A campaigning bus passenger has slammed "horrific" plans to slash rural bus routes and roll out an on-demand minibus service within months. Damien Valentine, who lives in the village of Timsbury, is particularly worried about residents commuting from Bath to Midsomer Norton and Brislington Park and Ride.
However, he says the bus cuts affecting Bristol and the wider West of England region are “devastating to the entire region”. From April, bus passengers in the West of England face losing vital services after the region's political leaders voted to stop subsidising 42 routes.
One of the routes is the number 179 from Bath to Midsomer Norton, which Mr Valentine relies on to get to various locations including Bristol and Keynsham. He said: “Journeys are going to take longer and be more inconvenient.” According to the list of potential subsidised services facing withdrawal, the 179 is set to run until June. Mr Valentine said: “While the service we have could be much better it gets us by...now there are a lot of people worried about what is going to happen."
