AN AMBITIOUS £1 million Wellington urban bus service project has won initial backing from town councillors.

The council’s policy and finance committee narrowly agreed to recommend the June 2 full council meeting to adopt the project in principle and look at how it could be taken forward.

An outline project paper was presented by Cllr Steve Mercer, who was one of a group of Liberal Democrat councillors who worked up the idea during the past year.

Cllr Mercer said the scheme was still in its infancy and much work would be needed if it was to be brought to fruition.

Wivey-Wellington Bus User Group spokesman Steve Gregory, who helped advise the Lib Dem working group, told councillors there could be 3,000 more cars trying to use the town’s roads if several new proposed housing estates were built.

The Wivey-Wellington Bus User Group has been campaigning for better bus services.
The Wivey-Wellington Bus User Group has been campaigning for better bus services. ( )

Mr Gregory said: “A town bus service is a 21st century solution to an old problem.

“We do not want to go back to the last century where we just tried to cater for more and more cars in the town.”

Cllr Mercer’s paper suggested 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 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.

It 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.

A proposed Wellington urban bus service could run through Seymour Street. PHOTO: Google Maps.
A proposed Wellington urban bus service could run through Seymour Street. PHOTO: Google Maps. ( )

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

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

• Town council ownership with directly-employed staff

• A Wellington-based transport company with whom the council could develop a close working relationship

• A distant operator, almost certainly a current national coach or bus operator

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.

Next month’s council meeting will decide whether to adopt the project in principle so costings can be considered while preparing the 2026-27 budget, and if development on a five-year pilot basis would benefit the sourcing of funds.

Councillors will also be asked for £2,000 for public consultation to collect feedback on whether residents supported the idea and how much it was likely to be used.