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Chair’s Message
Your Bus Users Shropshire team has just published a significant report about the state of timetables
across our county. Entitled ‘Secret services’ it records some of the missing or misleading timetables
that are on display, or aren’t. With your help we had evidence of 44 timetables (that’s over 5% of all
Shropshire bus stop timetables). You can download the report from here: www.bususers.org/your-
local-group/bus-users-shropshire/local-news The report has gone to county and industry media,
environmental groups, Shropshire’s cabinet member Councillor Simon Jones, and to Shropshire Council
transport staff.
Our survey revealed that many bus stop timetables were:
• Out of date with incorrect times shown. Recently updated timetables
were no more accurate than older ones
• Advertising services or routes that no longer run
• Displaying service information for one operator only, but not all
• Quoting only some of the departure timings, or some of the days of
operation
• Positioned where buses do not stop
• Missing from places where buses do stop
• Sometimes at a height that could not easily be read by most people.
Our inquiries uncovered some inaccuracies on Traveline information about Shropshire bus services.
Printed and on line route maps had been discontinued by Shropshire Council and printed timetables to
take away were almost non existent, especially at Shropshire Council run information facilities. In short,
we found that the public is not able to rely on the information published by Shropshire Council on its ‘at
stop’ timetable cases or on Traveline.
This of course is not news to you, or to anyone else who uses buses regularly. Our Facebook page
immediately had comments from drivers, one of whom called Shropshire Council’s roadside information
‘a joke’.
I did an interview about our report on Eric Smith’s Breakfast Show on Radio Shropshire on 12
December, which lasted a full 12 minutes. You can hear it here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/
p038m4k6#play until 10 January. It starts 2hr 38mins 45 secs into the programme.
Shropshire Council is consulting the public about future cuts to its
services, or increases in council tax. It is important that you say
expenditure on ‘Transport’ is important to you! Complete their Big
Conversation here www.shropshire.gov.uk/big-conversation/how-can-i-
get-involved/
Peter Gilbert, Chair of Bus Users Shropshire
Edition 14
Winter 2015/16
Public Meeting
Monday 1st February
10.45am
Assembly Rooms
Mill Street, Ludlow
2
There is a Members’ meeting twice a year, one of which is the AGM where
Members are elected to the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee meets every two months to deal with the main
business of BUS. All Members are welcome to attend meetings of the
Executive Committee as observers. About half of the meetings of the
Executive Committee take place at the Premier Inn close to Shrewsbury’s bus
and train stations, with the remainder at other towns within Shropshire. We also aim to organise some
Public meetings to give Shropshire people the chance to make their views known and to receive immediate
responses from bus operators and/or Shropshire Council. In 2014 Public meetings have been held in
Bridgnorth, Bishops Castle and in Oswestry, and in 2015 in Whitchurch and Market Drayton.
This is a summary of the Executive Committee and Members meetings held since the last newsletter.
__________________________________
Executive Committee 26 September 2015
4 members attended plus two as observers.
Matters arising
• Ludlow to Leominster 490. We have contacted Nancy and written and distributed a media release in
relation to the new Saturday service.
• Timetable displays survey. We have received photographs of examples and
distributed a media release which, we believe, was published in the Shropshire Star
with one contact from a member of the public as a result. The issue was raised with
Councillor Simon Jones and others at the recent Shropshire Bus Strategy meeting (see
below).
• Meetings with bus operators. Still no reply from Bryn Melyn. Matt Johnson was asked
for contact details of GHA but we have not heard from him, so we will chase up.
• Financial report and subscription levels. On today’s agenda for the Members’
meeting.
• Copyright. We will write to North Wales Newspapers, Newsquest, Ludlow Advertiser
and Ludlow Ledger to seek written permission for future use. Keith A copy of the
newsletter was sent to Pat for copyright check.
• Public meeting in Market Drayton 7 November. The Festival Drayton Centre has been booked for the
Meeting Notes
Forthcoming Meetings
Executive Committee
Meetings open to all Members as observers
Assembly Rooms, Mill Street, Ludlow on
Monday 1 February at 12noon.
Premier Inn, Smithfield Road, Shrewsbury on
Tuesday 22 March at 3pm
Annual General Meeting
Hobbs Room, Shrewsbury Library, Castle
Gates, Shrewsbury on Saturday 16 April at
11am.
public meeting and Executive meeting to follow. A
media release will be published and posters put up
prior to public meeting.
Shropshire Bus Strategy
On 3 September Peter, Keith and Les L met with
representatives of Shropshire Council Portfolio Holder Cllr
Simon Jones, Matt Johnson and Mouchel consultant Tim
Jordan. The list of issues agreed at our committee meeting
on 9 June were outlined and interest and consideration
expressed. See notes of Members Meeting on page 3 for
details. We noted that Shrewsbury bus station has had
the weeds removed, but not yet repainted. Since our
meeting the weeds have returned.
__________________________________
3
Members’ meeting 26 September 2015
8 members attended.
Minutes of the meeting of 18 April.
