Free community bus to replace axed town route

Councillors Cheryl Reynolds and Philip Evans praised the new vehicle

A free community bus service is set to be launched by a town council, after its predecessor was axed due to funding.

The new service, Lyme Link, will start on 7 May with a new 16-seater minibus and an "improved" route around Lyme Regis.

It has been organised by Lyme Regis Town Council, after funding for the number 71 was withdrawn by Dorset Council in August last year.

Councillor Philip Evans, the town's mayor, said he was "personally delighted" to keep the service running.

"When Dorset Council withdrew funding for the Lyme Regis town bus, which had been operational since 2017, we gave an undertaking to the people of Lyme Regis that we would not leave a stone unturned in our efforts to replace the service," Mr Evans said.

The new route will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

The bus had been "particularly popular with the elderly and infirm", as it enabled them to "pop into town for shopping", he continued.

"For some it was the only interaction they had with other townsfolk, staying on board the bus for the whole route."

The new service will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9:00 and 17:00.

Its route will now include Uplyme and the Woodmead Halls, as well as new housing estates at Woodberry Down and Garmans Field.

Mr Evans said a team of 10 volunteers had been recruited to drive the minibus, and were currently being trained.

Councillor Cheryl Reynolds, who runs a cafe in the town, said the new bus would be a "great asset to this town and its people".

She said the vehicle was "immaculate inside and out".

"I am sure it has been worth the wait to get this absolutely right," she added.