Since February, train tickets valid from Chippenham to Melksham and Trowbridge have been accepted on the last bus on service 234 from Chippenham Station (To Melksham or Trowbridge).   It's been a useful facility; I've made use of it and a number of other have too, and it's helpful to know that the fallback has been available if the final train is missed.   It also does PR^▸ (Public Relations) wonders 

As of 31st August, the late bus changed from 22:26 to 22:21 from Chippenham.   In theory, that simply cuts the change time at Chippenham.   In practise, it's likely to mean that the connection off the 21:50 from Bristol Temple Meads missed much more often, as this train only arrives in Chippenham on time / within 5 minutes on about 60% of days. [Snapshot figure, Recenttimetrains over a 28 day period].

To build on this facility, we asked if it could be extended to allow train tickets to be accepted on the last bus (or better, late buses) from Trowbridge too - the ones which receive a Wiltshire Council subsidy.

Good news ... as from 1st October, train tickets are accepted on the 23:40 bus from Trowbridge to Melksham.  Alas, this extra facility has not been extended to allow train tickets to be accepted on the 21:30 bus (21:10 connection from Westbury), which would have filled a really useful gap.  We did ask ...

Bad news ... (1) the previous arrangement was Monday to Saturday, but the modified arrangement has been negotiated as Monday to Friday I understand, so that the bus can't be used from Chippenham on Saturday evening any longer on a train ticket and (2) the previous arrangement from Chippenham was to Melksham and Trowbridge, but that's been reduced to Chippenham to Melksham only by the looks of things.   On both these items, I await clarification.

Posted to Facebook:

Not quite either, I suspect. The request was made to extend the existing arrangement to include the last bus or buses from Trowbridge, and that was picked up quite willingly - it's a good publicity, low/no price thing to do.  Most likely, someone along the way re-wrote the description to make it easier to understand ... using "Monday to FRIDAY", "LAST" and "to MELKSHAM" in his wording, not realising that this knocked out Saturday, journeys to Trowbridge from Chippenham and Melksham, and the 21:30 bus.

The question "how come not Saturday / no longer Trowbridge on the 22:21" has been asked and you may seen an update in due course - hope so.   The later buses (including the intermediate, subsidised, ones) on Saturday would be superbly useful as the last train home from Westbury is 18:32 - a hour earlier than on Monday to Friday or Sunday.

Some way to go with this then...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/door-to-door-strategy

The late buses are really useful for incoming / returning passengers ... but what about people wanting to attend events in Melksham?

A question from another Melksham business - "we have an event in the evening in Melksham with people arriving from other towns.   They can get here by train ... but how can they get home?"

From Swindon, people can come into the town on trains at 17:36 and 18:52 ... arriving at 18:03 or 19:19.   And return at 21:49, by 234 bus to Chippenham connecting into the 23:00 train there Swindon at 23:14.  As most of their time on the bus is after 22:00, is the return train ticket valid?  [Connection also available at Chippenham to Bath and Bristol ... and all the way to Exeter on Monday to Friday]

From Trowbridge, trains at 18:38 and 19:38 getting to Melksham 10 minutes later.   Return on the bus at 22:42, getting to Trowbridge at 23:01.   Return train tickets valid on this bus, right? [Connection only available into the last train to Westbury and Frome, not further afield]

Pity. Journey 1 takes people usefully to Swindon, Reading, Chippenham, Bath, Bristol and beyond. Journey 2 only to Trowbridge, Westbury and Frome ... having missed the last connection to Warminster and Salisbury :-( ...