West Midlands Bus route 8

West Midlands Bus route 8, also known as the Birmingham Inner Circle, is a roughly circular bus route in Birmingham, England.^[1] It follows the city's middle ring road with some small deviations on parts of the route. The service dates back to the days of Birmingham City Transport.

8
National Express West Midlands Scania OmniLink 1829 passes Hockley Circus
Overview
Operator	National Express West Midlands
Garage	Perry Barr
Vehicle	BYD D8UR-DD ADL Enviro400EV Scania OmniLink
Route
Start	Saltley or Bordesley Green
Via	Birmingham Inner Ring Road
End	Saltley or Bordesley Green

Present

Like the Outer Circle service 11, buses on the 8 travel both anti-clockwise (8A) and clockwise (8C).^[2] The service is operated by National Express West Midlands with Scania OmniLink single deck buses, and was formerly operated by Mercedes-Benz O405N buses, several of which were branded for the Inner Circle.^[3]

In 2004, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre staged the musical "Ridin' The Number 8" by Laurie 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.^[4]

In October 2020, the 8 transferred to Perry Barr garage upon the closure of Bordesley; where the routes had been operated since 2005.

Route

(Anti-clockwise from Saltley Gate, Alum Rock. Opposite direction for clockwise)^[1]

• 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