Transport Museum Wythall - Birmingham City Transport Exhibition Now Open

Published: 05/04/2022

A new exhibition tracing the history of Birmingham City Transport across the decades is now open at Transport Museum Wythall. Part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, the exhibition traces over a century of public transport history in Birmingham, marking the contribution that the city’s transport made to the lives of the diverse population of Brummies, through the travelling public, direct employment and the associated manufacturing of buses in the region. The vast majority of Birmingham’s buses were manufactured in the city or the West Midlands region from big names like Guy in Wolverhampton - engine and chassis, Daimler in Coventry - engine and chassis and Metro-Cammell in Birmingham who built most of the bodies. Others component suppliers like Leyland and Crossley came from further afield, all variants can be seen on show in the vehicle display.

The exhibits include a part-restored 1913 Tilling petrol-electric powered double decker (who said electric buses were new?), the recently restored, magnificent 1931 AEC Regent, a variety of ‘Birmingham Standards’, which served the city across three decades, each exhibiting features specific to Birmingham. A BCT single decker procured for low bridge routes is also on display. Visitors can also see a wide range of West Midlands Travel vehicles, taking the Birmingham bus story forward from 1969 when local authorities were abolished and the Birmingham City Transport fleetname was lost. Illustrations show the buses in original settings and a number of the buses will be offering free rides to visitors throughout the season.

Museum tickets are available from £7 adults and £4.00 children 5-16. Under 5s are free. Full details of the museum, opening times and special events can be found at www.wythall.org.uk.  Just off Junction 3 of the M42.