West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Metro Mayor Andy Street was accused of lacking ambition when it came to air quality. The accusations came after a grueling questions and answer session by members of the WMCA’s Scrutiny Committee earlier this week.

Following the Q&A session Lib Dem Cllr Ian Shires one of two vice chairs of WMCA Scrutiny said “The Mayor was reluctant to commit to very low emission engines being used in vehicles on the three Sprint Rapid Transit routes due to be ready in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“It seemed odd to members when Nottingham City Transport already has a fleet of 53 Bio-gas buses operating on six routes across Nottingham right now. All we were asking the Mayor to commit to something that’s four years away.”

So, what is Sprint?

There are initially three routes planned which will all start in Birmingham Moor Street bus mall, they are:

• Birmingham City Centre to Birmingham Airport and Solihull (A45)
• Birmingham City Centre through Sandwell to Walsall (A34)
• Birmingham City Centre to Sutton Coldfield via Pype Hayes and the new Langley housing development

Sprint services use tram-style buses running on segregated lanes through busy areas to provide fast, reliable journeys.