A REPLACEMENT service for Chard’s 99 bus route has still not been announced with the current provider set to cease running it next week.
At the start of March, it was revealed that Buses of Somerset would no longer run the 99 service to Taunton, the 29 from Taunton to Wells, and Bridgwater Town Route F, after negotiations with Somerset County Council.
While Somerset County Council declared it would take over the Bridgwater route F with its own fleet, both the 99 and 29 were put out to tender.
A spokesman for parent company FirstBus said: “Buses of Somerset have notified Somerset County Council of its intention to de-register service 99 because it doesn’t carry enough passengers to be sustainable as a commercial service.”
Following the announcement, an SCC spokesman said: “We are proposing to put both services back largely unchanged from the current timetable and expect to receive bids from local operators for both of these services.”
However, with FirstBus due to withdraw from April 4, a replacement is yet to be announced.
As well as Taunton and Chard, the 99 bus also serves Shoreditch Racecourse, Staple Fitzpaine, Buckland St Mary, and Combe St Nicholas.
The 29 service runs from Taunton Bus Station, through Monkton Heathfield, Ruishton, Creech St Michael, Othery, Ashcott, Street, Glastonbury and Wells.
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