THE elderly disabled / reduced mobility representative on Wiltshire’s bus service improvement group Option 24/7, Lorraine Sencicle, has provided an update with the bus services between Westbury and Dilton Marsh.
Option 24/7 is the county-wide bus user group that provides a ‘bridge’ between Wiltshire Council and current or potential bus users in the community areas that Wiltshire bus routes serve.
Better publicity needed
Lorraine said, “Shortly after I was appointed, I wrote a paper on bus services appertaining to both Westbury and Dilton Marsh.
“In the article, I noted that there is an hourly bus service between Westbury and Dilton Marsh that operates six days a week and is driven by friendly and obliging bus drivers. Sadly, even before the Covid pandemic the service was, and still is, under used by locals and that although Dilton Marsh has two notice boards, a local parish magazine and the fortnightly White Horse News, not one displayed a bus timetable or the cost of the journey that serves the village!
“The article raised instant interest from White Horse News, who published it in full. This raised interest from a number of Dilton Marsh residents and Westbury Council soon after showed interest. Dilton Marsh’s parish clerk, Nikki Duke has been highly supportive ever since.
Bus Back Better
“County wise, back in March 2021 the Department of Transport published the Bus Back Better: National Strategy for England and £3 billion funding was earmarked for the strategy”, said Lorraine.
“The central aim of it was to get more people travelling by public transport and for bus operators to offer services that are reasonably priced and convenient for passengers – the central aim of Option 24/7! At the time Covid was rampant, lock-down was introduced and the demand for public transport fell. There was concern that the strategy would be put on the backburner but Wiltshire Council received finance from central government in the form of the ‘Covid-19 Bus Service Support Grant’, that ensured bus services could continue to operate.
“In October 2021, working with Option 24/7, Wiltshire Council published their Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), which includes targets up to 2030 and is subject to a regular review process each year. The process rests on the Enhanced Partnership Plan (EPP), which like the BSIP is subject to a regular review process each year and during the period between November 2021 and March 2022 details are being hammered out with input from Option 24/7.
“By December, Option 24/7 members’ views were collected and collated and the process seemed to be going in the right direction. Then we were told that the Covid-19 Bus Service Support Grant was to end and at the same time Plan B Covid measures were introduced that included advice to work from home where possible. The latter was expected to have a direct negative effect on public transport and petrolheads were at their keyboards demanding the abolition of public transport grants. But, according to Transport User Voice, 82% of people who used a train in England (excluding London) and 86% of those who used a bus (excluding London) at that time said that they felt safe by wearing a face covering!”
As of Tuesday 8th February, the Department of Transport has now confirmed a ‘potential extension to the Bus Recovery Grant post-April 2022’ and ‘a £29m uplift will be provided to BRG claimants this financial year.’
D1 and electric buses
Lorraine added, “At the end of January I received notification from Lee Fletcher, one of Wiltshire’s Option 24/7 Co-ordinators, telling me that Bath and North East Somerset Council (BaNES) through the West of England Combined Authority, is partly funding the new D1 timetable, although BaNES would have made the request for them to do so. Wiltshire Council have funded a new service on the former D1 southern section. Thus, the Warminster – Westbury – Bath bus service will remain at its current service level. While Westbury Town Council have pledged social media support for the initiative and there is also a proposal to run electric buses on the Westbury-Frome service that covers Dilton Marsh!
Dilton Marsh to Westbury
“Be that as it may, Nikki, Dilton Marsh’s Parish Clerk, has given me the thumbs up to put the Dilton Marsh – Westbury bus timetable on the village notice boards. This I have prepared and am awaiting confirmation from Fromebus Company that my understandings of the times are correct.
“In the meantime, from approximately 09.15 in the morning to 17.15 in the afternoon, there is a regular hourly bus service serving the village that goes from Clearwood, along Stormore and the High Street with regular bus stops to the railway station. Then the bus goes to Westbury High Street via the White Horse Health Centre, Westbury Leigh and the Aldi. Returning from Westbury High Street, the buses leave on the hour with the last ones at 17.13 and 17.40, with stops including Morrisons, Aldi, Westbury Leigh the Health Centre and Dilton Marsh.”
