The Weymouth Park and Ride service closed in October for the autumn and winter months as the county council looked to save £116,000 from the annual running costs.

In April after weeks of uncertainty, it was announced that First would be re-routing its number 2 service. But when does this start? Is is permanent? And who is paying for the new bus stops? 

We put the questions to the county council.

Q. When does the Weymouth Park and Ride service return and what times will it run?

A. The county council park and ride buses will be used to provide services at the park and ride site from May 28 until June 10 over the half term. These services will run from 9am to 7pm.

From June 11, First will be re-routing its number 2 service via Mercery Road to provide access to the park and ride site. This service will run from 6am to 11pm seven days a week, every ten minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes on weekends.

Q. What will now happen to the buses and drivers long term? How many buses and drivers there are and what was paid by the county council for the fleet of Weymouth park and ride buses when the service began?

A. The service was operated with a rota of eight full-time staff and three buses. Since the closure, four of the drivers have decided to take other employment. The other four drivers have been used for existing schools and adult day centre transport and the new service 20, which launched on 11 April. There are no redundancies due to the change. In fact we, are advertising for more drivers with a PCV licence to accommodate the increase in work across Dorset and replace those who have left.

The cost of the vehicles were £104,000 each. This was funded through Local Transport Plan and continue to meets its aims. The vehicles are now used on the service 20 and other work as part of the overall fleet.

Q. Has the agreement with First to re-route its service come at any cost to the county council? How long will the agreement be in place for?

A. There is no cost to the county council for the re-route and we understand that the diversion of service 2 is proposed as a permanent change, which serves Weymouth Gateway and the park and ride site. Both parties will monitor the new service closely to understand if the car park and associated cleaning and maintenance provide value for the taxpayer in the off-peak season.

Q. Will the cost of the new bus shelter and any additional street furniture at the two new stops be paid for by First or the county council? If it is the county council, how much is this expected to cost?

A. The new shelter and associated costs are still in the design and delivery stage but this will be funded from Local Transport Plan funding and developer contributions, which is the standard approach. We have also approached Clear Channel as they provide a large number of shelters in the Weymouth area - this would be at no cost to us. The new signage at the site links with improvements already planned as part of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund for bus travel on the Western Growth Corridor, so this is external funding.