Scores of services run intermittently while many, crucially, fail to operate either side of the working day – leaving employees unable to leave their cars at home.

The problems were highlighted by reporter Nathan Rous, who took three days trying to get around the county by bus.

His journey from Whitchurch back to Whitchurch took 49 hours and highlighted some of the critical failings of the rural transport service.

He said: “With climate change the topic of the moment, we are all being encouraged to look at greener ways of getting around.

“Yet this experiment proves that it’s impossible to ditch your car in Shropshire and rely on public transport because the infrastructure just isn’t there.

“I accept that we live in a rural county, yet even services between the major towns are dreadfully inept

“Something has to be done about it.”

Now read Nathan’s account of his travels:

There has been a huge shift towards ‘green’ modes of transport. But how easy is it to ditch the car and hop on the bus? Nathan Rous does a loop of the county in a journey that takes an astonishing three days.

I might not own a gas-guzzler, but the melting of the polar ice caps is enough to make me feel guilty whenever I’m at the petrol pumps.

Averaging about 20,000 miles a year, I’m probably a little responsible for the floods at Boscastle in Cornwall, the disappearance of Lake Chad and the predicted extinction of the polar bear.

But is it possible to do anything to reverse the environmental disaster predicted by so many? Ditching the car and using public transport has long been heralded as the antidote to global warming. But the question was, could it work in such a rural county as Shropshire?

After precisely 49 hours the answer was an emphatic “no”.

My epic journey revealed a catalogue of misery that many users are forced to confront on a daily basis.

It was supposed to be a simple journey from one town to the next. In fact, the sort of journey that most workers would take.

Yet, bizarrely, many services stopped in the middle of the day, or left just minutes before workers needed to use them. The idea was to go to, or through, the following towns: Ellesmere, Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Ludlow, Bridgnorth, Much Wenlock, Telford, Newport, Market Drayton, and finally back to Whitchurch.

I began my journey on Wednesday – market day – because it was the busiest day in the bus timetable. Had I not gone on a Wednesday I would have been defeated at the first hurdle as the Whitchurch to Oswestry bus, via Ellesmere, runs just once a week.

Driver Bob Sumner had been pulled out of retirement to drive the route, but as I hopped on in Whitchurch there was only one other passenger on board.

“It’s normally like this,” said Bob. “Sometimes you will only pick up four or five people along the entire route.”

One of those was Beryl Smith who lives in English Frankton.

Unable to drive and having lost her husband 34 years ago, Beryl says getting out and about can be beset with problems.

“Cockshutt is the nearest big village and although it’s only a mile away it’s still too far for me to walk,” she admits. “I’m getting on a bit now. I try to catch this bus every week because it’s my only real link to the outside world. There’s a real community spirit on board the bus and it’s nice to catch up with people you know. We get on with all the drivers and they go out of their way to make sure we’re alright.”

Bob was just as helpful. One lady wanted to be dropped at Ellesmere library while Bob waited outside another one’s house as she locked up. “You get to know who’s who and whether they’re getting on or not,” adds Bob with a knowing smile.

Unfortunately, we arrived in Oswestry a couple of minutes behind schedule and I missed my connection to Shrewsbury. The knock-on effect was horrific. It meant I missed the midday bus from Shrewsbury to Ludlow and had to wait two hours for the next one to pull in.

I eventually caught the 2pm which made its way through Condover, Ryton and All Stretton. By the time we hit Little Stretton I’m the only one on the bus, and it eventually arrives in Ludlow at 3.25pm. It gives me 25 minutes to look around the town before I catch the 3.50pm to Bridgnorth. Well, that’s if the 3.50pm could be bothered to turn up, which it doesn’t.

Amid the melee of school and college kids, I waited patiently outside the Assembly Rooms for the 142. I see the 745, the 435, the 155 and the 492, but no 142. The timetable gives me another body-blow by revealing the next bus to Bridgnorth leaves at 4.55pm.

At 5pm, my knight in shining Arriva finally pulls up. “What happened to the 3.50pm?” I said angrily. “Dunno,” said the driver, who didn’t look more than 18. “The buses are terrible round here.”

We lurch slowly towards Burwarton and then finally pull into Bridgnorth at 5.46pm – precisely six minutes after the last bus to Much Wenlock left. I’m now stuck, and call my wife to pick me up.

The next day starts with equal disappointment. I get dropped off in Much Wenlock at 8.30am but discover the first bus to Telford doesn’t leave until 9.52am. Oh, and it’s raining. Thankfully Carl, the bus driver, lets me on as there’s no bus shelter. We wend our way through Broseley, Benthall and Ironbridge, picking up a handful of people and arriving in Telford town centre at 10.44am. I grab a coffee from Druckers and head back to the station to pick up the 11.15am to Newport.

I arrive in Newport at 11.40am and have 25 minutes to grab some lunch from Waitrose before I try and complete the last leg of my journey via Market Drayton.

I trot back to the bus stop only to see the 12.05pm leave three minutes early. A quick check of the timetable shows the next bus leaves two hours later.

I catch the 2.05pm and have to change at Crudgington Interchange for Market Drayton, even though I never knew Crudgington had an interchange.

I arrive at 2.30pm and wait for the 341 bus which should be there at 3pm. But, once again, the bus fails to materialise and the next one isn’t until 5.05pm.

“That’s why I learned to drive,” said one woman who listened to my tale of woe.

It’s of little comfort. Not only will I arrive in Market Drayton after 6pm, I won’t be able to get to Whitchurch anyway. You see, there is no bus between the two towns despite only being 15 miles apart. My only option is to go via Shrewsbury, but even though I can get to the county town tonight I can’t get back out to Whitchurch because the last bus left at 4.30pm.

Again, I rely on my wife to pick me up.

Day three consists of one bus, thank heavens. I “simply” have to complete my circle and catch the 8.50am which gets in at 10.15am. 

What is the state of public transport in Shropshire? Is it always a nightmare on the buses? Have your say – email starmail@shropshirestar.co.uk, including your name and address Popular stories: 

• Find bargains with StarBidz
• Wedding joy after blaze blow
• Attacker seen off by dog
• Daily news blog
• Dodgy pie seller alert