Shrewsbury bus services are axed
Sunday 26th December 2010, 12:00AM GMT.
A number of bus services running between Shrewsbury and Minsterley are to be axed following a review of travel operations in the area. The Friday and Saturday night services on the 552 Arriva route will be cut on January 2.
The service, which is sponsored by Shropshire Council, runs through areas including Copthorne, Radbrook, Hanwood, Pontesbury and Minsterley.
But Arriva is now withdrawing its contract for the route with the council following a review of bus services in the Shrewsbury area.
The 553 bus service running from Shrewsbury to Bishop’s Castle on Sunday will continue to operate, but to a revised schedule.
Keith Myatt, spokesman for Arriva Midlands, said they worked closely with Shropshire Council with regular consultation. But it will be the council’s decision whether or not to retender the bus service.
Mr Myatt said: “Following a review of operations in the Shrewsbury area Arriva Midlands will no longer operate service 552, a sponsored service running between Shrewsbury and Minsterley, on Friday and Saturday evenings from January 2, 2011.”
Shropshire Council is consulting with people about the changes to bus services.
The consultation will be undertaken during January to March 2011 and comments will be considered in the final Bus Strategy which will be submitted to the council in April 2011.
Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for transport and IT said they regretted the 553 route had stopped. Anyone requiring the times of services should call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 or visit www.traveline.org.uk
By Sam Pinnington
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How many times to people need to be told “use it or lose it”?
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About time the council started cutting back on these ghost services.
it would be practically cheaper to give all the users personal taxis than run these empty buses…
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what will mrs jones do now with o post office or a way to get doctors or hospital. what about the kids on weekends no where to go so they will be on street corners saying got no ware to go.
just another way of the council use excuses on cutbacks so public have to suffer again cut the wages on council and more services can still go on.
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agree, same with post offices and rural pubs and shops, the locals complain but they drink at home and shop at tesco, anyone in minsterely here actually ever used this bus other than retired OAPs who do so at taxpayers expense ?
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my xperience of rural buses are that they are underused yes, but that the ones who do use them, poor and elderly people in the main, they are absolutely vital lifeline which enables them to live fully socially and economically and without them they will be more of a burden on society with more need for benefits as unable to get to work or need for home visits from GPs and such like
actually the comment on taxis is a good one if a little of the cuff, because you can get people around rural areas and achieve all of the positives as above, but you dont need a double dekker ten tonne truck designed for london, its a classic case of one size fits all not working for rural shropshire
i would like to see the council trialling people carriers and pre booked taxi type operations where people can cluster or group together to get the efficiency of a bus but for a fraction of the cost
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