SIR — The new timetable issued by Buses of Somerset, which replaced the previous numbers 10 and 101 services, seems to have been designed to confuse and discourage people from using the buses in order, it seems, to give justification to withdrawing the services due to lack of usage.

The new timetable is full of gaps and does not give a clear indication of the route. There is no mention of any of the stops between Sainsbury Road and Periton Way, to give one example.

I recently learned that there is a complete route to all of the stops on the internet, so why could be not have a complete timetable to begin with?

How many of the elderly who rely on the buses on a daily basis have access to the internet, or have any idea of the workings of such? Whenever I am waiting at the bus stop, the conversation invariably follows that everybody is in agreement that they would willingly pay rather than lose the bus altogether. Another alternative that most people seem to agree with is a few pence added to the Council Tax.

The powers-that-be never bother to explain to the people – whose lives would be ruined if the buses were to be withdrawn – why this cannot be taken into consideration and acted upon.

On another bus-related issue, I recently caught the number 28 from Minehead to Taunton railway station and, as on other occasions, the whole journey was like being in a Third World country. The bus was jam-packed with holidaymakers returning from Butlin’s to Taunton. The luggage racks were overflowing, and there were suitcases occupying seats.

There were people standing the whole length of the bus for the whole one and a half-hour journey. There was no room for pushchairs or trolleys. The driver had to refuse entry to passengers at various stops. It was a total disgrace.

The bitter irony of this situation is that within a five-minute walk of Butlin’s there is a railway station that specialises in transferring holidaymakers, with more than ample space for luggage. The journey time would be no more than 15 to 20 minutes longer.

Of course, all these benefits would depend on that little bit of joined-up thinking that seems to be beyond the intelligence of the powers-that-be, namely the connection between Bishops Lydeard and Taunton.

S J Mann,

Periton Way,

Minehead.