1. travel
2. transports
3. public transport

Dudley Council
Review of Activity 2014/15
Working with Dudley Council, Centro has used the 2014/15 levy of £15.7 million
(11.3% of the total levy) to provide access to employment, training and healthcare,
enabling people to visit friends, go shopping or access leisure facilities bringing a
range of social, mental and physical benefits.

The West Midlands Concessionary Pass for Senior Citizens, Blind and
Disabled residents provides mobility options for 65,443 active cardholders
living in the Dudley area.

The West Midlands’ Rail and Metro Concession extends the free Bus
Concession to trains and the tram, allowing West Midlands’ Senior Citizens
and qualifying Blind and Disabled pass holders to the same level of travel
opportunities on these modes as well as bus.

According to the latest demographic data available there are approximately
52,000 children in Dudley aged between 5 and 18, most of whom will be
eligible for Child Concessions.

Centro procures and oversees subsidised bus services operating in the
Dudley area. This includes some whole services as well as some journeys or
sections of route on otherwise commercially operated services where they do
not make a profit but there is a social need for them to operate. Centro pays
£2,076,776 per annum towards subsidised services that run in the Dudley
area (22.2% of the subsidised bus budget) which equates to £6,623 per 1,000
population in the borough. This includes 51 contracts covering 47 services. A
summary of subsidised services are set out in Appendix 2.

11.2% Ring and Ride registered users in the West Midlands are Dudley
residents, making 13.6 % of the total trips taken.
1. Infrastructure

There are 495 bus shelters in Dudley and 944 stop poles-therefore there is a
total of 1,439 stops in the borough of these 156 have Real Time Information
(RTI) showing exactly when the next buses are due by linking into satellite
technology on board.

Bus timetables and information flags at all stops across the borough.

Co-ordinated bus timetable information (leaflets / web / smart phone apps) for
all public transport across the borough.

All bus shelters are cleaned on a weekly basis and stop poles every three
weeks.
There are four bus stations in the Dudley area:

Halesowen which provides eight bus stands with two electronic bus departure
summary screens providing RTI.

Stourbridge which provides nine bus stands with two electronic bus departure
summary screens providing RTI as well as an additional stand specific one at
each stand (11 in total).

Merry Hill which provides eight bus stands.

Dudley which provides 19 bus stands with three electronic bus departure
summary screens providing RTI as well as an additional stand specific one at
each stand (22 in total).
Centro has provided a number of improvements to these facilities this year including:

Crossing upgrade works at all sites

Pathway refurbishment and resurfacing work at Dudley Bus Station

Facilities Building enhancements at Dudley Bus Station

New shutters for the toilet block at Stourbridge Bus Station
2. Bus and Partnership
Centro works with Dudley Council, bus operators and other key stakeholders to
improve the bus network in the Dudley area and to ensure it meets the borough’s
strategic aims and objectives.
Through this partnership working, in 2014/15 we have delivered:

Continued delivery of the Better Bus Area Fund programme to transform the
bus network in the Brierley Hill area including:
o Completion of the £3.2m investment in vehicles for the area by
National Express West Midlands
o Completion of an upgrade to bus shelters in the area including
provision of RTI
o Joint delivery, with Dudley MBC, of a new pedestrian crossing on
Pedmore Road linking Quarry Bank to Merry Hill
o Joint delivery, with Dudley MBC, of bus priority on the Boulevard
between Brierley Hill and Merry Hill
o Marketing to attract more people to visit Dudley, Brierley Hill and Merry
Hill including the I Love Dudley campaign
o The provision of a new world class bus interchange at Cradley Heath
rail station, strengthening links from Merry Hill & Brierley Hill to the rail
network

Close partnership working with Dudley MBC and operators to inform and
minimise disruption during the Dudley Town Centre urban realm works and
the highways changes on King Street

Investment of £13m in new vehicles for the Black Country by National
Express West Midlands (NXWM) – for Dudley these have included new
midibuses, ideally suited to some of the narrower estate roads, on services
27, 27A, 42, 81 and 121 and new double deckers on service 74

A further £31m of investment has been agreed with NXWM for the Black
Country during 2015 including new high spec Crimson buses on service 9
which operates between Stourbridge, Halesowen and Birmingham.

