Electric bus trial bid for Oswestry town centre

Calls have been made for Oswestry to be used as a trial area for electric buses as part of a county-wide overhaul of bus services.

Oswestry Town Council has made the request to Shropshire Council alongside a raft of other suggestions such as Sunday services and smaller vehicles.

Shropshire Council is re-tendering its bus service contracts, and has asked all town and parish councils for their views on current services.

At an Oswestry Town Council planning committee meeting on Wednesday evening, chairman Mike Isherwood said the council should take the opportunity to set out what the town wants to see from future bus services, ahead of a “much larger review” as part of the Government’s £3 billion ‘Bus Back Better’ scheme, with changes expected to come into effect from April 2022.

He said: “It would be a good idea if we could commit to supporting the review, give our views tonight on current services, and maybe suggest some key principles for future services – like reducing emissions, using smaller vehicles, basing services on real-time information.

“We could even suggest that Oswestry is used to trial electric vehicles, to provide a template for how it could work and provide data for designing future services.”

Councillor Rosie Radford suggested the town council should ask for a review of bus stop locations with a view to new stops being added.

Other members said faster buses to Shrewsbury should also be requested, along with operating times being extended into the evenings.

Summing up, Councillor Isherwood proposed: “We are requesting that bus stop locations are reviewed to make sure they’re in the most appropriate places.

“Sunday services would be good to see – sometimes Sunday is the only day people do have to get jobs done – and a faster service to Shrewsbury to link us with the county town in a more useable way.

“The size of the vehicles could be looked at. Do we need double-decker buses going around residential estates?

“We would welcome the town centre being used as a trial area for electric vehicles.

“The access arrangements for people with disabilities should be an important part of the review, and also a look at services finishing too early in the day.”

These suggestions were unanimously supported.

Following the meeting, Councillor Isherwood added: “The planning committee showed a keen desire to contribute to the consultation on the much-needed overhaul of bus services over the coming months.

“A wide range of suggestions was discussed and members will have another chance to feed-in to the re-design of services in the autumn, so the public are invited to get in touch with their local councillors with any suggestions they have.

“This could result in huge improvements and investment in how well Oswestry is connected by sustainable transport and will shape transport provision for many years to come, helping tackle issues like rural isolation, congestion on our roads, and climate change, as well as making it easier for people to get to work or make necessary trips without having to rely on cars.”

It comes as the Future Oswestry Group (FOG) is also undertaking a review of the town’s bus services and a report to councillors by town clerk Arren Roberts said this was “being progressed with an extensive engagement/research exercise planned”.