Lack of passengers sees bus service axed

New bus services are being introduced between Oswestry and Wrexham from May 18, but the Saturday timetable in Wem is being reduced next month.

Lakeside Coaches of Ellesmere currently runs 11 services from 9.15am to 4.45pm on a Saturday in Wem, three more than it runs on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

But from June 28 the last three services of the 201 will be axed. The service leaves Station Road before travelling along Cordwell Park, Churchill Drive and Aston Street where it terminates.

Carole Sykes, operations manager at Lakeside Coaches, said: "We have been doing a survey to see how many people use the service after 2.30pm on a Saturday.

"We have the same driver every week as well and the feedback from him and the survey is that no one is using it.

"The service is just running around the town with no one on it, wasting fuel.

"We have asked both Shropshire Council and Wem Town Council who have both agreed to cancelling the service for those times.

"Even passengers have been saying that there's never anybody on.

"It is not good for the environment to have a bus driving around the town empty and it would just not be viable for any company to do this.

"We have written to the traffic commissioner and the service will be stopped on June 24, which means on Saturday, June 28 the service will not be running beyond 2.30pm."

Wem Town Council discussed the cancellation of the services at its meeting last week and councillors agreed that it should be stopped if nobody used it.

In a letter to the town council, Neal Hall, director and general manager of Lakeside Coaches, said the service was only getting between two and three passengers after 2.30pm.

He also said the driver was encountering more difficulties on the route at those times because of cars parked on the roadside.

Councillor Connie Granger said: "If the town picks up and gets busier at those times then maybe the company could re-introducing the service in the future?"

Mrs Sykes said Lakeside Coaches was open to this possibility.

She said: "If people want to start using the service again and there is demand then we won't hesitate in starting it up again."

The Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 201 service will not be affected by the changes.

Meanwhile, Seven new buses have been introduced on a route between Oswestry and Wrexham.

New evening and Sunday buses have been introduced to the 2, 2A and 2C routes running between Oswestry and Wrexham, which call at Gobowen, Chirk, Lodgvale Estate Cefn Mawr, Acrefair, Ruabon, Johnstown and Rhostyllen.

Keith Myatt from Arriva Midlands said: "Consultation with our customers highlighted the need for the introduction of evening and Sunday buses between Oswestry and Wrexham. We are pleased to announce the arrival of these buses from May 18."

Evening and Sunday route 2 buses will run between Oswestry and Wrexham via Orthopaedic Hospital, Gobowen (Sunday and evening link for Gobowen Railway Station), St Martins Beech Trees, Chirk, Pentre, Newbridge, Cefn Mawr Tesco, Plas Madoc, Ruabon, Johnstown and Rhostyllen.

The service will run on Sundays leaving Oswestry every hour between 8.30am and 3.30pm and leaving Wrexham every hour between 9.30am and 4.30pm.

Evening buses will run Mondays to Saturdays leaving Oswestry at 6.45pm, 19.45pm and 9pm, and leaving Wrexham at 7.45pm, 8.45pm and 10pm.