Working with Dudley and Sandwell Councillors tendered bus routes have
been reviewed in the Quarry Bank, Cradley, Old Hill, Fatherless Barn and
Halesowen areas providing improved links and new timetables which should
help the services run more reliably. The changes were introduced in January
2015.

Working with operators and Dudley Council to deliver a co-ordinated
approach to managing road works, providing disruption information to
passengers and input into wider strategic projects.

Work has commenced on the development of a new multi-operator
partnership agreement for Dudley in partnership with Dudley Council.
Meetings have commenced to look at how this can be used to deliver a wide
range of enhancements in service delivery & quality, information and
infrastructure including:
o Improved services for the borough that better meet people’s needs
o Improvements to air quality via promotion of sustainable travel choices,
highways measures and improved vehicles
o Better public transport access & information for Russells Hall Hospital
o Enhanced integration with rail
o Better reliability & punctuality through highways measures and
improved timetables.

The most comprehensive network of bus services on Boxing Day ever seen in
the West Midlands region, with a Sunday service operating during core hours
on all routes
Development of Swift Smartcard ticketing, including the Black Country Area n-bus
ticket enabling passengers to use all operators bus services in the city for a
discounted rate.
3. Safer Travel
Police team, resource targeted at ensuring crime and anti-sociable behaviour on the
network is kept to a minimum.
4. Rail
The following capital projects are being delivered:
Delivered or in Delivery
- Park and Ride Expansion at Rowley Regis
- Park and Ride Expansion at Stourbridge Junction
- Secure Cycle-Hubs at Rowley Regis and Stourbridge Junction
- Station Travel Plan measures at Rowley Regis
- Cradley Heath Interchange redevelopment
- Park and Ride LED lighting conversion
- Dudley Port Station refresh (improvements to lighting, platform shelter and
walking routes)
- Tipton additional passenger information screen on to-Birmingham platform
- Park and Ride resurfacing at Sandwell and Dudley and Coseley
In Development
- Development of options for future Park and Ride, cycling and walking
improvements at stations
- Further works to maintain quality and optimise efficient delivery of our existing
Park and Ride estate
Centro works in partnership to provide continuous improvement in services in Dudley
and the wider Centro area. This includes formal partnership agreements with both
London Midland and Chiltern Railways, covering integration and accessibility,
improving connectivity, customer satisfaction, investing in the railway, safety and
environment, marketing, promotion and communication.
Work continues with Network Rail to champion the needs of Dudley as part of future
strategic planning, including, for example, making the case for capacity
improvements on the Snow Hill Lines (the route linking Worcester, Kidderminster,
Stourbridge Junction, Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon/Leamington Spa).
In addition, Dudley forms part of the West Midlands Rail (WMR) proposition for rail
devolution in the region being championed by a partnership of Centro and 14 local
authorities. The WMR proposal offers big benefits for Dudley in terms of increased
opportunity to influence how local rail services are specified and delivered.
In more general terms, Centro continues to operate the hugely popular nNetwork
and nTrain ticket ranges, including the Direct Debit and corporate schemes, which
offer great value for money and convenience. We also fund a discretionary benefit
for holders of concessionary travel passes, enabling them to travel for free on rail
services throughout the Centro area.
5. Smart Network, Smarter Choices
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council is a partner in the Smart Networks Smarter
Choices programme which is a part of the Department for Transport’s LSTF fund led
by Centro. The bid was successful in 2012 and secured £33.2m, of which £848,000
has been spent in Dudley as set out in Appendix 3.
6. High Speed 2
WMITA and Centro have developed a joint proposal with local authorities from both
the metropolitan area and wider region for a £2bn HS2 WM Local Connectivity
