This is what happened when I took a new council Saturday bus in Telford
Bus companies and councils often get a lot of criticism but I couldn’t find much to complain about when I took one of the new Saturday buses from Wellington to Newport.
Telford & Wrekin Council announced that on July 21 a series of ‘upgrades’ would be made to rural bus services 102 and 103 – including putting on a two hourly Saturday service for the first time.
The buses are operated by Arriva, which if you believe some online comments, have horrible drivers and usually run late.
That was very, very, far from my one-off, unannounced ‘mystery customer’ experience.
The first day of the weekend saw the sun beating down on Wellington as I mooched around the market and town centre which was lively with people despite the refurbishments taking place.
The town’s outdoor bus station was clean and tidy, with all the information boards working.
My particular service, the 102, was at the station at least 10 minutes before it was scheduled to depart at 11.30am. The courteous driver was very helpful to another passenger who needed some help in finding out about other bus routes.
A nice surprise was when the driver asked for £2 for the single journey to Newport, which I remembered was because Telford & Wrekin Council has capped the fares on its Travel Telford branded routes.
The number 102 route does not go straight to Newport, which would take some 15 minutes in a car. It heads to the Princess Royal Hospital, Priorslee, Oakengates, Donnington, Muxton and Lilleshall, taking about three quarters of an hour to complete the journey to Newport’s interchange.
There were a maximum of five passengers on the service which only started a few months ago.
By comparison the number 103 service wends its way around the villages, taking about 90 minutes to complete the Wellington to Newport odyssey. But that picturesque journey is for a different day.
Once I arrived in Newport I found the town looking resplendent in the September sunshine, with plenty of al fresco action in the centre of the town.
And like everywhere on the route I didn’t see a bit of litter. Maybe it’s my rose-tinted spectacles. There are some tatty looking bus stops however amid those which have been vibrantly painted and refreshed.
The indoor market in Newport – like its colleague in Wellington – also had a warm and friendly atmosphere with a couple of young men playing guitars, and traders looking busy. The two vegetable samosas I bought for lunch provided the power for a short wander around the town.
But no trip out by public transport is complete, in my opinion, without a swift half of something brewed and slightly alcoholic.
According to my beer app, most of Newport’s hostelries lack real ales but The Stag & Scotch Micropub certainly does not. And indeed the ale I quaffed was so nice that I stayed for a second before starting the journey back to Wellington.
For the return leg I decided to take a different route back and hop on the number 5 Stafford to Telford route to Oakengates and then the number four route to complete the round trip in Wellington. That allowed for a handy comfort break.
Both the return leg buses were busy with passengers, despite being £3 for single trips because they are Arriva commercial services and a part of the Government subsidy scheme.
Everything ran on time, there were no big crashes blocking the routes, so from a news point of view there was ‘nothing to see here’ and all was as it should be.
Perhaps if I tried this journey when the rain was lashing down or amid ice and snow, the tale would be different.
But my conclusion for this day and these circumstances was well done council and well done Arriva.
