User:Dudleybus/Route Articles for improving/WM 1,2,5,former 351

Service 351
The 351 was a bus routes operated by National Express West Midlands, Midland  between Walsall in the West Midlands, England and Cannock in Staffordshire The service was also operated by and Arriva Midlands between Walsall and Hednesford in Staffordshire on Sunday's. Service 351 ran along Green Lane into Bloxwich and then served the Turnberry Estate, prior to serving Landywood. This was one of five services linking Walsall and Cannock, but until April 2010 for passengers between Walsall and Cannock only really faced competition from service1, due to the route complexity and duration of the other routes. From April onwards route 351 faced competition from another main rival for passengers is Arriva Midlands route 2. The consequences of Arriva introducing service 2, shortly followed the withdrawal of service 351 by National Express West Midlands.

Service 2
The 2 differentiate in that they followed different routes between Walsall and Bloxwich avoiding the Leamore are as instead of travelling along Green Lane, it operats along the Bloxwich Road, rather than along Green lane such as service 351 did.

Service Provision
The 2 is currently operated by Arriva Midlands between Walsall and Cannock every half hour during Monday - Saturday daytimes, with an hourly evening service. On Sundays, it runs hourly throughout the day, but extends to Hednesford. The evening and Sunday journeys are subsidised by South Staffordshire County Council.

Service 5
The route runs half-hourly between Walsall and the Turnberry housing Estate. Journeys run via Green Lane between Walsall and Bloxwich where services turn left at the high street, heading up towards the housing estate. Journeys turn round at the end of the estate.

Recent history
This route was previously operated as route 351. The route was run on a commercial basis Monday – Saturday daytimes originally by National Express West Midlands between Cannock and Walsall on a half-hourly basis, until 2009. On 28 March 2009, National Express West Midlands decided that the route wouldn't pay to during the off-peek Monday – Friday. So when they announced that during weekday off-peak hours, Midland stepped in to replace the withdrawn journeys. The operators alternated every half-hour, but Saturday and weekday peak journeys (which continue to run every half hour) were run by National Express West Midlands.

Route 5 Service Provision
The 5 is currently operated by Midland every half hour during Monday - Saturday daytimee. Vehicles uses on journeys are eith Dennis Dart or Optare Solo Minibuses.

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%.
 * 31 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.
 * 30 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.
 * 28 March 2010 - Arriva Midlands introduce new service 2. This follows a similar route as service 351 between Landywood and Cannock, however, it alters from service 351 in that rather than serving Green Lane between Walsall and Bloxwich it travels along Bloxwich Road, therefore enabling it to serve Leamore. It also travels from Bloxwich to Landywood as the previous subsidised evening service, skipping out the Turnberry Estate. This runs during Monday - Saturday daytime to a half hourly frequency, in competition with the NXWM and Midland journeys, which run five minutes afterwards. Service 2 also replaces Arriva Midlands subsidised evening service on the 351, running to an hourly frequency on Monday - Saturday evenings, and all day Sunday with these journeys extending to Hednesford.

1

 * Walsall
 * Bloxwich
 * Landywood
 * Great Wyrley
 * Cannock
 * Cannock Huntington

5

 * Walsall
 * Bloxwich
 * Turnberry Estate

2

 * Walsall
 * Bloxwich
 * Landywood
 * Cheslyn Hay
 * Cannock
 * Hednesford