'Celebratory send-off' planned to mark Ludlow's new bus timetable
People in Ludlow are being asked to join in a “celebratory send-off” to mark a new bus timetable coming to the town.
From Monday (October 27) the 701 (north Ludlow) and 702 (south Ludlow) services will run every 45 minutes, while the 722 (park-and-ride) will be every half an hour. All of the services will serve Ludlow School.
The 703 service, which was introduced last year to cover drivers’ breaks, will be removed. Shropshire Council says the 701 and 702 services will continue throughout the day to provide “consistency” for passengers.
It comes after bus users raised concerns about the existing service levels.
Brian Hutchins, who has been on the buses for 60 years, works for Minsterley Motors, the firm that is contracted by Shropshire to run the services.
He said passengers didn’t like the changes brought in last year, and sometimes people had to leave two hours beforehand to make an appointment on time.
Councillor Stacey Harris, who represents Rockspring Ward on Ludlow Town Council, said she regularly uses the bus when her husband is at work.
“The bus times used to work when they were half an hour but the new timetable doesn’t work, especially with the 703 lunchtime service,” she said.
“The confusion with the service has meant that my son has missed appointments recently. I really need the bus service for everyone in the town, but the timings are off and communication isn’t great so you don’t know a lot of the time if the bus is coming.
“The drivers are all so lovely though and I know the timetable issues aren’t their fault.”
In June, the Ludlow 21 Sustainable Transport Group (STG) spent two days at Ludlow Assembly Rooms speaking to people to gain a better understanding of their experiences using the buses.
The information was collated and sent to Minsterley Motors, Shropshire Council and Ludlow Town Council. In September, Shropshire Council announced that a new timetable will be coming into force from next week.
What will the new timetable look like?
The 701 service will run on a 45-minute frequency. The first bus will be at 8am from Rocks Green. The final bus will leave the Ludlow Assembly Rooms at 5.15pm, terminating on its return journey, opposite The Compasses.
The 702 service will also run on a 45-minute frequency. This south town service will also operate two route variations – either via Old Street or back via Station Road as it returns to Castle Square. The first departure will be at 8am from the Eco Park park-and-ride site. The last bus will be at 5.15pm from the Ludlow Assembly Rooms, terminating on its return journey, opposite The Compasses.
The 722 park-and-ride service will run every 30 minutes. The first bus (a 702 service) will depart Eco Park at 8am, and will call at Ludlow School before continuing to Castle Square. The last bus will depart the Ludlow Assembly Rooms at 5.40pm. The Ludlow park-and-ride service provides an express between the Eco Park, Ludlow Railway Station, Corve Street and the Assembly Rooms.
Kim Holroyd, from the STG, said there will be a celebratory send-off of the 10.50am 701 and 702 buses from the town centre on Monday.
“Not only will we have improvements to our town bus services, but there is such a sense of community from having worked together for a common goal,” she said.
“We will celebrate the contributions of passengers, bus drivers, Minsterley Motors and Shropshire Council who all contributed, but especially our councillors who worked hard to pull it all together.
“As late mornings often have the most ridership, we hope there will be a large number of passengers to make a cheery photo.”
