A NEW circular bus service for Wells was discussed at a public meeting in Wells Town Hall on February 1.
About 30 people attended the meeting to hear Rosa Kell, the Wells Bus Users Group (WBUG) lead, report on a recent survey that WBUG conducted on the proposal to introduce a Wells City W1 Circular Bus.
She said that there had been nearly 300 responses to the survey, with 64 per cent of respondents saying that they had no access to a car.
Seventy-six per cent of those who responded said that they would be willing to pay a maximum of £1.50 for each journey on such a service, and 15 per cent would be willing to pay £2. Nine per cent wanted to use a concessionary pass only.
The proposal is for a bus service that a sample timetable suggests will run for about 12 hours a day (the hours of operation would be shorter on Sundays) on a route from Wells Bus Station to Morrisons, Brownes Garden Centre, The Crossways at North Wootton, Worminster Batch, Dulcote, St Thomas Street, The Horringtons, North Road, Ash Lane, The Blue School, Welsford Avenue, Charter Way, Coronation Road, Jocelyn Drive, Knight Road and back to the bus station.
Rosa said that at WBUG information stalls, people had noted that the city’s housing estates do not have a bus stop, and that something more is needed.
She said that the idea is to have one bus and two drivers, and that the type of bus had not yet been determined – it might be an electric vehicle, and would have to be a small 16-person bus.
It might be a ‘hail’ bus where passengers stick a hand out, or a community bus with passengers having to register to use it. But she said that it would not be cheap, with average costs of about of £45 to £60 per hour.
She asked those attending the meeting to take petition forms away with them to go house-to-house building support for the proposed service, with the aim of lobbying Somerset Council to provide funding.
“If we get over 2,000 signatures, that is heavy pressure on Somerset Council,” she said.
Parishes and local businesses are also being asked whether they might be prepared to chip in. The bus service would benefit businesses’ employees, said Rosa, as well as people needing a convenient way to get to the shops or the doctor’s, and young people who currently “need the mum and dad taxi service”.
She was asked about the timescale for the project, and said that she hopes it will be in place at the latest by next spring.
“I’m very hopeful that this bus will not fail this time,” she said.
“I know it’s wanted, you’ve all told me it’s wanted. Now go out and get signatures.”
There was some discussion about the existing bus services run by operator First Bus, the state of Wells Bus Station and ticket office, and the fact that there is no real-time information at the bus station and bus stops. “I don’t know how it will go with our bus,” said Rosa, “but I know one thing for sure – it won’t be First.”