If you don't fancy catching the train, then you have the option of getting on a coach. Birmingham…read moreCoach Station is just a five-minute walk from the City Centre and is easily accessible by car and public transport. I have been here whenever I have travelled to Leicester and London. The coaches are regularly on time and I have not had any issues with this place. If you are waiting for your coach, you can always grab a coffee at Starbucks or you can even go to WHS Smith to buy a newspaper/magazine or even some sweets. The one downer is the fact you have to pay to use the toilets. I just find that ridiculous. But there is a toilet on the coach if that is any consolation. From here you can get on coaches that will take you to cities across England, Scotland and Wales. National Express, Ulsterbus and Eurolines are the three operators that operate at this coach station. And I have also found it is a lot cheaper to travel by coach than train. It is not that expensive to travel by coach. The staff here are very friendly and they will answer any questions/queries you have. An excellent station in my view and one I will continue to visit.

The sign that greets you says 'a hundred thousand welcomes'* and on the other side of the coach…read morestation is probably my favourite bit of public art EVER - a big graffiti style mural that reads 'welcome to Digbeth bab'. This is in marked contrast to the welcome you used to receive at Birmingham Coach Station which generally consisted of stumbling around in a dimly lit car-park, narrowly missing being run over by a bus, hassled for money by men who smelt a bit funny and stepping over the pools of vomit outside the Dubliner. I've known loads of people who when they've heard I'm from Birmingham get a funny look in their eye simply because of their experiences of arriving by coach. Anyway it's all changed - the old building was torn down in 2007 and the new building officially reopened in 2009 by (bizarrely) Fabio Capello. It's a different beast all together - the space is light and airy and the signs actually make sense. You can hear the announcements. The toilets are okay. And there's a Starbucks. * In Irish this is "C'ead Mile Failte" so the sign is obviously a nod to the Irish history of the region. Step into any of the pubs round Digbeth and you're likely to see these words over the bar.

The bus is never ontime I'm sick of it I can get all across the west midlands ontime but when I…read morehave to get the 17 I'm stood waiting and waiting omg how hard is it there suppost to run every 6 minuets in the morning something needs to be done you do a 12 hour night shift get ajohnstones bus from reddich ontime then your stood in birmingham till you eventually give in and jump on the x1 aaarrrgghh!!!

I know the 17 bus route off by heart I've used it that much; and unfortunately, it's not a pleasant…read moreroute to know so well. It's one of the very very few buses that I can actually catch to town, and out of that few, it's the most reliable (and that's saying something, seriously!) If you need to get somewhere quickly, I honestly suggest planning your journey an hour in advance, because it's more than likely that this bus service will unpredictably be delayed severely. I don't think it has ever got me into town on time, and if it says '5mins' on the screen, don't build your hopes up, because it'll probably shoot up to a 10 minute wait, and the a 20, and who knows, maybe even a 30! The service is meant to be roughly every 8 minutes during the day, and then after 6pm, the bus turns up ever half an hour. I don't know who decided this schedule, but if they see the amount of people that use the single decker 17 everyday, they'd have a shock. And of course, as soon as the bus is full, it'll miss stops out, making pedestrians even angrier. But to be honest, you don't want to be squashed on this bus, which always gets gridlocked in Small Heath and Digbeth; Then you have to wait for them to swap bus drivers just before you get into the city! I'd avoid this bus route if you can afford to, it might be better to get a bus to Acocks Green and get the 37; there's tonnes of those, you'll be in the city centre before you know it!

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.

Blackheath represent. Did you see the photo I added of the train station? Do you wish you were…read morethere? Well you should. Rowley Regis is my local train station so it's a good job it's so nice to be in. I judge a train station on how quickly my server can get those tickets out the machine, under that little window and into my hand. Rowley staff are insanely fast, they know I'm already late and the trains pulling off and BAM like a magician it's in my hands! and because of this I sometimes make the train.. Thanks guys. In terms of other things, no toilet, no shop. But if you need to pee remember where you are and the grass is always an option. Another good thing is that no matter what time you get there, there's always a metro waiting. No one in Blackheath reads so your always sorted for a bit of metro action.

Rowley Regis is my local station. Trains every 10 minutes to Birmingham and Warwickshire and in the…read moreother direction to Stourbridge with some trains going on to Kidderminster and Worcester. And Surprise Surprise for such a station to the west of Birmingham there are three trains each morning to London with return trains in the evening.

I used to catch Diamond buses all the time, mainly because they were a much cheaper option to get…read moreto and from town when compared to West Midlands travel. But now, for 10p dearer, and the option to buy a day saver, West Midlands travel beats Diamond's (£1.80* single) service hands down; Unless you're only making one journey that is. If this bus service was more regular, I would probably use it more often, and buy a return/day saver. But at the moment, it's likely that you'll be waiting quite sometime for a return bus with Diamond, so it makes more sense to purchase a day saver ticket (£3.80*) with the consistent and reliable West Midlands service. However, particularly regarding the 17 route, there does seem to be an increase in this service, so maybe I will switch over to using them if they become more constant in other areas (such as the 50 route). Nevertheless, the only truly great fact about Diamond is the super fast time it takes to get to the city centre (mainly because nobody really catches it, so it doesn't stop very often!)