Package aimed at ensuring that the economic benefits of HS2 are maximised across
the wider West Midlands.
The Connectivity Package includes improved access, through improved bus and rail
services, from Dudley to the HS2 station in Birmingham City Centre and HS2
Interchange station near the NEC.
WMITA and Centro also continue to work with Transport for London to secure a
direct link between HS2 and HS1 in order to facilitate future direct high speed rail
services from the West Midlands to South East England and, via the Channel
Tunnel, to Europe.
7. Rail Devolution
Dudley, working alongside 13 partner authorities, has supported the development of
a proposal to the DfT for taking greater responsibility for local rail services. The
West Midlands Rail (WMR) proposition outlines how a locally accountable body will
take on the management responsibility for a new West Midlands Rail Contract
(WMRC) covering local services re-mapped out of the current London Midland
franchise.
The WMRC would commence in 2017, and would be preceded by a 15-month Direct
Award contract to be negotiated with London Midland when the current franchise
ends in March 2016. A decision in principle is expected from the Secretary of State
early in 2015.
8. Metro
Midland Metro began the phased introduction of the new fleet of 21 CAF Urbos 3
trams into passenger service. The new trams are 10 meters longer than their
predecessor and able to carry 200 passengers, increasing capacity by a third. They
are designed with low-flooring throughout, have two wheelchair spaces and are fitted
with air conditioning and enhanced information systems.
The extension to the Depot Operation and Maintenance Centre (OMC) at
Wednesbury, procured to accommodate delivery of the new Urbos 3 trams, was also
completed. This project delivered:
 1200m2 3 storey extension to existing OMC
 2 additional maintenance pits
 2 additional high level access platforms
 a larger heavy maintenance area (bogie bay)
 an upgraded Depot Protection System
 additional office and welfare facilities
 a new heavy stores area
The benefits of this extension include increased stabling facilities for approximately
30 trams, double the size of the workshop area a more flexible depot and overall
tram maintenance operation.
Work also continued to extend Midland Metro to Stephenson St in Birmingham City
Centre which will open in 2015 and greatly improve links between the Black Country
and central Birmingham. The extension beyond this to Centenary Square has also
advanced with the progression of the Transport and Works Act Land Acquisition and
Variation Order process. Funding was also secured to develop this route further to
Edgbaston.
At the opposite end of the line work has continued to develop the route in
Wolverhampton to the railway station and both this extension and Centenary Square
extension are proposed to be open in 2019. Consultation was also undertaken on a
route to serve High Speed 2 railway station and on through to Digbeth, with a
proposed terminus in the Adderley St area. This forms part of the Birmingham City
Council’s 20 year Master Plan.
Appendix 1
2014/15 WMITA & Centro Revenue
Budget
Concessions
National Concessions
Metro / Rail
Child Concessions
Passes and Permits
Bus Services
Bus Stations & Infrastrucutre
Subsidised Network
Tendering / Monitoring
Accessible Transport
Rail Services
Metro
Rail Enhancements
Car Park & Ride
Integration
Safety & Security
Passenger Information
Sustainable Travel
Business Support Costs
Finance Charges
Finance Costs
Deregulation pension Costs
2015/16 Savings
Total
2014/15
Revenue
Budget
Dudley %
Dudley Proportion of the Revenue Budget
Dudley
proportion of
2014/15
Revenue
Budget
£'m
%
£'m
57.6
4.2
13.6
1.0
76.4
11.3%
3.7
8.3
0.7
8.6
21.3
11.3%
0.4
0.2
1.6
2.3
11.3%
1.1
4.3
0.1
5.5
11.3%
3.8
11.3%
0.4
1.5
7.4
9.0
11.3%
0.2
0.8
1.0
1.1
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
11.3%
6.5
0.5
1.5
0.1
8.6
0.4
0.9
0.1
1.0
2.4
0.0
0.0
0.2
0.3
0.1
0.5
0.0
0.6
0.1
PTE Total Expenditure
119.3
11.3%
13.5
ITA Expenditure
ITA Policy & Strategy & Member
Services
Capital Financing Costs
1.1
18.3
ITA Total Expenditure
19.4
11.3%
2.2
Total Expenditure
138.7
11.3%
15.7
Levy
138.7
11.3%
15.7
Levy £138.7m
BIRMINGHAM
COVENTRY
DUDLEY
SANDWELL
SOLIHULL
WALSALL
WOLVERHAMPTON
Population
1,085,417
323,132
313,589
311,304
207,380
270,924
250,970
2,762,716
Levy
£m
54.5
16.2
15.7
15.7
10.4
13.6
12.6
138.7
%
39.3%
11.7%
