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Service X44: Service History

Service X44 (1962–1974)

Operated by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited

The M5 motorway open on Friday 20^th July 1962, and on the same day Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) started operation of new “Motorway Express” Service X44 running an hourly service between Birmingham, Selly Oak and Worcester.

Previously bus links between the two cities had been provided by Service 144 with a typical journey time of 93 minutes, or Service X72 and Service X73 with a journey time of 80 minutes. By running via the newly opened motorway, Service X44 was able to reduce these times to 50 minues, which was faster than the railways at the time.

Service X44 was strictly Limited Stop with journeys from Birmingham to Worcester only picking up in Birmingham City Centre (Dudley Street), or Selly Oak (Oak Tree Lane), with the only drop-off point being Newport Street Bus Station in Worcester. Likewise, journeys towards Birmingham would only pick up at Newport Street Bus Station and drop-off at Oak Tree Lane or Dudley Street.

A variation of Service X44 was introduced as Service X43, which ran via Bearwood (Kings Head) between Birmingham City Centre and the motorway, and at the same time an additional stopping point at Northfield (Bell Inn) was introduced on Service X44. With the opening of the new Bull Ring Bus Station in Birmingham, Service X44 was re-routed to terminate there, and departed from Stand 9. Both Service X43 and Service X44 ran every two hours, interworked to maintain an hourly service between Birmingham and Worcester.

Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) renamed to Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) on Friday 29^th March 1974.

Route Summary

¹  Service X44 departed from Dudley Street in Birmingham until c. 1966, then moved to the new Bull Ring Bus Station, Stand 9.
²  Service X44 was Limited Stop, and did not pick up or set down in Northfield intil c. 1966.
³  Service X44 was Limited Stop, and did not pick up or set down at Red Hill.

Service X44 (1974–1979)

Operated by Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited

On Saturday 13^th January 1979, Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) introduced their “Servernlink” MAP scheme in the Worcester, Bromsgrove and Malvern areas. At this time, the Sundays journeys of Service X43 and Service X44 were withdrawn and replaced with Service M43 and Service M44, which ran over the same Limited Stop route between Birmingham and Worcester but then continued past Worcester, calling at all stops, to Malvern Link, Pound Bank, Barnards Green to Great Malvern. Service M43 then ran via Wyche Cutting and Service M44 via Malvern Wells to British Camp.

Further changes to the “Servernlink” network came on Saturday 26^th May 1979, when weekday and Saturday journeys of Service X43 and Service X44 were also withdrawn and replaced by Service M43 and Service M44 to The Malverns. Unlike Sunday journeys, these only ran as far as Great Malvern.

Service X44 (1980–1981)

Operated by Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited

Use of Route Numbers M43 and M44 for the “Motorway Express” Service between Birmingham, Worcester and The Malverns was short-lived, and in August 1980[Exact Date Needed] the routes were renumbered back to their original Service X43 for journeys via Bearwood, and Service X44 for journeys via Selly Oak and Northfield.

However, unlike the original routes that had used these numbers from the 1960s, from this time the routes mostly used M5 junction 6 at the Worcester end and ran via the Warndon Housing Estate on the north side of the City, although a few peak-time journeys still ran via the original London Road route and used junction 7 to access the M5.

Most journeys also continued to The Malverns, running via Malvern Link, Pound Bank and Barnards Green to Great Malvern. Certain journeys continued to Malvern Wells, but unlike Service 144 that they had replaced they did not terminate at Upper Welland Turn, but ran via Haley Road and terminated at the junction of Rothwell Road. On Sundays only, buses terminated at British Camp, with Service X43 running via Wyche Cutting and Service X44 running via Malvern Wells to operate in a loop in alternating directions.

Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) ceased trading as a bus and coach operator at the end of services on Saturday 5^th September 1981. At this time, Service X43 and Service X44 passed to the newly formed Midland Red (West) Limited.

Route Summary

¹  Off-peak journeys run via Warndon (Glovers Needle).
²  Monday to Saturday, certain journeys continue past Great Malvern to Malvern Wells (Rothwell Road).
³  On Sundays only, journeys continue to British Camp.

Service X44 (1981–1986)

Operated by Midland Red (West) Limited

Midland Red (West) Limited started trading on Sunday 6^th September 1981, operating bus and coach services in Worcestershire, inherited from Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) which had ceased trading at the end of operations on the previous day.

Initially the route and timetable for Motorway Express Service X43 and Service X44 was unchanged from that operated by MROC, but six months after the new company started trading, on Saturday 20^th March 1982, both services were rerouted to run via Droitwich Spa and join the M5 motorway at junction 5, and not via London Road and junction 7. Certain journeys continued to run over the previous route via London Road, and these were renumbered as new Service X41 for journeys via Bearwood and new Service X42 for journeys via Selly Oak and Northfield.

In preparation to deregulation, Midland Red (West) Limited introduced a new timetable for the Birmingham to Worcester Motorway Express services on Saturday 30^th August 1986, which saw the Worcester to The Malverns section of these routes withdrawn Monday to Saturday. The Worcester to Great Malvern and British Camp continued to be served by Service X43 and Service X44 on Sundays only.

Service X44 (1986–1992)

Operated by Midland Red West Limited

On Monday 22^nd December 1986, shortly after deregulation day, Midland Red (West) Limited was privatised and merged with Midland Red Coaches Limited to form Midland Red West Limited. Reductions to the Motorway Express services had started shortly before deregulation, and the trend continued with the gradual decline in journey numbers throughout the late 1980s.

A new timetable from Saturday 31^st October 1987 saw all Service X43 and Service X44 journeys withdrawn on Sundays, for the duration of the Winter Season. Sunday operation returned for the 1988 Summer Season from Easter Sunday.

By 1989, the Birmingham and Worcester “Motorway Express” timetable had been reduced with Service X41 and Service X42 withdrawn and only six return journeys during week days and Saturdays with Service X43 and Service X44. The Sunday journeys to British Camp were still operated during the Summer Season, but these were now partly funded with subsidies from Hereford and Worcester County Council, and only four return journeys were offered.

“Motorway Express” Service X43 and Service X44 were finally withdrawn by Midland Red West Limited on Saturday 29^th August 1992, due to falling passenger numbers and major traffic disruptions being caused with the widening of the M5 from two to three lanes.

Service X44 (2017–2018)

Operated by First Midland Red Buses Limited

From Sunday 15^th October 2017, First Midland Red Buses Limited reused route number X44 for a new service between County Hall, Worcester City Centre and Great Malvern. This new service ran direct along Bromwich Road between Worcester City Centre and Lower Wick, then over the same route as existing Service 44 to Great Malvern, but omitted Malvern Retail park.

From the same date new Service X43 was also introduced, running over the same route as Service X44 between Worcester and Malvern Link, but then running via Malvern Vale to Great Malvern. While new Service X43 ran every 30-minutes on 6-days a week, Service X44 ran only a small number of peak-time journeys on Mondays to Fridays.

The service operated for just eleven months, being withdrawn after the end of operations on Saturday 15^th September 2018, as part a wider range of cuts.

Route Summary