The notorious 74 service, which runs from Birmingham to Dudley via West Bromwich, recorded 62 reported crimes between July and December last year, according to freedom of information data obtained by BirminghamLive. The route has long been flagged for violence on board.
While the vast majority of passengers travel safely, the data highlights instances of serious offending and antisocial behaviour. The most frequent crimes on the 74 were violence against the person, with 21 incidents reported, closely followed by 20 thefts. Alarmingly, there were also five offences involving weapons, two robberies, and two sexual offences.
Police note that these figures only reflect crimes formally reported, with other incidents likely going unreported by passengers who may have chosen to remain silent.
Other West Midlands bus routes high on the crime list include:
- 11A – 43 incidents
- 6 – 42 incidents
- 14 – 36 incidents
- 97 – 35 incidents
- 50 – 34 incidents
- 9 – 32 incidents
- 11C – 27 incidents
- 72 – 26 incidents
- X1 – 24 incidents
Despite these figures, the overall risk of crime on West Midlands buses remains very low relative to the number of journeys taken each day.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: “The chances of being a victim of crime on a bus are very low. We have increased patrols across the public transport network to maintain safety for passengers and staff.”
National Express West Midlands, which operates the services, said: “With around four million passenger journeys made each week, the statistics equate to one reported crime per 60,000 rides. However, any incident that puts passengers or colleagues at risk is one too many. We work closely with the West Midlands Safer Travel Partnership and policing teams to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour across our network.”
