Red routes, I'm sure the WMT 120/126/140 also stopped in the bus station as I remember seeing Metrobuses in there. Was there a reason for these routes stopping there, eg dating back to when those routes were Midland Red routes?
Can't find one from 93 or 94 but I have the December 1995 Centro Birmingham City Centre map and the following services served the Bus Station then:
83/84 (not Sundays)
85/85A
142/143/144/145/146
176/177/178/179
192/193
292
443
445
X64
X66
X76
X93
X96
Perhaps someone else has an guide?
With regard to WMT I am sure that the routes you mentioned had already been pulled out by the very late 80's. The sole remaining route I can recall was the 136/137 but this had gone from there by the end of 95 as according to my map it terminated at Colmore Row then.
Hartshills136/7
If my old brain is correct, the 114 to Sutton Coldfield, which was based at Miller St after Sutton garage closed, terminated at the Bull Ring bus station.
WMT withdrew all of their commercially registered services from the Bull Ring Bus Station at the point of deregulation in October 1986.
Quote from: old50niner on October 19, 2019, 07:51:39 AM
If my old brain is correct, the 114 to Sutton Coldfield, which was based at Miller St after Sutton garage closed, terminated at the Bull Ring bus station.
MRW operated the Sunday service on the 114 from Bull Ring bus station along with the 65 to Short Heath again from Bull Ring Bus Station
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/13509533654 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/13509533654) A photo of the 114 from bull ring bus station from Flickr
Didn't the midland red journeys on the 59 evening service and 99 use the bus station
Didn't quite a few of the MRW journeys on tendered services run to & from the BS, for no apparent reason, when the WMT equivalent journeys stayed in the streets?
Wasn't the BS used as additional garage space?
It was definitely used for overnight parking for MRW buses allocated to the Digbeth garage. I used to work the odd night shift in the area in the early 1990s and would often wander down during a tea break to see what was parked up there - seemed to be buses which had been doing evening tenders in Bham and the Black Country in the main.
It was a fascinating place looking back - I can still smell the fumes and hear the roar of Leyland National engines, Fleetlines and the odd Ailsa (I think the old WMPTE 42 used to terminate there) whenever I walk past today.
Remember the old Midland Red office down there.
Didn't that move 'upstairs' at some point?
Wonder why MRW continued with the timetable books for a few years, rather than the more cost effective leaflets?
There was an enquiry point in the bus station itself, and a travel centre up the escalator (in what was West Mall) which provided bus information and sold coach tickets and holidays. West Mall was a good place for picking up timetables from the outer edges of the Midland Red empire in the 1970s.
Although not immediately after Deregulation in 1986, Midland Red West did extend most of its tendered Birmingham area bus services to the Bus Station, which I presume was for driver changes etc. And bus parking there was extended to daytimes when Midland Red West stopped using Digbeth as a bus garage in the 1990s. IIRC Worcester then maintained the Birmingham fleet until the outstation was closed.
It certainly was a fascinating place, with in earlier years buses from almost all over the Midland Red system calling, and in later years quite some variety as Oxford-South Midland, WMPTE, then later United Counties, Alder Valley and (I think) Eastern Counties running in. Post Deregulation some independents came in too, such as Burman and Frontline.
Ah. I only knew about West Mall, after the Bull Ring office shut.
Didn't realise it had been there for years before.
Quote from: j789 on October 18, 2019, 08:17:31 PM
Does anyone have a list of services that called at the Bullring bus station in the mid 1990s, around 93/94? I used to catch the express route to Shrewsbury a lot (x95???) but was wondering where the other services went.
Also, although it was mainly Midland Red routes, I'm sure the WMT 120/126/140 also stopped in the bus station as I remember seeing Metrobuses in there. Was there a reason for these routes stopping there, eg dating back to when those routes were Midland Red routes?
I remember seeing a 137 emerging from there,which at the time was a Hartshill route.
Midland Red Norths services to Cannock and Tamworth used the bus station in the 90s. X31 ( later renumbered 31) and 156 ( pretty much todays 937 only extending further to Hednesford and Cannock
Quote from: markcf83 on November 01, 2019, 12:19:39 PM
I remember seeing a 137 emerging from there,which at the time was a Hartshill route.
drove it
Other MRW routes operating from the Bus Station were
123/124
460 (replaced by 445)
453/454
642 or 643
I have a MRW Birmingham & Black Country timetable book from 1997, MRW services using the Bull Ring bus station then in the book were 83/84/85/123/124/142/143/144/146/176/177/178/179/192/292/443/X93, Sunday services on 65 & 114
Quote from: Crosville on November 19, 2019, 12:14:28 AM
I have a MRW Birmingham & Black Country timetable book from 1997, MRW services using the Bull Ring bus station then in the book were 83/84/85/123/124/142/143/144/146/176/177/178/179/192/292/443/X93, Sunday services on 65 & 114
I've just had a look through the January 1991 edition of the area bus and coach guide and have identified the following as serving the bus station:
59, 76(Sun), 83, 84, 85, 85A, 99, 99A, 114(Sun), 123, 124, 128, 129, 142, 143, 144, 146, 147, 148, 166, 177, 178, 179, 292, 293, 443, 459, 460, X6, X43, X44, X92, X93, X94, X95.
