Cancelled bus service set to leave school students stranded

Earlier this week Arriva announced a host of changes to bus services across the county.

One of those included in the changes is the cancellation of the route which takes students from Ellesmere to the Marches School in Oswestry - on the number 53 bus.

The decision will see the 7.40am from Ellesmere to The Marches School scrapped, along with the 3.15pm from the Marches School to Ellesmere.

Arriva is also cancelling the 5.15pm from Ellesmere to Oswestry, and the 6pm from Oswestry to Ellesmere - as well as the Saturday service in its entirety.

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan said she had been contacted by a number of parents whose children will be left stranded by the decision.

In a response to one of the parents affected by the decision she pledged to raise the issue with Arriva and Shropshire Council.

Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, said: “The Ellesmere to Oswestry bus must be protected.

“Young people in North Shropshire need to be able to access education and staff need to be able to get to work without relying on a lift.

“These cuts would make it even harder for people to travel around an already poorly-connected part of the county.

“I’m joining bus users who are calling on Arriva and Shropshire Council to knock their heads together and sort this out. This is a major route connecting two important market towns, schools and employers.

“We have to fight to save it, and we should be very clear that residents will not put up with further cuts to the school bus or the Saturday service.”

Arriva itself defended the decision, saying Shropshire Council had stopped subsidising the service earlier this year, and that it had been able to make a success of the route on a commercial basis.

Responding to criticism on social media, Arriva said: "For the past two years, we have been receiving funding from Shropshire Council to maintain the current service levels on route 53 between Ellesmere and Oswestry.

"Unfortunately, this funding came to an end on 31 August 2024 and the Council advised that no further support would be made available.

"Despite our best efforts to continue operation of this service on a commercial basis, the number of passengers does not cover the cost of operation.

"As a result, we are making some targeted changes to the timetable to balance our cost of operation with the revenue received to protect the long-term viability of this bus service.

"Wherever possible, we have looked to minimise disruption for our customers. Whilst there is understandable disappointment with the situation, there has not been the offer of any additional funding or solutions to maintain the current service levels, leaving us no choice but to make these changes to safeguard the long-term future of the local bus network for the communities we serve."

Responding to the decision, Councillor Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for public transport, said they were looking at ways to reverse the move.

He said: "Clearly we are very disappointed by Arriva’s decision to cut journeys from the timetables of the 53 service, especially the school journeys, but we’re looking at possible ways to save or retain these journeys and we hope we’ll be able to say more soon.”