Doom and gloom have surrounded the rural bus network for many years as services are relentlessly cut back or axed altogether. But every now and again, there a glimmer of hope.
With thanks to work by Bus Users Shropshire, Lugg Valley Motors will be introducing an improved 490 bus service between Ludlow and Leominster and onwards to Hereford from next Monday, 2 September. The service calls at Overton Touring Park, Richard’s Castle, Orleton and Luston. The new timetable adds additional services to and from Ludlow on weekdays and Saturdays, and the bus will call at Ludlow School on schooldays.
The service is subsidised by Herefordshire Council. Shropshire Council does not contribute.
In the new weekday timetable, the 490 will also call at Yarpole twice on the way to Leominster in the morning and once on the way back in the afternoon. Departure times from Ludlow have changed by five to ten minutes. There will be six buses southbound to Leominster, seven on schooldays. That’s one more than at present. The same number will return from Leominster. The additional schoolday bus will call at Ludlow School at 08:50 and 15:45.
On Saturdays, Ludlow is currently served by only two buses each way. This will double to four buses in the new timetable.
490 Ludlow to Leominster timetable September 2019 (PDF for printing)
490 Ludlow to Leominster timetable (online).
492 Leominster to Hereford timetable (online).
Is there a need for volunteer buses? Mini buses that run from one area to another picking up passengers who for one reason or another do not use taxis. These are run by volunteers who drive it for an hour or two with fares going to maintain the bus service. A community bus service for filling in non planned routes.
We have community buses throughout the county and as you will have seen them here in Ludlow. But they are no subsititute for a regular bus service