April 2025 Service Changes
Significant improvement in Bus Services in Somerset
Somerset's bus services will see the most significant bus service improvements in years as a result of a doubling of bus funding in Somerset by central Government.
Evening and Sunday bus services on some key routes, along with new bus services, are set to be introduced as part of a major shake-up aimed at increasing bus use.
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​The enhanced bus services are part of Somerset’s Government-funded Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
Somerset also has new electric buses achieved through a collaboration between First Bus in Somerset and Somerset Council. The partnership was awarded £2.2m from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA 2) scheme and First Bus invested £12.5m in vehicles and electrifying the bus depot at Taunton.
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Yeovil
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Extending the 376 service from Bristol to Street to Yeovil – to include evenings and Sundays.
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Sunday service for 51 Yeovil Town
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Service CR6 (Bridport to Yeovil) extra later return journey.
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A review of the town centre network, repurposing service 11 to remove some duplication and provide a service to areas of Yeovil currently not served.
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NEW 50 and 53 Yeovil Town Services run by South West Coaches
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Continued Council support for Services 1, 54, 58, 68 and 81 which provide links from Yeovil to Shepton Mallet, Taunton, Wincanton, Yeovil rail stations and South Petherton.
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Bus Priority Signal Improvements.
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Bridgwater
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Evening service for 21 Taunton to Bridgwater service – extended to Burnham-on-Sea.
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Increased daytime frequency for the B1Bridgwater Town Service, plus Sunday service.
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Roll out of Digital Demand Responsive Transport to the existing Sedgemoor Slinky.
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Support for service 14 – Bridgwater to Cannington.
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Improved access for buses at Bridgwater Train Station.
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Electric buses on the 21 Taunton - Burnham-on-Sea service
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Bus Priority Signal Improvements.
Taunton
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Continued support for evening services, 1E, 21, 22, 28 and 30 serving Bridgwater, Wellington, Minehead and Chard.
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Continued support for service 3 (Bishops Hull – Taunton) and re-routing part of the service to provide an improved transport links in the South Road/Shoreditch Road/Chestnut Drive area of Taunton.
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Electic buses on Buses of Somerset all town centre buses in Taunton (the 1, 4, 6, 7 services) plus routes 21, 22 and 28 will also operate with EV vehicles.
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£1 single fare for park and ride.
Roll out of Digital Demand Responsive Transport to the existing Taunton and Wellington Slinky Service. -
Support for Comeytrowe Transport Hub.
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As well as the ongoing work on Taunton’s Transport hub on the site of the former bus station, and a pilot rural transport hub in Langport, there will be feasibility studies for transport hubs in Yeovil and Bridgwater.
Other
Elsewhere there will be continued support for
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The Frome Town service 30, which will also see the introduction of an Electric Vehicle;
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The D2 Frome to Bath service.
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The 126 Axbridge-Wells service, with an increased service on Saturdays.
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Improved service 25 Dulverton to Taunton; Service 26 Dulverton to Wiveliscombe and a trial of Service 27 Wiveliscombe to Wellington and West Buckland (2 days a week).
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Somerset Council have worked with South West Coaches and GWR to ensure the South West Coaches service can access Castle Cary train station rather than dropping off on the main road.
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668 - Extension of service to Avalon Marshes for 12 months. (Funding obtained for this service by Somerset Bus Partnership, Glastonbury on the Bus and other local partners.)
Full April 2025 Changes
Click here for a list of all the April timetable changes.
6TH APRIL - FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND
The next bus timetable changes First West of England take place on Sunday 6th April.
The main changes for Somerset are:
• 20 (Burnham-On-Sea - Weston-Super-Mare) - This service will have its usual summer season uplift, with the Monday – Saturday frequency increased from every 70 minutes to every 35 minutes. The Sunday service will also resume, operating hourly between 0900 and 1800.
• 174 - Has had its Sunday and Public Holiday (via Chilcompton) route diverted slightly in Midsomer Norton to serve the new The Hollies bus stop (this change started as a diversion in late-February). Monday-Saturday journeys already served The Hollies. The Monday - Friday 13:22 trip from Wells will now depart at 13:17 to provide a combined 15 minute frequency.
Easy readable 376 bus timetable
• D2x - Will operate from Frome Sainsbury’s via The Butts, Frome Market Place, Fromefield, and then then A361, A36 & B3110. It will not serve Critchill, Brunel Way, Beckington or Rode. From Bath, upon reaching Sainsbury’s, buses will change from a D2 to a D2x and vice versa, meaning that passengers can use either service for Critchill. New timetable will operate.