11.3%
11.3%
7.5%
9.8%
9.1%
100.0%
11.3%
11.3%
0.1
2.1
Appendix 2
Summary of Centro supported Local Bus Services in Dudley
The following bus services in Dudley are wholly or partially financially supported by
Centro to fill gaps in the commercially operated bus network.
Service
12
13
14
17
22
24
27
30
81
82
99
124
127
127
140
142
205
205
208
223
224
226
226
229
229
231
241
243
243
244
244
246
255
256
257
257
267
276
282
287
288
289
313
250/251
27A
298/299
74A
X96
X96
Route
Merry Hill to Blackheath via Dunns Bank, Colley Gate and Old Hill
Merry Hill to Halesowen via Dunns Bank, Fatherless Barn and Colley Gate
Brierley Hilll to Fatherless Barn via Cradley Heath
Halesowen to Merry Hill Centre via Timbertree
Wolverhampton to Wednesbury via Swan Village & Tipton
Foxyards Estate to Merry Hill Centre via Dudley & Cradley Heath
Wolverhampton to Dudley via Gornal Wood
West Bromwich to Oldbury via Great Bridge
Wolverhampton to Merry Hill via Dudley
Wolverhampton to Dudley via Bilston
Birmingham City Centre to Halesowen via QE Hospital
Cradley Heath to Dudley via Netherton
Dudley to Birmingham via Blackheath
Dudley to Birmingham via Blackheath
Dudley to Birmingham via Blackheath & Bearwood
Stourbridge to Halesowen
Dudley to Wall Heath
Dudley to Wall Heath
Dudley to Merry Hill via Oakham and Quarry Bank
Bilston to Dudley via Sedgley & Gornal Wood
Bilston to Sedgley
Dudley to Merry Hill via Kingswinford & Russells Hall
Dudley to Merry Hill via Kingswinford & Russells Hall
Dudley to Bilston via Tipton and Sedgley
Dudley to Bilston via Tipton and Sedgley
Halesowen to Blackheath via Olive Lane Estate
Dudley to Merry Hill via Blackheath & Halesowen
Dudley to Merry Hill Centre via Timbertree & Lyde Green
Dudley to Merry Hill Centre
Hayley Green to Dudley via Halesowen
Hayley Green to Dudley via Halesowen
Dudley to Stourbridge via Brierley Hill
Wolverhampton to Merry Hill Centre via Wall Heath & Kingswinford
Wolverhampton to Stourbridge via Wall Heath and Wordsley
Stourbridge to Dudley via Wall Heath and Gornal Wood
Stourbridge to Dudley via Wall Heath and Gornal Wood
Stourbridge to Kingswinford via Ashwood
Dudley to Wollaston via Merry Hill & Stourbridge
Merry Hill to Gornal Wood via Dudley
Merry Hill Centre to Stourbridge
Stourbridge to Norton via Chawn Hill & Oldswinford
West Bromwich to Merry Hill Centre via Blackheath
Walsall to Dudley via Wednesbury & Princes End
Stourbridge & Merry Hill Circulars
Wolverhampton to Dudley via Gornal Wood
Stourbridge & Pedmore Fields Circular
West Bromwich to Dudley via Great Bridge
Wrens Nest to Wollaston Farm via Dudley, Merry Hill and Stourbridge
Wrens Nest to Wollaston Farm via Dudley, Merry Hill and Stourbridge
Supported section
Whole service - Monday to Saturday Daytime
Whole service - Monday to Sunday Daytime
Whole service - Monday to Saturday daytimes
Monday to Saturday daytimes
Whole service - Monday to Saturday daytimes
Whole service - Monday to Saturday daytimes
Evenings & Sundays
Whole service - Monday to Saturday Daytime
Evening and Sundays
Evenings and Sundays
Evenings and Sundays
Whole service - Monday to Saturday Daytime
Mon - Sat early morning and late afternoon journeys (Dudley to Blackheath)
Evenings and Sundays (Dudley to The George, Warley)
Sunday morning journeys
Evenings and Sundays
Evenings and Sundays
Mon - Sat early morning and late afternoon journeys
Whole service - Monday to Sunday daytimes and evenings
Whole service - Monday to Saturday daytimes
Whole service - Monday to Saturday daytimes
Evenings and Sundays
Early Journeys Monday to Saturday
Evenings and Sundays
Monday to Saturday Daytime (Sedgley to Dudley section)
Whole service - Monday to Saturday daytimes
Monday to Sunday Evenings (Dudley to Halesowen section)
Evenings and Sundays
Mon - Sat early morning and late afternoon journeys
Evenings & Sundays Journeys
Monday to Saturday daytime service (Hayley Green to Halesowen section)
Early journeys
Evenings and Sundays
Evenings daily
Evenings and Sundays
Early journeys Monday to Friday
Whole service - Monday to Saturday Daytime
Evenings & Sundays (Stourbridge to Wollaston section)
Whole service - Monday to Saturday Daytime
Peak journeys Monday to Saturday
Whole service - Monday to Friday Daytime
Evenings & Sundays
Evenings and Sundays (Wednesbury to Dudley section)
Whole service - Monday to Saturday Daytime
Monday to Saturday Daytime (Northway to Dudley section)
