Evening and Sunday bus services to Bath are to continue, following weeks of uncertainty.
Faresaver – who operate the X72 service between Melksham to Bath during the day from Monday to Saturday – will be taking over from First West of England’s D3 service, to offer journeys in the evening and on Sundays.
They will also be providing additional journeys to and from Bath through Whitley and Melksham Forest – areas which were at risk of losing their service to Bath following the news that First’s D3 service will end on Saturday 4th April.
Confirmation of Faresaver’s new timetable for their X72 service is expected by the end of this week.
The news has come as a relief to bus users who rely on the D3 service to get to work, go to college, get to hospital appointments, and get home in the evening. An online petition to save the service attracted the support of over 1,100 people.
First Bus announced in January that it was axing its D3 service between Bath and Melksham via Box and Atworth, as it is was failing to cover its costs and was making a loss.
An announcement made by a Wiltshire Council spokesperson at last week’s Melksham Area Board, said, “First have announced that they will be ceasing to run their D3 bus service to Bath after 4th April.
“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, the library and Tourist Information Centre from 16th March. It will also be published on www.faresaver .co.uk.”
