Shrewsbury's night bus returns this evening - with service set to run into March
An extended trial of a night bus service begins again in Shrewsbury tonight.
The extension means the late-night buses will be operating until midnight from Wednesday to Saturday throughout January, February and March.
Following demand from passengers, the extended service will now also include Oxon Park & Ride, served by the N11 bus to Gains Park/Bicton Heath.
A statement from the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership said: "The original trial saw strong uptake and highly positive feedback, demonstrating the value of safe, reliable public transport for passengers travelling to and from Shrewsbury’s town centre after dark. Partners are also exploring how the trial could be extended to further routes and areas in future."
The extension will continue to operate across the same routes - N11, N25 and N27 - and has been made possible through funding from West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion’s Community Fund, allocated to West Mercia Police for local community projects.
The Shrewsbury Moves Night Bus trial is a project of Shrewsbury’s Big Town Plan Partnership, coordinated by Shrewsbury BID and operated by Arriva West Midlands, with support from Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley and the Shrewsbury Transport Integration Group (STIG).
The trial is designed to build the case for a regular evening bus service, supporting Shrewsbury’s evening and night-time economy, helping reduce opportunities for crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB), and enabling people to travel safely into and out of the town centre.
Inspector Ingrid Tozer, Shrewsbury’s Town Centre Safer Neighbourhood Team Inspector, said: “Access to safe, reliable transport late at night plays an important role in reducing opportunity for crime or ASB. It’s about prevention as much as reassurance - making it easier for people to plan a safe journey home and supporting a safer Shrewsbury after dark.
“We have been pleased to see people make use of the first night bus trial and do so respectfully, with no reports of crime or anti-social behaviour from bus users during the initial trial, showing the night bus is a safe, convenient transport option for visitors, residents and workers entering or leaving the town centre after dark.”
Stephanie Mansell-Jones, project lead for Safer Shrewsbury and Public Realm at Shrewsbury BID, said: “This extended trial is about giving people a safe, practical way to get home after an evening out - but it’s also about showing what’s possible for Shrewsbury in the longer term, not just during the Christmas period when we expect higher numbers in the evening economy.
“The more people use the night bus and provide feedback using our passenger survey, the stronger the case we can make for keeping it running for longer and expanding routes. Every journey taken helps demonstrate that this is a service people want, need and value.”
The partners involved in the project are hopeful that, with continued strong usage and positive feedback, a longer-term night bus trial could be developed in 2026.
Route and timetable information is available online, and passengers can track services in real time using the live bus tracker at bustimes.org.
To help shape the future of the night bus, residents, businesses and visitors are encouraged to share their views on where and when services should operate.
All bus route and timetable information, including the public survey, are available at www.shrewsburymoves.com/nightbus.
