The new West Bromwich Bus Station is ten times better than the old station. The old station was…read morepretty embarrassing and was one of the worst bus stations I have ever seen. The station was run down and it was obvious it needed improving. Now West Bromwich Bus Station is a vast improvement from the old one. The new station has an information centre where you can get information on the different bus routes that operate within the Black Country and the West Midlands area. You can also get information on travelcards and fares. The buses that stop at West Bromwich Bus Station travel to various towns and cities in the West Midlands. There are buses that go to Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley etc. The Bus Station is also opposite the West Bromwich Central Tram Station. National Express and Diamond buses operate at West Bromwich Bus Station. Waiting for buses can be a real nightmare and I have experienced times where I have waited half an hour for a bus during the daytime when they should be coming at least every ten minutes.

As a public transport user many stations are super cold and drafty despite new builds (see Walsall…read morebus station for a concrete nightmare). West Brom bus station is perfectly located with the central tram stop across the road and it's accessibility and connection to the central shopping area through Kings Square indoor shopping centre. For a change it s a station with great signage, an information centre and really usable display boards for all the buses. With buses to Walsall running regularly and it only taking 20/30mins it is one of the better transport connections. At least with all the glass corridor designs it is much warmer and weather resistant than more open plan stations and much easier to navigate between the stops even if you are down the one end as it's such an accessible bus station. If you find your self stuck here then there could be much worse places to end up.

Not strictly a business, the number 11 bus service is however, the stuff of legend (or nightmares…read moredepending on your most recent journey). Covering a 26 mile anti-clockwise/clockwise circumference and reputedly the longest bus route in the world, mention the words 'number 11' to anyone from Birmingham and they will know what you mean. They may shudder as you say it but they will definitely know what you mean. Moaning aside, it is actually a really useful bus to take - encompassing most of the major suburbs and tourist destinations in the city. Harborne, Kings Heath and Bearwood are served by it. It has inspired calendars, t-shirts and even a 3 hour long DVD. Bands have been formed on the number 11 (Dexy's Midnight Runners allegedly) and according to family folklore my great Uncle proposed to my great Aunty on the top deck of an 11C heading to Handsworth (via Selly Oak). My relationship with the number 11, like I suspect many people is very much a love/hate thing. I've had some truly bizarre experiences travelling to work in it which I couldn't possibly list here but it also something of an institution and if you're stuck for something to do, fancy sitting on a packed bus for 3 hours and seeing parts of Birmingham you never knew existed and don't think 'hell is other people' then I guess there are worse things to spend your £1.90* on. *£1.90 = actual price of a single bus ticket at time going to press.

I used to be a massive fan of the bus service offered in Birmingham, until I became too old for a…read morebus pass and had to pay each and every time I used it. I joined a gym on Broad Street, for £17.99 a month, a reasonable price, turning down others near by which cost £30-£35 a month. Oh, what a mistake. Costing me practically £4 on the bus, with the price rising to £1.90 each way, the monthly cost began to cost me a lot more than I originally anticipated. Needless to say I left that gym after a few months, with not only the ridiculous price disappointing, but also the dreadful time keeping that these bus drivers seem to have. I understand that it may not, well it probably isn't the their fault, but regardless, I am not a fan.

I may be a bit biased, but I have always liked this station. Its got a convenient exit on a main…read moreroad just marginally outside the very centre of the city. Its well served by fast trains to Sheffield, Derby and is only just over an hour from London! Shame the bus station is right over the other side. Of the city, making those connections trickier! Less than an hour from London from 2019!

Yeah, this is a pretty cool station, but in a way it is sort of like a lot of the major stations…read morethat you encounter along the British rail network. Yeah, I have to admit that it is pretty cool, and the trains do come along here quite regularly. In fact, that they come through here regularly is actually pretty cool because it means that I don't get stuck in one place. Also, it is a relatively short walk to the main part of the town.

After using this company 5 days a week for 2 years I phone to book a taxi and the rude person on…read morethe other end of the phone told me I couldn't book a taxi for the next morning and when I said I've always done this he was rude and patronising with no explanation why .won't be using again!

