Image caption, Arriva Bus has reduced the frequency of bus 64 as customer numbers struggle to reach pre-pandemic levels Article information
- Author, Ben Godfrey
- Role, BBC Midlands Today
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2 minutes ago
Bus number 64 arrives at Market Drayton bus station. It is a sunny June morning and a queue is already forming.
Market day is here and bargain hunters are out in force. Others are checking bus timetables and wondering how long it will take to get to their hospital appointment.
Route 64 runs through villages on both sides of the Shropshire/North Staffordshire border to destinations including Shrewsbury, Newcastle Under Lyme and Hanley.
But Arriva Midlands has reduced the frequency of the route because “daytime customer numbers are struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels.”
Image caption, Mary Valentine-Williams said she has no choice but to take the bus to hospital appointments
Tell that to passengers and some comments may not be published here. “Stressful” seems a fair summary.
“I suffer from constant anxiety,” says Mary Valentine-Williams, a cancer patient at Shrewsbury Hospital.
She says she has no choice but to take the bus to two appointments this week.
“You can wait hours for the 64 to come, and then hours on the other side to come back. It’s very stressful.”
Image caption, Liz Hay is considering moving out of the city to ensure she can travel regularly by bus
Outside of the ‘traditional’ journey times, the bus leaves Market Drayton for Shrewsbury every two hours, but to Hanley (Stoke-on-Trent) it takes three hours.
One passenger likened it to a “public transport desert,” while others said they were seriously considering leaving, such was their sense of isolation.
Liz Hay moved to Market Drayton 15 months ago.
“I didn’t expect a great bus service, but I did expect to be able to get to hospitals fairly easily,” she says.
“I am seriously considering moving in a few years so I can travel by bus and taxi again. I am scared of not being able to go to hospital appointments.”
Image caption, A local action group has received complaints about buses not running frequently and taxis not being reliable
Janet Smith, another 64th passenger, wants Shropshire Council to take control of all bus services.
“Andy Burnham has brought in a partial change in the law in Manchester to allow franchising. As a first step we need something like that at least,” she said.
Official figures suggest the number of miles you can travel by bus in Shropshire fell by 63% between 2013 and 2023, the biggest drop in England. Meanwhile, passenger numbers fell by more than 40%.
Commercial operators may be right about declining demand, but concerns about the increasing isolation of older people seem equally valid.
Market Drayton Climate Action, a local action group, conducted an extensive survey of passengers.
They have complained about poor bus frequency, unreliable taxis and the fact that Market Drayton has no train station.
It is also difficult for public transport users to reach nearby towns such as Whitchurch and Nantwich.
Image caption, Belinda Sprigg said many people don’t have access to a car
MDCA’s Belinda Sprigg says car use will only decrease significantly if regular bus services are introduced.
“There are also many people with limited mobility or no access to a vehicle and they are completely stranded here. We are basically told ‘there is no money’.
“We thought we would get some money from the cancellation of HS2 – but we haven’t seen any evidence of that yet. It’s really making me desperate.”
An Arriva Midlands spokesman said: “We never take the decision to reduce the frequency of a service lightly.
“The lower number of customers and higher operating costs have meant that it is currently not sustainable to operate this service (64) at a higher frequency.
“Arriva continues to work with local transport authorities to evaluate service levels.”
The BBC has asked Shropshire Council for comment, but they have not responded.
Image caption, Parties debate the issue of rural bus services
This week’s general election has reignited the debate about protecting and funding effective rural bus services.
“The bus services in North Shropshire are broken,” said Labour candidate Natalie Rowley.
“Labour will empower our communities to take back control of our bus services, and… support local leaders to deliver better buses, faster.”
Sam Claadbowl, an independent, wants to reopen several former bus routes. “Secondly, I would ensure proper investment in North Shropshire’s infrastructure so that many of our hamlets and villages are not isolated and forced to use our roads which have also been neglected.”
Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat candidate in North Shropshire, said: “Shropshire has lost more bus miles than any other county in England over the past eight years, thanks to the Conservatives’ neglect of rural Britain.
“Liberal Democrats could reverse that by giving local authorities more powers to franchise services and simplifying funding so that bus routes can be restored and new routes added.”
Simon Baynes, the Conservative candidate for parliament, says £4.7 billion has been pledged for transport priorities in cities and rural areas in the Midlands and the North.
“I am a strong supporter of introducing free bus services on certain days of the week in North Shropshire, including Market Drayton and Ellesmere…
I also support Shropshire Council’s innovative plans for the Connect on Demand bus service, which will provide more flexible travel options.”
Reform’s Mark Whittle says “bus services should be integrated and coordinated with local trains to provide continuity in public transport and small buses… used for regular stops.”
Green Party leader Craig Emery says if elected he would “increase subsidies for bus and rail travel, hand over control of bus services to local authorities to integrate the network, and provide free bus travel for under-18s.”
It seems that the candidates do indeed recognize that the supply is not sufficient. The regulars of the ’64’ are lining up to tell them.
Image caption, The North Salop Wheelers need more volunteers to run their bus service
The addition of the commercially run ‘301’ city service has been welcomed by Market Drayton residents.
But it is the charities that are stepping in.
The North Salop Wheelers is a popular local bus service run by volunteers and supported by local government grants.
“When people are old and isolated it is difficult for them to make short trips and have a social life, so we pick them up at home,” says Robin Nelson, secretary of North Salop Wheelers.
“We are getting busier, but we also have a shortage of volunteers. We want politicians to recognise that there are real transport issues in rural communities. If you live in London, there are services everywhere… but here there is really no transport and I don’t think politicians fully understand that.”
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