This is ECHO’s understanding of the imminent changes to bus services in the area but if anyone knows different please let us know. These changes affect both National Express Coventry (NX) and Stagecoach services.
The Albany Road/Earlsdon Street route is currently served by a combined service 2 / service 51 half-hourly service on weekdays and Saturdays:
• 2 (NX) – hourly (6.57, 8.20, 9.02 etc. from Pool Meadow)
• 51 (Stagecoach) – hourly (6.27, 7.31, 8.31 etc. from Pool Meadow)
and on Sundays:
• 2 (NX) – hourly (9.05 – 19.05) but there is no 51 (Stagecoach) service
The timetables which have been published online by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and NX say that from 5 November:
The 2/2A (NX) runs via Spon End, Hearsall Lane etc. on weekdays, but there is no evening service:
• 2 (NX) – hourly (6.27, 8.57, 9.57 etc from PM) but no service after 13.57.
• 2A (NX) – hourly (5.57, 6.57, 7.57 then no service until 14.57, 16.12, 17.12, 18.12)
51 (Stagecoach) – hourly on weekdays + Saturdays: (6.27 – 20.31 from PM)
51 (NX) – hourly on Sundays only (6.35- 18.35 from PM)
The upshot is that on face-value the centre of Earlsdon (on the Albany Road/Earlsdon Street route) currently has a weekday half-hourly service (2/51) and will now have an hourly one (51 only).
It is hard to see how this ties in with the Liveable Neighbourhood plan to reduce car usage in central Earlsdon.
We hope that there will be a 2B service and the timetable has simply not been loaded to the websites yet. Unless that is the case then the statement two weeks ago by Ed Rickard, Network Director for National Express, who said: “The 2 and 2A timetable will change and buses will no longer serve Earlsdon. During peak daytime hours the route will extend from Tile Hill to Westwood Business Park and during off-peak daytime hours it will extend to Cannon Hill Shops. The 2B service will continue to serve Earlsdon.” seems to be not accurate.
It seems inconceivable that this can have changed so completely in two weeks since that announcement, but equally since there is no 2B service currently the statement was never clear in the first place, and at best should have said that a 2B service will be introduced to serve Earlsdon as a partial continuation of the existing 2 service.
ECHO has asked for support from some local councillors (Earlsdon, Whoberley and Sherbourne wards) to see if any of them are aware of any more details or have a view on these changes. They have acknowledged the issue and are looking into it, but time is running short.
Please let ECHO have your comments both before and after the changes are introduced.