Fake twitter account targets Birmingham's buses

Sep 23 2010 by Anna Blackaby, Birmingham Mail

A FAKE bus Twitter site announcing false cancellations and warning passengers not to engage with “hoodies” is targeting Birmingham’s biggest bus operator.

Birmingham-based transport firm National Express, which runs the vast majority of buses across the West Midlands, is appealing to Twitter to shut down the Travel_WM account which has been tweeting on its behalf.

Unsuspected members of the public following it online have been treated to tweets telling them:

Travel_WM has even entered into belligerent exchanges with disgruntled bus users, many of whom seem unaware it is not the voice of National Express.

The feed, which has more followers than National Express’s official bus Twitter account @nxbus, has prompted the operator to contact Twitter to request it be taken down.