Talks are under way to bring passengers out of the cold as part of a £3.5 million Stourbridge Bus Station redevelopment. Facilities proposed include an indoor waiting area, automatic doors that only open when buses pull in as well as CCTV and an airport style departure lounge which monitors showing details of all routes and departure times.

Councillors and residents are set to be consulted on two plans before ideas are forwarded to the policy-setting West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority (WMPTA) later this year.

Proposal 1 - Standard Bus Station with rows of bus lanes and passenger waiting area (with buses pulling in and out).

Proposal 2 - One large bus terminal with passenger waiting area which would involve buses parking up and reversing out.

Councillor Angus Adams, Area Committee Chairman said "I don't like the drive in, reverse out option to be honest, It is a case of looking at the two options and hoping we can work on that. The Bus Station is an important part of Stourbridge because a lot of people do come in to shop by bus and there is an awful lot of students who come into town."

The Bus Station could eventually be relocated under plans for a major redevelopment of the town centre, but CENTRO and PTA bosses say the work will be carried out anyway to provide urgently needed improved passenger facilities.

A spokesman for Centro said consultation was at a very early stage but work is likely to begin in 2008.