Frome has battled over many years both to protect and to improve its bus services, especially to Bath, Trowbridge and our neighbouring villages. The Frome and Villages Bus User Group (FAVBUG) has spearheaded those campaigns and I’ve been one of their staunchest supporters. Sadly we’ve seen bus funding in Somerset cut over the past decade. Today Somerset has the 4^th lowest number of bus journeys per head in England, we’re the lowest in the South West.

But as part of the Government’s new bus strategy, £3 billion is to be given to boost buses in England (outside of London).

We’d like to see a chunk of that money come to Somerset and most importantly to improve buses in and around Frome, whether that’s more services, improved bus shelters, better information about bus times or ‘greener’ buses. The £3 billion is there to help address all those concerns.

It would be really useful to know what people think are the priorities in Frome. Is it a better service to the hospital? To the station? Improved evening services from Bath or Trowbridge? Better links to Westbury? Multi operator tickets for the Frome Flat Fare? Realtime information in the Market Place?

You can let me know or better still post direct on the FAVBUG Facebook page. Bus campaigners really need to hear what your priorities are for buses in Frome.

Meetings are now being set up with the Somerset Bus Partnership and FAVBUG to discuss the way forward, and hopefully Somerset County Council will be preparing a Bus Service Improvement Plan by the autumn. So your inputs to these will be vital.

Thank you.

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