As of the 5th September 2016, the Taxibus service was replaced by a new bus service (Number 89) provided by IGOBuses. This is a scheduled bus service operating Monday to Friday from Solihull Town Centre (including Solihull Hospital) to Coventry via Berkswell and Heart of England School. It operates three times daily. It has the facility to roam up to three miles in Meriden and Balsall Common areas to serve various locations. Passengers in these two areas call to request a service. Passengers in non-roaming zones (including Hampton-in-Arden and Catherine-de-Barnes) can catch the service at normal bus stops, hailing buses in the usual manner.
Your Parish Council have met with Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM, the new Centro) to express our dissatisfaction over the loss of the Taxibus service and the fact that the new service does little to provide an adequate service to those who have mobility concerns in the way that Taxibus did. In the light of there now being no Taxibus service we have asked TfWM to review the area of operation of the Ring and Ride service (which is currently unavailable to Parish residents) in order that residents in those villages can qualify for this service. A further meeting has been arranged in early November.
An online petition has been organised by Dame Caroline Spelman on her website for the retention of Taxibus (www.carolinespelman.com/taxibus-petition-0). We urge all residents to sign this petition.
In the meantime, we would like to hear from those who used the old taxibus service. We would like you to give us details as to your regular journeys, frequency and pick up point. Please call / e mail the Parish Office asap with this information.
For more information about the Number 89 bus service (including timetables and fares) please visit the following website: www.igobuses.co.89/index.html