THREE out of West Somerset’s four major bus services operated by Buses of Somerset will be axed at the end of this month unless local protestors can persuade county council finance chiefs to change their minds.
Only the number 28 Minehead to Taunton service has survived the axe for West Somerset bus-users.
“These cancelled services will be a devastating blow to the people of West Somerset,” county Cllr Terry Venner, who is leading the fight against the cuts, told the Free Press.
“For many from villages such as Porlock and Blue Anchor, there is absolutely no other way to reach Minehead unless you have access to a car. In an area with a high proportion of elderly people, this is not always the case.
“People are absolutely up in arms over this – I have never had so many letters emails and phone calls in all my years as a councillor.”
Petitions in shops and pubs throughout West Somerset have already gathered hundreds of signatures.
This week, local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger joined the opposition to the cuts by writing to the company warning that it will leave hundreds of local families isolated.
He also claimed Buses of Somerset had failed to consult properly with local people and that most passengers only learned of the proposals from drivers or from notices tied to bus-stops.
Mr Liddell-Grainger added: “As pretty much the only provider of bus services in the area, there is a view that Buses of Somerset are effectively holding the area to ransom over these cuts and I have to say it is a view that I share.”
At an emergency meeting in Minehead’s Wellington Square tomorrow (October 8) between 10am and noon, the Save Our Buses campaign hopes to raise enough support to persuade the county council cabinet to seek alternative funding and put the services out to tender.
“We need at least 1,000 signatures on Saturday,” Cllr Venner said.
“Public participation is absolutely essential. If we lose our buses now we will never get them back.”
Full story in the Free Press