Agreed as an accurate record. There were no matters arising, although it was reported that the 490 service
between Ludlow and Leominster had been successfully relaunched with additional services funded by the
Rural Transport Fund through Herefordshire Council.
Financial report and subscriptions.
The current funds of BUS are £89.95 at bank and £50.07 in cash. There is not likely to be much in the way of
further income from subscriptions before Easter 2016. The current subscription is not enough to cover the
cost of printing and posting 16 page newsletters four times a year to those Members who receive them by
post, printing of publicity posters for meetings, and room hire for Members’ meeting, Annual General
Meeting, and public meetings in other parts of the county. The current membership rates are £8
(concessions £6) and £15 joint, which represents less than 20p a week. The suggestion was made on behalf
of the Executive committee that the subscription should be raised to £10 or Joint £15. Supporters by email
would remain free of charge. Each of the members present were supportive of the proposed new
subscription rates but some concern was expressed about the ability of others not present to afford the
increase of £2 or £4. It was suggested that payment in two half yearly installments of £5 might help. The
Executive Committee will consider this further and will make a decision before the end of the year.
Shropshire Bus Strategy.
On 3 September members of the executive committee met with representatives of Shropshire Council:
Portfolio Holder Cllr Simon Jones, Matt Johnson and Mouchel consultant Tim Jordan. The list of issues were
outlined and interest and consideration expressed:
• Information strategy (this includes availability of timetables at bus stops, bus and train stations, libraries,
tourism centres etc, route map)
• Commercial services and social marketing
• Smart ticketing (this includes inter-availability, provision of detailed usage information to the Local
Transport Authority and use of GPS tracking for real time arrival information)
• Bus Forum
• Gateway/termini facilities (this includes facilities and material condition of Shrewsbury bus station,
passenger security at Shrewsbury bus station, waiting facilities at other termini eg Ludlow, location and
suitability of termini eg Bridgnorth)
• Service provision (this includes Sunday services particularly for summer events and Christmas shopping,
a later cut off for evening services, cross border services, market day services to market towns perhaps
as a pilot, community transport).
We discussed how BUS could assist, for example by helping to publicise timetable changes or by servicing a
Bus Forum. Matt Johnson outlined the timescale for the Strategy’s development and consultation towards
the end of 2015, and criteria they are looking at for grading the importance of loss making services. Their
aim is to make all, or as many as possible of services, commercially viable. The issue of timetable changes
and the fact that Shropshire Council no longer publishes these, and it was suggested to Matt Johnson that
BUS could assist by emailing details if Shropshire Council themselves informed BUS of changes when they
became known to them. A member suggested the various Admags could be a good way of disseminating this
information, possibly with company sponsorship to cover the cost of advertising.
continued overleaf
Meeting Notes (continued)
4
Reports from around the county
◊ In Bridgnorth Linda reported a change at The Grove. She also reported the 890 to be running well, as
was the 297 and 125 to Kidderminster. She said the 0730 departure on the 436 doesn’t go into
Bridgnorth town.
◊ Joan reported that the English concessionary fare pass is no longer valid beyond Welshpool. Peter
agreed to take this up with Matt Johnson.
◊ David reported that the timetables at the Dun Cow and Abbey in Shrewsbury had inaccurate timetables
relating to Sunday services with no mention of operators other than Arriva.
__________________________________
Executive Committee 7 November 2015
4 members attended plus two as observers.
Matters arising
• We will chase up Matt Johnson re GHA contacts.
• Copyright: we will write to North Wales Newspapers, Newsquest and Ludlow Ledger
• Shropshire Bus Strategy: Matt Johnson to be emailed about date of consultation.
• Ludlow to Leominster 490: we have contacted Nancy and written and distributed a media release in
relation to the new Saturday service.
Public Meeting 7 November
It was well attended with 32 people in total. There were issues about poor information at bus stops, photos
of the 164 timetable will be taken, and we will contact Matt Johnson. We will get in touch with Radio
Shropshire and Star to give outcomes of the public meeting. Market Drayton Senior Citizens Forum
requested BUS input to their newsletter.
Public liability.
The importance of knowing whether insurance is included in any activities or public meetings was raised.
The Hobbs Room includes insurance in the charge, but the booking person should check with the venue each
time a booking is made.
436 Bridgnorth to Shrewsbury
Linda mentioned a negative experience with a surly driver on 14 October on the
1030 departure from Bridgnorth. Keith had experienced extremely poor
customer care from a driver on 4 September, possibly with the same driver. It
was agreed to write to GHA. It was reported that the 436 on Saturday had
been 75 minutes late, and there had been four breakdowns on the route.
Timetables
It was reported that Ludlow timetables are wrong. Doubts were expressed about the effectiveness of the
Ringway contract of Shropshire Council.
Concession fares in Wales
Joan had reported that she is no longer able to use her pass on Tanat Valley journeys beyond Welshpool
even though the bus continues to Newtown. She had contacted Celtic Travel who told her the same thing.
