National Express West Midlands Routes 350, 351 & 951A

The 350 and 351 are two interworked services operating in the West Midlands and South Staffordshire areas of England, United Kingdom. The 350 and 351 are both operated by National Express West Midlands, whilst the 351 is also operated by Midland and on evenings and Sundays is also operated by Arriva Midlands.

350

The 350 is a short shuttle service operating within the Walsall area of the West Midlands. Previously numbered the 999, the service is operated during Monday - Saturday daytime at an hourly frequency during weekday off-peak hours, and entirely by National Express West Midlands during weekday peaks and all day Saturday to a half-hourly frequency.

A full circle of the route, which takes just 17 minutes, links Walsall Town Centre with Walsall Manor Hospital before returning.

The service is currently interlinked with service 351 to Cannock, so that a 351 arriving in Walsall operates a 350 journey before completing another 351 journey.

Currently the service is operating a temporary route due to redevelopment work on the hospital grounds. Prior to these works the service actually entered the Hospital grounds.

Route History

  • March 1999 - National Express West Midlands introduce a new shuttle service from Walsall Town Centre to the Manor Hospital, numbered 999. This service runs every 20 minutes from 6.40am until 9.40pm on a Monday - Friday and from 8.00am until 8.40pm on a Saturday using a Low Floor Volvo B6LE. At the time it was believed to be the only bus route numbered 999 in the whole of the UK.
  • 2004 - The Express & Star newspaper reports that there are plans to extend the 999 to Bloxwich. This never materilises.
  • 2007 - The evening services are withdrawn and the overall frequency is reduced to every 30 minutes.
  • 2008 - The service is rerouted around the hospital and renumbered service 350. This service does not enter the hospital ground. It is unknown if when the hospital is fully built the service will re-enter the grounds again.
  • January 2009 - A change in allocations means the 350 is now operated by Optare Solo Minibuses. The number of seats on each journey is reduced by as much as 63%, however, on the 350 this is a more probable number of seats. The change in bus now also means that the 350 is once again a low floor easy access route.
  • June 2009 - National Express West Midlands adjust the frequency on the 350 to every hour during weekday off-peak times. Midland step-in and announce that they will operate the withdrawn journeys.
  • March 2010 - Midland, withdraw off the 350, replacing these journeys by new service 549 which follows a similar route before continuing to New Cross Hospital. On the same date, National Express West Midlands display on VOSA that they are withdrawing the route on 25 April 2010.

The 350 route follows the same route as National Express West Midlands service 529 up until Moat Road. It then travels along Moat Road, past the hospital and back into Walsall via the Ring Road.

Other services linking Walsall with the hospital are National Express West Midlands services 335 & 336 during Monday - Saturday daytime and Midland service 549. The evening and Sunday link from the town to the hospital is via the Diamond Bus service 332.

Future

Following the North Walsall Network Review on April 25 2010, Midland are to recommence operations on the route, in place of all National Express West Midlands journeys.

351

The 351 is a bus route operated by National Express West Midlands, Midland and Arriva Midlands between Cannock or Hednesford in Staffordshire and Walsall in the West Midlands, England. It is one of four services from Walsall to Cannock, but only really FACES competition from one of these services for passengers to Cannock due to the route complexity and duration of the other two. Its main rival for passengers is Arriva Midlands route 1.

Service Provision

The 351 is operated on a commercial basis on Monday - Saturday daytimes by Midland and National Express West Midlands between Cannock and Walsall on a half hourly basis. During weekday off-peak hours the operators alternate every half-hour, but Saturday and weekday peak journeys (which continue to run every half hour) are run by National Express West Midlands. On weekday evenings the 351 is operated by Arriva Midlands also between Cannock and Walsall, but is subsidised by South Staffordshire County Council. On Sundays Arriva Midlands operate an extended version of the route, stretching from Cannock to Hednesford, again on a subsidised basis from South Staffordshire County Council. The two subsidised services operate hourly.

