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Background to Option 24/7

Some short term public transport timetable changes
in Wiltshire

UPDATED 18th Jan 2022 (Bath - Warminster - Salisbury)

Bus Warminster to Salisbury (Part of route D1 to 28 Jan. Route 24 from 30 Jan)
No change until 29th January 2022
New service 24 from 30th January 2022 - see here -
These changes are expected to run until late April 2022

Bus Bath to Trowbridge, Warminster and Salisbury (routes D1 and D1x)
No change until 29th January 2022
New service from 30th January 2022 - see here - (and above for D1)
Route D1x withdrawn completely.
Route D1 will not run south of Warminster
These changes are expected to run until late April 2022

Town bus services in Melksham (routes 14 and 15)
Major service reductions from 10th January 2022 see here
Reduced from 2 vehicles to 1 on Mondays to Fridays
FromeBus and Wiltshire Council hope to RESTORE these as soon as staffing allows

Train services from Swindon to Westbury
Some service reductions from 9th January 2022 see here
Great Western Railway hope to RESTORE these as soon as staffing allows

Train services from London to Exeter via Salisbury
* Service split at Salisbury from 17th January - you must change trains there
* Service reduced to one service every 2 hours west of Salisbury
* Salisbury to London service reduced to hourly off peak
see here
South Western Railway hope to RESTORE previous service when staffing allows

Train services between Westbury and Salisbury
As from 17th January, with many cancellations and suspensions, there remain
* Hourly service on the Portsmouth to Cardiff route (GWR)
* A daily train from Great Malvern to Brighton and 2 back (GWR)
* A few local Westbury to Warminster services (GWR)
* A single SWR service from Yeovil to Salisbury via Westbury

Through train service from Bradford-on-Avon and Trowbridge to London
South Western Railway permanently withdrew their service in December 2021
The remaining Great Western Railway service (at 05:35 / 05:41) is now suspended too
Alternatives to London - change at Bath Spa, Westbury or Salisbury
Great Western Railway plan to RESTORE this as soon as staffing allows

Overview

January 2022 ... ongoing bus and train driver shortages have lead bus and train operators to switch to reduced timetables which they can run reliably over coming weeks or months - some of the shortages are short term due to Covid isolation and others are due a longer term general shortage of trained staff.

Passenger numbers are reduced at present (especially with current advice to work from home) and services which have been operated commercially in the past are not "business sense" at the moment. Government funding has been provided to help the bus operators, but it is unclear as I write how (and if) that will continue beyond the next few months, and what extra conditions might be applied. While this uncertainty remains, service changes coming through from commercial operators of necessity must reflect their planning for a worst-case scenario. Local transport authorities are working hard to ensure that gaps are not left in essential services, but the way this works means that there's often doubt as to what's happening as services are recast - a fertile gound for rumours.

We are NOT the definitive source of timetable information, which is available from the various operators. However, we talk with transport authorities and operators most weeks, and can bring you some early data from time to time. Join our Facebook Group to be kept up to date via social media.