KEY bus services are set to be reduced in west Dorset following the introduction of the winter timetables.
The Dorchester, Bridport, Axminster axis – the X51 and X52 services – will suffer some of the most drastic cuts, the Dorchester Transport Action Group (DTAC) said.
Following the new timetable on September 21, just five services each way will operate on weekdays between Dorchester and Bridport with the last service departing an hour earlier than now.
Only three (westbound) and four (eastbound) will now run on Saturdays, with none on Sundays (as now).
“Services operating from Bridport and Lyme Regis to Axminster have also been reduced, with the new timings providing poorer connections with the rail services towards Exeter,” DTAC said.
Students will be particularly badly hit – the only option for those needing to arrive in Exeter by 9am will be to leave Bridport at 5.55am.
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Getting home in the afternoon will be equally difficult – the connection arrives back in Bridport at 7.42pm – resulting in close to a 14 hour day.
None of the local Transport Action Groups (TAGs) were formally consulted on these changes.
One TAG leader said “These service reductions go against everything that Dorset Council are promoting in their Local Transport Plan (LTP4) which is currently out for Consultation”.
LTP4 is intended to promote “Public transport that is inclusive and accessible” with the objective for West Dorset being to “enhance the frequency and reliability of strategic inter-urban routes, providing better access to employment, education and healthcare.” The Plan also calls for better connectivity between bus and rail.
Another TAG leader said: “This political decision to reduce bus services on these core routes will only force more people to take to their cars.”
The new timetable is horrific – Saturday is even worse, with the first bus to Dorchester on a Saturday from Bridport is at 1120am, with the last bus back on a Saturday at 1.53pm.
sorry but for people that work and survive off the bus network it can be debilitating! your technically costing people there route home from work or too? or making there lifes super impossible! i survived off the x53 for 3 years to and from portesham and abbotsbury and lost hours every winter just trying to work around bus schedules which makes it harder for people to survive the harder months when people dont drive an depend on the bus network! limiting peoples jobs options and further effecting the economy because businesses cant find workers that can work longer and later hours