A brand new council-funded bus service has launched in Telford today with local pupils as well as the wider public set to benefit.
The service is the second of four new council-funded routes with details of rural routes set to be announced early in 2023.
The new 101 service will benefit those attending Charlton, Ercall Wood, Telford Langley schools along with Telford College and Lawley academy and is also available for wider public use throughout its timetable connecting people from Madeley, then Dawley, Lawley before travelling on to Wellington and the Princess Royal Hospital.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Enforcement and Transport, Councillor Richard Overton (Lab) said:
“Post-Christmas we are all counting the pennies and this service not only fills a gap in provision but will save families money too.
“If you haven’t used the bus in a while, this might be just the incentive to try the new quick, cheap services on a new, low emission vehicle.
“We have been working with people who use and need the services and the new routes are based on a survey we completed last summer. We’re always gathering feedback about the new routes as their future success depends on the public using them and the fares making them a sustainable option with a review planned for the end of the year.”
The weekday only service will start out from Madeley Centre at 7am, stop at 15 stands before reaching the Princess Royal Hospital in 28 minutes. It will run throughout the day with the final service leaving Madeley at 7pm.
For full timetable details of the service, visit https://www.telford.gov.uk/101times and for the route map visit https://www.telford.gov.uk/101map.
The council took the decision to introduce capped fares in December for the 100 ‘Express’ service, at a maximum of £2 per single journey for adults and £1 for U16s.
The Government has launched a campaign this week, ‘Get Around for £2’ aimed at supporting families, commuters and other passengers with saving money this winter by capped single tickets at £2 across England, outside of London until March 31.
It also aims to get more people to travel by bus, and reduce emissions and congestion by taking an estimated two million cars off the roads nationally.
The council is not legally allowed to run bus services but can step in and subsidise routes that commercial operators are unable to cover, due to reasons such as significant financial pressures from rising costs, lower passenger numbers since the pandemic and a shortage of drivers.