• D2 - Will no longer serve Frome Railway Station with all journeys running to and from Frome Sainsbury’s via Critchill. New timetable will operate.
Other First West of England routes will not be changing timetables, please continue to refer to the current timetables.
Find out more: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/news-and-service-updates/updates/service-changes-west-england-6-april-2025
6TH APRIL - HATCH GREEN COACHES
The 99 will be operated by Hatch Green Coaches with no change to the timetable: https://www.hatchgreencoaches.co.uk/pdfs/2025/feb/99-new.pdf
16 - Route and timetable change
23/23B - Timetable change
- BUSES OF SOMERSET
1 Taunton - Pyrland & Priorswood: Routes 1 and 2 will merge into one, serving both housing estates with electric vehicles (EVs) at a frequency of every 30 minutes.
1E Silk Mills Park and Ride – Musgrove Park Hospital - Taunton – Pyrland: Now operating every 60 minutes with electric vehicless.
2 Taunton - Priorswood: This service is being removed, with the area now served by the new unified 1 Service.
4 Taunton – Wheatley Crescent & Lane Estate: Minor timetable adjustments will be made; the route will operate with electric vehicles.
6 Taunton – South Road, Juniper Road, Normandy Drive & Wordsworth Drive: Frequency reduced to every 60 minutes, now operating with electic Vehicles.
7 Taunton - Galmington: Underused railway station stop removed. This route will also operate with EVs.
21/21A Taunton – Burnham-on-Sea via Bridgwater: New timetable improves reliability with a frequency of every 35 minutes, 21 service extended to Burnham on Sea until 23:30 Monday to Saturday. Now operating with EVs
22/22A/22B/X22/22C Taunton - Rockwell Green, Wellington, Tonedale and Tiverton: A new timetable has been implemented for improved reliability and EV operations. The 22B service to Jurston Fields has been removed due to low usage. All remaining 22 patterns will serve Orchard Grove Housing Estate. The 22C will replace a previous X22 trip and continue to serve Cullompton.
25/25A Dulverton-Taunton, Taunton - Wiveliscombe, Taunton – Norton Fitzwarren & Cotford St Luke: The route is split into two services, with the 25 serving Dulverton during peak times and the new 25A replacing the daytime 28A service. Somerset Council's inhouse fleet is operating a Wivliscombe to Dulverton 26 service. There will be a through ticket in operation for stops between Wiviliscombe and Dulverton.
28/28A/X28 Taunton – Minehead via Bishops Lydeard: The X28 express service is removed, with remaining services enhanced to every 40 minutes on weekdays. The 28A will serve Norton and Cotford St Luke in the evenings and on Sundays.
30 Taunton – Axminster: Minor timetable changes will be made.
99 Taunton - Chard: First Bus no longer operates this route; it will be taken over by another provider.
B1 Bridgwater Estates: Additional services will run from 07:00 to 19:00, approximately every 35-40 minutes during peak hours, with new Sunday services added.
14 Bridgwater – Cannington: Minor timetable revisions.
15 Minehead - Bridgwater College: Minor timetable revisions.
54 Yeovil – Taunton: Minor timetable revisions.
58/58A Yeovil – Wincanton: The underused 58A service will be discontinued, and the 58 timetable will be revised.
51 Yeovil Town: Minor timetable adjustments will be made, with a new Sunday service added.
Exmoor Coaaster will restart - no further information is available.
Note: Timetable details for the Exmoor Coaster and CR4 Yeovil – Blandford, will be announced shortly
Find out more: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/somerset/news-and-service-updates/updates/summer-network-changeeffective-april-20th-2025
20TH APRIL - SOMERSET COUNCIL RUN BUS SERVICE
3 Chestnut Drive to Bishop Hull - route and timetable change
26 - NEW SERVICE - Wiverliscombe - Dulverton
27 - NEW SERVICE - Wiverliscombe - Wellington - West Buckland (2 days a week)
20TH APRIL - SOUTH WEST COACHES
The service 11 in Yeovil will be replaced with service 50 and 53.
50 - NEW SERVICE - Yeovil Town Service
53 - NEW SERVICE - Yeovil Town Service
Timetables will be available on the South West Coaches website: https://www.southwestcoaches.co.uk/Bus-Timetables
South West Coaches service 1 will serve Castle Cary station itself, rather than stopping on the main road opposite, thanks to improvements made to allow the buses to turn around.
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22 APRIL - LIBRA TRAVEL
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668 - Extension of service to Avalon Marshes Nature Reserve for 12 months.