Royal Shrewsbury Hospital area councillor launches campaign to reinstate Treatment Centre bus stop
A local councillor representing the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital area has launched a campaign to reinstate the Treatment Centre bus stop. This is after a public dispute with Arriva over cuts to the service abolishing the treatment centre stop leaving patients unable to access vital NHS services.
Councillor Alex Wagner represents thousands of residents in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital area reliant on the #11 bus route. He said:
“Access to NHS services in Shropshire can be difficult at the best of times. The decision by Arriva to get rid of the Hospital Treatment Centre bus stop will make accessing vital healthcare even harder.“
The bus stop is used by around 250 patients a month, almost always for a specific purpose - accessing the care they need. One resident in Copthorne I was speaking to told me they are entirely reliant on the #11 stop as their husband is blind and they have no car. Real people in our town are being impacted here, and it is an easy fix for Arriva to step in and reinstate the stop.
It is important to remember how this impacts rural Shropshire residents too. Those coming into Shrewsbury town centre by bus or train rely on the #11 to stop at the Treatment Centre. This is an issue for everyone who accesses services in Shrewsbury, not just people in our town.
I launched a petition in order to show Arriva how much people care about this, and how people are unwilling to see their access to NHS services reduced even further.
Postscript.
Alex Wagner met Arriva Mid January 2023 and they told him that they would consider re-instating the service, but as of the end of February 2023 no decision has been made so please sign continue to support our campaign if you want to see this policy reversed.
The petition can be signed at https://wmlibdems.typeform.com/to/OXTn3RAW It reads:
‘We, the undersigned, call on Arriva to reinstate the bus stop at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Treatment Centre on the #11 route.’