West Midlands Bus On Demand and Ring & Ride, two door-to-door bus services currently on offer in Coventry, are to be merged to give users access to more vehicles, longer hours of operation, wider coverage and lower fares for many. 

The trial merger of West Midlands Bus On Demand and Ring & Ride, although taken in a bid reduce costs following a slow post-Covid recovery, would create the UK’s largest demand responsive transport (DRT) service.

The services, which are both run by private operators under contract from Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), are dealing with rising fuel costs, driver shortages, and reduced passenger numbers and could face an uncertain future long term if they continued to operate individually

The trial merger, to be run during 2023, will see the introduction of a new charging structure based on distance travelled, with half-price concession fares available for those 18 and under, elderly users and customers with disabilities. Under the proposed fare structure existing Ring & Ride passengers will pay just £1 for a journey under three miles.

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 & 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. Other than that, the service will be broadly similar to the one currently enjoyed.”