New Whitchurch to Shrewsbury bus service to begin this week

A new, improved, Whitchurch to Shrewsbury bus service will begin operating tomorrow, Wednesday 1 June 2016.

The 511 service will be operated by GHA Coaches, who have been awarded a contract by Shropshire Council following a competitive tendering exercise.

The service is currently operated by Arriva.

Under the new service:

• Upgraded buses will operate from late June 2016
• Fares will remain the same
• GHA will be operating the existing timetable and stops
• GHA will offer single and return tickets
• Single, return, day and week tickets can be purchased on board the bus
• A wide range of discounted weekly, monthly and term-time tickets can be purchased via smartphone.

There will also be an opportunity for people to travel right through to Chester on the GHA Whitchurch to Chester service.

Arriva tickets will be accepted until Sunday 5 June 2016, and students who have been issued with a pass by Shropshire Council for use on the 511 service can use their pass until the end of term in July 2016.

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transportation, said:

“The 511 is an important and popular bus service and I’m delighted that people travelling between Whitchurch and Shrewsbury will now have an improved service – and no change to fares or bus times. I’m particularly pleased that GHA will be operating a fleet of upgraded buses on this route, which will greatly improve the service and make people’s journeys more enjoyable.

“We’re working hard to move our bus services to a more commercial footing and to reduce the cost to Shropshire Council of providing bus services. This is just one example of how we have successfully done this.”

The new service will be officially launched in late June to coincide with the arrival of the upgraded vehicles.