A HIGHLY charged meeting found upset residents confronting a senior official from the First bus company about bus route cancellations and timetable changes in West Dorset.

The meeting of the Western Area Transport Action Group (WATAG) discussed changes to the X31 service between Axminster, Bridport, and Dorchester, which will be reduced to two-hourly, while weekly timings will see fewer routes plied during late evenings.

The 7.15pm bus from Dorchester to Axminster via Bridport will be the last evening bus despite the 5.30pm train from London Waterloo not reaching Dorchester South until 8.15pm.

Meanwhile the X53 between Exeter, Bridport, Weymouth, and Poole would see its Sunday service withdrawn for the winter, amid other changes.

The final X53 to leave Weymouth will now depart at 5.30pm, with the 6.20pm and 7.20pm being discontinued. The 753 service from Beaminster to Weymouth College would now be incorporated into the main X53 timetable, with a feeder service between Beaminster and Bridport.

Bridport councillor Ros Kayes, told the meeting there was ‘a lot of concern’ and that people ‘were not happy’ about the changes.

She said afterwards: “I will be taking this up as a matter of urgency at Dorset County Council.

“There appears to be no reason why the service could not be re-advertised and opened to other bidders.

“This affects not only people who work in London, Dorchester and Weymouth, but youngsters who want to stay on in Weymouth after college and anyone seeking to visit Dorchester in the evening without a car. It could also affect the Dorchester economy too.”

Dorchester town, district and county councillor Andy Canning said the continued changes to the X31 service were having a very real effect on people in the county town.

He said: “I think it’s a great tragedy that it has been a really good bus service that has been very popular and well used and it just seems so be being reduced by 1,000 cuts.

“They introduced a new timetable and then a few months later cut it further and now they have cut it again.

“People rely on this service and it’s not fair on them.”

Seasonal services

Mark Williams, business manager at First Wessex, said that cuts to routes and bus services were necessary during winter months when the number of users reduced.

He said: “It is a very seasonal area and we cannot continue with that level of investment during the winter.”

The college journey to Weymouth would be guaranteed, although it would now be a drop-in service to the college, before continuing onto Bridport where a connecting bus to Beaminster would be available.