THOUSANDS of Rowley Regis and Cradley Heath residents can now take a bus direct to the Merry Hill Centre.

Travel West Midlands have followed the Diamond Bus Company’s lead and are extending the 404 service to the giant shopping centre.

Instead of getting two buses families can get from Blackheath to Merry Hill within 20 minutes and from Cradley Heath to Merry Hill within ten minutes.

Leader of Sandwell Council Cllr Bill Thomas is delighted with the bus extension.

He said: “This is great news for the area and I am delighted that Travel West Midlands has announced the extension starting from October 25.

“Diamond has been running the extended service for a while and it shows that competition between the two firms is good for their passengers.”

He added: “Four years ago we managed to get an extension into Cradley Heath and it has been a commercial success and this is an extension of that which is great.

Kevin Belfield, Director of National Express West Midlands, confirmed the extension: He said: “From October 25 the 404 service will run every half hour on a Sunday, providing a direct link to Merry Hill for people travelling from West Bromwich, Black Heath and Cradley Heath.

“This is part of a series of improvements we've made to Black country bus services to encourage more people to explore the region by public transport."

He added: “So far this year we have invested £7 million in new vehicles for the 404 and 99 bus services, to provide passengers with low floor, easy access buses with CCTV for increased safety.

"We have also distributed over 100,000 free Daysavers along these routes to allow people to experience the improved service and reduce car congestion in the region."