We emailed Matt Johnson who said there was no change, so we have asked Shropshire Council to investigate
but no reply has been received yet.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Meeting Notes (continued)
5
This is the section where we feature articles or letters from local newspapers or other media about bus
services in Shropshire. If you see anything about buses in your local paper, cut it out and send it in to the
address at the bottom of the back page.
“Police investigate cause of bus crash”
Police have confirmed that they are investigating the cause of a bus crash which saw the driver suspended by
his employer. The crash took between Merrington and Old Woods at Bomere Heath near Shrewsbury at
around 8am on Tuesday last week. Initial reports from GHA Coaches had said that the driver had been taking
evasive action to avoid an oncoming car. However, a number of passengers have disputed the claim.
Stephen Bryce, general manager of GHA Coaches, said he had received conflicting reports over what had
taken place and that the driver had been suspended and would not return to the road until his driving had
been assessed. Speaking at the time of the accident, Mr Bryce said no passengers had been hurt. Police
have now confirmed that they are investigating the circumstances and cause of the crash.
Shrewsbury Chronicle, October 2015
__________________________________
“Shake-up will improve park and ride system”
Shrewsbury’s park and ride system will get a shake up which will see buses running at dedicated times for
the first time. The new service will begin in Shrewsbury on November 1 and bus users will get a more
reliable and punctual service. Buses will run every 20 minutes at set times throughout the day instead of ‘up
to every 15 minutes’ which the service currently operates. New environmentally friendly buses will also take
to the roads from November 2017.
Shropshire Council has awarded a new five-year contract to manage the service to Arriva Midlands, the
current operator. Under the new contract, the three current park and ride sites at Meole Brace, Harlescott
and Oxon will be retained and refreshed. Fares will remain unchanged and bus pass users will continue to
get a 50 per cent discount. To improve reliability and punctuality from November 1 buses will run every 20
minutes from Monday to Saturday, and timetables will be made available on ‘inbound’ journeys for the first
time. Buses into town will operate from 7.20am each day (8am on Saturdays), with the last return service
leaving the town centre at 6.30pm.
Buses currently run ‘up to every 10 minutes’ and ‘up to every 15 minutes’. But this has proved confusing in
terms of predicting bus arrivals and departures, and has been logistically challenging for the operator. Arriva
will also refresh each of the car park sites, including updating the publicity and promotional material. A new
service that provides real-time departure information via a Smartphone app is also planned.
Shrewsbury Chronicle, October 2015
__________________________________
“Blunder on bus timing in run-up to Christmas”
I should like to ask Shropshire Council whose bright idea it was to reduce the running of Shrewsbury Park and
Rides to every 20 minutes as from November 1? While I understand the need for local government to save
money, this measure, at this time, would seem to be a strange decision, coming at the run up to Christmas.
It is already causing problems for customers. I always use Park and Ride to get into town. Last week the
queue to pick up my bus at Castle Street opposite M&S stretched down towards the castle.
Media Monitor
6
Christmas shoppers always have to battle to get home on park and rides anyway and this is generally
accepted by the public with good grace. However, as Christmas shopping really gets going, I fear the
potential chaos that is very likely to ensue as a result of this decision may well be a step too far and send
shoppers off elsewhere, or force many more people to bring their cars into town. Why on earth could this
new policy not have been left until January 1 to bring in?
Letter to Shrewsbury Chronicle, November 2015
__________________________________
“Park and ride changes defended by council”
Changes to Shrewsbury’s park and ride will prove positive despite concerns from traders, say council
officials. Simon Jones, the authority’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said the decision to
switch the park and ride timetable to one bus every 20 minutes provided an “achievable” target for the bus
operators Arriva. Previously buses arrived every 15 or 20 minutes. The changes mean that buses stop
running at 6.20pm leading to criticism that none are available for late night shopping on Wednesdays in the
run up to Christmas.
Councillor Jones said the changes would need time to bed in before a proper
assessment on their impact could be made. He said: “The new contract for the
Shrewsbury park and ride service commenced on Monday November 2, and it is
too early to comment on how these changes have impacted on passenger
numbers until the service has been in operation for a reasonable time period so
that an assessment can be made. However, we are confident that the new park
and ride contract will provide passengers with the same level of service that it
has previously, with bus frequencies set at achievable times”. The councillor also addressed the lack of park
and ride buses for late night shopping, saying that the council had decided to allow people to park for free in
long-stay car parks because it could afford to fund buses.
The changes had been criticised by town centre business owner, David Forshaw, of Gemstone Jewellery at
Castle Street, who said the move would damage trade in the town.
Shrewsbury Chronicle, November 2015
__________________________________
“Anger as shoppers hit by delays at Shrewsbury park and ride”
Shoppers endured long delays and large crowds after Shrewsbury's park and ride system failed to keep up
with demand on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Many took to Facebook to criticise
Shrewsbury’s park and ride claiming more than 100 people were waiting at the car park at Meole Brace –
while the situation at Oxon was not much better. It happened on Saturday – the same day the first ever
Christmas Festival in the Quarry welcomed about 5,000 through its gates. Those who attended the event
took to its Facebook page, Shrewsbury Christmas Festival, to complain about the delays. Sandra Lewis said:
“Hope it went well for everyone. Had bought tickets but gave up trying to get into Shrewsbury. Saw the
amount of people trying to get on the park and ride at Meole Brace and thought it might be quicker at Oxon
so went there. Not much different there”.