Evening and Sunday services follow a different route in the Bloxwich area: the evening and Sunday buses travel a direct route between Bloxwich and Landywood, ie. along the A34 Stafford Road, whereas the Monday to Saturday daytime buses operate via a fairly new housing development north west of Bloxwich (the Turnberry estate). On Evenings and Sundays Turnbery Road is instead served by an extension of Centro subsidised bus service 319, which operates from Walsall to Bloxwich via Blakenall and Goscote.

History

  • Pre-1999 - Service 351 only operated as an evening and Sunday service between Walsall and Hednesford at an hourly frequency by Arriva Midlands. National Express West Midlands (then Travel West Midlands) operated service 350 from Walsall - Cannock at a half hourly weekday peak frequency and all day Saturdays. They also operated service 350A, from Walsall - Hawks Green via Cannock at a half hourly frequency on a Monday - Friday daytime.
  • 2000 - Travel West Midlands withdraw service 350A and the Saturday journeys on the 350. They also beginning operating service 351 at twenty minute Monday - Saturday daytime frequency between Walsall and Cannock. This journey does not serve the Turnberry Estate.
  • 2002 - Travel West Midlands start operating service 350 at a half hourly Monday - Friday daytime frequency. The 351 is unchanged. The main difference between the 350 and the 351 is that the 350 travels via Great Wyrley, whilst the 351 travels via Cheslyn Hay.
  • 2003 - Travel West Midlands withdraw the 350 completely. They also reduce the frequency on the 351 to half hourly Monday - Saturday daytime and introduce Saturday evening journeys at a half hourly frequency. Arriva Midlands now operate the weekday evening journeys to Cannock. The Saturday evenings and Sunday journeys continue to Hednesford at hourly frequencys, with additional 351s by Arriva Midlands to Cannock on Sunday evenings.
  • 2004 - The Saturday evening Travel West Midlands journeys are withdrawn.
  • 2005 - The Arriva Midlands Saturday evening journeys are shortened to terminate at Cannock. The Sunday evening shortened workings are withdrawn.
  • 2007 - A2Z Travel win the contract off Arriva Midlands to operate the Sunday 351 service to Hednesford.
  • January 2009 - NXWM change the vehicle allocation of the 351 so that the route is now operated by Optare Solo minibuses. This therefore reduces the seating capacity on each bus by as much as 63%.
  • 31st March 2009 - Arriva Midlands win the tender due to a round of emergency tending, following the result of A2Z Travel's licence being revoked the Monday-Saturday Evening journeys are replaced at the same times, as well as the Sunday 351 service to Hednesford.
  • January 2009 - A change in allocations means service 351 is now operated by Optare Solo Minibuses. The number of seats on each journey is reduced by as much as 63%, however. The change in bus now also means that the 351 is at last a low floor easy access route. Replacing a long history of two step entrance vehicles used on the route, which had been the MCW Metrobus or the Leyland Lynx's.
  • 30th June 2009 - National Express West Midlands announce that they are to reduce the Weekday off-peak timetable on the 351 to hourly. Midland step-in and operate the withdrawn journeys.

Future

Following the North Walsall Network Review on 25 April 2010 major changes are due to the 351 service.

All National Express West Midlands journeys on the route are withdrawn, with Midland shortening their journeys to terminate at Turnberry Road. Evening journeys by Arriva Midlands are not believed to be affected by the changes.

Current Routes

National Express West Midlands

  • Walsall
  • Bloxwich
  • Turnberry Estate
  • Landywood
  • Cheslyn Hay
  • Cannock

Arriva Midlands

  • Walsall
  • Bloxwich
  • Landywood
  • Cheslyn Hay
  • Cannock
  • Hednesford

951A

The 951A follows the same route between Walsall and Cannock as Arriva Midlands service 351. Information can be seen AbOUT this service on National Express West Midlands routes 51, X51 and 951A.

The 951A is a limited stop bus route operating in the West Midlands and Staffordshire areas of the United Kingdom.

The service links Cannock with Birmingham via Walsall and only operates three journeys Birmingham bound in the am peak, and three Cannock bound in the pm peak.

The route is operated by National Express West Midlands.

This website shows a further update the changes of this route over the years. 950/951/952/953 TimeSavers

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