| Walsall - Bloxwich | ||
| Routes | ||
| 301 | Walsall - Mossley | |
| 302 | Walsall - Lower Farm | |
| Via: | Bloxwich | |
| Operation | ||
| Operator(s): | National Express West Midlands Diamond Bus |
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| Previous Operator(s) | A2Z Travel & Choice Travel | |
| Vehicles: | Volvo B7RLE & Scania OmniLink | |
National Express West Midlands & Diamond Bus Route 301 and National Express West Midlands Route 302 are two major bus routes in the Walsall area of the West Midlands, England. The two services follow the same route from Walsall into Bloxwich Town Centre, where they split to head to their local terminus estates.
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Currently National Express West Midlands operates the 301 to a steady 6 minute frequency between Walsall and Mossley on Mondays - Saturdays. Diamond Bus also operate on the 301 route, at more rounded departure times of every 10 minutes.
During evenings National Express West Midlands operate the 301 at a twenty minute frequency, with Diamond Bus also providing a regular services.
On a Sunday the service operates at a 10 minute frequency until 6pm, then a 20 minute one for the duration of the day, with additional journeys by Diamond Bus.
The 301 faces no competition for passengers travelling to or from Mossley, but faces competition from the 302 & Arriva Midlands Service 1 (to Cannock) along the Walsall/Bloxwich Corridor.
Currently, National Express West Midlands is the sole operator of the service from Monday - Saturday at a twelve minute frequency.
The 302 serves the busy Walsall/Bloxwich Corridor, which is also served by NXWM & Black Diamond service 301 and Arriva Midlands route 1. Travel A2Z no longer operate the route.
Whilst during Evenings and Sundays the 301 continues to operate for services to Bloxwich, journeys to Lower Farm are on NXWM services 361 (Via Pelsall) and 373 (Via Harden).
In the late 1990s National Express West Midlands (Then Travel West Midlands) and Choice Travel both operated bus routes between Walsall and Mossley. The routes of these services differed only by one street and were numbered 301 and 171 respectively.
Choice Travel had proposed to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (Centro), that the two routes became one of the first few Showcase Bus Routes in the West Midlands. Centro agreed to this and from 1998 the two services became showcased.
This was (and still is) the only jointly operated showcased service in the area, with each operator including the other on its timetables. For the new improved routes and timetables, Choice Travel purchased some brand new Optare Excel buses, whilst Travel West Midlands opted to use some of its already ordered Volvo B10Ls with Wright Liberator bodywork. These low floor buses both had their own unique route branding and replaced 20-year-old step entrance buses on both routes.
The partnership ran successfully for a number of years until 2006. Choice Travel were taken over by D&G Buses, and began repainting their previously yellow and green buses into a blue and cream mixture and started using a variety of buses in a mix-match of colours on the route. Travel West Midlands had also ditched the branding on the 301, but still often used Volvo B10Ls were possible.
In 2007, the route worsened further, with the introduction of a new operator, A2Z Travel. Running at the same time as a 171 or TWM 301, the A2Z 301 would be operated by a variety of buses, more commonly than not, non-low floor. This led to the route being over operated, and many drivers racing each other for passengers.
Later in 2007, Travel West Midlands transferred all of its Volvo B10Ls onto the 377 route following a new Centro partnership and as such the 301 had no set allocation.
In early 2008, Choice Travel gave up on the route and withdrew the 171. A2Z Travel also throughout the year gradually readjusted their timetable on the service, so that not all buses are due to leave at exactly the same time as NXWM ones.
In mid-2008, A2Z Travel stopped operating the 301 on evenings and Sundays, and also adjusted the weekday frequency to a steady 10 minute service. Although some buses still depart at the same time as NXWM ones, the new timetabling has led to less racing for passengers.
From the 1st April 2009, and following A2Z Travels licence revoking the previous day, Diamond Bus enter the route as a direct replacement, starting by operating a free service for the first two weeks.
From June 2009, brand new Scania OmniLinks are used on the 301 route, which are due to receive branding in the near future.
In the summer of 2009, Diamond Bus introduce a £2 day-return fare on the 301 route, something which in November 2009 National Express West Midlands copied, one week before they reduced the frequency from every 5, to every 6 minutes on the route.
From the end of February 2010, Diamond Bus introduced a Sunday service on the route.
The origin of service 302 goes back to 31 December 1962 when Walsall Corporation introduced a new trolleybus service as an extension of existing journeys operating between Walsall and Bloxwich. At this time the service number was 32. The service passed to West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive on 1 October 1969 and became fully motorbus operated from 3 October 1970. It was renumbered 332 when converted to one man operation in the mid 1970's, and totally withdrawn after 25 October 1986 being then replaced by circular services 372 and 373 which generally then ran at a 15 minute frequency on each route daytime Monday to Saturday and 30 minute frequency on each route at other times.
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