Shropshire Star, December 2015
__________________________________
Media Monitor (continued)
7
“Demand for Market Drayton bus service changes”
Residents in Market Drayton have claimed it can be difficult to find work outside of the town due to
“inadequate bus services”. More than 30 people attended a Bus Users Shropshire meeting at the Festival
Drayton Centre to make comments about the bus services.
One resident said the first bus to Shrewsbury does not run in school holidays so any job that starts before
8.45am in Shrewsbury town centre is unavailable. Residents said to get to Telford, where there can be more
job opportunities, it is even harder, with no suitably-timed journeys for work. They said an increasing
number of employers expect people to work on Sundays, but there are no buses. Other issues raised
included a hole in the town’s bus shelter, meaning it is not waterproof, and a suggestion that the routes do
not cover some of the town. Calls were made for a direct service between Whitchurch and Market Drayton.
Chairman of the group Peter Gilbert said: “The meeting was one of our best-attended with a total of 32
people who came along. I will now email the 12 bullet points that people raised to the cabinet member for
transport.”
__________________________________
“Passengers criticise bus stop timetables”
The county’s bus passengers are being left in the dark by missing or misleading
timetables, a group has claimed. Bus Users Shropshire found that many bus
stop timetables were out of date with incorrect times shown, and recently
updated timetables were no more accurate than older ones. It made the
findings in a survey of timetable information across Shropshire, not including
Telford & Wrekin, following passenger complaints about missing or misleading
timetables.
Shropshire Council has since pledged to make changes to its services after being
sent the results of the survey. The survey examined five percent of the area’s
timetable cases between June and December, and also found some timetables
were advertising services or routes that no longer ran, displayed service
information for one operator only but not all, and quoted only some of the departure timings or some of the
days of operation. It also discovered timetables positioned where there were no bus stops, or missing from
places where the buses did stop, and were sometimes at a height that could not easily be read by most
people. Some inaccuracies were also discovered on Traveline in relation to Shropshire bus services.
Bus Users Shropshire chairman Peter Gilbert said: “The sporadic implementation of basic local transport
authority responsibilities was surprising given the importance placed on marketing and of bus stop
timetables in Shropshire Council’s Bus Strategy 2011 to 2016. It makes no sense providing a service and then
telling no one about it, or annoying them by providing wrong information which results in long waits or
missed journeys. Unfortunately this is the situation we are in after five years of Shropshire Council bus cuts.
We believe the council would serve the public better, and save money, by investing in accurate, up to date
timetable information that would boost ticket sales on bus services.”
Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said some changes are in the
pipeline following the publication of the survey.
Shropshire Star, December 2015
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Media Monitor (continued)
8
NEWS & PHOTOS
can be obtained to augment the information on our
map. If you know of any routes we haven’t included
please tell us!
___________________________________________
Walks using public transport
Rail rambles are walks from railway stations in Wales
and the border counties of England. The walks
themselves are free to join and each walk is planned
to be accessible by a day return rail
journey from a number of stations.
In some cases a bus service is used
to return to the railway station. All
you have to do is appear at the
station from which the walk departs
and make yourself known to one of
the leaders.
At least two walks are arranged to take place every
Saturday throughout the year and there is also a
monthly Wednesday walk. Walks differ in length,
and range from easy to strenuous denoting
increasing levels of ascent during the walk. In
November BUS committee member Les Lumsdon led
a walk in the Ludlow area which used the 490 Ludlow
to Leominster bus service.
More information can be found at:
www.railrambles.com/welcome.htm
Shrewsbury Ramblers, who are part of the Ramblers’
Association, organise walks on Sundays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays, as well as Wednesday
evenings during the summer. The Saturday walks
use regular bus services, while the others are by car
or a combination of car and bus. More information
can be found at: www.shrewsburyramblers.org.uk/
images/group/programmepdfs/Nov15-Feb16_2.pdf
__________________________________________
Discount bus fares for NHS employees
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is
offering up to 20% discount on fares on Arriva buses
for their employees. A discount of 10% is available
on weekly or 4-weekly saver tickets, and there is 20%
off quarterly, 6-monthly and annual saver tickets.
This initiative is part of the Hospital Trust’s plan to
reduce car travel to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Shropshire Council Bus Strategy
Shropshire Council’s Bus Strategy 2011-2016 is
currently being reviewed and a new version is to be
produced in 2016. In September members of the
BUS executive committee took the opportunity to
meet with representatives of Shropshire Council.
The purpose of the meeting was to find out more
about the Strategy’s development and to put over
the issues that we wished to be considered. We
were listened to with interest and consideration
was expressed by the people present.
For more detail of the meeting see the notes of our
Members meeting on page 3. It looks likely that the
public consultation on the Bus Strategy will now
take place in January, and it is important that all
members and other people interested in keeping
their bus services should take part. We will let you
know how to take part as soon as we hear.
