Market Drayton Bus Station set for major revamp including Shropshire's first electronic timetable - full details here
Market Drayton's Bus Station is set for a major revamp to improve facilities for both bus drivers and passengers, and could become home to Shropshire's first ever real-time bus timetable.
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Councillor Ian Nellins met with a Shropshire Council representative who is responsible for public transport in the region to discuss his aspirations to bring the Connect on Demand bus service to market towns across the region. The Connect on Demand services don't follow a fixed timetable, and instead operate on a flexible, on-demand basis, allowing residents to travel between bus stops and designated points within a travel zone or to out-of-zone stops.
But, one thing led to another, and Mr Nellins explained to the representative that Market Drayton Town Council is working to majorly improve and revamp the Towers Lawn toilet block next to the bus station, and proposed that an empty space within the facility could become a new driver rest room.
The town's bus station does not currently have a rest room for bus drivers, and so when the proposition was made, the county council representative said the town council could receive a substantial figure and amount of money towards the toilet block improvements - if it were to have a new rest room created.
Mr Nellins was delighted to reveal that Market Drayton is set to receive a sum from the local authority's Bus Service Improvement Plan pot which will also go towards improving and replacing the bus shelter and seeing the first real-time electronic bus timetable installed in Shropshire, at Market Drayton Bus Station.
Councillor Ian Nellins said: "During a conversation with staff with the public transport department at Shropshire Council I was enquiring about the Connect on Demand bus service that they have in Shrewsbury and about having that in market towns such as maybe Market Drayton.
"I was told that there is not currently the facilities in Market Drayton for this service because there is nowhere for drivers to have a rest, so I said about the town council refurbishing the toilet block and that there would be room to adapt a space for a rest room. And that put a new light on things.
"Members of the public transport team at Shropshire Council realised that some of the Bus Service Improvement Plan money, which some is also for infrastructure, they said they could definitely put some money towards Market Drayton Town Council's ambitions. So the plan will be for a substantial figure, we are hoping about half of the cost of doing the refurbishment will come from that.
"It is a stepping stone for the future. It is not saying we are going to get the Connect on Demand bus service straight away, but it puts the town in a much better position for when it is fundable to do it.
"The aspiration is to also have the first electronic real-time timetable in Shropshire installed and to improve the existing shelter and make it larger."
'Coach friendly' status
Mr Nellins added that an application has also been submitted for Market Drayton to gain 'coach friendly' status, meaning coaches can bring people into the north Shropshire town.
The plans also boost aspirations to see a new bus service connecting Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Wellington introduced.
"It is also good for the coach friendly status application," added Mr Nellins. "You need somewhere where the driver can rest. There are a number of things which it will improve.
"Recently we have had an increase in service in the 64 service, it has gone from a two-hour service to hourly. It is being well used and now we have the aspirations, and are still working towards, a service to connect Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Wellington, so all of this lends into it.
"So we want to make the facilities much better, the information available much better, and it is a stepping stone for better public transport for Market Drayton.
"It should be good news for Market Drayton, and at the very least we are going to get a contribution from the bus service improvement plan towards the toilets to include a rest room for drivers and new electronic timetable."
Tim Manton, chair of the services and facilities committee on Market Drayton Town Council, has been at the forefront of plans to improve the Towers Lawn toilet block, and is delighted to hear that this space could also benefit bus drivers and therefore see investment in the project.
He said: "It is fantastic and the implications of that for the future get even better, because we get a refurbishment of our bus depot which serves the connected bus service. That then enhances the prospect and hope for the Whitchurch to Market Drayton to Wellington bus service because there is a rest room."
