New Whitchurch to Wellington bus service to begin in January
A new bus service between Whitchurch, Market Drayton, the Princess Royal Hospital and Wellington bus station will begin next month.
The new service, numbered the 340, will be funded from the council’s recent allocation of Government bus service improvement funding for the year 2025/26.
From Monday 5 January 2026, buses will operate Monday to Saturday, starting at 7.05am from Whitchurch to Market Drayton then Wellington. The service from Wellington to both towns starts at 7.10am.
The service, to be operated by D&G Buses, provides a much-needed and much-requested connection between these towns, allowing access to Princess Royal Hospital, Telford College and Wellington and Whitchurch railway stations. The last bus from both Wellington and Whitchurch will be at 6.40pm.
Rob Wilson, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for transport and economic growth, said: “It’s great to be able to announce a new bus service. I’m very happy to say that we we’ve awarded the contract for this new service to D&G following a competitive tender process, and that the service will begin on 5 January.
“We know that this service is something that people want and need – particularly as it will include a stop at the Princess Royal Hospital, and at Telford College. Of course, it will also make it easier for people from Whitchurch to visit Market Drayton, and vice versa, and for people from Wellington to visit both of these towns.
“I’m confident this service will prove popular and hope people will make good use of it.”
Kevin Crawford, area operations manager at D&G Buses said:
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work in partnership with Shropshire Council to provide the brand-new local bus service 340 from 5 January 2026 linking Whitchurch, Market Drayton, the Princess Royal Hospital, and Wellington bus station connecting rural communities and enhancing access to essential services on Monday to Saturday following a recent tender round.
“For Market Drayton residents this service will also offer a connection to train services from either Whitchurch or Wellington, as well as bus connections into Telford town centre meeting requests from Market Drayton residents."
Reacting to the news, Helen Morgan MP for North Shropshire said: “I’ve wanted to see this route announced for a long time, so I’m delighted to hear it’s finally happening. For too long, North Shropshire has been overlooked when it comes to investment in public transport, and as a result we have some of the worst transport links in the country.
“A lack of decent public transport isn’t just inconvenient, it's isolating and a barrier to education, healthcare and employment. This new service will help to overcome all of that, and I hope it’s well used.”
Helen has raised the issue of poor public transport in Parliament, tabling her own proposed new law that would ensure that residents in market towns like Drayton and Whitchurch can access key services.
She has also pointed to successive governments that “have left market towns and villages to decline” in favour of metropolitan or more urban areas.
