First Bus set to close Bridgwater depot after facing 'extremely challenging circumstances'

The bus company says it remains 'fully committed' to its services in the county Credit: First Bus

A bus company has announced the closure of one of its depots in Somerset.

First Bus South has confirmed that its Bridgwater depot will close with effect from Sunday 3 September 2023.

The company has said that it remains 'fully committed' to services in Somerset, despite the changes.

Its hoped the closure will help reduce running costs and reset the business to protect its wider network across the county.

From 3 September, all services previously run from Bridgwater will operate from elsewhere, with no change to the number of buses.

Simon Goff, Managing Director for First Bus South said: “Following further consultations and discussion with local stakeholders and customers alike, we are making some operational changes to our business.

"We have taken the difficult decision to close our Bridgwater depot with immediate effect from this weekend.

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but one that is a necessity in order to protect the future of Buses of Somerset and its bus network for the local area.

"I am aware that there has been some local resistance to the depot closure, but it is important that our decision is taken in the wider context of striving to secure the long-term future of services across Somerset.

“We are operating in extremely challenging circumstances, with rising costs, and while passenger numbers are increasing on some routes due to current fare promotion schemes, they are still below pre-covid levels, which is affecting the viability of routes.

“We are committed to serving our communities in Somerset and continue to work closely through the enhanced partnership with Somerset Council to deliver the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to provide the best possible bus services for our customers in the county.

"We will continue to work closely with the council who have been a great help in supporting us to give the bus network the best possible chance to recover.

“We will continue to use data to inform our decision making to allow us to match services with demand.

"I hope that the passion shown recently by local interested parties around this decision can now translate into support for the local bus network through regular usage. 

First Bus South added that some changes will be made to its timetables, which can be found on its website.