Bus services running to Burnham-On-Sea from Bridgwater will see improvements to reliability and frequency from April, it has been announced this week.
First Bus in Somerset has announced its new summer timetable, which comes into effect from April 20th 2025.
The 21/21A service from Taunton to Burnham-On-Sea via Bridgwater will see “a new timetable that improves reliability with a frequency of every 35 minutes.”
“The 21 service will also be extended to Burnham-On-Sea until 11.30pm Monday to Saturday.”
The route is also seeing new state-of-the-art electric buses (EVs) introduced.
First Bus says the changes incorporate customer and driver feedback and have been made by working closely with Somerset Council and the Somerset Bus Partnership.
The Burnham and Highbridge Bus User Group has been lobbying for improvements in addition to local MP Ashley Fox.
Terrance James, Head of Network for First Bus in Somerset, said: “We’re delighted to introduce these changes for Somerset, helping to improve services for our passengers. With brand new electric buses about to enter service for the first time across our network in Somerset we’re excited for our passengers to experience these new vehicles across many of our services.”
“Reliability and punctuality remain a key priority and timetables have been revised to improve services for our customers.”
Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport, adds: “We’ll be seeing the first EV buses on our roads very soon and that’s fantastic news and is thanks to excellent partnership working between Somerset Council and First Bus. This is a really exciting development as we continue on our journey towards more sustainable transport in Somerset.
“There are also some positive changes across services and we urge bus users to take time to review the summer network changes before 20th April so they are fully aware of any that may apply to their route.”
The changes also come after lobbying from the local Bus User Group in Burnham and Highbridge, pictured below at a recent meeting.
A spokesperson says: “The Bus User Group is really pleased to see the improvements that are being announced by First Bus and Somerset Council. We would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to make full use of these service extensions and new buses to show how important they are and ensure funding for them is maintained in future.”
“Over the last two years residents and councillors on the User Group have been engaged with these organisations to make clear what users need to make more use of the buses. We are happy to see that some of our demands have been met.”
“We hope the changes to the summer to timetable will address our request for a more realistic and reliable timetable and note that the inclusion of Pier Street as a main stop reflects better how the service is used.”
“The funding in the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) meets our desire to see services run later into the evening and the digitisation of the Slinky bookings should make the service more flexible and efficient. It is great to see that when local people come together they can affect such positive change.”
First Bus says it is introducing the new electric buses (EVs) on a number of routes across the county – including the Burnham-On-Sea service. It has been able to add more EVs to routes than originally planned, with Routes 21, 22 and 28 services also operating with EVs.
Full timetable details are available on the First Bus Somerset website, and passengers are advised to check details before travelling ahead of the new services coming into effect.
