'Overwhelming' call for better public transport in Market Drayton survey

Residents of Market Drayton are 'overwhelmingly' in favour of having better access to public transport, as they talk about being 'marooned' and 'cut off' from neighbouring towns and villages.

It comes after members of Market Drayton Climate Action's (MDCA) Transport Working Group ran the survey to document people's experiences using public transport.

Its purpose was to provide evidence of demand in the area, which saw nearly 200 people submit 'emotive' responses calling for improvements to be made.

Janey Manton, secretary to MDCE Transport Working Group said: "One of the problems we have with the transport is that it is in decline and for a town like Market Drayton we don't have enough public transport – the town is expanding, while the bus service is declining.

"People like the bus that goes around the town, but it needs to go to more places, it only serves a small part of the town.

"We are very pleased with the survey and we do feel that it's not just us that thinks this – we have realised how many people in Market Drayton agree."

The bus survey results have given the group a solid mandate to pursue four key recommendations for change.

The four proposals are:

• Connecting Market Drayton to Whitchurch by bus

• Introducing evening services,

• Re-organising the existing service to include more of the town and extend to outlying villages

• Providing a direct bus from Market Drayton to Telford & Shrewsbury Hospital.

Findings revealed that many people rely on friends and family to take them to hospital appointments and they feel 'very anxious' because they cannot feasibly get there via public transport.

For patients who want to get to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, they will need to get two buses and a train in a three-hour round trip – this is more than three times longer than travelling by car.

Most respondents said they wanted frequent, reliable and affordable buses during the day, but a significant number also want to be able to use buses for social activities in the evening.

Respondents spoke movingly about how the current situation limits the life chances of young people – whose employment opportunities and educational choices may be limited by the workplaces and colleges they can access.

At present, Market Drayton does not have a direct service to Telford, which means that students who attend colleges or have work placements in Telford will need to get the 64 service to Shrewsbury and change – approximately a four-hour round trip.

Some would like to go on a day out by bus, while some would love an evening out in Market Drayton – to be able to have a few drinks and take the bus home.

This could be achieved by extending the existing bus routes or making a dial a ride available in the villages.

By car, the journey from Market Drayton to Telford takes approximately 33 minutes via the A41.

Market Drayton’s bus service provision is one of the worst in the UK, according to an analysis by the House of Commons Library.

The town has only a fraction of weekday bus departures compared to similar-sized towns, and there are no buses running on Sundays.

According to analysis, Whitchurch and Market Drayton are both in the bottom 10 per cent of towns of their size when it comes to the number of departures each weekday.

The average number of departures in English towns with a similar population – 10,000 to 20,000 people – is 306 each weekday.

But Market Drayton has an average of 74 departures and Whitchurch just 66.

The issue has been taken up by Helen Morgan MP, who has tabled a Bill in the House of Commons which would make the Government responsible for ensuring that every town with a population of over 10,000 has bus services that connect people with hospitals and GP surgeries running each day of the week.

Mrs Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said: “The dire state of public transport in Market Drayton harms the high street, harms job prospects and harms people’s health.

“It’s disgraceful that people needing to get to Telford hospital are forced into a three-hour round trip involving two buses and a train.

“I spoke to one pensioner recently who lives in a village near Drayton and so was effectively put under house arrest when the DVLA took his driving licence.

“Meanwhile, we’ve got people looking for work and shoppers looking to spend but neither can reach the businesses crying out for their help.

“It’s not fair and it’s something the Government has shown no interest in solving.

“These are problems people in urban areas don’t have to put up with and they’re a product of the Conservative Party’s neglect of rural Britain.

“The Government should back my Bus Services Bill and change the law so that market towns up and down the country can reap the rewards of proper public transport.”

Gareth Proffitt, senior communications officer for Shropshire Council said: “We are aware of the residents' survey that highlighted improvements to public transport access in and around Market Drayton, including travel opportunities to destinations outside of Market Drayton.

"Transforming public transport and creating a better network of services across Shropshire was at the heart of our Bus Service Improvement Plan and our recent Levelling Up Fund Round 2 submission – and the outcome of that submission should be known in the coming weeks.

“We will continue to pursue all avenues to realise the funding that is required to develop public transport across our county, that will ensure public transport becomes a realistic choice of travel for our residents.”