First bus to close Bridgwater depot
First Bus, operator of Buses of Somerset has announced a series of operational changes.
This follows a series of weekend cancellations to services in recent weeks. Services 20, 28 and 21 have been hit.
Now First Bus say they will be making changes to the timetable from 3 September.
However the biggest operational change will be the closure of the Bridgwater depot. Simon Goff, Managing Director of First Group commented: “To protect the future of Buses of Somerset, we are making some operational changes to our business and have taken the difficult decision to propose the closure of Bridgwater depot. This is not a decision we have taken lightly, and our people are all being supported to find new roles in our business.
“We are operating in extremely challenging circumstances, with rising costs, and while passenger numbers are increasing due to current fare promotion schemes, they are still below pre-covid levels, which is affecting the viability of some routes.”
“Very sorry can’t come. Lie follows by post”. Lord Charles Berrisford to Prince of Wales (1846 – 1919)
A bird’s eye view from this ‘octogenarian’ having acquired the former Wells Bus Station, Priory Road (1984) a ‘precursor’ to Messrs Smallman & Snowdon’s acquisition in the ‘purchase of Badgerline consequent the Thatcher ‘privatisation’ the rest is history as they say.* The irony ‘removal’ to Priory Road, minus the previous facilities, with local-authority largesse.
“However the biggest operational change will be the closure of the Bridgwater depot. Simon Goff, Managing Director of First Group commented: “To protect the future of Buses of Somerset, we are making some operational changes to our business and have taken the difficult decision to propose the closure of Bridgwater depot. This is not a decision we have taken lightly, and our people are all being supported to find new roles in our business. We are operating in extremely challenging circumstances, with rising costs, and while passenger numbers are increasing due to current fare promotion schemes, they are still below pre-covid levels, which is affecting the viability of some routes”.
WSM similarly, Taunton/Yeovil next?
Didn’t they do well:-
Badgerline was a bus operator in and around Bristol from 1985 until 2003. Its headquarters were in Weston-super-Mare. Initially a part of the Bristol Omnibus Company, it was privatised in September 1986 and sold to Badgerline Holdings in a management buyout. Wikipedia
Parent organization: FirstGroup
Founded: April 1985
*Latterly Wetherspoons ‘Quarter Jack’.
It’s a vicious cycle though isn’t it? If FirstBus don’t provide a good reliable service, people won’t use the buses….so they will reduce the service. Rinse and repeat. If I knew the buses would be on time I would use them more for my daily commute. I can’t take the risk though of being stuck at the bus stop wondering if one is actually going to turn up.