Shoppers, sports fans and those heading to work across the West Midlands will be able to take advantage of the biggest Boxing Day bus service outside London this year.
A total of 162 services will be running on Thursday (December 26) thanks in part to a financial subsidy from Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The region’s largest bus operator National Express West Midlands will be running a near-Sunday daytime schedule and Diamond Bus will also be laying on 13 key services.
People’s public transport options will be boosted further by the West Midlands Metro tram system, which will run an enhanced Sunday service on Boxing Day.
Full details of the bus and tram services and other public transport timetables for the festive period are available at http://wmnetwork.co.uk/festive-services
Passengers are encouraged to check their journeys using the information before they travel.
Laura Shoaf, managing director of TfWM, said: “Christmas is always a busy time of year with people heading to the shops or off to parties and other festive events.
“That can add significantly to the amount of traffic on our roads, leading to extra congestion and poorer air quality.
“So I would encourage people to consider leaving the car at home and getting public transport when possible. We’ve got a really comprehensive bus service in place on Boxing Day to help people avoid the hassle of finding somewhere to park and enjoy the festive holidays.”
With no trains running on Boxing Day, the extensive bus and tram timetable will not only help those heading to the sales but also shop workers as well as thousands of football fans going to the Aston Villa v Norwich City game.
The bus, tram and train schedules are:
Monday 23 December
Bus - Enhanced Saturday service - with additional early morning journeys on most services. Some services will operate their usual Monday to Friday timetables
Tram - Normal weekday service
Train – Sunday service
Tuesday 24 December (Christmas Eve)
Bus - Enhanced Saturday Service - with additional early morning journeys on most services. Some services will operate their usual Monday to Friday timetables. Most routes will finish earlier around 10:30pm
Tram - Normal weekday service
Train – Sunday service will run on most routes but services will finish earlier than usual. Buses will replace trains between Birmingham New Street and Rugeley
Wednesday 25 December (Christmas Day)
Bus - No services
Tram - No services
Train – No services
Thursday 26 December (Boxing Day)
Bus - Revised Sunday Service - with some routes finishing earlier at 6pm. A limited number of services will not operate
Tram – Sunday Service
Train – No services
Friday 27 December
Bus - Enhanced Saturday service - with additional early morning journeys
Tram - Normal weekday service
Train – Reduced service will run
Buses will replace trains at all local stations between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
Saturday 28 December
Bus - Amended Saturday service
Tram - Saturday service
Train - Reduced servicer will run. Buses will replace trains at all local stations between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
Sunday 29 December
Bus - Normal Sunday service
Tram – Sunday service
Train - A reduced servicer will run. Buses will replace trains at all local stations between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
Monday 30 December
Bus - Enhanced Saturday service - with additional early morning journeys.
Tram - Normal weekday service
Train – A reduced service will run. Buses will replace trains at all local stations between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
Tuesday 31 December (New Year's Eve)
Bus - Enhanced Saturday service - with additional early morning journeys.
Tram - Normal weekday service
Train – Reduced service will run. Normal Monday service on most routes with some trains finishing earlier. Buses will replace trains at all local stations between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
Wednesday 1 January (New Year's Day)
Bus - Revised Sunday Service - with some routes finishing earlier at 6pm. There will be a reduced service provision on the Coventry network
Tram - Sunday Service
Train - A reduced servicer will run. Buses will replace trains at all local stations between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
Thursday 2 January
Bus - Enhanced Saturday service - with additional early morning journeys on most services. Some services will operate their usual Monday to Friday timetables.
Tram - Normal weekday service
Train - A reduced service will run. Buses will replace trains at all local stations between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
Friday 3 January
Bus - Enhanced Saturday service - with additional early morning journeys on most services. Some services will operate their usual Monday to Friday timetable
Tram - Normal weekday service
Train – Normal weekday service on most routes
