PARK and ride buses into Taunton on Saturdays have been reprieved following a re-think by Somerset County Council.

The authority subsidises the two park and ride services at Silk Mills and Henlade, and was proposing to stop Saturday buses because they were only used by about one-third of the number of passengers carried on weekdays.

The move was intended to save the council £50,000 towards a total of £19 million savings which it has find to balance its budget by the end of the financial year.

Passengers from the Wellington area have been able to use park and ride buses to reach Musgrove Park Hospital at no extra charge on top of their ticket to Taunton’s bus station.

Now, after behind the scenes lobbying by one of Wellington’s county councillors, John Thorne, the council has agreed to keep running the Saturday service until at least after Christmas.

The authority will also look for potential funding sources to help it retain the service into the future.

For the full story see this week’s Wellington Weekly News.