A VITAL Trowbridge town bus service that was due to be axed at the weekend has been saved by a last minute intervention from Faresaver, with a replacement service running for a trial period.

Following discussions with Wiltshire Council, the Faresaver bus company has stepped in to provide alternative services as a commercial venture to replace the T1 bus service in Trowbridge from Monday.

The current T1 bus route will stop running on Sunday, after First West of England decided it was no longer commercially viable for it to run the service, with the First bus Melksham 234 service will also cease running from the same date.

Studley Green, College Road, Silver Street Lane, Wiltshire Drive and Holbrook Lane will be served for a trial period by a new service 60, which will run once per hour on Mondays to Fridays between 8.30am and 5.10pm and follow the same route as the T1 buses around those areas.

Philip Whitehead, cabinet member for transport, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to work with Faresaver to secure these replacement services. 

“However the timetable for new service 60 is experimental so that Faresaver can assess the demand for it and so we really need local people to use the service as much as possible to make sure it continues beyond August.”

Hilperton, along with the whole of the 234 bus route, will be covered by Faresaver bus service X34 which will run twice an hour on weekdays and once an hour on Saturdays. 

Some weekday journeys will also be diverted to serve Leap Gate at Paxcroft Mead or Victoria Road and St Thomas Road in Trowbridge.

John Pickford, managing director of Faresaver, said: “We are introducing a replacement service during the month of August to ensure that those passengers who relied on the current T1 are not left stranded.

“We hope that the public will support this new service so that this temporary timetable is made permanent. Being a local family run company we pride ourselves on being able to fulfil the needs of our passengers and therefore urge people to give their feedback regarding the future of the service.”

Wiltshire and Trowbridge Councillor Jeff Osborn said: “The main thing now is that people need to use it or lose it as it is being run on a trial period as a commercial service and if it isn’t used they are unlikely to continue to run it.”

Derek Adams, who chairs the College Estate Residents' Association, said: “It is great news and now we need to get the message out to people to make sure that they use it.

“There was a great deal of concern from residents about the possibility of losing this service as it is a lifeline for them and there were at least three petitions set up to try and save it.”