__________________________________________
Bus map for Shropshire
Shropshire Council removed their very useful map
of bus routes from their website without warning
last February. They used also to produce a printed
version. Most other county councils continue to
produce online and/or printed maps of routes.
Bus Users Shropshire identified this as a significant
failing in our recent report ‘Secret Services’ and we
have worked hard to produce our own map of
routes. It hasn’t been easy and we are indebted to
our Chair for the long hours he has put in to
produce it. The information about which services
run where is extremely well hidden, but by
comparing various conflicting websites and by
making numerous calls to small bus companies, we
have put together what we think is the current
situation across Shropshire.
There is a copy attached to this Newsletter. An
electronic version will be uploaded to
www.bususers.org in the Your Local Group pages.
The map is a schematic diagram and does not
purport to provide an accurate geographic mapping
of routes. It also gives the contact telephone
number and web address for Traveline Midlands
where actual timings and detailed stop information
9
NEWS & PHOTOS (continued)
more job opportunities it is even worse with no
suitably timed journeys for work. An increasing
number of employers expect people to work on
Sundays but there are no buses.
• Medical professionals refer patients to the
Princess Royal Hospital, not the Royal
Shrewsbury Hospital as Future Fit assumed, and
this involves a lengthy round trip with a 2-hourly
bus service.
• When people in Market Drayton are transferred
to a cottage hospital they are sent to Whitchurch
as that is the nearest one. This particularly
affects older people and if you don't have a car it
is a lengthy journey via Shrewsbury to visit them.
A direct service between these towns is needed.
• Young people in Market Drayton need evening
bus services to Shrewsbury or Hanley to go
socialising as there is nothing to do in Market
Drayton.
• Shropshire Council discourages people from using
bus services by providing inadequate publicity
and marketing and making information difficult
to find. There is no map available showing what
services are available and where they go to, no
source of this information in Market Drayton, nor
any timetable leaflets readily available in the
town. Even information at bus stops is
inaccurate or does not show all services. For
those people who are able to use the internet
there is no information on Shropshire Council's
website, which simply refers people to the
Traveline website and this is sometimes
unavailable. When timetable information is
sourced there is then no ongoing way of
informing people of subsequent service changes.
Increasing the number of passengers that use bus
services will reduce the amount of money
needed for subsidised services, which can then
be used to support new or improved bus
and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, thereby
freeing up parking spaces for those people who
cannot use bus services.
Perhaps the next stage should be to offer financial
incentives to visitors to encourage them to use bus
services to access the hospitals rather than driving
there, which could alleviate the problem of them
parking in residential streets surrounding the sites.
__________________________________________
Market Drayton Public Meeting
Introduction
The meeting, which was held on 7 November, had
been called by Bus Users Shropshire to collect the
views of users and residents on the state of bus
services in the Market Drayton area. As well as four
members of the BUS committee, the meeting was
attended by 28 people, including Steve Howson of
Arriva buses (Shrewsbury), and Councillors Roger
Hughes and John Cadwallader
Background
A short account of bus services in the area,
including community transport, and the reliance on
local authority subsidy, was provided. The meeting
was then open to comments and questions from
anybody present.
Views of the public
The main issues raised were:
• Living in Market Drayton it can be difficult to
find work due to inadequate bus services. For
Shrewsbury the first bus does not run in school
holidays so any job that starts before 0845 in
the town centre or is not based in the centre is
unavailable. For Telford where there can be
10
NEWS & PHOTOS (continued)
frequency within the town. GHA’s timetable was too
ambitious and, following problems with punctuality
and reliability, it was changed from 1st September,
reducing the Sydney Cottage estate part of the town
service from every 30 minutes to hourly.
However, many of the problems apparent before the
change have continued since, and we have received
numerous complaints from passengers. Many of
these were aired at the Your Bus Matters event held
in Bridgnorth on 12th December (see page 15).
In terms of punctuality and reliability, observations
by BUS members show that not enough time is
allowed for the journey between Shrewsbury and
Bridgnorth, particularly those that divert via Barrow
Street in Much Wenlock, and there is inadequate
time to get in and out of Shrewsbury. On numerous
occasions buses have arrived in Shrewsbury up to 30
minutes late. Within Bridgnorth, time allowed for
the Sydney Cottage section seems adequate but
journeys to The Grove often struggle to keep to time.
Other problems that have been observed include:
• Journeys or sections of route within Bridgnorth
omitted due to lack of time
• No tickets issued and no record kept of
passengers on some journeys
• A driver drinking whilst driving
• Instances of rude and unhelpful drivers, including
refusing to help a disabled passenger board a bus
and aggressive behaviour towards a mother with
a baby
BUS is taking up these issues with GHA Coaches and
Shropshire Council and we will keep you informed.
___________________________________________
services, and maintain commercial services to
prevent them needing future subsidy.
