Networkwestmidlands Reviews

Just poor local links

Just poor expects elderly disabled to walk more doesnt really care about integrated transport no links for many now to our High St trains Metro when it could easily be provided Buses took off now poorer links locally spend more time walking changing bus now in Smethwick many vital links took off its obvious its for money reasons than for convenience for passengers Subsidised buses go down roads which already have more frequent NX serving them to same destinations while other roads have no links at all like ours doesnt to Bearwood and Oldbury it should be spread out more Those rds are a shorter walk to alternatives where as is 15-20mins for people like us No thought for making the network easier and more accessible its not a surprise people by us are now going by car which causes congestion as too many important local links were took off making network harder to use More time consuming and tried to simplify things when areas like that cannot be simplified changing on more buses to go short distances doesnt work and makes cars more attractive clear they dont use buses or rely on them as they own cars

I would like to remind the one

I would like to remind the one reviewer Joe who sounds like they pay him my review was for TfWM which runs subsidised buses in West Midlands area including my area of Smethwick The bus routing overseen by TfWM is very poor NX does not run those services Subsidised buses were taken off my road and left us with poor links to trains Metro and other buses Its left transport link issues and means the only way now is by car and taxi Sprint Metro trains are not in my area I am disabled and my elderly mom is 82 with arthritis cycles arent an option we cannot all cycle around and need meaningful transport The network is poorly thought out which is TfWM so I continue to rate them poorly until they sort it Its TfWM and West Midlands Network to make sure roads are well connected bus wise as NX are only interested in money but this has not been my experience and the replies I received were ignorant and lack area knowledge TfWM subsidise a number of routes but the route planning is poor and those buses should be serving roads which are poorly served by NX buses There is overprescription to same locations on some rosds but other more inaccessible roads like mine has now worse service The 54a and 21 and 48a buses are all subsidised but one of them could easily cover our rds especially 21 a subsidised Oldbury to Bearwood bus going down roads already served by 12 12a NX to same destinations - it leaves elderly and disabled on my sloped road having to get 2 buses or walk 20mins when other roads have 5 Oldbury to Bearwood buses - ridiculous waste of money and provides poor area coverage The 21 is run by Diamond but under TfWM it could easily be rerouted to connect up my part of Smethwick to Bearwood and Oldbury for basic shopping access as we arent by major supermarkets or shops and TfWM took services off by us like 55 so reduced our bus options hard up a sloped road but TfWM didnt listen and fobbed me off with excuses they clearly hate our area and have no interest in improving transport despite a new aquatic centre our local services within short walk were reduced from three to one cutting us off from local centres

Can I remind this ignorant reviewer of

Can I remind this ignorant reviewer Joe of the changes done by TfWM who made changes in my home town of Smethwick NOT just NX TfWM said 450 bus was not profitable it was removed They then put on a series of hourly buses in the town each doing less and providing less links than 444 and 450 buses provided The Bearwood Rd has no links to Smethwick or West Bromwich now and people have to get two buses just to access basic facilities and shops in the town The 450 linked people to Metro and Hawthorns and now no link as 89 doesnt go there People now on Bearwood Rd have to get two buses and run over busy rds to 80 which is less frequent they cannot get 87 as it doesnt go to West Bromwich They can run to 89 but thats ever 30mins and barely turns up and goes around the Wrekin before getting to West Bromwich Just one example in a huge list of how removing a bus has devastating consequences and doesnt encourage public transport which is job of TfWM All they are obsessed with is walking and cycling no thought for disabled and elderly in fact they even said they can walk extra to 82 Numerous petitions to them ignored despite residents having legitimate concerns and anger with changes They are a bunch of elites with no thought for how changes affect people The 444 removed by me as not profitable now no links and a real struggle for us to grt to Bearwood and Warley Important local links removed once again The 89 removed from Oldbury and put to West Bromwich again links took off linking town and other towns no replaced My list of terrible bus changes in Smethwick is endless not encouraging people out of cars at all just adding to the problem and yet this reviewer claims TfWM has improved total tosh We have to live with these changes daily TfWM and NX dont care about passengers at all all they do it sit lazily around making changes and ignoring the rights of passengers They think they are right even when they arent and have messed up and wont admit it

