Joy for Tibberton as council adds a 5pm bus from Newport to timetable
A parish council leader is ‘very happy’ that concerns about the last bus from Newport to Tibberton and Cherrington being too early in the afternoon have been listened to.
Telford & Wrekin Council recently announced that its Travel Telford 103 service timetable has been changed to add a 5pm bus from Newport amid a raft of tweaks to the six services that the council runs across the borough.
The change is due to come into effect from November 2 and a parish council chairman hopes local pupils will have enough time to attend after-school clubs in Newport.
Councillor Nick Eyles, who chairs Tibberton & Cherrington Parish Council, said: “It is fantastic news that Telford & Wrekin Council have agreed to add an extra journey at 5pm.
“This will help allow more schoolchildren who live in rural areas to attend after school clubs and use the bus to get home.
“I am very happy that the local authority has listened to our parish council and been able to help, as will the parents in Edgmond and Tibberton and Cherrington who have asked for this service to be provided.”
Councillor Eyles, a regular on the 103 service into Wellington, admitted at a recent meeting to being concerned when he sees buses with few or no passengers.
The Travel Telford route which links Newport and Wellington recently received a major boost from Telford & Wrekin Council which secured a Saturday service and more regular buses.
Councillor Eyles told a recent meeting of Tibberton & Cherrington Parish Council that the 103 service is a “lifeline for people”. He launched a passionate plea for more passengers to board the bus.
“But it is not going to survive on two or three people per journey,” he said.
The councillor added that the service is good for people going into Newport or taking a “scenic” trip to Wellington.
“You see parts of Telford and Wrekin you never knew existed,” he added.
“It’s a valuable service and I don’t want to see it cut again,” said Councillor Eyles, referring to a village campaign to keep the local bus service a few years ago.
He added: “Nobody is using it on the new estate, so I’m trying my best to promote it.”
Telford & Wrekin Council is one of the few local authorities in the country directly operating buses. It is aiming to reach 750,000 rides by the end of 2025, and 1 million during 2026.
The six council-operated routes are the 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, and 104.
The authority has recently made adjustments to timetables on Travel Telford services 99, 100, 101 and 103. These “will ensure pupil travel is better aligned with start and end times of school and improve punctuality”.
On route 99, the Hadley Learning Community afternoon bus will now leave at 3.10pm, giving students extra time to get to the stop.
On route 100, the morning school bus will leave at 7.30am – 11 minutes earlier.
On route 101, the morning school bus will now leave at 7.36am – nine minutes earlier than before. The afternoon service will depart five minutes later at 3.35pm from Princess Royal Hospital, or at 3.39pm from Charlton School.
