Threat of bus service cuts in Somerset from April 2024.

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From Somerset Council:

• Service 28 will be revised, including some direct journeys between Taunton and Minehead, with an express service to Butlins numbered X28, which will operate Mondays to Fridays. Following feedback from stakeholders, the evening services will be retimed to align with trains serving Taunton station.

Good god - rocket science? I don't know the other routes but this seems to make sense to me. Why only now  provide a fast bus to shift the holiday crowds?

[infoman]

Express service Monday to Friday?

I would have thought most would arrive and depart Butlins on Saturday and Sundays.

[JayMac]

Butlins three night breaks start on a Friday. Four nights on a Monday. Seven nights on a Monday or Friday..

[Eliza]

The 28 bus to Minehead and Butlins is an appalling advert for Taunton and Somerset. The brown and ochre Quantock Line bus is designed for hop-on/off town travel, with very limited legroom and unsuited to a journey of 90 minutes, with luggage. I've viewed the bus stop on Station Road, the one nearest the train station, and estimated that 40 people, with luggage, were waiting to be taken to Butlins. Those lucky enough to board the single decker would most likely have stood all the way.

Anecdotally, elderly shoppers say that they avoid travelling by 28 on Mondays and Fridays, when the service is at its busiest, and, on such days, when the bus to Minehead is full and standing, it can be difficult to get off in Taunton.  It does make me wonder why the service is said to run at a loss. If the Somerset Bus Partnership was the organisation that got Buses of Somerset to run an express service to Butlins, they are to be congratulated.  Trying not to be entirely negative, I must say that the bus drivers do a good job in the circumstances, and the holidaymakers, who board their bus for Butlins, after a long wait, are remarkably calm and good natured.

[TaplowGreen]

Butlins three night breaks start on a Friday. Four nights on a Monday. Seven nights on a Monday or Friday..

I'd rather have seven nights in Belmarsh.

[JayMac]

Butlins three night breaks start on a Friday. Four nights on a Monday. Seven nights on a Monday or Friday..

I'd rather have seven nights in Belmarsh.

I was imprisoned in Butlins, Minehead for several months in 1998. Worked there in the treasury, living on site. I was fired the night after the Argentina v England world cup match, the one where Beckham was sent off. The reason for my dismissal? I'd gone to one of the venues to watch the match straight after my shift. I was unaware of a rule about not drinking while in uniform.

[Fourbee]

Butlins three night breaks start on a Friday. Four nights on a Monday. Seven nights on a Monday or Friday..

I'd rather have seven nights in Belmarsh.

I was imprisoned in Butlins, Minehead for several months in 1998. Worked there in the treasury, living on site. I was fired the night after the Argentina v England world cup match, the one where Beckham was sent off. The reason for my dismissal? I'd gone to one of the venues to watch the match straight after my shift. I was unaware of a rule about not drinking while in uniform.

Some employment contracts now state that merely being in a licenced premises in uniform is not allowed. That would rule out pub lunches (even if on soft drinks) or cafes that sell the occasional bottle of beer. I guess in winter a zip up jacket would help avoid detection!

[JayMac]

I'd taken my tie and badge off. Not good enough for the general manager though, who'd reported my presence to my departmental manager and human resources. Said GM happened to be in the same venue, in his suit, also drinking while watching England lose on penalties. I pointed this out to my manager and human resources during my meeting without biscuits the following day. Highlighting the double standards didn't save my job.

[Fourbee]

I'd taken my tie and badge off. Not good enough for the general manager though, who'd reported my presence to my departmental manager and human resources. Said GM happened to be in the same venue, in his suit, also drinking while watching England lose on penalties. I pointed this out to my manager and human resources during my meeting without biscuits the following day. Highlighting the double standards didn't save my job.

It took me a while in my working life to work out Human Resources were generally management sycophants (despite the friendly propaganda).
Just out of interest, if the announcement about the buses being "safe" had come earlier would that have influenced your decision to buy a car?

[JayMac]

Probably not. Happenstance also saw me inherit some money, making the decision to buy a car now somewhat easier. I was already saving up though.