The long-awaited, and much overdue, West Midlands bus service, aimed at speeding up services and better connecting Walsall, Birmingham and Solihull, has taken a major step forward. The purchase of 24 tram-like electric buses for the Sprint project has now been approved.
The idea of one continuous bus priority route, along the A34 and A45, was first proposed in 2018, with hopes it could be launched before the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The unexpected impact of a pandemic and rising costs had other ideas, but the long-term aim of Sprint continues.
We’ve already seen some extended bus lanes, enhanced bus shelters, and bus priority signalling at busy junctions throughout the region, but there’s still all of the work to do. Councillors on the Investment Board signed off on the new Sprint fleet to finally see some progress on the project.
A total of £26 million will be spent on the new fleet and charging infrastructure, while an additional £5.5 million will be spent on new ticketing equipment. The electric buses, with their multiple, tram-like doors, hope to further speed up boarding, reduce waiting time at stops and improve journey times.
“These modern, tram-style buses will make the most of our dedicated Sprint lanes and priority junctions,” said West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker. “It won’t be just a new service, it will be the region’s first continuous cross-city route in decades, cutting journey times between Walsall, Birmingham, and Solihull.”
But Sprint isn’t all about the buses. Sprint bus shelters hope to improve safety and experience with “comfortable seating, real-time information, CCTV and a larger waiting area.” When the route is complete, the aim is for passengers to be able to easily switch between bus services, metro and rail.
The installation of new bus lanes and further bus priority measures, Sprint bus shelters and highway improvements continues in Birmingham and Solihull, with major works having started in September 2024, while main construction work is expected to start in early 2026 in Walsall.