Whole service - Monday to Sunday Daytime
Whole service - Monday to Saturday Daytime
Sunday service (Stourbridge to Wollaston Farm)
Monday to Saturday evenings (Merry Hill to Wollaston Farm section)
Appendix 3
Smart Networks, Smarter Choices in Dudley
BLACK COUNTRY WEST CORRIDOR (A4123/A459)
 Junction upgrades
o A459/Kent street/Burton road/Eve lane/Jews Lane. Junction upgrade
including bus priority. Completed end of 2013.
o A459 Sedgely Pedestrian Crossing Improvement Works. Approved
through the re-allocation of programme Capital Contingency in July
2014. Includes upgrading 5 pedestrian crossing facilities from pelican
to puffin technology. (Expected to be complete by the end of the
programme in March 2015).
 Station Travel Plans (Highway Infrastructure improvements)
o Coseley Station - upgrading footpath route through park (altering gate
barriers) to allow for cyclists. Improving walking/cycling access from
canal (NCN81) to Kenhelm Road, including improved access to canal
towpath and bridge on CRT land.
 Cycle/walking (Infrastructure improvements)
o Improvements along High Street Quarry Bank & surrounding area
including; Improved pedestrian and cycle links into Quarry Bank and
Merry Hill/Brierly Hill local centres from surrounding residential areas,
incorporating signage, shared use routes and pedestrian crossing
facilities.
o Pedestrian crossing facility on A4016 Pedmore Road linking to Merry
Hill (funded through BBAF)
 Shelter Improvement
o 33 New Shelters have been installed on the A459
o 12 out of 19 RTI units have been installed on the A459
Smarter Choices
Employers
Businesses
contacted
Signed up
employers
Employee
Numbers
Suspended
employers
Travel plans
signed off
(Centro)
Year 1
surveys
completed
Grants
awarded
Businesses
referred for
cycling
Businesses
referred for
walking
Cycle Actions
Implemented
Walking
Actions
Implemented
PT Actions
Implemented
Total
Measures
Implemented
Cumulative Dudley
Total
641
56
166
11
100648
28
141
4297
3
7
23
0
55
4
109
4
90
4
318
16
66
7
188
11
977
53
Education
Cumulative
total
Dudley
Signed up
Education
sites
Travel plans
signed off
Year 1
surveys
completed
Grants
awarded
Education
sites
referred for
cycling
Education
sites
referred for
walking
PTP No of
Households
49
2
50
2
19
1
41
4
34
2
25
1
5000
Cycling and Walking Support
Dudley
Cycling
Walking
Participants
Dec 14
28
0
Forecasts
Dec 14
17
12
Total
cumulative
14/15
472
155
Forecasts
cumulative
14/15
207
144
Under 16s
Cycle skills
loop
41
WorkWise
A total of 12,294 people have been assisted back into employment of which 899 are
from Dudley.
Appendix 4
Measuring Success
To measure our success, key areas on which we focus are patronage, modal share,
customer satisfaction and performance of the network. Understanding how many
people are accessing the network along with measures of customer satisfaction is a
good indicator of if we are getting it right. In addition ensuring the services are
reliable and punctual is an important factor in retaining and growing patronage.
The summary table below sets out the latest performance for the West Midlands
(December 14 unless otherwise stated), along with the target. More detail and a
breakdown by District is presented below where available.
Indicator
Performance
Bus
275.8m
278m
Rail
50.3m
51m
Metro
4.5m
5.1m
Reliability
Reliability - Target
96.8%
97.3%
98%
99.1%
98%
Punctuality
Punctuality - Target
80.4%
80%
74.9%
80%
-
86%
85%
91%
Patronage
Patronage - Target
Customer Satisfaction
(Autumn 13)
Modal Share is measured by comparing trips into centres in the am peak (7.30 to
9.30) by bus, rail, Metro and by car. The centres include Birmingham, Brierley Hill,
Coventry, Dudley, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, West Bromwich, and
Wolverhampton.
The target is to increase the AM peak proportion of trips by public transport into the
nine LTP centres as a whole to 37% by 2015/16.
AM peak trips by public
transport into the 9 LTP
centres
AM peak trips by public
transport into Dudley
Modal Share - Target
35.8%
15%
37% by 15/16
Progress in achieving these targets and other supporting measures are monitored
and reported on a regular basis. This means that planning arrangements are
informed by a clear evidence base of factors which are important to our customers.
Patronage
Rail
Analysis of long-term patronage trends shows that rail travel continues to increase,
with latest figures showing 50.3 million trips were made during the year to December
