A £90 million funding bid has been drawn up by Shropshire Council to “transform” the county’s bus services.
The bid to the Government’s Bus Back Better fund would support ambitions for more regular and reliable buses, as well as extended timetables and Sunday services.
An overhauled bus model would also bring lower fares, real-time passenger information and low-carbon vehicles – which the authority hopes will help facilitate a shift towards more people choosing public transport.
Councillor Dean Carroll, portfolio holder for highways, said the bid was due to be submitted to Government in the coming days and reflected the results of the recent public consultation which asked people what they wanted to see from the county’s bus services.
“We firmly believe that our submission can truly transform public transport in Shropshire and provide a more sustainable network for our residents,” said Councillor Carroll.
“Earlier this year we asked you how you felt bus services in Shropshire performed and what they could do to improve – we have listened and asked for funding to deliver these changes.
“We don’t want to simply replicate service levels of metropolitan areas, we want a fair reflection of a service that bus users here in Shropshire can expect.
“We want a service that gives people a legitimate choice of travel in Shropshire and the benefits that come with that – the economy of our towns, transport decarbonisation, easing social and rural isolation and better access to essential services, such as healthcare.”
Councillor Carroll said the council had “huge ambition” to “completely modernise” the county’s bus service, including better connectivity for rural communities and a re-designed Shrewsbury’s park and ride service.
Re-branded ‘Shrewsbury Connect’, the new park and ride would cover a greater area of the town, including stops at key leisure, employment and health sites, and allow passengers to travel the whole network on a single ticket.
It could also see the Oxon park and ride site relocated to Bowbrook, with potential to provide overflow parking for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The council says more information about the Bus Back Better bid will be released next week.
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