The original Worcester City local bus network was first introduced on Friday 1st June 1928, and had continuously evolved with a succession of relatively minor changes and additional routes until the mid-1970s. However, with falling passenger numbers and the need to modernise to one-man operation, at almost 50-years old the network was no longer fit for purpose.
To address these issues, Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) introduced “New Improved Bus Services” in Worcester City on Saturday 14th February 1976. This also saw the introduction of modern one-man operated Leyland National single-deck buses on all city routes, replacing the BMMO-built single-deck and Daimler Fleetline double-deck buses that had previously been used. The “W”-prefix route number were once again used, but this time they were in the ranges W32–W37 and W53–W57, with only the relatively new Service W37 surviving unchanged from the previous network.
Although it was not advertised as such, these changes effectively saw the entire Worcester City local network, except for Service W37, withdrawn and replaced by a brand new network. All but three routes in the new network offered “Cross City facilities” linking either Warndon or Ronkswood to Dines Green, Lower Wick or Monarch Drive.
See Service W1 for a list of routes operated as part of the original 1928 Worcester local bus network.
Introduced by Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) as part of a revision to Worcester City local services on Saturday 14th February 1976, new Service W54 was part of a group of five routes to offer “New ‘Cross City’ facilities will link Bilford and Warndon with Lower Wick and Monarch Drive via Angel Place.”
Service W53 and Service W54 ran once a hour each during between 07:14 and 17:44, Monday to Saturday, to give a 30-minute frequency to Lower Wick, inter-worked with Service W55 running every 30-minutes to Monarch Drive to give a 15-minute frequency over the Bilford Road, Warndon and Tolladine Road loop. In the evenings the Lower Wick buses did not run, leaving Service W55 and Service W56 each running every hour.
1 Outbound via Bromwich Road, inbound via Malvern Road.
2 Outbound via Malvern Road, inbound via Bromwich Road.
3 During the daytime, Service W56 ran only between Worcester City Centre (Angel Place) and Rushwick.
4 See Services W32, W33 and W34 for buses between Worcester City Centre (Angel Place) and Dines Green on other days.