Mum says loss of Somerset bus services will isolate disabled son

The number 179 and 178 bus services will cease running in High Littleton to save money, the council has said

A mother of a teenager with a rare genetic condition says the loss of two bus routes means her son will be "isolated" in their Somerset village.

Two services connecting High Littleton to Bristol and Bath are set to be axed in the first part of the year.

Stacey says her son Josh, 16, had been learning the bus routes in order to travel to college independently.

Bath and North East Somerset Council said the lost routes would be replaced with alternative transport options.

Josh has a rare condition called 48 XXYY syndrome, which means he has "a range of disabilities" including issues with understanding.

He is due to start college in Bath in September.

But in June High Littleton will lose the 179, the village's last connection to Midsomer Norton and their only bus to Bath.

It will also lose the 178 bus between Midsomer Norton and the Brislington Park and Ride in April.

'Vulnerable hit hard'

The two routes are among 42 supported bus services due to be axed across the west of England.

Supported services are bus routes that are not commercially viable for the bus companies to run, but local authorities pay to keep running.

The cuts were signed off by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) in January.

Stacey said: "I have absolutely no idea how my son will be attending college come September and there is absolutely no support.

"Vulnerable adults and children will be hit incredibly hard and isolated from the world."

WECA said the busses will be replaced by a new "West Link" service of on-demand mini-vans, known as demand-responsive transport.

Stacey said West Link, which people can book by an app to connect them with bus routes, will just mean extra stress.

Councillor Sarah Warren, deputy leader and cabinet member for climate and sustainable travel at Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: "We are really sorry to hear about Josh's situation, and completely appreciate the concerns of his mother.

"We understand that the new demand responsive transport (DRT) system is a significant change for our communities, and we are lobbying [the] mayor to invest some of the £50m he received from government through the bus service improvement programme fund into additional conventional bus services outside of Bath, to make DRT more accessible."

The West Link mini-vans are an initiative being rolled out by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

But Mr Norris has said the system was never intended to be "a replacement for supported buses".

He is calling on the region's councils to allow him to raise taxes for bus services.

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