By partnering with National Express West Midlands, Birmingham City has taken a big step towards mitigating traffic surrounding St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park on match days. The Blues have declared that on the remaining game days of this season, NX West Midlands will operate shuttle buses from the city centre to St Andrew’s and back. Up to 700 fans will be able to go to the stadium and have their cars removed from the road thanks to this free service.
The buses will run on a looped route between the NS5 bus stop on Smallbrook Queensway and St Andrew’s Road close to the ground, up to once every fifteen minutes. Prior to Saturday’s match against Peterborough United, the aptly titled “1875” bus will begin running at 12:30 p.m. The final bus back into the city centre is expected to depart at approximately 6:30 p.m.
In 2024, there has been an upsurge in traffic surrounding St Andrew’s Stadium as more and more games sell out. On Saturdays, there are instances where fans are unable to reach the pitch in time for kickoff, and traffic jams can last for hours beyond the final whistle.
Chief commercial and operations officer of Birmingham City, Jonty Castle, stated: “This new initiative is part of our ongoing transport strategy to help improve the matchday experience for fans.” In addition to making it simpler for our fans to travel to the stadium and take advantage of the pre- and post-match entertainment, providing a free, dedicated shuttle bus service will also help with matchday traffic reduction and stadium parking. “National Express West Midlands is a fantastic collaborator with extensive background providing a comparable service in Birmingham. The 1875 dropping off supporters at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park is something we are very excited about.