Ring and Ride buses to ferry NHS staff to hospitals
Ring and Ride minibuses are to be redeployed as free shuttle buses for NHS hospital staff.
The majority of regular elderly and vulnerable Ring and Ride users are now on a strict 12-week lockdown following the coronavirus outbreak meaning the transport had been left unused.
Now the buses will be used to ferry NHS staff from car parks and transport hubs to the region’s hospitals to help in the battle against Covid-19.
Many more staff are choosing to drive to work to both reduce the risk of infection and because bus, tram and rail services have been scaled back as demand has fallen.
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Staffing at many hospitals has also increased with retired doctors and nurses as well as other healthcare professionals returning to work to help out during the pandemic meaning hospital car parks are full.
The buses are operated by National Express Accessible Transport under contract from Transport for West Midlands (TfWM).
TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority, also said it was looking to operate a staff shuttle service to the new Nightingale Hospital being built at Birmingham's NEC.
Each minibus will carry a maximum of two passengers to ensure social distancing is maintained, transport bosses said.
Busy locations will have six minibuses on a continuous circuit between the hospital and designated car park.
The Ring and Ride service was saved from collapse last year by National Express and TfWM.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “Our NHS workers are on the frontline in these incredibly challenging and difficult times, and we should be doing all we can to support them.
“Not only has Transport for West Midlands been able to keep the public transport system running so NHS staff and other key workers can continue to get to work, but now we are re-deploying Ring and Ride services to provide a further mode of transport for NHS workers and hospital staff."
