The Green Bus

The Green Bus[1] is a bus company based in Birmingham operating services in the West Midlands.

Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Trident 2 on route 50 in Birmingham in February 2013

The Green Bus
Northern Counties Palatine 2 bodied Volvo Olympian in November 2008
ParentIan Mack
Founded2005
HeadquartersBirmingham
Service areaWest Midlands
Warwickshire
Worcestershire
Service typeBus services
Fleet53 (September 2020)
Websitewww.thegreenbus.co.uk

The origins of Green Bus can be traced to 2001 when King Edward VI Five Ways School, Birmingham commenced operating a bus service to transport its students. In September 2005, it became a separate company.[2] It soon began operating services serving other schools within the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI. By 2013 it was operating 55 school bus services in Berkshire, Merseyside, Surrey, the West Midlands and Worcestershire.[3]

In August 2010 it began operating services during Aston Villa and Birmingham football clubs' home matches. In September 2011 The Green Bus commenced operating commercial passenger services.

The Green Bus won the "Innovation of the Year" prize at the 2010 Route One Operator Excellence Awards in recognition of its iPhone application which allows users to track the real-time location of their bus.[4]

Note: should not be confused with Warstones Motors t/a Green Bus Service, the Great Wyrley based bus company which had its licence revoked in 2009 or Green Bus of Rugeley which was acquired by Midland Red in 1974.

Services

The Green Bus operated routes 50 and 50A from Birmingham to Maypole and Redditch until December 2014.[5] It operates services to Birmingham and West Bromwich Albion football clubs during home matches.[6]

The Green Bus commenced operation of route 22 on 3 March 2014, which served Birmingham Town Hall, Harborne, Bartley Green, Halesowen, Colley Gate and Merry Hill, which ended in the summer of the same year.

As of the 2020-21 academic year, The Green Bus operates 33 school services to 10 schools in the West Midlands, with one return journey on each route per day.[7]

The Green Bus also operate one normal service route. Since August 2020 The Green Bus have been operating route 242 from intu Merry Hill to Kinver via Stourbridge. This was cut back to run between only Stourbridge and Kinver from September 2020. During August 2020 The Green Bus also operated a 582 shopper service from Wolverhampton to Kidderminster on Saturday's.[8]

Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL 395 on route 242 from intu Merry Hill to Kinver in July 2020.
Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Trident 2 117 seen in Kidderminster during a publicity shoot for route 582.

Fleet

As of September 2020, the fleet consisted of 53 buses:

17 Dennis Trident 2s (Alexander ALX400 & Plaxton President bodied examples). However, 101 (PO51 WNF) and 121 (V21 TGB) are reported as withdrawn.

32 Volvo B7TLs (Plaxton President & Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied examples). However, V423 MOA is used for spares, 395 (V95 MOA) is reported as withdrawn and 409-415 are reported to have not arrived from Lothian Buses yet but are due shortly.

3 Northern Counties Palatine 1 & 2 bodied Volvo Olympians.

The Green Bus are also reported to own ex Midland Red Leyland National HHA 101L which is preserved by the company.

References
  1. Companies House extract company no 5456298 The Green Transport Company Limited
  2. Company History The Green Bus
  3. Schools & Services The Green Bus
  4. "Birmingham based Green Bus Company wins innovation award". Birmingham Mail. 22 March 2011.
  5. Local Bus Services The Green Bus
  6. Football Bus Services The Green Bus
  7. "Bus services". The Green Bus. The Green Bus. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  8. "Bus services". The Green Bus. The Green Bus. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
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