Shropshire’s bus services cut back
Monday 4th July 2011, 6:27PM BST.
Sunday and weekday evening bus services have been axed or scaled down along 11 routes in Shropshire, transport bosses have confirmed.
Bosses of Arriva Midlands, which run bus services in the county, say they cannot afford to run them any more after Shropshire Council announced it was to cut funding for the network of evening and Sunday bus services.
Arriva Midlands communications manager Keith Myatt said: “We are working closely with Shropshire Council to ensure bus users are made aware of the changes taking place to local bus services across Shropshire.
“It follows the decision to withdraw support for evening and Sunday buses from July 17 following a reduction in funding from central government.”
Councillor Simon Jones, Shropshire Council cabinet member for transport, said any reduction in bus services was “regrettable”.
And he vowed the changes would allow Shropshire Council and Arriva to continue to operate a sustainable bus network in the county.
He said: “We understand the importance of public transport, especially for those more vulnerable residents and those living in rural areas.
“We need to make tough decisions if we are to protect key bus services that allow people to access essential services.
“All service reductions are regrettable, but these changes will allow Shropshire Council and Arriva to continue to operate a sustainable bus network in line with the agreed Bus Strategy 2011-16.”
Services affected include the number one bus, which takes passengers from Shrewsbury town centre to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. All Sunday buses have been withdrawn along with some weekday evening ones.
A Sunday service has also been withdrawn for the number 64, which runs from Shrewsbury to Market Drayton, the number 70, which goes from Oswestry to Shrewsbury, and service 436, which takes passengers from Shrewsbury to Bridgnorth.
New timetable leaflets and bus guides will be available from local libraries, tourist information centres, Travel Time and News at Shrewsbury Bus Station, and Sainsbury’s in Oswestry,
Customers can also visit Arriva’s website www.arriv abus.co.uk
And further information is available for people on the traveline on 0871 200 22 33.
By Wayne Beese
The services affected and the changes being introduced are:
Service 1: Telford Estate – Shrewsbury – Royal Shrewsbury Hospital – Gains Park. Revised timetable. Some weekday evening and all Sunday buses withdrawn.
Service 8: Shrewsbury – Tilstock Crescent – Sutton Farm. Revised timetable. Weekday evening and Sunday buses withdrawn.
Service 20: Shrewsbury – Radbrook Green. Revised timetable. Weekday evening and Sunday buses withdrawn.
Service 24: Shrewsbury – Moston Road – Harlescott. Revised timetable. Some weekday evening and all Sunday buses withdrawn.
Service 25: Bayston Hill – Shrewsbury – Harlescott. Revised timetable. Some weekday evening and all Sunday buses withdrawn.
Service 64: Shrewsbury – Shawbury – Market Drayton.
Revised timetable. Sunday service withdrawn.
Service 164: Market Drayton – Newcastle – Hanley. Revised timetable. Sunday service withdrawn.
Service 70: Oswestry – West Felton – Bicton Heath – Shrewsbury
Revised timetable. Sunday service withdrawn.
Service 436: Shrewsbury – Much Wenlock – Bridgnorth
Revised timetable. Sunday service withdrawn.
Service 501: Shrewsbury – Myddle – Ellesmere
Routes and timetable withdrawn on Sunday.
Service 553: Shrewsbury – Minsterley – Bishops Castle
Routes and timetable withdrawn on Sunday.
Service 576: Shrewsbury – Ruyton XI Towns – Oswestry. Minor changes to timetable introduced.
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So much for using public transport instead of paying the increased car park charges. The council certainly knew what they were doing and how to generate additional money from the motorist, who now doesn’t have a choice! Even if they were not using it previously (or before the usual protagonists mention it).
Maybe the services would have been better served with smaller mini-buses, thus reducing initial costs?
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Arriva, a massive private company, are unwilling to run services unless they get a subsidy from the public purse. OK then, take the franchise away from them and hand it to some smaller operators who will be happy to have the business. Surely that’s what free enterprise is all about.
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Wrong, Arriva , a massive private company are unwilling to run services at a loss. That is because they are a private company and are obliged to make a profit. They do operate services without subsidy as long as they are economically viable. In fact they do not have a “franchise” at all: any operator is free to register any service they wish and have been since the bus industry was deregulated under the Thatcher government. The reason they don’t is that they can’t make money from them.
THAT is what free enterprise is all about!
For better or worse the days of a bottomless pit of public money to fund services is gone.
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where a large bus is used why not use a mini bus??? on the more quieter routes ?. How many times do you see an arriva bus driving around with under 20 passengers on?.
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Hmm so can someone please explain to me how you get to the hospital on a Sunday if you live in a rural area with no access to a car? Doesn’t the Council have a duty to provide basic services for vulnerable people?
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I totally agree but that won’t come into it will it. Oh and how do people feel about the standardised fares regardless of distance. I happen to think £1.80 for a single from gains park to royal shrewsbury hospital is a bit steep. I can drive so will now pay the £2 to park but not everyone has that option.
Also what happens to people who work past for example 6.00 pm at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and have no car! They from 17th July can get bus to Shrewsbury Bus station but there will be no connecting service to Harlescott – so what, they walk or get taxis every day?
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I do not believe they make appointments on sundays? so it can only be an emergency so you then call an ambulance ,or it may be to visit then you call taxi.
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I’ve never heard of sunday hospital appointments?
People have managed without a sunday service before and they will manage again.
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The problem is that Arriva effectively have a monopoly within the towns of Shropshire.
Lets introduce other firms and competition will reduce prices and improve services.
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Wrong – Arriva doesn’t have a monopoly. Any properly-licensed bus company can run any service it likes as long as it registers the route and timetable with the authorities. The fact that the other companies are not exactly queuing up to take over the services which the council is axing must tell you something.
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Very few bus companies will operate in Shropshire as there is little chance of making a profit. Shropshire Council are the ONLY council in the country to still run scheduled bus services as part of the Council -not even as a trading arm so the costs are kept secret. In that environment NO bus company will come into Shropshaire and the few independent operators that do exist are in total subservience to the Council because so much of the work they do is council subsidised and any complaint and the company stop getting contracts.
This policy followed by the Council for at least the last 20 years was fine when Gordon Brown was chucking public money around like confetti but the policy will now result in Shropshire bus services being decimated. If the Council keep cutting bus subsidy at this rate Arriva may think it is not worth operating in Shrewsbury and pull out altogether.
Shropshire has such bad services because of the Council’s policy of wanting to run everything themselves and control everything – reminds one of the old USSR
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Why don’t Arriva just cut back the regularity of the timetable? do we really need buses every 12 minutes during the day?? every 30 minutes would satisfy surely?
By doing that then nothing would have to be cancelled. A bit of joined up thinking!
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How on earth are people without cars or who rely on buses who have health conditions or people who find taxi’s are too expensive on sundays and other transport is out of the option??
I only work sundays and I live in Harlescott and already have to walk 5 miles just to get to work for a shift so a 5 mile walk home is the last thing I’d like to do afterwards and I don’t earn money for taxi’s. However underused the council and bus company feel the bus service is why not reduce bus times in the week to 20-30 minutes at off peak times as I’ve been on many an empty bus in the week and keep our sunday service? Our bus fayres have been increased (again), concessions are already paying a heavy price… Do they not think they’ve caused enough disruption???
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