Following our writing to TfWM recently about our local bus services, we were contacted by the new Bus Service Specialist for Solihull & Coventry at TfWM, Ryan Charlton, offering to meet with the Bus Action Group. He came out to meet with us in January 2024. We found Ryan very knowledgeable about the bus services locally and also very responsive to our concerns.
There has been a particular issue along the part of the A3 route through Purnells Way, Tilehouse Green Lane and Longdon Road; when the timetable changed the last time, people in those roads were expected to walk to Station Road to catch the bus to Knowle as the bus only went towards Dorridge, although it came back via those roads from Knowle. Ryan had been made aware of this and is hoping to change that part of the route quite quickly. He will also try to coordinate the bus and train times better than at present. In addition, he is looking at spreading departure times of buses coming from Solihull to Knowle and Dorridge over the hour instead of the current uneven clumping, to give a better service, and also trying to reduce the numbers of buses at any one bus stop in Solihull. There is often significant congestion around them at present.
Landflight have recently introduced payment by contactless credit/debit card on their buses, which is more convenient for many passengers.
They have also made real-time bus information available via these links:
| A3 | https://bustimes.org/services/a3-solihull-dorridge-via-knowle-bentley-heath#map |
| A7 & A8 | https://bustimes.org/services/a8-south-solihull-circular-anticlockwise#map |
Ryan is hoping to change things for the better quite quickly. He would be happy to come to a community meeting to discuss issues with local people; we hope to arrange this meeting a bit later in the year.