Service changes June 2025

[Mike K]

Departures from city at 20 (X20) and 25 (X22) minutes past the hour on the late Monday to Saturday evening service. One of those will surely be carrying fresh air between city and university. 

Is the X20 subsidised only over its Rubery to Bromsgrove section? 

[Stu]

Departures from city at 20 (X20) and 25 (X22) minutes past the hour on the late Monday to Saturday evening service. One of those will surely be carrying fresh air between city and university.

Is the X20 subsidised only over its Rubery to Bromsgrove section?

Believe it or not but people do travel beyond the University!  

Yes, the route is subsidised by WCC between Bromsgrove and Rubery as it has been since it was the 144A. 

[Mike K]

Believe it or not but people do travel beyond the University! 

Yes, the route is subsidised by WCC between Bromsgrove and Rubery as it has been since it was the 144A.

No shit Sherlock. But like the 23/24 between city and Harborne, the X21/X22 will be at their busiest and with most passengers along that common section of their route between the city and the uni. I'm just expressing my surprise that buses at 22.20 and 22.25 on a Monday night for example would carry sufficient passenger numbers to cover costs.

I may well be proven wrong. 

[GoldenSquid]

The X20 may be on same timetable as the X21/X22 but it does not interwork, it is a standalone service.

According to the running boards only a few runs interwork but thats mainly at the end of the evening peak.

[GoldenSquid]

Departures from city at 20 (X20) and 25 (X22) minutes past the hour on the late Monday to Saturday evening service. One of those will surely be carrying fresh air between city and university.

Is the X20 subsidised only over its Rubery to Bromsgrove section?

After driving the Uni last night, high chance both of them will be.

[Mike K]

I'm unconvinced that the X20 will last in the longer term in its current (from 1st June) format. The have been multiple attempts over the last few years to try to make routes work along Gibbins Road / Shenley Fields Road in Selly Oak, and Black Haynes Road / Swarthmore Road in Northfield but none have been particularly successful or long lasting. Rerouting the 29 via Swarthmore Road some years back was unsuccessful. Gibbins Road hasn't had a settled service for years, and the X20 misses out the centre of Weoley Castle which would have provided a slightly quicker and more direct link from the city than the X21.

The end-to-end journey time from Bromsgrove to Birmingham is long and the route is convoluted. And the fact that its timings don't fit with the X21/X22 between city and uni, with inconsistent frequencies throughout the day over that section of the route can't help. 

I hope I'm wrong and that it's good to see a return of a Birmingham to Bromsgrove service but I wouldn't be surprised to see changes a couple of years down the line. 

[2206]

I'm unconvinced that the X20 will last in the longer term in its current (from 1st June) format. The have been multiple attempts over the last few years to try to make routes work along Gibbins Road / Shenley Fields Road in Selly Oak, and Black Haynes Road / Swarthmore Road in Northfield but none have been particularly successful or long lasting. Rerouting the 29 via Swarthmore Road some years back was unsuccessful. Gibbins Road hasn't had a settled service for years, and the X20 misses out the centre of Weoley Castle which would have provided a slightly quicker and more direct link from the city than the X21.

The end-to-end journey time from Bromsgrove to Birmingham is long and the route is convoluted. And the fact that its timings don't fit with the X21/X22 between city and uni, with inconsistent frequencies throughout the day over that section of the route can't help.

I hope I'm wrong and that it's good to see a return of a Birmingham to Bromsgrove service but I wouldn't be surprised to see changes a couple of years down the line.

yh i was surprised the 46 is staying for now at least on the Northfield - QE section. Surely that can't be viable.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more changes in a couple of months either September or late this year/early next. Let alone a few years. Even just to make the frequencies fit in better.

[BBS]

yh i was surprised the 46 is staying for now at least on the Northfield - QE section. Surely that can't be viable.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more changes in a couple of months either September or late this year/early next. Let alone a few years. Even just to make the frequencies fit in better.

I wouldn't be shocked for the 46 to be changed again once it's tender comes to an end 

[PhilCollins]

yh i was surprised the 46 is staying for now at least on the Northfield - QE section. Surely that can't be viable.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more changes in a couple of months either September or late this year/early next. Let alone a few years. Even just to make the frequencies fit in better.

20th July

[Mike K]

20th July

If the 46 survives beyond that date it'll be Against All Odds.

[SO6597]

I wouldn't be shocked for the 46 to be changed again once it's tender comes to an end

As far as the QE to Northfield part of the route is concerned, now that the X20 is in the picture 4 buses per hour seems excessive.

I can see the 46 being replaced by a tweaked X20 serving Weoley Castle Square, an extended 48 or rerouted 27 to cover Northfield to Hawkesley (back to the future whatever happens there) and an extended 169 to cover the Kings Heath - Brandwood section.

[Stu]

As far as the QE to Northfield part of the route is concerned, now that the X20 is in the picture 4 buses per hour seems excessive.

I can see the 46 being replaced by a tweaked X20 serving Weoley Castle Square, an extended 48 or rerouted 27 to cover Northfield to Hawkesley (back to the future whatever happens there) and an extended 169 to cover the Kings Heath - Brandwood section.

There are going to be further changes in July, but that will have to wait until some details emerge, then we can start a July changes thread.

[GoldenSquid]

Hoping the blinds aren't like this fully, as the X20 ones on the system, don't look the best.

[BBS]

Hoping the blinds aren't like this fully, as the X20 ones on the system, don't look the best.

I'm guessing it's super X again? 

[Jack]

Lots of angry people around Kingstanding, Pheasey and Streetly kicking off about the changes. 

Also nice to see in true TfWM that hardly any flags in the areas mentioned have been changed for tomorrow, or timetables at some stops! Going to be alot of confused and angry people on Monday!