A £1.5 million bus Showcase scheme running across Coventry is to be built as part of the Coventry Superhospital development.

Walsgrave Hospitals NHS trust will pay for the new route running from Tanyard Farm to Potters Green to make sure that people living in the south-west of the city are not cut off from the new facilities.

Hospital bosses have also agreed to put £740,000 a year into subsidised bus services to increase the amount of buses running to the new complex at Walsgrave.

The deal is one of the final conditions to be met before tenders for the new initiative can be advertised.

New routes going around the city, orbiting both the north and south sides will be introduced along with a shuttle from the railway station, developed with people living in Warwickshire in mind, and other services will be improved.

The conditions set down by the council meant that everyone in Coventry has to be within 35 minutes of the hospital by public transport, that services must run at least every 20 minutes, and people must live within 400 metres of a bus stop.

Planning Control Manager Lesley Wroe said the annual sum would be indexed-linked against inflation to ensure the services remained in place for at least five years.

Cabinet members today welcomed the decision to improve the services, but expressed concern that the upper-limit of £740,000 could be overtaken by expenses.

Cllr Phil Townshend (Service Co-ordination) said:

“If you are travelling to the hospital by public transport from the south-west or north-west side of the city this can be a very onerous obligation.

“We want to provide a service that if it’s not a Rolls Royce then it’s a Jaguar.”