The D2 bus service between Frome and Bath, which also serves Oldford, Beckington, Rode and Norton St Philip, is facing cuts to services, including the loss of weekday evening services and all Sunday and Bank Holiday services.

In early August, I and other councillors were informed by Somerset County Council that ‘With the end of the Local Transport Fund (LTF) funding from Central Government due in early October 2022*, bus operators have reviewed their networks in the light of current lower levels of patronage on their bus services in Somerset, which continue to be around 65% to 70% of pre-Covid levels. The Department for Transport have acknowledged this and tasked bus operators and Local Authorities to work together to adjust timetables to take account of the new travel patterns emerging from the pandemic. First West of England who operate services in the Mendip and Sedgemoor areas of the County are now planning to make changes to their commercial services in the light of the removal of Central Government funding. These changes are due to come into effect on either Sunday 9^th or Monday 10^th October and reflect the levels of ongoing patronage they anticipate and the commercial viability of these services without LTF funding.‘  

Somerset County Council has received registrations from First West of England buses for changes they propose to make to bus services on Sunday 9th/Monday 10th October. This included a reduction to the D2 bus service between Frome and Bath, as follows:

• revised timetable on Mondays to Fridays on an hourly frequency with Evening service removed, with the last buses from Frome at 1755 and from Bath at 1910.  
• revised timetable on Saturdays on an hourly frequency which retains an evening bus service (last buses from Frome at 2210 and from Bath at 2310).
• Sunday and Public Holiday service – WITHDRAWN

Somerset County Council informed local councillors and bus user groups, including Frome and Villages Bus User Group (FAVBUG) and the Somerset Bus Partnership.

The Lib Dem team know how essential buses are to people in our communities, and we have launched a petition to stop these ill thought out bus cuts, led by Somerset County Councillor and Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Sarah Dyke – please sign the petition here to express your concern and show your support. FAVBUG’s updates are also here.

To make our point, bus campaigners and councillors (from Frome, Rode and SCC) gathered in Frome town centre on 13th August to protest.

* Update, 6th September:

On 19th August the Government announced a further £130 million funding for bus services, to protect bus services and routes for a further 6 months up to March 2023 (see here). I have just heard that following this, First have decided to re-instate a reduced two hourly Sunday service on the D2. However, they do not have plans to re-instate the Monday to Friday evening service.

The problem is that the weekday evening service is FAVBUG carried out a survey of FAVBUG members, to find out which is the key priority for D2 bus users, the weekday evening service or the Sunday service. The results were:

• save the weekday evening service: 124 respondents
• save the Sunday service: 5 respondents
• both: 3 respondents could not decide as both are essential.

I have asked for an update on the discussions between Somerset County Council, FAVBUG and SBP with First on the evening services.

We know from previous campaigns to save the evening services in 2016 and in 2013, that many people use the evening services to get home after work, education (school/college/University), health care or leisure trips, and that there is good case for retaining the evening and Sunday services. In 2016/17 when the previous First 267 evening bus service was under threat from cuts at B&NES Council, the FAVBUG group led a cross-party campaign to save it, which I and other councillors helped. First we secured temporary financial contributions from Somerset County Council, B&NES Council, Frome Town Council, Rode, Norton St Philip and Beckington Parish Councils. These temporary subsidies helped retain the service until the FAVBUG campaign to increase bus passenger numbers (including printing and distributing bus timetables for village residents, and prominent posters at bus stops) succeeded in increasing passenger numbers so much that First upgraded the 267 to the D2 with new buses (see here).

A similar effort may be required again. I will provide updates here as discussions hopefully progress. Please do sign the petition and please also let me know how the bus cuts could affect you – email me at adam.boyden@somerset.gov.uk.

Update, 28th September:

Somerset County Council has stepped in to save and fund the evening D2 service between Bath and Frome – please see here.

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