Shropshire Routes to Roots

12. Serving Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin: 1998 to 2004

Modern services

In the last phase of the story from 1998 the county of Shropshire became divided into two parts. The former Wrekin District became the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin from 1 April 1998. Bit by bit the tendering policies of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin diverged. The responses to new government initiatives and changes to the bus industry became distinctively different. Both authorities have been successful in winning special grant money to support Quality Partnerships to ensure high standards of operation on selected urban route corridors (such as the Shrewsbury to Sundorne services 14 and 24 and the Telford Redline service 44 and Blueline service 33).

Rural Bus Grant money has been used to support evening and Sunday services and to bring accessible low floor buses to more people. Telford and Wrekin gained money to fund an ambitious project that initially was called Wrekin Rider, but later Wrekin Connect. Here small buses are used to convey rural passengers to interchange points at High Ercall, Crudgington and Newport where larger low floor buses meet them to take passengers into Telford, Wellington or Shrewsbury.

Pete's Travel V267 BNV on a service to Shrewsbury, 2000 Larger image, in a new window [19kb] [Photograph: Chris Warn]

The future

The last few years have been a time of renewed optimism for the bus and coach industry. There is now a genuine belief that buses can ease congestion and help the environment. Passengers are being encouraged to leave their cars at home or in out-of-town car parks and travel by relatively comfortable and convenient vehicles. Perhaps the bus will cease to be seen as the "last resort" means of travel. Maybe one day it will even be fashionable to be seen on a bus. The largest operator in Shropshire from 1981 was Midland Red North. In 1998 it was renamed Arriva Midlands North. Buses carried the strap line "serving the North Midlands". Bearing in mind this intention and the separation of Shropshire into two authorities, the final phases has been called "serving Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin". What will the next one hundred years bring?

Getting more information

This theme is only a small part of a much longer study conducted by Chris Warn. This study, as well as offering a more complete history, contains images, data and references for further research. The study will be made freely available on CD-Rom in your local library or at Shropshire Archives.

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