TWO Coventry door-to-door services will be merging to give passengers access to more vehicles, longer operation hours and lower fares.
West Midlands Bus on Demand and Ring and Ride will be trialling the merger in a bid to reduce costs following a slow recovery after the pandemic.
It will create Britain’s largest on-demand or ‘demand-responsive transport’ (DRT) service.
The Ring and Ride door-to-door service is available to those who are unable or struggle to use regular public transport due to mobility issues or social isolation, but it is currently only carrying around a quarter of its pre-Covid passenger numbers.
The West Midlands Bus On-Demand was introduced to the city last year and is an Uber-style shared bus service.
Both services are under contract from Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and are dealing with issues such as rising fuel costs, driver shortages, and reduced passenger numbers.
As a result, both would be facing an uncertain long-term future if they continued to operate on their own.
The merger will be run next year and benefits will include half-price concession fares for those under 19.
Ring and Ride customers will also be able to travel to villages surrounding Coventry and they will have greater flexibility over bookings.
Pete Bond, TfWM director of integrated transport services said: “Like the wider bus industry these services are facing a difficult future following the double-whammy of lower demand after the Covid pandemic and rising costs of operation.
“But we know the Ring and Ride service in particular offers a valued social lifeline for its customers, who are mostly older or disabled people.
“Passengers of both services will, through the trial, share rides under the West Midlands On Demand banner and now have the opportunity to travel further and at different times of the day.”