2014, compared with 48.3 million during the previous year and only 27.4 million a
decade ago. This trend is reflected across the UK, with rail patronage having
increased by a quarter in the last five years.
The current rail patronage of 50.3 million is the highest rail patronage the West
Midlands has seen and is heading towards the target of 51 million. Centro continues
to work with London Midland and other industry partners in developing local rail
services to improve rail infrastructure and services and meet growing demand.
Bus
Bus Patronage over the past 12 months has remained steady with very small
variances month on month. The latest annual bus patronage is 276 million (year to
November 2014), compared with the previous 12 months there has been a 0.1%
decline in patronage.
The introduction of initiatives within Transforming Bus Travel (TBT) has helped slow
the decline in bus patronage within the TBT area with the focus on modifying the
network to help better meet current travel demands. In the Network Review areas
the general patronage trend has also been a decline, however comparing the results
with the West Midlands total patronage over the same period generally shows a
lower decline than the network as a whole.
Where there are Voluntary Multi-lateral Agreements (VMAs) in place for the Network
Reviews, these agreements are successful in delivering better patronage outcomes
than in areas where these agreements currently do not exist. We therefore remain
committed to work towards the introduction of VMAs where they currently are not in
place and continue to monitor bus patronage demand as part of the agreement. The
commencement of the refreshed Dudley Network Review will enable us to monitor
bus patronage.
Metro
Metro trips remain stable at around five million over recent years, a major barrier to
patronage growth has been the lack of capacity on trams during peak periods. The
Birmingham City Centre Extension and fleet replacement project will increase the
available passenger capacity by approximately 40%.
Light rail use in England continued to increase in 2013/14, with both passenger
journeys and vehicle miles reaching the highest levels recorded: 222 million
passenger journeys were made in total on the eight systems, 18 million (9%) more
than during the previous year.
Ring and Ride
Trips made by Ring and Ride continue to decline with patronage at 1.1 million during
the year to November 2014, compared with 1.3 million the previous year. Trips in all
operating areas have seen a decline.
Analysis has found that the decline in trips is particularly marked in the evenings.
Part of the reason for the decline is the economic climate, meaning that people are
travelling less frequently and clubs and groups that cater for older and disabled
people are continuing to close, in additional Ring and Ride West Midlands undertook
changes to the service from April 2014 by increasing the adult single trip fare for
registered users from 60p to £1.00 with half fare for children, reducing resource
levels on the Monday to Saturday service, withdrawing the Sunday service and
introducing a next day booking system.
The following graph shows the number of trips within each operating area over a two
year period.
Park and Ride
Cars parked at Centro’s Park & Ride sites are counted every other month with the
current average occupancy (April 2014 to December 2014) of all sites (41) being
95.9%.
The following table shows average occupancy for the 3 park and ride sites within the
Dudley district.
Park & Ride Site
Coseley
Lye
Stourbridge Junction
ALL DUDLEY
Average % Occupancy
103.1
96.8
103.5
103.3
Modal Share
Public transport growth as a whole is a crucial indicator to identify if people are
happy with the public transport offer, rather than being too concerned that one mode
decreases as one increases, as there are many external factors that can affect
modal choice, including the economy, as well as the national travel and lifestyle
trends highlighted above.
Despite car still being the dominant mode into most centres, the public transport
modal share continues to increase, with 36% of inbound AM peak journeys made by
public transport. This varies by centre with Birmingham seeing 58% of trips made by
public transport. The lowest was Brierley Hill with only 13% being made by public
transport.
Dudley and Merry Hill Share

