SIR — It was with a great sense of relief that we heard last week that rural bus services which affect this part of West Somerset will continue once the contract with the present operators expires at the end of this month.

The bus travellers who use these services regularly have been under considerable stress since before Christmas over the plans for withdrawal of funding from April.

We first came to know of these plans through the Free Press in late December and have tried to make it clear that bus losses will cause a great deal of distress to rural communities.

Thanks to perseverance by a dedicated member of the bus-using public, we have now been informed that another operator will take over the existing routes which were under threat.

We owe thanks to those who responded to our pleas for becoming involved in finding a solution to the problem and also to the lovely drivers we've come to regard as friends for their concerns - we will miss them.

These much needed routes should be preserved as far as possible and we hope they will not have to be reduced in the future.

It is up to us from now on to show, by the support we give the new operators, how valuable these bus services are to us.

Jennifer Hand,

Haymans Cottages,