SIR – I was gratified to read your short piece on the Dunster Station vintage bus link (Free Press May 3) and I thank you for the publicity, which will do much to encourage our visitors to make use of this facility.

However, I have to make clear that the conditions of carriage are not as stated in the informatuion supplied to you.

There are no restrictions as to who may or may not use the service - it is entirely free to anyone who wishes to use it, regardless of whether or not they have bought, or intend to buy, a ticket to travel on the West Somerset Railway.

The service is funded entirely by Dunster Station on the basis of an agreement with Crosville Motor Services of Weston-super-Mare, who have very kindly agreed to let us have the bus(es) at a very reasonable cost, and we are grateful for their support.

The service was discontinued by the WSR about three years ago, partly on the grounds of cost, and we have had numerous requests for its reinstatement.

With this in mind, we have managed to find sufficient funds to run the service for at least the next two bank holidays, but whether we will be able to do so in 2014 will depend on the level of station funds being maintained.

These funds are generated solely from donations, sales of light refreshments, souvenirs, books and magazines and from commission on the sales of model railway equipment on behalf of Chris Dyer of Minehead, who is one of our strongest supporters.

Funds generated have to cover general maintenance of the station in good order so that our visitors have a pleasant experience when passing through our portals, and the bus service is part of this and is one which we would like to continue to provide if at all possible.

As long as it operates it will be free to all who wish to use it, regardless of whether they wish to travel on the WSR or if they simply would like to have a ride on a vintage bus.

I would also like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to all members of Dunster staff who work so hard throughout the year by maintaining and operating the station on every day that the railway is running trains.

All of these people are volunteers and do their jobs out of a love of steam railways in general and the WSR in particular.

Typically, during the very cold weather in January and February, these stalwarts were at the station attending to the many jobs required to bring the station up to scratch, with several staff members even repainting the white line along the edge of the platform on a bitterly cold day, such is their dedication.

We look forward to entertaining many more visitors throughout the 2013 season and I can assure everyone that we enjoy the experience every bit as much as they do. Many thanks to all who support us.

Alan Bond,

Station Master,

Dunster Station.