Andy Burnham is visiting Shrewsbury for a public transport discussion ahead of the night bus trial ending in county town

A high-profile politician is to visit Shrewsbury to talk about the importance of having excellent public transport in the town.

Andy Burnham, who has been Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, will be speaking at a Labour event on Thursday (March 26).

After bringing buses back under public control in 2023, Mr Burnham has the power to manage bus routes and fares. This has resulted in a number of changes including the introduction of the “hopper fare” where a single fare is valid on most buses for an hour.

He has also confirmed that night buses will run in every borough in Greater Manchester as the city region expands its Bee network. This, Mr Burnham said, would benefit around 740,000 people – roughly a quarter of Greater Manchester’s population.

A night bus has been running in Shrewsbury since November as part of a four-month trial. However, this will end this Friday (March 27).

It was initially only meant to run from November 24 to December 23 following funding by the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership and coordinated by Shrewsbury BID.

However, it got extended from January to March following additional funding from the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Fund.

For this part of the trial, the night bus expanded to include Oxon Park & Ride as a stop as a result to demand.

In total, the bus – operated by Arriva – has carried more than 3,000 passengers across three routes.

Partners will now analyse usage data, passenger feedback, and route performance to understand where demand is strongest and what future provision could look like. This could be through a further trial, an expanded trial, or integration into longer-term transport planning for the town.

Julia Buckley, the MP for Shrewsbury, said Mr Burnham has long been a champion of public transport, and has beeen very enthusiastic about the Shrewsbury night bus trial.

“Although the trial has just come to the end of its current run, myself and all the partners involved are continuing to work to identify funds to support the night bus in the future,” she said.