URGENT - Bus service under threat
DO YOU USE THIS BUS SERVCE?
South West Coaches has advised Somerset Council they can no longer afford to continue running this 1 service with the level of subsidy currently provided by Somerset Council.
Due to the 'Financial Emergency' recently been declared by Somerset Council, the Council does not have any money to increase its subsidy therefore Somerset is in negotiation with South West Coaches to find ways of reducing their operating costs through cuts to this vital bus service.
Any changes are likely to be introduced from April 2024.
No consultation is currently planned with users but we want as a matter of urgency to obtain the views of bus users so we can present these to both Somerset Council and South West Coaches to ensure the views of bus users can influence the outcome.
So we now need to discuss what we as users and potential users can do:
to increase the numbers of people using this service
to develop proposals on how best to reduce the route's operating costs whilst being mindful of the interests of the users of Service 1.
Somerset Bus Partnership will be holding a Zoom meeting at 7.30pm on Monday 8 January 2024. You are invited to attend and encourage others to join this Zoom session too.
At this meeting we will present some of our suggestions on cost cutting options and we will need your feedback on these proposals.
Please do let us know by email if you plan to attend - somersetbuspartnership@gmail.com
4th January 2024