A 16-seater minibus costing £115 a day will replace an axed Shrewsbury bus service after elderly and disabled people claimed the move has left them stranded.

More than 70 people packed into a residents’ meeting last night to complain about the cancellation of the service, which they claim has left them unable to get into Shrewsbury from the Coton Hill area.

At a meeting of the Severn Loop local joint committee at the Guildhall, passengers said that the cancellation of the number seven bus by Arriva meant they could no longer get into town without crossing busy roads or climbing steep hills.

But Andy Goldsmith, lead officer for the meeting, said Shropshire Council would be providing the minibus as a temporary measure.

Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski told the meeting: “Senior citizens have come to see me to say they won’t be able to get into Shrewsbury town centre if the service is cut.

“A lot of senior citizens use that bus route.”

Irene Berks, from Berwick Avenue, said: “I’m 82 and I can’t cross Ellesmere Road because the traffic comes whizzing along and I can’t get across.

“I have to have a blood test every week at the hospital, but I can’t climb the hill to get to the bus stop in the Square.”

Mr Goldsmith said the route had been subsidised by the council at a cost of £40,000 and losing the service had meant the council stayed within its passenger transport budget. He said the money had been used to provide a better service for the wider population.

The committee agreed to accept the offer of the minibus, with the frequency and route to be decided at a later date.