NEWSROOM

Demand responsive transport or ‘DRT’ is a flexible service that will be available to residents and visitors around the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, offering a more convenient and efficient way to get around.

The service is set to launch in early 2025 but next week, there is a chance for a preview at a drop-in event on Tuesday, November 26 between 10:30am and 1pm on the Wharfage car park. People will have an opportunity to learn about the service, view one of the vehicles, get a demonstration of the app and raise any questions.

The new service will work via an app and users are presented with the best travel option for their journey including whether to use the on-demand service or existing public bus routes, depending on the user’s location and destination.

Pick-up and drop-off locations are tailored to customer’s preference ensuring people with mobility issues will no longer have to walk to the nearest bus stop and if passengers need to travel from the gorge, destinations currently available include Madeley and the town centre.   

Initially, the service will operate Monday to Friday between the hours of 8am and 5:30pm and will be reviewed again ahead of the busier summer months. If successful, the council hopes the format could be used elsewhere in Telford and Wrekin.

Councillor Ollie Vickers, (Lab) Cabinet Member for the Economy said: “This is a very exciting pilot that will change the way we access public transport with a flexible, easy-to-use and customised travel solution for people around the Ironbridge Gorge area.”

This service will allow users to book journeys tailored to their specific needs, helping to improve local mobility and connectivity. More detailed information will be available closer to the official launch in 2025.”

The app is called ‘Travel Telford OnDemand' is available for download from the Apple app store and Google Play.

For more information and updates leading up to the service launch, please email  ondemand@telford.gov.uk.

Residents are encouraged to attend the drop-in event to learn more and ask questions. For those unable to make it, the event will be covered and shared on social media after the event.

The Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, Councillor Lee Carter, launched an action plan to deliver 20 pledges in 20 weeks after his appointment as Leader on 18 July 2024, and set out some of the key things people can expect to see done by his new-look Cabinet to improve life in the borough.

The on-demand bus service is one of these pledges along with others from offering additional school places across the borough to launching a new 24-hour noise complaint service and delivering an exciting programme of cultural events, building on the council’s work to protect, care and invest to create a better borough. Full details of the pledges can be found here.

Key details 

• Drop-in Event: Tuesday, November 26
• Launch Date: Early 2025
• Service Hours: Monday to Friday, 8am-5:30pm
• Travel Telford OnDemand app available from early 2025 Apple app store and Google Play
• Service area Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site – pilot.