THERE is good and bad news for Wellington residents wishing to get to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton by bus, Wellington Town Council has been told.

Despite a 3,000-strong petition calling for the restoration of the direct service between Wellington and the hospital this will not be done – mainly because of the cost.

But local residents who buy a ticket to travel from Wellington to Taunton will be able to go to the hospital at no extra charge.  A service from Taunton bus station to the hospital runs every 12 minutes seven days a week.

In addition the Slinky Bus service is available five days a week and makes three journeys a day to the hospital.

Although this service is primarily for people with mobility issues, who cannot easily access a conventional bus, it is available for everyone.

Councillors at the November meeting were told that following the collapse of WebberBus, which had provided the direct link between Wellington and Musgrove, there had been a joint meeting between the town council, the county council and the manager of Buses of Somerset. 

The county had no funds to subsidise the service as it was cutting its expenditure following reductions in Government grants and the bus company said the service was uneconomic. 

If buses were diverted to the hospital, it would reduce the frequency and delay the running and punctuality of buses to Tonedale and Rockwell Green.

Cllr Andrew Govier said: “We are stuck with what we have at the moment. The county council will not put any money into it. People probably are not aware that there is no extra charge from the bus station to Musgrove. Most people will be able to get a service to Musgrove without too much inconvenience.”