| abstract | - West Midlands Travel Ltd came into existence on 26 October 1986, as part of the deregulation of the bus industry in England and Wales. It was previously the bus operations of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE). West Midlands Travel remained in public ownership under the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority until December 1991, when it was sold to its management and employees. In April 1995, the company was purchased by the National Express Group, and rebranded as Travel West Midlands in September 1996. On 9 December 2002, the Coventry services were rebranded Travel Coventry. The former Travel Your Bus and Travel Merry Hill subsidiaries have been merged into the main fleet. In February 2008 as part of a rebranding of all National Express subsidiaries it was renamed National Express West Midlands. The Coventry service was rebranded as National Express Coventry. The current red and white is the sixth livery to be used by the company. A seventh livery of crimson and maroon is being introduced from 2015 starting with Birmingham routes 9 and 50. Previously, the company and its predecessors have operated garages in Stourbridge, Dudley, Merry Hill Shopping Centre (Part of Travel Merry Hill), Harts Hill, Sutton Coldfield, Hockley, Cotteridge, Selly Oak, Washwood Heath and Quinton. The Dudley garage closed on 28 August 1993 to make way for the Dudley Southern By-Pass (which opened in 1999) and was replaced, along with the former Travel Merry Hill depot, by the depot at Pensnett. In July 2010, NXWM closed its Lea Hall depot. National Express West Midlands aimed for the whole fleet to be low floor by March 2010. This was achieved in July 2010, with the withdrawal of the final MCW Metrobuses in operation at Acocks Green garage.
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