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Title: Bath - Melksham - Devizes buses from 5.4.2020 - confirmed outline Post by: grahame on March 05, 2020, 06:06:38 From Melksham Area Board last night. Written statement handed out
Quote Melksham Area Board, 4 March 2020 Chairman’s Announcement: D3 Bus Service Melksham to Bath First have announced that they will be ceasing to run their D3 bus service to Bath after 4th April 2020. As a replacement, from 5th April the Faresaver bus company will be providing additional journeys to/from Bath on their bus service X72, including the operation of journeys once an hour through Whitley and Melksham Forest. Double decker buses will be used at busy times to reduce the risk of overloading. Faresaver will also be operating journeys in the evening and on Sundays, that are being funded by Wiltshire Council. Publicity for the new timetables is currently being prepared and is expected to be available from Melksham Town Hall, Library and Tourist Information Centre from 16th March. It will also be published on the Faresaver website (www.faresaver.co.uk) or by emailing the Wiltshire Council Passenger Transport Unit at buses©wiltshire.gov.uk . Things have moved forward in the last couple of days; we have definite confirmation that Faresaver will be operating evening and Sunday journeys, and statements concerning Whitley and Melksham Forest where the D3 and x72 diverged. Detail remains to be published (and The Devil can be in the detail) but this looks promising, and for a statement of that length looks clear as far as it can in that many words. On 7th February, at our public meeting we passed the following: Quote Resolution 1 This meeting calls on Wiltshire Council to provide a supported evening bus service from Bath to Melksham and Devizes with a maximum gap of 2.5 hours between services and a final departure from Bath at or after 22:55 if such service is not provided by a commercial operator. Quote Resolution 2 This meeting calls on Wiltshire Council to provide a supported SUNDAY bus service from Bath to Melksham and Devizes with a maximum gap of 2.5 hours between services (one gap 4 hours allowed) if such service is not provided by a commercial operator. First bus to arrive in Bath at or before 09:30, last bus to leave at or after 19:30 Quote Resolution 3 This meeting requests Faresaver to provide a minimum hourly service between all stops currently linked by commercial services on routes x72 and D3 for the duration of current hours served by either commercial service. Quote Resolution 4 This meeting calls on all bus operators and Wiltshire Council to plan and implement public transport to encourage increased future use. All were written to be very reasonable and achievable and (pending detail) we look to be on course for our requests to be met. That is not a claim that we have had (much) effect, because the resolutions are calling for common sense for the passenger, potential passenger, operator and council. It's a statement that common sense is in the room. Wiltshire Council's statement gives an estimate of 16th March for general timetable availability for the Bath / Melksham / Devizes / Urchfont services beyond 4th April. (*) - http://www.mrug.org.uk/meetings.html and http://www.passenger.chat/22332 - Edit - meeting cancelled due to Corovavirus concerns - seen http://www.passenger.chat/22332 This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |