ECHO previously reported, based on information on the Transport for West Midlands website, that from 5 January, NX Coventry service 2, Stagecoach Solihull to Balsall Common service 88 and Landflight Solihull to Knowle bus A3 will all be withdrawn and a new hourly Stagecoach service 188, Coventry to Solihull will be introduced.

This route was planned to serve areas around Solihull, Knowle, Balsall Common, Berkswell, Tile Hill and on into Pool Meadow and the main impact for the ECHO area is that between the Village Hotel and Pool Meadow it would cover the same route as Stagecoach route 51 through Earlsdon into the City. There would be various implications, including the reinstatement of 2 buses per hour in Earlsdon Street and Albany Road but the NX Sunday-only service 51 from Pool Meadow to Westbury Road via Earlsdon would be discontinued owing to low usage.

Now, just three days away from the proposed introduction of the new 188 service, its intended route and timetable are mired in confusion.

The timetable has been taken off the TfWM website and contradictory information has come from Stagecoach. It seems that the route into and around Coventry City centre has not been confirmed and it is uncertain whether it will run through Earlsdon as originally stated or go via Hearsall Common and Spon End, the route of the withdrawn NX no. 2 service. What does seem likely is that the route will not go into Pool Meadow and will instead terminate/restart in Hales Street outside the Motor Museum, as posted by a follower in response to our original post..

There is little time now to get confirmed information into the public domain and update all the information at stops along the route before Sunday’s implementation.