Great Western Coffee Shop

Something i've noted with the trains to Frome on Sundays is this.

If you are in Bath on a Sunday evening you have little choice in terms of return transport. You have the following:

18:01 - Train - Weymouth Service
18:20 - 267 Bus - Slow & Last Service
21:07 - Train - Weymouth Service - Also last service

Now this for me is really inconvenient. There is an option of taking a train to Trowbridge and getting a National Express Coach service to Frome, but that arrives 5 minutes earlier than the last train does, so there is little point in doing this.

On a weekday even the service provision is as follows:

18:07 - Train - Weymouth Service
18:20 - 267* Bus (Last Fast Service)
18:23 - 267 Bus (Slow Service)
19:07 - Train - Change at Westbury
19:15 - 267 Bus - Slow Service
20:07 - Train - Frome Service
21:07 - Train - Weymouth Service
21:15 - 267 Bus - Slow Service
23:15 - 267 Bus - Slow Service - Also last service of the day
23:36 - Train - Frome Service - Also last service

* Service operated by Faresaver

It I make this a 2h 47m gap in service on a Sunday evening. It would be really useful if we had something like the 20:07 to Frome on a Sunday, as with Christmas shoppers and the Bath - Westbury line being overcrowded as ever at weekend. I would find this really useful, as i'm sure anyone between Bath and Westbury would.

Another point but I won't go into details, is if you could use your Bus ticket to return by Train and vice versa if you wished. Maybe that's asking too much, yet they are operated by the same company ::) :o :-\

Discuss...

The evening bus service situation is only going to get worse next year. Local authorities are having their funding cut (about 28% according to press reports) and will be looking at all evening and Sunday services that are supported. Derbyshire County Council, for example, have issued a consultation document listing the services they are examining (mostly evenings and Sunday services especially in the Peak District National Park) which they may cut. Some services cost between ^6 and ^8 per passenger in subsidy and carry few people. All credit to Derbyshire for involving the public, though this doesn't lessen the effects of the cuts.