Shrewsbury bus operator to launch new seven-day service
A bus operator is to launch a new service in Shrewsbury which will mean the return of Sunday routes in the town for the first time in two years.
EasyCoach, which is part of the easyGroup which includes easyJet, is better known for its discount coach services linking Shropshire with Manchester Airport.
Now the operator has announced that it will launch a new seven-days-a-week local bus service from Shrewsbury Bus Station to the Tesco superstore at Harlescott from this coming Monday.
The number 28 and 28s buses will call at Harlescott, Boscobel Drive, Mount Pleasant, Hubert Way and Ellesmere Road, but the business could introduce further services in the future.
EasyCoach boss Andrew Martin said: "This is good news for Shrewsbury. We believe that a town of its size should have a seven-day-a-week bus service that well serve the local communities and we are pleased to be able to launch this new service on a fully commercial basis without requiring funding from Shropshire Council or local tax payers."
He added: "We are working closely with Bus Users Shropshire to identify other areas where we believe it is possible to provide a much-needed seven-day bus service on a commercial basis without the support of the council and therefore, reducing any additional burden on the local tax payers."
Mr Martin said the fares on the route would be "competitive".
The Sunday bus will be the first in Shrewsbury's since Shropshire Council and other operators withdrew services in March 2015.
Those routes, which made 32,800 passenger trips in their final year, link the town centre with Monkmoor, Gains Park, the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Radbrook Green, Harlescott, Sutton Farm and Bayston Hill.
