Multi-million plans to overhaul Shropshire bus services submitted

Shropshire Council is asking the government for £90m to carry out its plan for the services, while Telford & Wrekin Council has also submitted a £40m bid.

The bids have gone in to the government's 'Bus Back Better' scheme.

Shropshire Council's portfolio holder for highways, Councillor Dean Carroll, said that if successful their bid would support ambitions for more regular and reliable buses – as well as extended timetables and Sunday services.

He added that an overhauled bus model would also bring lower fares, real-time passenger information and low-carbon vehicles.

Telford & Wrekin Council said that depending on the final allocation, cheaper fares, improved facilities, more frequent services connecting residential areas with key employment sites, and improving rural routes, would be some of the main priorities.

Both councils said the bids reflected the priorities people highlighted in public consultations on the services.

Councillor Carroll said: “We firmly believe that our submission can truly transform public transport in Shropshire and provide a more sustainable network for our residents.

“Earlier this year we asked people how they felt bus services in Shropshire performed and what they could do to improve – we have listened and asked for funding to deliver these changes.

“We don’t want to simply replicate service levels of metropolitan areas, we want a fair reflection of a service that bus users here in Shropshire can expect.

“We want a service that gives people a legitimate choice of travel in Shropshire and the benefits that come with that – the economy of our towns, transport decarbonisation, easing social and rural isolation and better access to essential services, such as healthcare.”

Telford & Wrekin Councillor David Wright, the authority's cabinet member for economy, housing, transport and infrastructure, said: “This is a deliberately ambitious proposal which the government has specifically asked for on how we would like to see bus travel transformed for Telford and Wrekin.

“The team involved has worked incredibly hard gathering views and putting a proposal together that will improve not only the way services are run but also how we access and pay for them.

“National government really does need to provide significant levels of ongoing funding if we are going to deliver improved services for local people.

“We will carefully prioritise funding to focus on the needs of residents and businesses, shaping the service to suit their needs.”

Councillor Carroll added that Shropshire council had “huge ambition” to “completely modernise” the county’s bus service, including better connectivity for rural communities and a re-design for Shrewsbury’s park and ride service.

Re-branded ‘Shrewsbury Connect’, the new park and ride would cover a greater area of the town, including stops at key leisure, employment and health sites, and allow passengers to travel the whole network on a single ticket.

It could also see the Oxon park and ride site relocated to Bowbrook, with potential to provide overflow parking for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

The council says more information about the Bus Back Better bid will be released next week.