FROME town and county councillors were out in force on Saturday at a protest against the proposed cuts to the late evening and Sunday weekend Frome/Bath D2 bus service. The protest was organised by FAVBUG (Frome and Villages Bus User Group).
The proposed cuts, by First Bus West of England, were revealed by Somerset County Council. They are set to happen in October, but the call made at Saturday’s protest was for Somerset County Council to step in and protect Frome bus users who are dependent on this bus service.
Peter Travis, one of the coordinators of FAVBUG said, “A couple of years ago we did a survey of the users of this evening bus service and two-thirds of passengers were using it either to get back home to Frome from their late evening jobs in Bath, or were students returning from evening classes. If we lose this service, then people will be forced to give up their jobs or their education.”
A petition by the local LibDems has already collected over 1,000 signatures, calling on the cuts to the D2 to be stopped.
The petition, launched by cllr Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Somerton & Frome) calls on First Bus to stop the “ill thought out” cutting of the D2 bus route which runs between Frome and Bath, and serves multiple villages and local communities that sit on the route. The current proposal will lead to less frequent buses, the removal of evening services and no service on Sundays or public holidays.
Commenting on the proposed cuts, cllr Dyke said, “It is disappointing that First Bus are proposing such drastic cuts to this much-used route between Frome and Bath. Since launching my petition, I have heard numerous stories from local people who rely on this service to go about their day-to-day lives. They would be left stranded if the changes go ahead as planned.
“At a time of increasing fuel costs, as well as the climate emergency, this bus service is a lifeline for many in our community who have no other way to travel and I will continue to put as much pressure as I can on First Bus to change their decision.
“It is vital that our local community stands together against First Bus plans and I urge anyone who wants to save the D2 bus service to sign our petition and make your voice heard.”
A spokesperson for First West of England said, “As a condition of transitional funding arrangements, bus operators must undertake full network reviews to assess the viability of all routes once funding ends in the autumn.
“This has taken place in the West of England but we must stress no decisions have been made yet and it would be inappropriate to comment on speculation at this stage. Like all other bus operators in the UK, we must adapt our networks to match the post-pandemic demand for services. The majority of our networks will be retained, and we will work to match our resources with demand for services in order to provide our customers with the most reliable network.
“We are committed to constructive partnerships and have been working with local authorities to provide as much notice as possible of any changes to allow them to support alternative arrangements.”
The petition can be found here www.somertonandfromelibdems.org.uk/d2 .
A spokesperson for First West of England said, “As a condition of transitional funding arrangements, bus operators must undertake full network reviews to assess the viability of all routes once funding ends in the autumn. This has taken place in the West of England but we must stress no decisions have been made yet and it would be inappropriate to comment on speculation at this stage.
“Like all other bus operators in the UK, we must adapt our networks to match the post-pandemic demand for services. The majority of our networks will be retained, and we will work to match our resources with demand for services in order to provide our customers with the most reliable network.
“We are committed to constructive partnerships and have been working with local authorities to provide as much notice as possible of any changes to allow them to support alternative arrangements.”
