Arriva announces bus timetable changes across Shropshire

Arriva has announced changes that will take place from 31 August, saying they "will help reshape our network to meet the changing demands of the market in a post-Covid environment, and to drive patronage recovery and growth with service levels being adjusted on some of services."

In Telford, Routes 1 and 2 will run up to every 30 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays, offering passengers a combined frequency of up to every 15 minutes between Telford Town Centre, Dawley, and Little Dawley with an hourly service during the evening and on Sundays.

Route 3 will see some minor changes to the evening and Sunday timetables, with buses on Mondays to Saturdays continuing to run up to every 15 minutes.

Most journeys on route X4 will start from either Princess Royal Hospital or Wellington Bus Station, and will continue through to Shrewsbury, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Oswestry. Journeys on route X4 between Telford Town Centre and Wellington will be replaced by route 4A, operating on College Days only.

Route X5 will offer customers a bus up to every hour on Mondays to Saturdays throughout the day, providing fast and direct links between Telford, Lawley, Shrewsbury, and Oswestry.

The College Day only journeys on route 7A will be re-timed to provide better connections for Shrewsbury College students travelling from Newport.

In the Shropshire area, routes 70 and 70a will be replaced by a new service X4 and X5, that will offer customers direct links between Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Wellington and Telford. Most journeys on route X4 will start from Oswestry and will continue through to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, Wellington and Princess Royal Hospital. Route X5 will provide a bus up to every hour on Mondays to Saturdays throughout the day, providing fast and direct links between Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Telford.

These routes provide a co-ordinated 30-minute service between Oswestry and Shrewsbury.

Route 1 in Shrewsbury will run up to every 20 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays.

Shrewsbury routes 8, 8a and 27, and Oswestry routes 2 and 53 will see some minor timetable changes.

Route 64 between Shrewsbury and Market Drayton will also see timetable changes, with most journeys being extended to Newcastle and Hanley replacing route 164.

From Wednesday 1 September, Arriva will no longer operate Oswestry Town Services (400, 402, 403 and 404). For details of the replacement service, customers should contact Shropshire Council.

Andrew Godley, commercial director for Arriva, said: “We have a great network in Telford which supports our communities. These service changes have been designed to build on that and create a bus network that provides reliable and punctual services for our customers. Customers will see revised frequencies on some of our local services. We have tailored our services to provide a network that adapts to changing travel habits.”