Centro’s ‘extensive’ Christmas timetable

West Midlands ITA (Centro) is to put in place what it describes as an extensive bus timetable for the festive period. Boxing Day in particular, when no trains are running, will have ‘the most comprehensive bus timetable for decades’. It will see frequent services throughout the day, arriving in city centres as early as 06.30. A Saturday bus service, with extra early morning services on key routes, will operate on 23 December, Christmas Eve, 27 December, 30 December and New Year’s Eve. A full Sunday service will be in place on New Year’s Day throughout Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country. Buses in Coventry will run on key routes only, finishing at 19.00. Centro started paying for Boxing Day bus services on key routes ten years ago. Before that there had been no services for over two decades.

Centro Chairman, Cllr John McNicholas, said, ‘This time of year sees large numbers of people out shopping, visiting friends and family or going to office parties to enjoy a festive drink so the public transport on offer this Christmas will provide an ideal alternative to driving. Centro has spent some time in recent weeks talking with the region’s various bus operators about putting in place the most extensive Boxing Day timetable for many years. I’m delighted this will be the case on what is, after all, one of the busiest shopping and sporting days of the year.’