• On Saturday 31 October there were two
breakdowns on Arriva service 341/342 Market
Drayton to Wellington, and there have been
previous instances of service failures due to
unreliable vehicles being used. A journey
missed on this route means a four hour gap in
service. There have also been instances where
buses have been delayed and drivers have
missed out part of the route to catch up time.
• The town bus service does not serve four
sheltered housing areas so the route needs
changing.
• Market Drayton bus station has only one bus
shelter which is not always large enough for the
number of passengers waiting, particularly as
there is a hole in the roof making part of it
unusable in wet weather.
• Now that rural bus services have been
withdrawn people cannot get to the main bus
routes for onward journeys, so these routes
have lost passengers and they can be
vulnerable.
• Although Shropshire Council like all other local
authorities throughout the country is having to
deal with budget cuts, Devon and North
Yorkshire were given as examples of local
authorities who are giving greater priority in
their spending to buses, resulting in better
services, comprehensive publicity and more
passengers.
• The Town Council will be consulting on services,
including public transport, for the
Neighbourhood Plan via a questionnaire being
sent out next week through the Market Drayton
Messenger. It is important that residents make
their views known about bus services so that
this information can be fed into Shropshire
Council's new Bus Strategy.
__________________________________________
Trouble with the 436 service
In July this year Shropshire Council combined route
436 Shrewsbury to Bridgnorth with route 101
Bridgnorth town service and awarded a new
contract to GHA Coaches. The company added
journeys commercially to maintain the hourly
service to Shrewsbury and give a regular 30 minute
11
NEWS & PHOTOS (continued)
very few incidents of breakdown on this service,
however due to the locality when we do it is more
noticeable. In the event of a breakdown we do
endeavour to keep the service running and always
despatch an engineer with another vehicle
immediately. We did have an issue a couple of
weeks ago and we did offer a taxi to the remaining
two passengers but this was declined. We are not
aware of any areas being missed out but if any
customers have experience of this they should
contact us via customer services and we will deal
with the issue accordingly.”
The dissatisfaction of passengers using the service
regularly is understandable as three breakdowns in a
month is not good. Also it is not acceptable if drivers
miss out sections of the route even if it only
occasionally. However the total lack of information
about changes to the times of the service, including
one journey that is retimed to leave 15 minutes
earlier, is unforgivable. Only days before the
changes were introduced both Traveline Cymru and
Traveline Midlands were showing only the existing
timetable with no mention of a change.
__________________________________________
Bus travel youth discount scheme
All 16 to 18-year-olds in Wales are able to save a
third off the price of adult bus fares from 1st
September, Welsh ministers have announced. The
Welsh Young Persons Discounted Travel Scheme
applies to local journeys and longer distance
Help keep service 490
Bus Users Shropshire has been helping a group of
community minded bus travellers in the Ludlow
area. Having helped win a twice daily service from
Leominster Monday to Saturday we are now
engaged in trying to keep bus passenger numbers
high to prevent a cut in April. The service is
currently supported by the Rural Transport Fund
from Herefordshire Council. This is our latest flyer.
If you are able to get to Ludlow, why not try out the
490?
__________________________________________
Some passengers unhappy with service 740
We've received a couple of complaints from
passengers in the south of the county about the 740
Ludlow to Knighton service. They say that buses are
breaking down and no replacement is provided, and
they ask whether it is possible to provide a more
robust back up possibly using a local taxi service.
They also report that Clungunford and Bedstone
have been missed out on some occasions. There
was also criticism that publicity for timetable
changes due on 1 November was still not available a
few days beforehand.
A spokesman for the operator Arriva said: “We have
12
NEWS & PHOTOS (continued)
other criteria must be met, and buses built before 1
October 2000 may not necessarily comply without
modification despite being low floor. In simple
terms, the most basic are:
• Space for a wheelchair, with suitable safety
provisions
• A boarding device for wheelchair users to get on
and off
• A minimum number of priority seats, and
minimum spacing
• Defined size and height of steps
• Equipment to display the route and destination
• Audible and visible systems to request a stop and
the use of a boarding device. This can be a
retractable ramp, a portable ramp that is stored
on the bus and attached to the step by the driver
when required, or a rear-mounted wheelchair
lift.
In its guidance, the Department for Transport
specifies handrail placement and size, priority seats
and step heights, and location and type of
destination screens. Besides the conventional front
display, it is necessary to display both the route
number and destination on the nearside adjacent to
the door. A rear route number repeater, which can
display a minimum of three characters, is also
required, and all displays must be lit at night.
Destination information may not be written solely in
capitals.
The legal requirement for drivers to assist disabled
passengers when required is also significant. They
are required to provide reasonable assistance to help
disabled people (including wheelchair users) board
and alight, although an operator can refuse carriage
if it thinks that a wheelchair may be a hazard to
others. There is no obligation to carry any
wheelchair which is longer than 1,200mm, wider
than 700mm, and higher (from the ground to the top
of the users head) than 1,350mm. Mobility scooters
are not covered by the regulations so operators are
not required to convey them.