One or two of these only ran once a day each way and interestingly the 99/99A called there as opposed to terminating.
I can remember the old entrance/exit to the bus station in the early eighties but I don't recall seeing any BCT (yellow) buses in there? Back in the Sixties I used to
catch a service from Birmingham to Nottingham (X99) which took over 3 hrs. This was a journey of at least 50+ miles and was a Midland Red service costing around 8/6d each way. I would then run over to Nottingham Victoria to catch a train to grantham chasing steam engines.I would need to leave at 4.30pm to catch the last return bus to Birmingham which left at 7.15pm I was wondering what is presently the longest service bus route currently operating from central Birmingham? Poss Worcester? or Stratford on Avon? I was a regular patron/ passenger on the Midland red service 150 which departed from St Martins church to Stratford in the early sixties.
I'd think it would be the 144 Windy. The 110 would run it fairly close though....
Quote from: markcf83 on November 19, 2019, 05:14:21 PM
I'd think it would be the 144 Windy. The 110 would run it fairly close though....
X50 to Chipping Norton (Sunday's only) probably.
https://www.johnsonscoaches.co.uk/contentfiles/files/X50%202nd%20September.pdf
Quote from: windy miller on November 19, 2019, 05:05:25 PM
I can remember the old entrance/exit to the bus station in the early eighties but I don't recall seeing any BCT (yellow) buses in there? Back in the Sixties I used to
catch a service from Birmingham to Nottingham (X99) which took over 3 hrs. This was a journey of at least 50+ miles and was a Midland Red service costing around 8/6d each way. I would then run over to Nottingham Victoria to catch a train to grantham chasing steam engines.I would need to leave at 4.30pm to catch the last return bus to Birmingham which left at 7.15pm I was wondering what is presently the longest service bus route currently operating from central Birmingham? Poss Worcester? or Stratford on Avon? I was a regular patron/ passenger on the Midland red service 150 which departed from St Martins church to Stratford in the early sixties.
One of the Midland Red heritage sites has the X99 timetable from May 68
http://midlandred.net/service/timetable/display.php?routeID=243
Quote from: 2206 on November 19, 2019, 06:04:56 PM
X50 to Chipping Norton (Sunday's only) probably.
https://www.johnsonscoaches.co.uk/contentfiles/files/X50%202nd%20September.pdf
What about the through journeys on the 150 which run Birmingham- Redditch - Worcester
When First Midland Red withdrew from The Black Country The Birmingham Coach Company took over the 123 and ran it from the Bull Ring Bus Station initially.
Quote from: richardjones210368 on November 30, 2019, 09:32:47 PM
When First Midland Red withdrew from The Black Country The Birmingham Coach Company took over the 123 and ran it from the Bull Ring Bus Station initially.
BCC also took over the 443 Birmingham - Brandhall from MRW at the same time.
Yes again this was also did not last long either like the 123 part of the route ended up as an Centro tender with Petes Travel who ended up in the Bull Ring Bus Station on the Sunday WCC X50 tender. West Midlands Travel also ended up back in the Bus Station with the X92 tender later passing to Whittles as 292 after a period of operation with Stevensons of Utoxeter.
Quote from: richardjones210368 on December 02, 2019, 10:58:08 AM
Yes again this was also did not last long either like the 123 part of the route ended up as an Centro tender with Petes Travel who ended up in the Bull Ring Bus Station on the Sunday WCC X50 tender. West Midlands Travel also ended up back in the Bus Station with the X92 tender later passing to Whittles as 292 after a period of operation with Stevensons of Utoxeter.
My memory is a little hazy but after BCC came off the 123 and the 124 was cut to Cradley Heath to Dudley, didn't TWM extend the 236 and 237 which ran Gornal Wood to Cradley Heath to Bearwood via the 123 route possibly under tender.
Then when later when Pete's travel took over the merry hill to Bearwood section as 123 they merged it with the 440 to create the Merry Hill to Perry Barr route.
Spot on mate but there was a Travel Merry Hill 123 tender before the 236 & 237 most notable for having Stagecoach style Alexander single deckers I am not a mean person but it was a sight seeing Blackheath folks getting up what seemed like the south face of the Eiger with thier shopping trolleys!
Quote from: richardjones210368 on December 02, 2019, 11:07:02 PM
Spot on mate but there was a Travel Merry Hill 123 tender before the 236 & 237 most notable for having Stagecoach style Alexander single deckers I am not a mean person but it was a sight seeing Blackheath folks getting up what seemed like the south face of the Eiger with thier shopping trolleys!
Ah yeah, the 123 with the Alexander ALX100s. Near enough a mystery tour!