Have your say on local bus services in Shropshire Local bus services play an important role in connecting communities across Shropshire. They help people access work, education, healthcare, shopping, leisure and social opportunities.
Shropshire Council is asking for your views on local bus services that are currently supported by the Council and are due to be retendered in 2027.
This survey will be open for comments from Friday 16th October 2026 until Friday 11th December 2026
Which services are included in the survey? Please click the links on the numbers if you wish to remind yourself of the routes and times.
- Oswestry Town Services (400, 402, 403, 404)
- Oswestry School Service - 405
- Oswestry Town Service - 406
- Knighton - Ludlow - 738, 740
- Oswestry - Baschurch - Shrewsbury - 576
- Shrewsbury Town Service (Shrewsbury Bus Station - Reabrook) - 21
- Whitchurch Town Service - 205
- Four Crosses - Oswestry - 71
- Cefn-Y-Blodwel to Oswestry – 54
What does it mean to retender bus services? Many local bus services in Shropshire are supported (subsidised) by Shropshire Council, needing financial support because they would not otherwise be commercially viable for operators to run.
When a contract for one of these services is due to end, the Council retenders it. This means the Council sets out the service it wants to secure (which may include details such as the route, timetable, days of operation and vehicle requirements) and bus operators then have the opportunity to submit their interest to the council, detailing how they would run the service and how much it would cost. Operators may suggest improvements or efficiencies, but the Council sets the overall requirements of the contract.
The Council then reviews the submissions and selects an operator to run the service for the next contract period.
Why are we asking for your views now? We want to understand what people value about these services, what they feel is not working well, and what improvements or changes people would like us to consider.
Your feedback will help shape the information provided to bus operators as part of the upcoming tender process. This will help make sure the views of people who use, rely on, or would like to use these services are considered from the outset.
This survey is about listening, gathering evidence and understanding local needs before the Council prepares tender documents for operators. No decisions have been made about potential changes to these services at this stage.
Who we would like to hear from We would like to hear from current passengers, occasional users, people who may want to use the bus in future, and anyone with an interest in local transport in their community.
