Arriva Midlands has partnered with Telford & Wrekin Council to trial a 13-seat Mercedes-Benz Sprinter minibus on route 11 during the summer months – and is asking for passenger feedback.
The Sprinter will serve Telford and Lawley until the end of September while Arriva listens to feedback from the route’s users; it will then consider whether to introduce the minibus on a permanent basis.
The vehicle is being trialled as a result of the fuel efficiency benefits it can bring over larger vehicles. The route it’s due to run on links Telford and Lawley every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays.
Jamie Crowsley, General Manager for Arriva Shropshire, explained: “Customer experience is at the very heart of what we do, and as we work to assess the future needs of the travelling public, we remain committed to doing whatever we can to ensure that our passengers have the best journey possible.
“We believe that the Sprinter will make a real difference to those riding on it, but we don’t want to compromise our existing standards on route 11, so have decided to put its ultimate fate in the hands of the people who will feel the effect of its introduction the most – local bus users.
“This trial will monitor both passenger opinion, driver feedback, and fuel efficiency, to ensure we have a thorough overview of the impact the vehicle has had on our operations before we make any decisions in the longer term.”
