Shropshire Star

All aboard for new Shropshire easyBus bus route to Manchester Airport

[gallery] A new bus service was today taking its first passengers from Shropshire to Manchester Airport for as little as £2 each way.

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The new easyBus service will pick passengers up at several stops in the county and call at Wrexham and Chester before arriving at the airport.

The route will take less than two hours, with 16 daily services on all seven days of the week.

The route starts at Telford bus station with stops at Shrewsbury bus station, Bicton Heath Co-op, Oswestry Mile End Services, Wrexham General railway station and Chester South Holiday Inn before arriving at Manchester Airport bus station.

Andrew Martin, franchise owner, said he was delighted with the response to the new service, which has created 15 jobs in the county and will see 12 low-emission orange mini-buses on the roads.

He said: "I am pretty excited. There has been lots of planning involved and there has been lots of liaising with Stelios and easyBus HQ.

"The driver team has been recruited and they have spent the last week being trained in the classroom and on the job route training. There are lots of local lads so there will be some familiar faces driving the buses. It has been well received and everybody is very excited.

"At the end of the day everybody wants to save money, particularly when they are going on holiday. Bookings are coming in steadily and we expect that to grow once people see the buses driving."

Mr Martin said he was initially offering 10,000 coach seats for £2 from the five destinations en route, with returns booked online for £4.

"I am pleased with how it has been taken up initially," he said.

"Bookings are promising and growing every day. We decided to start in low season to iron out any wrinkles ready for spring and summer next year.

"Shrewsbury is such a great tourist destination and it has got lots to offer so anything that encourages easy travel is win-win for everybody.

"I got excited about the possibilities as it is not only locals going to the airport, it can also boost inbound tourism."

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