Long Mynd & Stiperstones Shuttle Bus Newsletter

Hi and thank you for subscribing to the new newsletter for the Long Mynd & Stiperstones Shuttle. This is our opportunity to share what's going on with the bus, and yours to get back to us with your comments and experiences of using the service.

This year's timetable

We've gone back to the drawing board on the timetable, and we hope that this year's, which is based on last October's trial, is more popular. We had some positive feedback, for which we are very grateful. We may only have one bus, but we are making the most of it, and hopefully giving passengers exactly what they want:

• A more frequent service between Church Stretton & Snailbeach
• Enough time for passengers to get off and have lunch (but not too much time)
• More frequent services across the Long Mynd for walks to Pole Bank and Duckley Knapp using National Trust's excellent surfaced paths.
• More flexibility for longer walks between stops
• Support for the local economy - giving car free access to businesses and attractions along the route
• Providing a valuable service to local people and visitors
• Improving links between the 435 bus and rail services in Church Stretton
• The ability to enjoy all the views, walks, wildlife watching, food & drink, shopping, socialising and fresh air without needing a car!

The two changes you'll notice are the bus now goes to railway station before picking up at the Hough's the butchers on Beaumont Road. This is to tie in better with the 435 timetable. We've decided to continue the link we trialled in October to Wentnor, allowing us to take in the two excellent local pubs, a village shop and camping and caravan site. The Wentnor link also provides some exciting options for walks onto the Long Mynd and Pole Bank, over Adstone Hill on the Shropshire Way and up to the much-loved and photographed Linley Beeches. 

You can view and download the timetable online for home printing here.

Copies of the timetable will be available as pre-printed fliers from Church Stretton Library, Carding Mill Valley Information Hut, Hough & Sons Ltd butchers in Church Stretton, as well as the Bog Centre.

Timetable posters will be put at key locations along the route as well as at the stops. 

If you want a printed copy sent to you, please send us a stamped addressed envelope and mark your letter SHUTTLE BUS  c/o Shropshire Hills National Landscape, Unit 9, Drover's House, The Auction Yard, Craven Arms, SY7 9BZ

Ticketing for 2024

Regretfully we've had to slightly increase the cost of tickets this year. Hopefully you'll agree it's a small amount extra to pay and still good value for money.

Single tickets start from £2.00 as last year, but we've increased the cost of a Day Rover to £6.00. Essentially passengers will pay for the distance travelled up to the cost of a Day Rover ticket. Staying on the bus all the way around will be the same prices as a Day Rover.

We've kept the season ticket at £50 and will be available from the office - please email us if you want one.

Shorter Season - 25th May to 8th September

The bus isn't fully funded, so there comes a point when the grant income runs out and we are reliant on ticket income. In previous years we've been too optimistic about how much we can raise through ticketing, and reclaiming concessionary fares. Unfortunately, the service is no longer eligible for the Government's concessionary fares scheme, and the cost of eligibility would exceed what we would claim from fares - based on previous years.

We can no longer afford to run the service at a loss, and daily ticket income rarely covers the cost of the bus. As the margin between income and costs increases, we've had to cut the length of the season to reduce the overspend. We will review ticket income in August and if we see an increase in passengers using the bus, we may be able  to extend the season. If we make a surplus, we will use it to run a longer service next year.

THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS & SUPPORTERS We'd like to sincerely thank Shropshire Council, The National Trust, Natural England and Church Stretton Town Council for continuing to support the bus. We are always looking for new funds and new sponsors to allow us to extend the service and provide more for our passengers. Many thanks also to all of the people who have donated money to help keep to service running over the years, as well as all of you regular users who care so deeply that the bus keeps going.  We hope you will enjoy using this year's service and continue to support us. The buses are managed by the Shropshire Hills National Landscape Team, and operated by local bus company Boultons Coaches. For further information please contact us.