Fares frozen as new provider takes over town's park & ride

Fares from the Silk Mills Park and Ride will remain £1

A new operator will freeze fares and introduce double-decker buses when it takes over Taunton's park-and-ride sites.

Somerset Council’s executive committee confirmed in December 2023 that Buses of Somerset would be exiting its contract for the Gateway and Silk Mills sites, claiming it was "no longer viable for them to run the service", in spite of recent rises in passenger numbers.

Stagecoach South West is taking on the service, which will operate six days a week from both sites.

The Exeter-based company will officially begin shuttling passengers to and from the town centre from 12 February.

The cost of a ticket will remain £1 for any single journey until 31 March 2025, with the council subsidising the cost of tickets as part of its £11.9m bus service improvement plan (which is funded by central government).

Double-deckers will service the routes from 6am to 8pm on weekdays, with a slightly later start on Saturdays – with buses operating every 20 minutes.

'It remains fantastic value'

Councillor Richard Wilkins, the council's newly-appointed portfolio holder for transport and digital, said: "It's great news to secure this new contract with Stagecoach South West.

"Taunton's park and ride is a vital part of the town’s transport infrastructure and has shown a significant increase in patronage in the last two years.

"Thousands of commuters make use of the service every week, helping to cut the number of cars going into town during peak hours, and at just £1 for a single journey, it remains fantastic value.”

Stagecoach will take over the park-and-ride routes in February

Part of the Gateway site will continue to be leased out to EDF Energy, allowing it to operate its own park-and-ride service for employees travelling to the Hinkley Point C construction site.

As with the regular park and ride fares, the income from this lease will be retained by the council.

Peter Knight, managing director at Stagecoach South West, said: "We are proud to be delivering this park-and-ride partnership with Somerset Council and other key organisations in Taunton.

"We look forward to the service commencing and meeting our new customers in Taunton, providing them with reliable, affordable and sustainable travel across the Taunton park-and-ride service."