OPERATORS are soon set to be announced for the X91, 99 and P1 WESTlocal bus services in the Chew Valley, for April onwards.

The government has given the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) a three-year bus grant of £42.4-million, yet Liberal Democrats warn that, even added to North Somerset’s separate bus grant of £9-million, the area is still facing a cut.

Announcing the bus grant it had received in January, the authority said that the two-year trial of most WESTlocal buses had been due to end in April, but had now been extended until the end of the school year in July.

A spokesperson said: “This will enable a review and assessment of service performance, looking at what has worked best and how a future network might utilise and reform WESTlink, a demand responsive transport (DRT) system.

“Options in rural and suburban areas could see more bus services like the 768, which connects villages south of Bath to the city with a semi-fixed route service that guarantees timetabled services during peak times while also serving passengers through demand responsive transport.”

Chew Valley’s Liberal Democrat local councillor on Bath and North East Somerset Council, David Harding warned a meeting at the end of January: “Removing our timetabled buses would leave the Chew Valley at the mercy of WESTlink demand responsible transport service.

“The WESTlink service has proved to be less than functional in an ultra rural context and cannot meet our public transport needs.

“Our great big bus survey shows that both the X91 and our 99 bus services are vital for the health and wellbeing of users, helping prevent rural isolation and connecting villages to each other.

"The satisfaction ratings on both routes are incredibly high and way above other fixed route services in neighbouring areas.”

Jackie Head, from Chew Valley CIC Sustainable Transport Partnership told the meeting: “We are aware that from July you are considering using WESTlink in a mixture of peak time fixed routes and demand responsive transport at other times, rather than our existing services. We urge you not to do this.”

She warned that WESTlink did not work in rural areas and only delivered 41 per cent of the rides that were requested.

As WECA launches their new transport vision outlining their direction of travel, with £752-million already secured from government to invest in getting the West moving, Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: “Nobody wants to sit stuck in traffic or hang around for a bus that never turns up.

“Our record transport investment secured from government must make a real difference that people across the West can see and feel. We can start to give people their time back: to be home sooner, get out into nature more, or visit the many attractions that make our part of the world so special.

“We need a transport system that people can trust, wherever they live. Together, we can and must deliver the integrated transport system that people need and deserve.”