Intense lobbying by Dorchester Transport Action Group has finally achieved a trial bus service for local residents in the Winterbourne Valley.
Les Scarth, a local Martinstown Resident and member of Dorchester Transport Action Group, spearheaded the campaign. He explains, “First Bus has agreed to a trial diversion of their X51 bus service from Weymouth to Axminster so that it will go through Martinstown and Winterbourne Steepleton. At the moment it just goes via Dorchester, Bridport and Lyme Regis”.
The trial diversion will be for the 2024 summer period, starting on 12 May and ending in September. First Bus will assess the success of the service and consider making it permanent as long as it generates sufficient revenue to justify the costs of the diversion. So it’s important that local residents use the service and promote its benefits to summer visitors.
Stewart Palmer, Chair of Dorchester Transport Action Group, said “This is a great opportunity for local residents but everyone needs to realise that it is a ‘use it or lose it’ moment. The service frequency will help people go into Dorchester or Bridport for shopping trips as well as providing an excellent means of having a cheap day out to Weymouth, Lyme Regis or Axminster. With the costs of town centre parking and fuel and with the maximum single fare being capped at £2, the service will be a great benefit for everyone”.
Members of Dorchester Transport Action Group will shortly be delivering promotional leaflets to everyone living along the trial diversion route. Les added, “It’s great that First Bus has agreed to this trial, all credit to them! So we want to help them by promoting the service. We appreciate that it is a commercial service and they are taking the commercial risk here”.
The trial service will operate 7 days a week with roughly a two hourly frequency during the day.
As well as maximising opportunities for work, leisure, hospital visits and social activities, improving our public transport services also reduces congestions in our local towns as well as reducing carbon emissions and getting people actively out of their cars.
So please take advantage of this new service. It will only survive long term in local people use it.