My first impressions of the Diamond buses were completely positive. I mean, eliminate flooring,…read moreleather seats, what's not to like. It's only been since I've began to buy a day-saver with the Travel West Midland buses, that Diamond have started to arrive at the completely wrong time, becoming more and more frustrating due to the fact that I'd have to spend another £1.80 just to use the bus. If all Birmingham based buses were tied to the same company this would not be an issue, but sadly, it is. These specific buses aren't as regular as Travel West Midland, so based on that fact and their ability to arrive at the worst possible points; I'm not a fan.

Walsall has a bus station, West Bromwich has a bus station, Wolverhampton has a bus station and…read moreeven Dudley has a bus station. Oldbury however goes one step backwards and has...Oldbury Interchange! Seven shelters of pure, unadulterated bus pleasure! Four stops to get you towards West Brom, Dudley and Walsall; three to speed you to Brum, Blackheath, Cradley Heath and all other stops west. It says a lot about the runt of the Black Country litter that one if its most well thought-out and modern features is the place you go to get away from the place. Actually I suppose that's a bit harsh, because at least you arrive in relative style too. As it's just a few bus stops either side of the road (linked by a zebra crossing if you're not legging it across for a bus) it's probably actually easier to navigate than a bus station anyway.

It may seem a little strange to review a bus route, but this is my most used bus route in…read moreBirmingham. This route runs from the Bullring to Moseley and Kings Heath (and beyond, but I don't travel "beyond") and is incredibly regular. Travel West Midlands fares have increased somewhat since I first moved to Birmingham, but a single is now £2.20 or a daysaver (unlimited bus services) £4.20. The service runs as often as every 6 minutes (and is hardly ever empty in my experience) and actually runs for 24 hours. After 11pm or midnight, it reduces to every 1 hour. You can check the timetable online, via their app or at the stop itself (it has a electronic display which lets you know when the bus is due). To get from the Bullring to Moseley, it takes around 10 - 12 minutes (Kings Heath, around 15). The buses have always been pretty clean when I've used them. As this is a popular route, they tend to update the fleet fairly regularly and keep them all in top order. I've never had a problem with the bus breaking down mid-route (a sight which is fairly familiar on the Birmingham network). Again, I don't use the buses very often - but I will always catch the number 50 when I'm planning on having an evening out in Moseley or Kings Heath. With it's late service, it's reliable and an easy (and cheaper) way to get around.

The 50 is a legend in Birmingham…read more I don't mean the type of legend you describe your mate as when he manages to drink 12 pints and a double curry without being hospitalised. It is the "Most Regular" bus service in Europe which when you are standing waiting for one in horrible traffic seems unlikely. But during the day there is pretty much one at the Birmingham City Centre terminus by Selfridges almost non-stop. It's a legend because of the people and they are amazing. There might be someone preaching one minute someone singing another, You get spoken to by the public no matter how much you want them to leave you alone. 2014 saw it become a 24 hour service with hourly busses in the night. It hadn't had a proper night service in years, if ever. Tip: Don't sit by anyone :-)

I was passing last weekend and notice people were leaving and entering this building…read more Well, because I am a nosey sort I went in. What I found was a wonder exhibition showcasing the history of Curzon Street Station. There is years of history behind those walls, each room had a display of photographs complete with information about part of Birmingham's past, the people involved in making Curzon St station tick at the time and plans for the future. If you can make it, go and have a look Try and leave a donation too .

Completed in 1839 Curzon Street Station is the oldest surviving railway terminus in the world that…read moreis still in its original location and is a grade 1 listed building. It rather dominates the landscape around Millennium Point and whilst it was a functioning station up until the 1960s, it has remained pretty much vacant in recent years. Thankfully unlike other buildings in the area - including a couple of old pubs - it looks in pretty good repair and is still currently owned by the Council. It's possible that with the advent of High Speed 2 that the station may be restored or incorporated in much the same, sympathetic way as Moor Street (which is just down the road). Either way this is a nice building to admire - perhaps as you navigate the (infinitely less attractive looking) road system nearby.

Looks like an hollow metal worm from outer space…read more Halesowen bus station was being built along side the new ASDA for years, when it opened back up in 2008 it was a massive surprise how good it was. Though the design may be abit ahead of the rest of Halesowen and thats right next to the corpse of the Cornbow its possibly oen of the best bus stations ive been to in the West midlands. Navigation and finding the right stop is easy as its all along one street. Theres not much seating and it can become cramped at the more popular stopped due to the stations slim design. But all in all a great bus station.

Whenever I need to get back from Brum or Bearwood to Oldbury, my taxi company of choice is Bearwood…read more& Blue Sky. Formed, funnily enough by the merger of Bearwood Cars and Blue Sky Taxis, this company are always polite on the phone, employ friendly drivers who know their way around and, best of all, are pretty cheap. I've used them many times and it's very rarely cost over a tenner to get me home (some taxi drivers have wanted up to £20 for the same journey). One good thing about this company is that they have no qualms about coming to pick you up from Birmingham, even if you didn't use them to get there in the first place - something which have happened to me with other taxi firms in the past.