16/12/2024 - Permalink

Council steps in to save school and Saturday journeys on Ellesmere to Oswestry bus service

Related topics: Highways, transport and environmental maintenance

Shropshire Council has stepped in to secure school and Saturday journeys on the 53 Ellesmere to Oswestry bus service after its operator Arriva announced it would be making cuts to the service.

The council has agreed to use some of the Bus Service Improvement Plan funding awarded by the Department for Transport, to ensure that these journeys continue to be provided until at least 31 March 2025.

Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for public transport, said:

“This is very good news for people using the 53 service for school and on a Saturday.

“Clearly we were very disappointed by Arriva’s decision to cut journeys from the timetables of the 53 service, especially the school journeys. But, we’re pleased to confirm that after negotiation with various operators in the county and identifying some available funding in this year’s allocation of the Bus Service Improvement Plan, we are able to reinstate some of the cancelled Arriva journeys which will be provided by Lakeside Coaches.

“The 53 service was receiving revenue support from the Government until August 2024 and Arriva have been contacted multiple times over the past 12 months to clarify what they planned to do with the service once the funding ran out. We were disappointed to see that they had chosen to cease operating these journeys and we have spent the past few weeks working out a potential solution using our own budgets and funding. I’m pleased that we have now been able to do so.”

During the contracted period Shropshire Council will work with Lakeside and Arriva  to understand passenger numbers and plan for service provision from April 2025 onwards.

Service 53 – click here for timetable – has been awarded to Lakeside Coaches on the following basis:

  • Monday to Friday, School days only to and from The Marches School. From 06/01/2025 to 31/03/2025.
  • Inward and return journeys provided.
  • A full Saturday timetable has also been awarded to Lakeside Coaches. From 04/01/2025 to 29/03/2025.
  • This will also run until 29 March 2025, at which point it will be reviewed.
  • Click here for Arriva’s revised timetable for the 53 from January 2025.

All existing Arriva passes will be accepted by Lakeside Coaches.