About
At the June 2021 council meeting Wells City Council agreed to make a submission to Somerset County Council as part of the Government's Bus Back Better Campaign. Councillors carried out surveys of passengers at the Wells Bus Station gaining their views on the bus service, the bus station and existing routes. We have also sought suggestions and views on possible new routes.
As part of the Government’s Climate Emergency Agenda, Somerset County Council received funding in 2021of £11.9 million to improve public transport in the form of an initiative called Bus Back Better (BBB). Somerset Council, which is our Local Transport Authority (LTA), bus operators and bus users (The Somerset Bus Partnership) are working together on the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). You can read the full documentation for BSIP - The Plan and The Scheme
Wells Bus Users Group was set up in 2022 to form a local action group, in the face of reducing bus services, with the aim to work towards a better bus services with a maintained and improved service focused on Wells.. The Wells Bus Users Group has currently been successful in recent campaigns to save the 173 service to Bath and the 126 to Axbridge, with the support of the Somerset Bus Partnership. The Government Bus Recovery Grant runs until 31 March 2023. There may be further cuts if there is no further extension of this Grant.
The Government is also currently offering a £2 flat rate single fare scheme to encourage more bus use. £2 bus fare cap across England to save passengers money - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) until 30 June 2023.
Bus fares vary across different parts of the country and between bus operators and can reach almost £6 for a single journey in rural areas. The new cap means passengers in those areas could save more than £60 a month if they took 4 single trips a week.
The average single fare for a 3-mile journey is estimated at over £2.80, meaning that the new fare will save passengers almost 30% of the price every time they travel.
Further useful links: https://somersetcc.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/SCCPublic/EZczK3mZoBJBumEbrXOn8lcBPIAM4IXtglgKMzeGtKssrA?e=qeuq18
Articles
https://www.wells.gov.uk/news-article/our-buses-are-under-threat-