A SCHEME to create an urban bus service for people living in Wellington will be put to town councillors on Wednesday (May 14).

The project could cost £1 million to set up and has been developed over the past year by the council’s Liberal Democrat group.

It is suggesting the council could purchase three small-size buses, ideally electric, but possibly diesel to save money, which could cost from £225,000 to £450,000, recruit four drivers with a cumulative salary of about £200,000, and rent a bus depot for maybe £100,000 a year.

The group also wants the town council to hire a part-time project manager with experience of transport planning on a salary of about £30,000 to take the scheme forward.

The vision is to run the buses over two routes from one end of Wellington to the other on both the north-south and east-west axes, taking in residential streets.

A spokesperson said: “Both are focussed solely within the Wellington parish town boundary, although in time and in negotiation with surrounding parishes regarding legality and funding, the routes have the potential for extension to Bradford on Tone and West Buckland in particular.”

The spokesperson said the timing of the proposal was partly driven by recognition that more pressures were likely to be created in the town by the extensive house-building which was planned in Wellington.

They said: “These suggest that a town bus service may ameliorate some of the traffic and related congestive features of current life when driving in Wellington and improve the social quality of life for others.

“Wellington arguably stands at a point in time marking what could be a dramatic change in its structure and size.

“It has inexorably grown in size with several new housing estates and thus increased population.”

The spokesperson said whether or not Wellington’s proposed new railway station was constructed, the project was asking if an ‘in town’ bus service might help cohesion, access, and circulation within the town’s urban area.

Three principal forms of ownership and operation of the urban bus service were possible:

However, the team was reluctant to suggest a national operator because of the extent of local dissatisfaction with the current running of the Wellington to Taunton bus service.

The preference was for ownership and operation by the town council because ‘local ownership’, if affordable, would produce greater quality benefits.

Councillors on Wednesday will be asked to recommend next month’s full council meeting to adopt the project in principle so costings could be considered while next year’s budget was prepared.

The council would need to decide if development on a five-year pilot basis would benefit the sourcing of funds.

Councillors would also be asked for £2,000 for a public consultation exercise to collect feedback on whether residents liked the idea and how much use was likely to be made of it.