Options sought to save cross-county bus route

4 hours ago

Rob TriggShropshire political reporter

News image — The number 64 bus service weaves its way through villages either side of the Shropshire-North Staffordshire border

BBC A single-decker turquoise bus parked in an open-air bus stand with a handful of passenger queuing to board. Green railing and a small bus stop can be seen alongside the bus. — The number 64 bus service weaves its way through villages either side of the Shropshire-North Staffordshire border

A council has said it is looking at options to ensure a bus route linking Staffordshire and Shropshire continues beyond September.

Shropshire Council announced last month that it had retendered the number 64 from Shrewsbury to Market Drayton and taken on the cost of providing the service.

But the section linking Market Drayton with Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent was not renegotiated and Staffordshire County Council was not informed until after the process had been completed.

Shropshire Council said the second leg of the route operated commercially and that it was for Staffordshire County Council to consider its future as the section was predominantly in its area.

The number 64 Arriva service has been part-subsidised using a government grant since 2024. The additional funding was used to increase frequency and include additional journeys to Hanley.

The route is popular with students in Market Drayton who attend college or university in Staffordshire.

Eight turquoise single-decker buses parked in a large bus station. Houses and a green field can be seen in the background. — Almost all of the 60-70 bus routes in Shropshire rely on subsidies to operate

Shropshire Council said it has decided to secure the Shrewsbury to Market Drayton section with new operator D&G Buses after it became clear that Arriva could not continue to provide the service without ongoing government funding, which is reducing.

It warned that the route would have been cut if it had not stepped in to fund it in full.

Andrew Mynors, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for connectivity, said: "We were made aware that Shropshire Council had retendered part of this route in its boundaries after the process had been completed.

"We're now looking at options to ensure there is a continuation of the service from Market Drayton to Newcastle and will provide an update as soon as we can."

Securing the Shropshire section of the number 64 bus route was one of 21 changes made by Shropshire Council to bus services this year as contracts with private operators expire.

Changes include reducing the number of park and ride sites in Shrewsbury from three to two.