A shortage of drivers has caused a noticeable drop in the usage of the Ring and Ride service across the West Midlands. Data presented to the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee revealed that between July and September 2025, 54,498 journeys were completed—a 2.63% decline from the 55,971 trips recorded during the same period in 2024.
Several changes were introduced to the service starting December 1, 2025. The Ring and Ride service and Coventry’s On Demand system have been merged under a new operation called West Midlands Bus On Demand, designed to simplify travel across the region.
Demand responsive transport services in Birmingham, Solihull, and Coventry are now operated by Via, while the Black Country Ring and Ride contract has been awarded to HATS.
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Claire Williams, Director of Network Resilience at Transport for West Midlands, explained that the slight drop in usage is mainly due to reduced performance in the second quarter of 2025/26, caused by driver shortages, reduced reliability, and increased traffic congestion. Despite these challenges, passenger satisfaction remained relatively stable thanks to the pre-booked nature of the service.
Williams added that from December 1, two new operators were introduced with initially limited capacity, which is expected to grow as they settle in. The revamped service will feature new fully accessible vehicles, a fresh branding initiative, service enhancements aimed at boosting efficiency, and ultimately, growing ridership.
Councillor Carol Hyatt echoed the concerns about driver shortages and noted that demand continues to exceed supply for the service.
Separate statistics showed a 3.27% decline in cycle hire journeys, dropping from 40,162 in July to September 2024 to 38,849 during the same months in 2025. On a brighter note, escooter usage increased significantly by 18.66%, rising from 58,681 to 69,629 journeys in that period.
The committee also heard that improvements had been made to parking facilities for bikes and scooters. Additionally, the combined ebike and escooter scheme is currently being re-procured and is expected to relaunch in April.