Clarifying Ludlow buses serving the Parys Road area

No change!

The 722 service is continuing to serve passengers on Tollgate Road and Parys Road every hour as it has done for a long while.

However, an article in the Local Ludlow magazine which has been dropped off at homes in the area during the last few days states:

“Minsterley Motors have changed the route of the 701 and 722 without consulting anyone. They now drive straight into town without going down Pary’s [sic] Road without a bus service.”

I need to put the record straight. The route hasn’t changed without “consulting anyone”. The timetable and routing remains as it has been for the last few years.

The 701 continues as it has always done. It doesn’t serve Parys Road but it never has. It serves the east and north of the town. Bus users know that.

More formally, any change of timetable or route has to be advertised with the traffic commissioners and agreed by Shropshire Council which subsidises the route.

This comment by Councillor Parry has caused a lot of concern for residents in the Parys Road area. Two people this morning were hiking to Sheet Road because they thought there were no longer any buses serving Parys Road having received the Ludlow Ludlow guide. The driver recognised them and pulled over to get them on board. That’s service for you!

With the exception of one morning a few weeks ago when a bus had broken down, there has been no interruption to the 722 hourly service to Tollgate and Parys Road. I catch this bus most days. It is a reliable and friendly service. It is a lifeline for those who don’t drive and those that can get about but have limited limited mobility. That gives people access to shops and services and supports their wellbeing.

We have a good bus service in this town. I’d love it to be more frequent. I’d love electric buses and a fast service from the park and ride to the town centre. We have little hope of that at the moment. But we need to support the services we have, not running them down as the article in the Local Ludlow does.