The graphs below present the morning peak (07:30 – 09:30) inbound and
outbound results of the Dudley Cordon Survey conducted in November 2014
compared to previous surveys. The numbers represent people travelling by
that mode of transport.

Please note that car trips have been recalculated to changing previous figures
(since 2004) slightly.

Bus trips into Dudley town centre increased by +8.6% (319 trips) in 2014
compared to 2 years previous. There has been a steady growth in the bus
patronage since 2010, which saw a decrease on the 2008 figure taking the
figure above 4000 trips again.

Car trips have also increased (by 2.3%, 514 trips) though this follows a decline
2 years ago so the trend is less stable than bus patronage.

The total number of trips for all modes (bus and car) has increased by 3.2%
(833 trips). Due to a higher increase in bus trips compared to car trips, the
inbound AM Peak Modal Share for public transport has increased from 14.3%
to 15%, and is higher than 2006, 2008 and 2010 public transport modal share
figures.

AM Peak outbound bus trips have increased in 2014 (by 177 trips +7.6%) to the
second highest number of outbound trips in 10 years.

Outbound car trips have increased by 6.2% (1097 trips) with all trips for all
modes seeing a 6.4% increase (1274 trips). The total number of outbound trips
(bus and car) has remained between 20,000 and 21,000 since pre 2004.

Public transport mode share has increased to 11.9% in 2014 from 11.7% in
2012.
Brierley Hill Modal Share

The graphs below present the morning peak (07:30 – 09:30) inbound and
outbound results of the Brierley Hill (including Merry Hill Bus Station) Cordon
Survey conducted in April 2013 compared to previous surveys. The numbers
represent people travelling by that mode of transport.

Bus trips have increased by 123 passengers (+8.6%) in 2013 compared to 2
years ago and car trips have decreased by -2.9%. Public Transport Modal
Share has therefore increased from 11.6% to 12.8%, the highest share in ten
years. The number of people using the bus in the morning AM Peak has
declined every 2 years since 2003 up until the most recent survey; a -9.8%
decrease over the 10 years. Car trips have also declined (by -26.2% in 2013
compared to 2003) and they continue to do so.

Both bus and car passenger trips in the outbound AM Peak have seen
increases, of +35.6% and +0.5% respectively in 2013 compared to 2011. Bus
trips have increased by 528 passenger trips over the last 2 years, almost
double the number of bus trips than in 2003 (+91.6%). Car trips saw a very
modest increase in 2013, the first increase in outbound car trips since pre2003 yet in 10 years there has been a decrease in car trips of -18.9%. Public
Transport Modal Share has increased from 18.1% to 22.9%, the highest in over
10 years.
Bus Reliability and punctuality
Reliability
(% of buses that operated)
Bus reliability in Dudley & Stourbridge currently stands at 95.9% which is slightly
below the West Midlands average of 96.7%.
Punctuality (% of buses operating within the Traffic Commissioner’s standard of 1
minute early and 5 minutes late)
Bus punctuality in Dudley & Stourbridge currently stands at 88.7% which is above
the West Midlands average of 80.4% and is the highest in the West Midlands.