Latest news with #PeterTravis
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Rural buses affecting young people's wellbeing
Buses in rural areas, towns and city centres are in significant decline, with bus journeys outside London down by nearly 12%, according to a Council highlighted the challenges faced in rural areas in the report, saying "dispersed settlements, limited population between settlements, and the lack of a robust customer base" made running buses council said some young people faced three to four hours of travel to access education, which affects their overall wellbeing."I'm sorry to say, there is greater dissatisfaction with bus services in Somerset than almost anywhere else in the country," said co-chair of Somerset Bus Partnership Peter Travis. Somerset Bus Partnership provided evidence to the government's transport select committee for its report on how buses connect said funding for buses in Somerset needs to be increased by more than £2m just to be brought in line with the rest of the South report said Somerset Council spent £8.3m on bus services from 2022-23 - the lowest amount per person in the South West. The average spend by other councils in the region was £13.85m."We're looking to work with the council to try to improve it and encourage people to use the buses to address the problem," Mr Travis said."Two thirds of the councillors when they were elected said they should increase substantially the support for buses, but they just can not afford to do it."The council is under a lot of financial pressure - they're in a financial emergency." Somerset Council has said providing passenger transport services in rural areas is becoming increasingly difficult."While recent funding awards are incredibly welcome, the prevailing conditions are such that the level of intervention needed to make improvements to services so that they attract new users is substantially greater than has been received to date."The government said it aims to publish a new national policy for to help improve the bus networks across england by February 2027.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Frome bus changes confirmed as new timetable set to begin
New bus timetables affecting Frome routes are set to begin on Sunday, April 6. The changes will impact the D2 and D2X services, whilst other Frome bus services will remain unchanged. The D2X service, which has been diverted via Radstock to Bath Bus Station due to the A36 closure, will now take a more direct route. However, it will not return to operating along the A36 into Bath. Instead, the D2X will turn off at Woolverton, heading to Bath via Norton St Philip and Hinton Charterhouse, and then down the Wellsway. The D2X will also no longer serve the Critchill Estate. After leaving Sainsbury's Frome, the service will operate via Marston Road and The Butts to Frome Marketplace. It will then proceed up North Parade and out of Frome along Fromefield, bypassing Stonebridge. Meanwhile, the D2 service will revert to its former route, no longer serving Frome Station. It will connect Critchill and Stonebridge to Bath, via Beckington and Rode, before following the D2X route to Bath. Evening services, subsidised by Somerset Council out of a government BSIP bus award, will continue. The last D2 bus back from Bath to Frome leaves at around 11.30pm from Monday to Saturday. The D2 Sunday bus service between Frome and Bath will continue to run hourly, with the final service leaving Bath bus station at 7.30pm. Further information about changes to bus services can be viewed at Peter Travis, of Frome and Villages Bus User Group, said: "We are disappointed that the D2X no longer serves Frome's major housing estates, and we have expressed our concerns to First. "But this is a commercial service operated by First Group, and they decide on the route their bus takes. "The good news is the D2 once again connects Stonebridge with Sainsbury's and Critchill with Frome Medical Centre and Frome College. "We're also pleased to see that the late evening and Sunday buses connecting Frome and Bath are continuing, thanks to increased government funding." Cllr Philip Campagna said: "Any change to Frome's bus services will represent some disruption, and we know the D2 and D2X services have been impacted for some time by the A36 closure: hopefully they can settle into a regular pattern again from April."
