‘Use it or lose it’
From 3rd September there are slight changes to our bus services:-
The 58/58A from Yeovil – Wincanton departing from Yeovil at 18.30 will now depart at 18.45
This bus route is currently under used by the public and runs at a loss. Somerset Council currently subsidises this route using money from the Governments Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus. Although Somerset Council continue to work with First South to encourage more passengers to use the routes to make the route financially viable.
First South has indicated that they will review the routes later in the year, taking into account new data on passenger uptake.
Councillor Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s lead member for transport said:
“All these routes link key towns and many village communities in between, but simply not enough people are using them. Unless more people bus it, it is unlikely any commercial operator will be able to run these services without subsidy. The unfortunate reality is in the current financial climate the council will not be able to subsidise them indefinitely and that inevitably means people need to use their buses or lose them. We’ve shown we can get more people onto buses on key routes if we get the message out there, and that is what we will continue to do.”