Somerset Council is reassuring bus passenger groups that it is committed to keeping Yeovil Bus Station operational as a vital part of a rejuvenated town centre.

The Council will ensure the bus station remains a key transport hub in the county and it is currently involved in commercial discussions with the owner with a view to buying the site. These talks are ongoing and have been for some time as part of Yeovil’s regeneration.

Once the Council has secured ownership of the site it will eventually look to remove some of the existing ageing buildings with a view to making long term improvements to the site.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Digital said he was aware there was a need for reassurance and understood people’s concerns.

These concerns have been expressed by bus user groups following the Council’s decision to close the waiting room and toilets from 31 May, but an agreement to keep the waiting room open for at least another few months with the support of the Somerset Bus Partnership and First Bus South West has now been agreed.

Councillor Wilkins said:

It is clear people are worried about the future of the bus station.
That is why we are underlining our commitment to keeping it operational – there are absolutely no plans to close it.
We have had to take the decision to close the toilets and initially the waiting room to save on cleaning and maintenance costs – we have been very clear that due to the Council’s financial situation this needed to happen.
This is in line with difficult and heart-breaking decisions we’ve had to make across somerset.

However, I’m really pleased we can now keep the waiting room open for the immediate future, following an agreement between the bus user group and operator.
Please be assured that we remain committed to seeking further funding from Government from the Bus Service Improvement Fund, and working with partners, to maintain facilities at the bus station in the future – this is an evolving regeneration process.
You are likely to see some changes in the coming months – some of the buildings will be demolished as part of the regeneration but the bus station will remain operational throughout and into the long-term future.

Somerset’s Bus Service Improvement Plan aims to make bus travel more attractive and sustainable in the county and the Council has so far been awarded nearly £13 million from Government for a raft of initiatives, including ensuring that key services between Yeovil and Taunton can continue to run.