Favourite bus route

[Pat]

Thought I'd start a thread to share favourite routes and why across the Midlands (moderators, please excuse me if there is already a thread for this).  Some of my favourites:

16 (Stourbridge - Wolverhampton) - Nice to transition from built up areas to the countryside and narrow lanes

64/164 (Shrewsbury to Market Drayton & Hanley) - Navigating little country lanes round Hodnet and Ashley make the route rather interesting at times.  Mostly cummins versas on here also.

436 (Bridgnorth - Shrewsbury) - Scenic romp across Shropshire.  Much Wenlock includes a reverse turn to make the route a bit more interesting.  The allocation of cummins versas on the route makes it better.  The drivers like to give it the beans on the A458!

891 (Wolverhampton - Telford) - My local route so has to be on here!

[Busboy105]

The Inner Circle and the Outer Circle (8A/C, 11A/C). Serves almost all areas of Birmingham and gives you a cheap tour of it. The 11 even creeps into Sandwell.

[2206]

Mine are:
55 and 94 (City Centre to Chelmsley Wood via Ward End) - my local corridor operated by Claribels and NXWM. Very frequent and very convenient for me.
11A/11C (Outer Circle) - Also very close to me.
And also: X20/X21/X22 (City Centre to Woodgate/Woodcock Hill/Cofton Hackett via University) - nice route around Edgbaston and University. And well connected service in the City Centre.
X1/X2 (City Centre to Solihull/Coventry).

[Stu]

My favourite route is the 3 (Birmingham to Yardley Wood) because it is the closest route to my house and is a direct journey into Sparkbrook where I work, so it is convenient for me.

On a side note, it is also quite scenic too - from city, once you get out of Sparkbrook and Sparkhill of course, it runs through lovely tree-lined roads, passes alongside Swanshurst Park in Moseley, as well as Chinnbrook Recreation Ground in Billesley, and Trittiford Mill Park in Yardley Wood. Before dumping you in the middle of nowhere by Slade Lane on the outskirts of Shirley, Hall Green and Yardley Wood.

[mesub]

My favourite routes are the X20 since it speeds down the A38 and the 23 since it's closest to my house and is well connected to both my place of education and the city centre.

[j789]

Any route a Metrobus was on, especially the later years after 2000. Loved the 996 Sutton to Brum, was so long, and the the 950-3 routes on the DP metros. The x51 just isn't the same. The 256 was also a great route on a metrobus as was the 350 Walsall to Cannock, even got leyland  Lynxes on there around 2007, great fun.

These days as a driver myself, I guess it just isn't the same anymore as I don't have the same interest In modern buses, but I do like driving the 144 Worcester to Brum and the x50 to Evesham is a nice route and can give the bus a good thrash.

[Pat]

Any route a Metrobus was on, especially the later years after 2000. Loved the 996 Sutton to Brum, was so long, and the the 950-3 routes on the DP metros. The x51 just isn't the same. The 256 was also a great route on a metrobus as was the 350 Walsall to Cannock, even got leyland  Lynxes on there around 2007, great fun.

These days as a driver myself, I guess it just isn't the same anymore as I don't have the same interest In modern buses, but I do like driving the 144 Worcester to Brum and the x50 to Evesham is a nice route and can give the bus a good thrash.

For me, anything that has a cummins ISBe versa on it I like!

[Ginger66]

use to like catching the old 411 Wednesbury to West Bromwich as they used to have double deckers and on a clear day you could see Dudley castle from swan village/black lake

[sonic84]

The old Ludlows 007 was one of my favourites. Merry Hill to Redditch. Having used it regularly back in the early 2000s there were some great views as it went over Romsley.

I also liked the one way loop around Redditch which none of the First buses at the time did.

[MasterPlan]

Don't have any favourite routes.

The 002 is a nice one though.

[BK63 YWP]

I would say for me the X1 between Sheldon and Coventry.

[SO6597]

The 145 and 202. Lovely to ride, both go through suburban and semi-rural areas, they've survived for decades and bring back happy memories of MRW in the late 70s/early 80s.

[aSingh]

48 from West Bromwich to Northfield. Driving this route is heaven. The amount of time given to get to destination is a god send. You can do 20mph from WB to Northfield at peak times and still get there 5-10 mins early not including layover. Such a relaxed route, good people, mostly nice areas although most some drivers on other rotas hate that it is nearly a 4 hour trip.

[Trident 4194]

48 from West Bromwich to Northfield. Driving this route is heaven. The amount of time given to get to destination is a god send. You can do 20mph from WB to Northfield at peak times and still get there 5-10 mins early not including layover. Such a relaxed route, good people, mostly nice areas although most some drivers on other rotas hate that it is nearly a 4 hour trip.

Same drivers seem to be on there daily. Is a very nice route, can suffer issues West Brom end in a morning though.

[4679]

It's on a rota along with 54/10s and the odd 47&49 so theres only 20-30 drivers in there.