Diamond 25/25A ...
Possibly!
We have so far gleaned that Diamond runs route 25 from Dudley to Stourbridge ...
... and route 25A from Dudley via Stourbridge to Kidderminster are part of the same tinetable..
Between Dudley and Stourbridge, the routes are identical.
Now the PTE map is dated ...
... three years ago. It shows a service 25 as below from Dudley to Merry Hell ...
See The 125 Arrive!
But proceeding south west we see no 25A, but a suspicious 125 on its way to Kidderminster.
Information then evaporates as we move from West Midlands County over the border into Shropshire. Surely, all we have to do, to continue our exploration, is to peruse Shropshire's County bus network map?
There isn't one!
This is an extract from the only cartography (?) available.
And there is the 125 from Stourbridge to Kidderminster, Bewdley and Bridgnorth.
That sounds like an old Midland Red route number ...
... an idea supported by the above picture of a D9 en route to Birmingham via Dudley.
But the Midland Red enthusiast site ...
... knows nothing of a route 125!
Pursuing this identity crisis proved too much for fbb in the hot weather - the task was well above the old bloke's pay grade!
Pursuing this identity crisis proved too much for fbb in the hot weather - the task was well above the old bloke's pay grade!
But he did pick up a 125 operated by Whittle Bus, running from Stourbridge ...
... via Kidderminster to Bridgnorth.
The route took Whittles from Kidderminster and Bewdley ...
... and then the "back way" via Hagley to Bridgnorth.
In 2004, with an uncharacteristic rush of blood to the corporate head, Whittles was bought by East Yorkshire. The venture into furrin' parts ended in 2015 when the Whittles business finally closed.
Central Buses quickly registered the 125 ...
... and produced some attractive publicity.
The route came under attack from a competitive route 25, operated by a certain Diamond Bus Company!
Central sold out to Diamond who cancelled their 25 in favour of the traditional 125 ...
... which is the situation on the 2023 PTE map above.
This From February 2025
Diamond Buses have announced they are ending the 125 Stourbridge - Kidderminster - Highley - Bridgnorth service from 31st March. I have written to Diamond Buses and Shropshire Council (who also want to save the service) to urge keeping the 125 route.
This is the only service linking Stourbridge with its sister town Kidderminster, and one of the only routes serving residents in Norton.
Shropshire Council is exploring subsidising the service in the short term using Government funding to improve bus services. Diamond Buses say the route isn't viable but services should be run for the public where they are needed and rural areas are generally poorly served.
The Wyre Forest and South Shropshire MPs have also signed my letter ahead of the service going out to tender at the end of this month.
And the 125 did survive ...
The computer is too half-witted to show the two as one combined timetable!
But from 26th inst, National Express has won the contract for the 25/25A which it has sensibly numbered 25 throughout.
There is no county-wide route numbering scheme in the West Midlands but it is just about possible to find the new 25.
And, joy of joys, we can see an easy to read, no scrolling, easy to print-out PDF.
Blissful simplicity.
All we need now is an up-to-date Sandwell and Dudley PTE network map!
Next Variety blog : Saturday 18 July
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