First Bus has launched its ‘Salt Road’ route; this will take over the previously titled 144 service, which travels between Worcester, Droitwich, Bromsgrove and Birmingham.
The Wright Eclipse Urban-bodied Volvo B7RLEs have been refurbished and rebranded, with the buses being liveried with ‘Salt Road’ themed imagery.
Additional enhancements to the buses include: next stop announcements for upcoming bus stops, USB charging points fitted to seats, new moquette fabric seating and new bright white text destination blinds to improve visibility of the direction of travel.
The route will travel at a 15 minute frequency between Worcester, Droitwich and Bromsgrove and every 30 minutes to Birmingham. It will cost £7 for a day ticket (£6.50 on mTickets) or £15 for a group ticket, which accounts for four people across the whole route.
To launch the service there has been four events staged in Birmingham, Droitwich, Worcester and Bromsgrove.
A First Bus spokesperson said: “The new brand has been really well received by everyone and we have received some excellent comments not only on the brand but the interior improvements.”
The event featured attractions such as the two Worcester drivers, Ashley Parker and Simon Ward, who were donned in Roman Gladiator costumes. Each event location also had freebies such as: ‘Salt Road’ fudge bars, commemorative pens, refreshments and the history of the Salt Road.
Churchfield’s who produce the salt have been joining First Bus at the events and brought along an ice cream pod and other products.
The Droitwich event also saw local dignitaries attend including the Mayor, Town and County Councillors along with Giles Fearnley, Managing Director of First UK Bus and local Managing Director Nigel Eggleton.
