Two new bus services have been agreed between Bridport and Yeovil after residents challenged councillors over cuts.

Residents hit out when a new timetable showed the No 40 bus would no longer include Bridport Hospital, Netherbury, Gerrards Green in Beaminster or Broadwindsor.

However, Dorset County Council (DCC) have agreed two new services to replace the existing No 40 to ensure a continued route between Bridport and Yeovil.

Cllr Ros Kayes, county councillor for Bridport, said: “I’m really pleased they have listened to us and we have a viable solution that will be a better service than before.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to the officers involved. It’s a shame it has had to be this late but we are now going to have a service that’s fit for purpose.”

First Wessex will operate a commercial service (No 6) between Beaminster and Bridport Hospital, with one journey each way to and from Yeovil. 

This service will run throughout the day between Monday and Friday. 

For students and commuters, the council will provide additional links between Yeovil and Bridport or Beaminster, with four return trips a day linking with the First Wessex timetable.

The county council No 40 service will provide a journey between Bridport and Yeovil College via Broadwindsor and Mosterton starting at 7.30am from Monday to Friday. A return journey will leave Yeovil at 5.15pm. 

The service, which is being jointly funded by Yeovil College, will be in place until the end of the year.

A statement from the council said this would give involved parties three months to gauge the level of demand for the service and develop longer-term transport solutions and they would continue to work with West Dorset communities to fill in some of the gaps in the timetable for local villages in the area. 

Cllr Kayes said she was particularly pleased to see Bridport Hospital bus stop back on the timetable and urged residents to make good use of these buses in order to secure a long term solution. 

Pending registration, the new timetables will be published and start running in the next few weeks. 

Cllr Rebecca Knox, Leader of Dorset County Council and councillor for Beaminster, said: “I’m sincerely hoping that, if well-used by local people, these services will continue, with a responsive community option offering flexibility and freedom for small villages to access the core bus network.

We are encouraging communities to join forces to build further on the great work already underway to identify people’s travel needs.”

Simon Newport, general manager of First Wessex, said: “We’re pleased to see the new arrangements for this bus service. This is the best solution for this route, which will hopefully go a long way to securing its long-term future, as well as and meeting the needs of these communities. We hope that this change will encourage more people on to the bus.”