Fears over Ludlow town centre bus services

The 701 and 722 buses that serve Ludlow have become increasingly unreliable, members of Ludlow Town Council said.

Buses have failed to turn up at some stops, not kept to timetables and not kept to the agreed route, according to users.

It comes on top of a controversial 20 per cent price hike for the routes that councillors say they were not consulted upon.

Fears have been raised that passenger numbers could drop off unless action is taken, which could potentially put the town at risk of losing the services, which include the town's park and ride.

Councillors will write to Shropshire Council expressing their "disgust" at how passengers are being treated and calling for something to be done.

The move comes 18 months after commercial operators R&B Travel pulled out of running the service, and Shropshire Council and Minsterley Motors were forced to step in at the last minute with a new subsidised service.

Councillor Rosemary Jones, speaking at a meeting of Ludlow Town Council, said: "There was no consultation with the price increase and I know people who are going ballistic over it."

She said she had seen three buses turn up outside Ludlow Assembly Rooms within three minutes, while Councillor Glen Ginger said seven had been seen following each other within about half an hour, which meant they could not be keeping to the timetable.

There had also been reports of residents on outlying streets being left waiting at stops and buses seen departing from the official route, which councillors believed was happening to make up time lost in traffic.

Shropshire Council, which subsidises the service, said the price review was routine, would ensure the buses stayed financially viable and that the fares were still cheaper than they would be if not subsidised.