Shrewsbury's shuttle ferry service across the Severn comes to an end this week
People only have until Friday to get a lift on Shrewsbury’s temporary river shuttle before the bridge it has been filling in for reopens.
The river shuttle has been operated by the Sabrina Riverboat, with support from The Boathouse, Shrewsbury BID and Shropshire Council, while the Porthill footbridge over the River Severn has been closed for maintenance.
It has operated from 8am to 6pm each day, crossing from The Boathouse pub to the jetty in The Quarry, saving pedestrians the lengthy diversion route across the Welsh Bridge.
Porthill Bridge is expected to reopen on Saturday, meaning that the last day of the river shuttle will be Friday. A return crossing costs just £1 for adults or £2.50 for families.
Dilwyn Jones, owner of the Sabrina Riverboat, said the shuttle had been a popular addition to the river.
He said: “We have operated the shuttle every day we could while the bridge has been closed, although we unfortunately had to miss a few days due to high river levels.
“However, on the days when we have been able to run, everyone has really enjoyed it. There’s just something about crossing the river on a ferry, and it’s been popular with visitors as well as people who just needed to get into town.
“We have used our picnic boat, which carries up to eight passengers at a time, and it’s certainly something we’ll consider doing again in the future.”
Jim Littler, of The Boathouse, added: “A lot of our customers use Porthill bridge to reach us, so we were very happy that the river shuttle was introduced.
“We were delighted to use the jetty in our beer garden, and it was a great way to help people cross the river while the bridge was closed.”
