SIR — I see that First has finally managed to get away with axing its evening bus services between Taunton and Minehead on the grounds of 'lack of patronage' (Free Press July 19).

When Somerset County Council started cutting bus subsidies due to the government's spending cuts, First threw its toys out of the pram and altered the evening bus services to a pattern that it knew would be of no use to anyone and then offered 'a use it or lose it' option- the result, even fewer passengers.

So now, from July 28, there will be no evening "service" whatsoever, with the last bus leaving Minehead at 6.40pm and from Taunton at 8pm.

This is a clearcut case of profit over public service, yet First still manages to run a bus five minutes in front of the WebberBus 18 service every hour of the day, six days a week.

Of course, the competition, in the form of Webberbus, does not even run in the evenings or at weekends.

This state of affairs has arisen because of the foolishness of a Tory government which de-regulated bus services in 1986.

This led to the shambles we have today where many areas are losing their services because the privateers are only interested in profit above all else.

It doesn't help that we have a government that doesn't give a damn about anyone but themselves and their fatcat cronies, but it doesn't alter the fact that many people are now being offered no choice but to use a car (if they can still afford to run one) or walk.

It is no coincidence that First Group has pulled out of its London operations, apparently citing 'over regulation' as the reason.

We need the Traffic Commissioners to be given back their powers to properly regulate bus services so that operators pay to run less used services out of their quite substantial profits, instead of those profits being subsidised by us taxpayers.

It is no coincidence that more and more people are using buses in London from early morning until late into the night and through to the early hours, while in the rest of the country bus services are in what would seem to be terminal decline ouside the hours of 7am to 7pm.

Back in 1986 there were many voices raised to warn that this would happen but we were told by Thatcher and her cronies that we would have world class bus services with well paid staff. Well, we know who was right now.

Watch out, Sunday services will be the next to go and don't expect offers to operate them from any other quarter as it just will not happen.

Alan Bond,

Helwell Green,

Watchet.