Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has announced the receipt of £70m in funding to implement four new cross-city bus routes.
The new routes are intended to link communities in Birmingham city centre with cross-city routes.
Some other improvements that will be introduced with the funding include new bus lanes, amendments to junctions, traffic signals, parking and bus stops.
It is hoped these infrastructural changes will help buses bypass traffic jams and provide more reliable journey times, with enhanced shelters and information.
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), said: “These cross-city bus routes will better connect local people right across our region – cutting journey times for passengers, improving the public transport customer experience and demonstrating what the future of urban mobility can look like.
“Thanks to the £70m funding award we recently secured, we can further enhance services here in the West Midlands – with a particular focus on reliability so that we can make daily commutes faster and more dependable.
“Whether residents are on the move for work or play, we’re making the bus a more attractive option for all in the months and years ahead.”
Operators will be invited to run the new cross-city services to improve access to the city’s expanding centre and key locations beyond.
The service upgrades will be accompanied by further zero-emission buses to contribute towards the region’s target to become carbon-neutral within the next two decades.
Cllr Liz Clements, cabinet member for transport, said: “Buses are Birmingham’s mass transit network and they need priority on our roads, so I am delighted funding has been awarded for these four new cross-city bus routes.
“As a city we have been far too reliant on private cars for far too long and we need to fundamentally change the way we move people around Birmingham.
“We have set out in our transport plan how we want Birmingham to be a place to live and be, not drive and park, with people making better use of public transport, walking and cycling. In changing our priorities, we can achieve a change in attitude and behaviour to have a cleaner, greener and healthier city.”
Detailed plans for the routes are being developed with council partners and will be subject to public engagement.