Local taxi rank, friendly drivers with nice clean cars…read more Never waited more than 20 minuets for a car to arrive and they know My local area and Birmingham really well. They have a base in Blackheath and Broad Street and i don't know if this cuts their costs somehow but they are the cheapest rank i have ever used. Would recommend to anyone traveling towards Dudley from Birmingham, very trust worthy. I once left my wallet in the back of a cab owned by Brookfleet, not only did they notify me straight away, they personally returned it to me the next da with all the cash still inside, amazing.

I guess other parts of the country operate a similar service, but for some reason (probably because…read moremy Nan was such a massive fan) I associate this with Birmingham. Basically, Ring and Ride provides a door-to-door accessible minibus service for people of all ages who find it difficult to use ordinary public transport. It's mostly used by the elderly and by children with disabilities - and whilst it's generally used as a way of getting people who would otherwise struggle to the shops or school say, it can be used for all sorts of other things too - my Nan used to take it to the pub for example. To book a journey you will need to contact the special booking line - you'll need to be registered to do this but all the instructions you'll need (and more) are available from their website. There is a small cost - especially if you are accompanying someone and not registered yourself and be warned that journeys can take a long time - you'll be sharing the vehicle with others and they may all have different destinations - but in a way this is all part of the fun and its no more stressful than your average number 11 journey!

These are my local taxi company, and I used to use them quite a lot. The price of fairs are very…read morecheap, and I don't think I've ever paid more than £10 for their service for one drop off. And that includes from anywhere in Birmingham. The company is quite a lot smaller than most other firms in the city, and I think that adds a great friendly close knit vibe between all of the staff; You certainly get that experience when you're talking to the drivers anyway. Most of the rides home are kept entertaining and free of silence by the talkative drivers, who are great at making conversation. However, I have had a few disappointing encounters with this company. I was standing outside waiting for them for 45 minutes once, and the taxi didn't turn up. I kept ringing them back, but they said they were still on their way. In fact, the service name 'On Time' isn't suited to them at all really, and the company has often been quite late for me, and usually arrive within 20 minutes. I'd prefer them to pick me up in 10 minutes personally, because this is long enough to wait.

National Express West Midlands is the main bus company serving the West Midlands region, including…read morethe city of Birmingham - having daily troubles with my buses back home in Greater Manchester with our two main operators of Go North West and mainly First Manchester, I hoped National Express who have a reputation on more inter-city coach trips rather than regional bus journeys would be better - and in a few factors they were. I found the buses to be much nicer and more modern inside than most I'm used to in the likes of Manchester and London - they still had the feature of announcing the stops which I like as this helps disabled people travel independently who might struggle with their sight, and it also helps tourists and people who might not know the area like me travel well, without relying on the drivers to offer help getting somewhere - and with the drivers seeming unhelpful and rude this was surely needed. The buses did seem to run on time based on timetables on the three or so times I used the bus services. Some routes didn't seem to work in general - from my Hilton Garden Inn hotel to Colmore Row, the bus seemed to go a longer route, where it'd go out of the way before going back which made no sense - I understand they have to pick passengers up but surely going back on themselves don't make any sense, which meant using the bus was no quicker than walking around 3/4 of a mile to where I wanted to go. I also didn't like how the buses going into the city centre just stated "Birmingham" like come on, it's a big place where are you going? The railway station? Bullring? Colmore Row? Overall, clean buses which seem modern and to run on time are rare so, despite the problems I experienced with the overall route and route planning and drivers I feel a three-star rating is in order, National Express have impressed me after a dire experience on one of their coach experiences to the point I have not used the branch since (until now) on a route from Manchester to London.

Since the shortening of the 79 route, the 126 is now not just the quickest direct bus between Brum…read moreand Wolves, it's the only direct bus between the two cities. That's not saying much though as even on a quiet Sunday night the journey will take you an hour or more. In theory, the route doesn't sound that painful. From town it runs up the Hagley Road, down the Wolverhampton Road and then joins the Birmingham New Road all the way up to Wolverhampton, diverting off only to stop at Dudley bus station. It's the sort of journey where once you've done it a few times, it doesn't seem quite as painful. If you need to move between the two places though, the Metro takes half the time, whilst even a local train will only take 25 minutes. Poor transport links between Brum and Dudley being what they are, it's probably the best and most direct way to reach Dudley. The 120 diverts through Bearwood and Oldbury and is a horrible service anyway, whilst the 87 runs the traffic gauntlet that is the Dudley Road and then wanders around a few side-streets in Smethwick too.