I tried Shrewsbury's £2 park-and-ride and found plenty to like - but some areas for improvement
Despite always believing park-and-ride facilities are great additions to towns and cities, I had never used Shrewsbury’s prior to being invited this week.
Living in Hereford, it is easy to jump in the car and drive up the A49, parking at Frankwell if I’m covering a meeting at the Guildhall.
However, on Wednesday (July 9), I was invited to use the Oxon site and see what it was like to take a bus into town.
Leaving my house at 8.15am, I arrived an hour and a half later – not too bad for rush hour.
I was joined by councillors James Owen and David Walker, Gareth Proffitt from Shropshire Council’s communications team, and Elizabeth Black, the public transport operations manager. Councillor Rob Wilson, portfolio holder for transport and economic growth, met us outside Theatre Severn having travelled by bike.
My fare was complimentary, but it would normally cost £2 for a return ticket, or £1 if you are entitled to a concessionary pass.
Passengers who I spoke to during the 10-minute journey said it was “great value” and “much easier than parking in town”. I concur, especially if you’re not sure how long you will be and have to either return to your car to add more money or download the MiPermit app, which can be easier said than done.
The amount of people who use the three park-and-ride facilities in Shropshire – Oxon, Harlescott and Meole Brace – is steadily going back up to pre-Covid levels. In 2024, there were 427,812 passengers – 71,131 more than was recorded the previous year. In 2019 though, the figure was 552,745.
A recent change that will no doubt boost numbers going forward is that buses now go to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital from Oxon, with free travel for staff and patients, and only £1 for visitors.
However, as Councillor Wilson alluded to, the site “hasn’t been loved for a long time” and is in need of improvements to bring it in line with neighbouring park-and-ride sites.
If you go and use a park-and-ride in Chester, for example, there are toilet facilities onsite, while you can also enjoy a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Whether that is feasible for Shrewsbury will very much depend on finance.
There is also a need to improve the bus shelter at Oxon, with the only real-time information screen currently broken.
Councillor Wilson said the long-term goal is to fully incorporate the service into the council’s wider transport plan. This may include assessing whether park-and-ride sites need to be relocated elsewhere, while introducing “cross-town park-and-rides” so services link up with the hospital could also be on the agenda.
With council leader Heather Kidd telling cabinet members on Wednesday that the North West Relief Road “is dead in the water”, Shropshire Council needs to look at alternatives in how congestion can be alleviated in Shrewsbury.
Getting more people to use public transport is definitely an option, but it’s imperative that they see it as attractive. Signs advertising the site could also be improved, especially a hidden one in Little Oxon Lane.
My return journey involved using a Connect on Demand bus, which allows users to book trips between designated points within operating zones, rather than following a fixed route or timetable. It was welcome that the air-con was working on what was a hot afternoon, while there were USB ports by the seats to charge devices.
I will definitely consider using a park-and-ride bus again in the future.
