From Melksham Area Board last night. Written statement handed out
Melksham Area Board, 4 March 2020
Chairman’s Announcement: D3 Bus Service Melksham to BathFirst 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:
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.
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
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.
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.
Melksham Rail User Group meets on 18th March (*) - all welcome and a major agenda topic will be buses - the detail of the Bath flow, how it works alongside other buses in the Melksham Area, and the wider direction of the bus network in the area and how the community can support that into the future.
(*) -
http://www.mrug.org.uk/meetings.html and
http://www.passenger.chat/22332 -
meeting starts at 19:30 at the United Church, just off the Market Place. All Welcome. We meet in the rear room (entrance off Watson's Court).Edit - meeting cancelled due to Corovavirus concerns - seen
http://www.passenger.chat/22332
