New bus stop for hospital visitors
A new bus stop has opened at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) benefitting both patients and staff.
The bus stop, which is located at the Treatment Centre at rear of the Copthorne site, officially launched on Monday.
It is the second stop at the RSH, with the first being located at Outpatients. It means that the Arriva bus service will stop at Outpatients before proceeding on to drop off and collect outside the Treatment Centre.
The new stop will save patients, particularly those less abled, walking a third of a mile from Outpatients to reach the Treatment Centre for appointments; and will also encourage staff to use the bus to get to work as part of the hospital’s ambition to become more sustainable.
Alex Ford, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) sustainable travel plan co-ordinator, said: “We are delighted that the bus stop is now a reality. It will make accessing the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital’s Treatment Centre even more convenient for both staff and patients. It also encourages more people to use the bus, particularly staff, who will be able to benefit from a discounted ticket service.”
The Arriva bus (Number 11) runs every 15 minutes from Shrewsbury Bus Station between 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday.
Plans for the new bus stop were first floated back in 2015. Since then there have been several dry runs with Arriva buses to see if the idea was viable, and funding for the scheme was approved last April.
The scheme has come to fruition through a partnership between SaTH, Arriva Buses and Shropshire County Council’s Passenger Transport Commissioning Group.