The operator is guilty of a criminal offence “if that
vehicle does not comply with any relevant provision
of the regulations”. How strictly, if at all, The Driver
and Vehicle Standards Agency will enforce the
regulations remains to be seen. It has taken a low
profile with buses of 7,500kg and below, which have
TrawsCymru routes.
The project, costing £15m between September
2015 and April 2017, is part of a Labour-Liberal
Democrat deal to pass the Welsh Government's
budget. The First Minister launched the scheme at
an event in Corwen, Denbighshire. Carwyn Jones
encouraged all 110,000 16 to 18-year-olds in Wales
to register their interest at Gov.wales/mytravelpass
__________________________________________
New rules for buses and their drivers
From 1 January 2016, all single-deck buses used on
local or scheduled services must satisfy the Public
Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations, and it will
be a criminal offence under the Equality Act for
those that don’t comply after that date. When
used on the same basis, double-decker buses must
comply with the regulations by 1 January 2017, and
coaches by 1 January 2020. In addition, there are
certain duties placed upon the driver (and
conductor) which if not carried out could ultimately
lead to prosecution for the driver or conductor
Satisfying the regulations is not simply a case of
having a low floor and a wheelchair bay. A host of
13
NEWS & PHOTOS (continued)
You can read the story on the Guardian’s website:
www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/21/
diesel-cars-emissions-toxic-pollution-than-a-bus-
data-reveals
__________________________________________
Changing travel habits of young people
The Independent Transport Commission has recently
published a report called On The Move which
concluded that car use is declining. It showed that
changing behaviour among under-30s had made a
particularly significant contribution to the overall
trends, with young men less likely to use the car, and
a slowing rate of growth in car use among young
women coupled with a dramatic increase in their rail
travel.
The vast majority of
young people cite
cost factors as the
main reason why
they are driving less.
However, this is not
the whole story
since even those who did own cars often prefer to
travel by public transport, walking or cycling (41% of
all short trips and 27% of long trips). There is also a
growing number of young people who say they don’t
ever want a car and this increases with age. Thus
15% of non-car owners aged 17-29 don’t want a car
in the future compared to twice as many (32%) of
non-car owners aged 30-42.
The main factors identified for not owning a car are:
• An increasing number of young people are going
to university and accumulating debts.
• Real wages and employment rates for young
people have declined especially during the
recession.
• Concessionary travel, advance rail fares, car
sharing, car clubs are cheaper for travel than
running a car.
• Parking at university and college campuses and
at work places in urban areas is limited.
• The quality of public transport is improving.
• Car ownership and especially high end cars don’t
lead to higher status in the eyes of other young
people.
__________________________________________
been subject to the regulations since 1 January
2015, and whether the police will display any
interest in the matter appears doubtful.
__________________________________________
£5 million greener bus fund
In September local authorities across England were
be able to bid for a share of £5 million Government
funding to fit buses with green technology and offer
better journeys. The Clean Bus Technology Fund
2015 allowed local authorities to bid for up to
£500,000 – enough to retrofit hundreds of buses
that will reduce NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions
and improve air quality. The fund was open for
bids until the end of October, with a particular focus
on pollution hotspots in cites and urban areas. The
winners will be announced by the end of the year.
Does anyone know if Shropshire Council made a
bid, and if so were they successful?
__________________________________________
Cars are four times more poisonous than
buses
That’s one in the eye for people who say that buses
are the most polluting vehicles in our town centres.
New research carried out in Norway by the
Norwegian Centre for Transport Research, and in
London by Transport for London, found that a single
Euro6 emissions diesel bus emits four times less
poisonous Nitrous Oxide (NOx) than a modern
diesel car. And with vastly more diesel cars in our
towns than buses the hazardous effect of each car
is multiplied many times over. It is no wonder that
cars are killing thousands of people each year from
breathing diseases, over 23,500 a year in Britain
alone. That’s about ten times the number killed
annually by car collisions.
14
18 August 2015
891 Wolverhampton to Telford Town Centre. Diverted between
Albrighton and Shifnal via Bowling Green Lane, holyhead Road (A464) and
Park Street instead of Newport Road, Cosford, Stanton Road, Curriers
Lane and Broadway. No longer serves Stafford Park. Withdrawn on
Saturdays.
5 September 2015
Shrewsbury to Ironbridge Circular. Battlefield is no longer served.
6 September 2015
15A Newport to Market Drayton to Stafford to Stone. New service on Tuesdays and Saturdays consisting of
one journey each way (does not serve Newport on Saturdays). Operated by D & G Bus.
164 Market Drayton to Hanley. Sunday service withdrawn.
436 Market Drayton to Stafford. Withdrawn.
28 September 2015
780 Long Mynd & Stiperstones Shuttle. Withdrawn for the winter.
5 October 2015
783 Castle Connect. Withdrawn for the winter.
26 October 2015
Shrewsbury to Ironbridge Circular. Withdrawn for the winter
1 November 2015
24 Harlescott to Shrewsbury Bus Station. Journeys towards Harlescott are diverted via Sports Village on
Sundorne Road to serve that and adjoining health centre.
