Council vows to save Bridgnorth to Stourbridge route after bus firm stops service

Bus firm Diamond Buses has withdrawn its service along the 125 route, but Shropshire Council has said it is taking steps to save the bus service, which runs through Highley, when the company stops the service from March 31.

Shropshire Council said The 125 service is commercially operated, but with no other bus firm in the area considering this route commercially viable, the council is considering fully subsidising the service for a limited time using funding provided by the Government to improve bus services across the county.

The service is out to tender for three weeks and the council will then assess which – if any – operators are interested in operating this route under contract.

Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for public transport, said: “We’re very disappointed that Diamond Buses has chosen to stop operating this service, due to it no longer being commercially viable. However, we know that this remains an important route for many people and we plan to step in to fund a replacement for a limited time.

“The council’s public transport budget is very limited and money already received from the Government to fund our planned bus service improvements will need to be used to fund the replacement service. This is something we’ve done recently to support some former Arriva services in the short-term.

“Once the contract is awarded we will use the contract period to work out passenger numbers and usage. However, it’s really important for people to use the service to ensure continued financial support in the longer-term. The message really is ‘use it or lose it.”

After deregulation of the bus network in the 1980s any local bus operator can put on a bus service they see as commercially viable. They can operate these bus services on routes that generate enough revenue for them. Local councils can then only set up bus services along routes that bus operators do not deem commercial and the council will contract these for a period with a subsidy.