Late, Non-Existent, No-Show: Can Somerset’s Buses Finally Change?

For a long time now, I’ve been raising the alarm — alongside fellow councillors, our MPs, and the tireless Somerset Bus User Group — that our current bus service model simply isn’t working for the people of Somerset.

I’ve seen it up close. Not long ago, I worked with the Bus User Group, MPs and local residents to fight to save an essential bus service, and we won that fight — the route was reinstated. It should have felt like a victory through and through. But my heart still sank, because almost every week since, residents have been telling me the same thing: the bus didn’t turn up, it was late, or the service barely exists at all.

That’s why today’s news from the Lib Dem-run Somerset Council matters so much to me. We need to be bold. We need to change and improve our bus services for everyone in this county — and today’s announcement is a real step towards making that happen.

Somerset Council awarded funding to explore bus franchising

Bus services across Somerset — and the way they’re delivered — are about to come under serious scrutiny. The Council’s transport team has been awarded funding by the Department for Transport (DfT) to carry out a bus franchising pre-feasibility assessment.

So what does that actually mean? Bus franchising is a system where the local transport authority — in our case, Somerset Council — awards exclusive contracts to private operators to run services on specific routes or areas. Unlike our current enhanced partnership arrangement, franchising would mean the Council keeps control over routes, fares, timetables and service standards.

Recent changes to government legislation and guidance, together with this new funding, mean the Council can now carry out a formal, evidence-based assessment of the different franchising models available — and get a clear picture of whether any of them could deliver better outcomes for both operators and passengers here in Somerset.

The Council has been clear that this is about testing franchising properly against our current Enhanced Partnership approach, working closely with stakeholders — including bus user groups — to understand what’s not working and whether it’s better fixed through a revised partnership or a full franchised model.

Why I’m backing this

it’s about finally getting the honest, evidence-based answers residents deserve about why our buses aren’t working, and what it would actually take to fix them. Whether that ends up being a strengthened Enhanced Partnership or a move to franchising, what matters most is that we get there by listening properly to the people who rely on these services every day — and to the bus user groups who’ve been fighting this corner for years.

It’s time we stopped tinkering at the edges. Residents deserve honest, evidence-based answers about why our buses aren’t working — and real action to fix them. What matters now is that we get there by putting the people who rely on these services every day at the centre of the decision — and by finally listening to the bus user groups who’ve been fighting this corner for years and telling us exactly what’s broken. Somerset needs better buses. Not next year, not eventually — now. That’s what I’ll keep pushing for.

I’ll be following this work closely, and pushing to make sure Mendip South residents’ voices are heard as part of it.

Planning a journey in Somerset? You can use the Council’s transport portal, Somerset Think Travel, to help plan your route.

— Cllr Claire Sully, Mendip South

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