Two park-and-ride services to be axed while other routes 'improved' in Shropshire Council shake-up of buses

Shropshire Council has confirmed a host of changes to bus routes for the county - and the end of two park-and-ride services.

The authority has been reviewing 21 services where the existing five-year contracts were expiring.

Rob Wilson, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for transport and regeneration, revealed that due to a combination of factors, including a reduction in government funding, the council would need an extra £1.25m for the services to continue as they are.

The review comes against a background where none of the services could operate without subsidy from the council, which said it had committed to not reducing the element of funding it provides.

The changes, which come into place in the coming months, mean some services have been cut and some replaced, with the intention of providing “essential connectivity” and “best value”.

Under the plans Shrewsbury’s park-and-ride service to Meole Brace will end - although Harlescott and Oxon will continue, with evening services from 6.30pm to 10pm, six days a week, Monday to Saturday introduced from November.

The saving on the Meole Brace site is expected to be around £500,000 to £600,000 a year.

Shropshire Council was asked what the end of the Meole Brace service would mean for the significant car park at the site, and said any decisions over the land and its use were not part of the contract tenders, and would be considered in the future.

Ludlow’s park-and-ride service, which was introduced as a trial, also will be cut, with the council saying it was seeing “very low” use, and was requiring a subsidy of £25 per passenger.

However, the 702 bus will still visit the park-and-ride site.

In Wem and Ellesmere the 201 and 208 town services will be replaced by a new 508 Wem-to-Ellesmere service.

The 558 Montgomery-to-Shrewsbury service will be retained with an amended timetable.

In Shrewsbury the 2 for Castlefields service, the 12 for Merlin Road and Crowmeole Lane, the 3A for Harlescott/Sundorne-to-Belvidere School, and 37 Meole Brace School-to-Weeping Cross will all be withdrawn.

The 20 for Radbrook, the 23 for Preston Street and Belvidere, and the 26 for Meole Village will be retained. The number 23 will have an amended timetable.

In Market Drayton the 301 town service is retained, along with the 701 Ludlow North, and the 702 Ludlow South.

Shropshire Council will take on the costs and the route for the 64 Market Drayton-to-Shrewsbury route, while the 437 Broseley to Shrewsbury will be retained, along with the 501 Ellesmere-to-Shrewsbury.

The 553 Bishop’s Castle-to-Plox Green (onwards to Shrewsbury) is also being retained.

A statement from Shropshire Council said: “The review – carried out as part of the council’s 2026 bus re-tendering programme – will see new bus services, new more accessible buses, and improved timetables. A number of services will have a new operator and some will stop.

“The review has considered the number of passengers using each service – and the cost per passenger journey – and is taking place in the context of reduced Government revenue funding for local bus services, alongside increasing operating costs across the transport sector.

“Shropshire Council would have to find an additional £1.25 million to continue providing the services as they are now.”

New bus shelters with electronic real-time information will be installed at Oswestry and Market Drayton bus stations in July, and at the Oxon and Harlescott park-and-ride sites in Shrewsbury in August.

‘Difficult choices’

Councillor Wilson said there had been tough choices about the services the council could support in wake of funding challenges.

He said: “Bus services are vitally important to many people across the county and despite the financial challenges we will be protecting key routes and services, improving local connections and making a number of other improvements.

“We’re having to deal with increasing costs alongside reduced funding, which means we have to work harder to deliver the best possible transport network with the resources available, and this has left with some difficult choices.

”But despite these challenges we will be retaining many important services, and making a number of improvements.”

He added: “We are doing three important things: firstly we are protecting vital services. For example the 64 for Market Drayton is going to be protected by Shropshire Council for the next five years.

“If we didn’t step in that service was going to be lost and cut off Market Drayton from the county town.

“We are also protecting the bus from Broseley to Much Wenlock and into Shrewsbury as well as the connection from Ellesmere into Shrewsbury.

“Wherever we can we are improving services too. For example Wem and Ellesmere currently have some under-used town services that only operate two or three days a week. These will be replaced by a new service that not only serves a town service but also an inter-urban service to connect people to the post office and the train station.

“In Ludlow we are retaining the new timetables we worked on with the local community and local councillors. These have been popular but we are also bringing in new buses so Ludlow will have a refreshed service to serve all of its communities.

“That does come at a cost: the park and ride will no longer operate a dedicated service, but the 702 will visit the park and ride to complete that connection.

“Lastly it is important we set a balanced budget. It is the only reasonable thing to do. That means there are some really tough choices, particularly in Shrewsbury.

“Some very low-usage town services won’t continue after September, however there are other services available in those areas and we are going to be introducing DRT [demand-responsive transort] into Castlefields from January.

“We reviewed our park-and-ride provision in Shrewsbury and will be consolidating the service into two sites at Oxon and at Harlescott. But we are going to go one step further; that service is going to operate from six in the morning until 10 o’clock at night, six days a week. that builds on the success of the night bus trial last Christmas.

“As well, that service will be operated by brand new vehicles, improving the service for those who use it.

“We know some of these choices will be difficult for some people. However, we think they are the right choices to make for our county as we move forward as part of the financial emergency.”