The 27 bus route between Dudley and Wolverhampton recorded just one incident between July 1 and December 31 last year, according to West Midlands Police statistics, making it one of the 'safest' routes in the region.
By contrast, the 74 bus running between Birmingham and Dudley was the most 'dangerous' on the list, with 62 incidents reported over the same period.
The 27 is a smaller single-decker operated by Diamond, running between Dudley and Wolverhampton via Lower Gornal, Sedgley and Blakenhall.
A quiet ride through the Black Country
At a bus stop in Dudley town centre, a woman shows off a pristine brown hat she has just bought for her husband, hoping he will like it. Pensioners wait anxiously, worried they will miss their next bus as other services speed past.
A younger man in a Stone Island jacket, phone pressed to his ear, tries to flag down a bus to Stourbridge, but the vehicle whizzes by. "I'll have to get the next one," he mutters in frustration.
With no live schedule screen at the stop, passengers rely on Google Maps for an ETA. After a short while, a little blue bus appears down the road, running a couple of minutes late.
Community lifeline on wheels
The pensioners spring up as if their lives depended on it, adamant not to miss their bus. After quickly filing on board, the journey heads up through Dudley before taking a sharp left down a winding, hilly route towards Lower Gornal.
The narrow residential streets leave little room, with the bus barely squeezing by in places. Every so often, a break between houses opens up a sweeping view of the Shropshire countryside and Clent Hills in the distance.
Next to the reporter, a man takes sips from a can of lager—it is not yet midday. At Lower Gornal's small bus depot, an elderly woman hurries to the front, realising she is on the wrong service.
Character and frustration on the route
An elderly man wearing an Adidas tracksuit top and holding crutches boards the bus. As the bus heads up The Straits, he comments on the squeaky brakes, shouting towards the front: "Is that yow mekin' that noise, driver?" The driver laughs, and the man begins mimicking the noise with a high-pitched sound.
His short hop ends in Sedgley town centre, but his jovial manner turns to frustration. Struggling to walk, he crosses the busy high street, but a car does not give way to him. He remonstrates with the driver, then steps in front of the car behind, which was reluctant to slow down, angrily waving both crutches in the air. Although he had no legal right of way, his frustration is understandable.
A slower, safer alternative
After getting stuck in roadworks along Gospel End, the bus leaves Sedgley and enters Wolverhampton's boundary, heading into Blakenhall. The 27 takes a diversion from its usual route along Upper Villiers Street, which has been closed since January due to a factory fire, and instead travels along Dudley Road, where the terrain flattens out.
By now, only three passengers remain onboard, the vast majority having gotten off in Sedgley. Finally, 63 minutes after boarding, the bus pulls into Wolverhampton bus station.
Having ridden the full length of the route, it is easy to see why the 27 ranks among the 'safest'—or quietest—services in the region. The bus mainly catered for elderly passengers popping out for shopping, and it felt more like a community lifeline than a hectic commuter route.
Given the rising cost of fuel, it was not a bad way to travel at all—cheap, cheerful and with stunning views of the countryside thrown in.
