West Midlands Bus route 8

The Birmingham Inner Circle is a roughly circular bus route in Birmingham, England. It follows the city's inner ring road with some small deviations on parts of the route.

Present

Like the Outer Circle service 11, buses on the 8 travel both anti-clockwise (8A) and clockwise (8C). The service is operated by National Express West Midlands with Mercedes-Benz O405N single deck buses, several of which are branded for the Inner Circle. It is one of very few bus routes which is guaranteed to be operated by a Mercedes-Benz 0405N, due to that bus being the only allocation at the garage. Prior to operating from Bordesley depot (located next to National Express West Midlands headquarters) the 8 was operated by the now demolished Hockley depot; This meant that it was not unusual for it to have MCW Metrobuses and Volvo B7TL Plaxton Presidents operating on it. The service is mainly run commercially, however early morning Sunday journeys are subsidised by Centro.

In 2004, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre staged the musical "Ridin' The Number 8" by Lauren Hornsby and Euan Rose, in which a cast of 'Brummie' characters board an Inner Circle bus and reminisce about the people and places they encounter along the route.

Route

(Anti -clockwise from Saltley Gate, Alum Rock. Opposite direction for clockwise)

• Saltley Gate/ Alum Rock interchange
• Nechells
• Newtown interchange (A34)
• Hockley interchange
• Jewellery Quarter
• Five Ways interchange (Broad Street, Birmingham)
• Lee Bank
• Highgate
• Sparkbrook interchange
• Small Heath interchange
• Bordesley interchange
• Saltley Gate/ Alum Rock interchange

Further reading

M.Hanson, D. Harvey and P. Drake The Inner Circle - Birmingham's No. 8 Bus Route. Tempus 2002.

External links

• Travel West Midlands website
• Unofficial Lea Hall and Bordesley site
• West Midlands Buses (Photographs)