I want to remind the one reviewer

I want to remind the one reviewer TfWM is about the overall transport network They are obsessed with cycling and walking from a lobby of middle class middle aged guys in lycra and completely ignore the fact that many residents are disabled and elderly in the West Midlands The transport network should be build for convenience for the most vulnerable first and then everybody follows How TfWM works is to serve lobbyists and small group of guys who want to cycle They are free to cycle and do what they want however they shouldnt be pushing and forcing their agenda on others many of who are more vulnerable and their only means of transport is local buses by them to get to places We should be able to get around West Midlands by any means not forcing people to walk to their train and Metro ststions many of whom its impractical to walk or cycle ages We should be thinking of all our residents and making it convenient to go by bus If people dont want to bus it or drive or taxis and want to walk or cycle its up to them but these things shouldnt be forced Lots of cycle lanes were built be me and hardly anybody is using People are still driving and forcing walking and cycling on residents who cannot and have no other means of transport is plain wrong

Sorry Joe one reviewer is in the wrong

Sorry Joe one reviewer is in the wrong here TfWM run 21 service by taxpayers money Both TfWM and NX took off 55 in Smethwick leaving us with only one 30mins bus The 55 was changed to 54a and put down Thimblemill Rd meaning we have one 30mins bus Thimblemill Rd has 5 services now why Compleyely baffling considering many by me shop in Bearwood and Oldbury The 21 bus was routed to go down road already covered by 12 12a 13 48 48a all a short walk from 21 stops Yet us in our part of Smethwick has to walk 15-20mins grossly unfair a struggle to switch bus and cut off disabled and elderly by us from Bearwood and Oldbury TfWM then advised people stupidly to go via West Brom to get to Bearwood and Oldbury adding time and ignoring links to 48 12 and 87 and actually just giving direct hourly bus in 21 which could easily cover our roads and not inconvenience anyone This is NOT run by 21 Joe is talking nonsense TfWM and NX are both obsessed by sending people in Smethwick to West Brom but in doing so has added 15-20mins to Smethwickians travelling to Oldbury and Bearwood to do local shopping cut the elderly and disabled off and clearly hste the area providing a poor set of linked services with bad connections By avoiding Smethwick High St they hsve cut people off from Bearwood and vica versa Cut Langley off from Smethwick Cut people off Bearwood Rd to Bearwood cut people off from Hawthorns and vica versa and meant my section is reduced to a rump service Its clear they want to cut Smethwick off from its local centres and force the disabled and elderly to struggle to local shops Metro trains and force vulnerable to walk and struggle more

Now TfWM they took 55 bus off us the

Now TfWM they took 55 bus off us the only other bus that serves our area in Smethwick and gave to it other areas that dont need it We now have just one 30mins bus big walks up and down hill to alternatives and no Bearwood and Oldbury buses for local shopping Yet me as a disabled person with an elderly mom are getting a car due to the situation so we can get to places They put a 21 bus hourly down roads to Bearwood and Oldbury that already have those services run by NX yet completely ignore our section of Smethwick with lack of service They want to discourage cars yet decimate areas of services forcing people in cars They like NX fob you off with rubbish excuses and do what they want regardless of the locals Hope they go under completely corrupt lying organisation

If I could give 0 stars I would

If I could give 0 stars I would I have a monthly Ntrain photocard pass Since I ve been using it it won t let me through the barriers at new street station so I have to wait for one of their miserable staff to open the barrier for me which sometimes can be up to 10 minutes I m fed up with having to make contact with depressing and miserable staff on my way to work and back If I do manage I to get a staff member who has customer service experience they say by a swift card No one has an answer for me I will have no other choice but use swift as I have heard good reviews about them The reason I haven t changed my travel card is because I need to know why and that s the big question WHY Nobody has an answer not only that there is plenty of complaints about this online My advice is don t sell the photocard if you can t use the barriers as it s causing unnecessary hassle just for money and it shows that they really don t put customers first and they re training is 0 as not one person has an answer to a simple question WHY

Bham buses are stuck in the 90s

Buses are actually terrible You wouldn t guess that Bham the 2nd largest city in the UK is literally decades behind London in terms of transport If a bus is late in London the timer will simply update It s 2024 they have live tracking of buses If a bus runs late in Bham or doesn t even turn up you gotta wait for the next The timers are basically arbitrary because they run on a timed schedule People need to be fired because this level of incompetence in running the buses is disgusting

West Midlands Network has improved vastly

A Network West Midlands doesn t exist - It s West Midlands Network wmnetwork co uk and it s actually a partnership of Transport for West Midlands TfWM and bus train tram and cycle operators B Both of the other reviews for NX and West Midlands Travel are actually for National Express West Midlands so a completely different company on TrustPilot which is privately owned and one of the bus operators mentioned above C West Midlands Network TfWM have been really good recently - They re introducing cycle hire creating tram and Sprint routes creating a new website introducing Swift Go along with various other things