Shrewsbury Park & Ride. Frequency reduced from every 10 minutes (15 minutes 1100-1500) to every 20
minutes throughout the day. The extension for late night shopping on the six Wednesdays prior to Christmas
is withdrawn.
4 January 2016
54 Cefn-y-Blodwel to Oswestry. Extended to start from Pentrefelin via Llangedwyn and Pen-y-bont, and
return journey extended via Pen-t-bont and Llangedwyn to Glan-y-afon.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
DID YOU KNOW Research from Greener Journeys had shown that every £1 spent on concessionary travel generates at least
£2.87 in benefits to bus users and the wider community.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Service Changes
15
Your Bus Matters event in Bridgnorth
Bus Users UK organised their third Your Bus Matters event in Shropshire, this time
in Bridgnorth on 12th December. It was designed to give bus users the opportunity
to talk to the people who run their bus services, and was attended by
representatives of Bus Users UK, Bus Users Shropshire, and local bus operator
Arriva.
This poster was distributed around Bridgnorth, including on buses, and a press
release was issued. As a result many people came along to make comments and
complaints in the morning, but few in the afternoon probably due to it being a cold
and wet day. Most of the complaints related to service 436 and included:
• Poor reliability due to late running
• Rude drivers
• Lack of timetable information
• Drivers will not let pass holders on to town service if they want Shrewsbury service (people want to
save standing in rain)
• Confusion on where the bus is going due to both Shrewsbury service and town service carrying same
number
• Confusion on whether it is the right bus due to non-GHA
liveried vehicles (e.g. one has Connect88 branding for
the Altrincham to Knutsford service)
The comments were collected on forms, which are being
processed by Bus Users UK, and it is hoped to include an
analysis of all the points raised in the next newsletter. Thanks
go to Bus Users UK for organising the event, Arriva for coming
along, and Les, Neil and Harold for their hard work on the day
in collecting people’s views and helping to publicise BUS.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Bus Users welcomes news that BSOG will not be cut
The threatened Bus Service Operators’ Grant which is currently worth over £300m each year to bus services,
will not be cut in the current Spending Review. Bus Users, along with other leading transport bodies, lobbied
Chancellor George Osborne ahead of the Autumn Statement, warning of the massive impact cuts to BSOG
would have. Chair of Bus Users the Rt Hon Norman Baker has welcomed the decision: “This is great news
for bus services and for passengers. Cutting the BSOG would have led to fare increases and further cuts to
services, causing particular hardship to vulnerable people and people on low incomes. This relatively small
source of funding is a small price to pay for the massive contribution buses make to society.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
New Deputy Director for Bus Users England
Bus Users has appointed Natacha Tagholm as the new Deputy Director for England. Natacha will be
responsible for managing the team in England under Director, Dawn Badminton-Capps, and working to drive
forward Bus Users’ mission to improve standards in services and make the bus a viable choice for everyone.
In welcoming Natacha to the post, Dawn said: “We are very pleased that Natacha is joining us. Her
knowledge of the industry and customer service skills will add even greater value to the England team.”
Bus Users UK
16
Before joining Bus Users, Natacha was Regional Customer Service Manager for First in the South West and
Wales, responsible for using customer feedback to improve services as well as community and customer
engagement, particularly with schools and disability groups. Having lived and worked overseas, Natacha
brings with her a wealth of customer service knowledge gained across a number of cultures and industries.
Natacha officially takes up the role on Monday 16 November 2015.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Please let us have your views on this newsletter, anything you have read in it, or on any bus subject. Letters
should be sent to the address below.
Bus Users UK (continued)
Bus Users Shropshire is an action group of volunteers formed in 2011 as a response to big cuts in bus
services. We are part of Bus Users UK. We don’t support any political party but we do want politicians locally
and nationally to take an interest in buses. We are governed by a constitution and managed by an elected
committee who implement our plans and report to meetings of all members where we share ideas and
news.
• We campaign for improvements to services and proper funding and development
• We talk regularly to Shropshire Council who recognise us as a representative body of bus passengers
• We give feedback and ideas for improvement to bus operators as a ‘critical friend’
Bus services are still under threat. If you are not already part of BUS share your experiences as a bus user
with us. A big membership also gives influence.
• Become a Supporter. This costs you nothing.
• Become a Member. Have your say. Get active! Modest subscription payable.
Bus Users Shropshire, c/o Shrewsbury Coffeehouse, 5 Castle Gates, Shrewsbury SY1 2AE
Email: [email protected]
Telephone/text: 07580 564458
Website: www.bususers.org/your-local-group/bus-users-shropshire
What is BUS?
What BUS does
What you can do
Contact details
NEXT EDITION (Published beginning of April 2016)
Please submit your contributions no later than 8th March 2016
It would be really helpful to receive information electronically in Word or plain text format, and digital
photos, which should be sent to: [email protected]
Alternatively, you can send written information, or photo prints which will be returned, to:
Bus Users Shropshire, c/o Shrewsbury Coffeehouse, 5 Castle Gates, Shrewsbury SY1 2AE
MEMBERS VIEWS
