County Council’s funding stops, but Town Council steps in with a £4,000 support package for two days’ operation a week by DCT; residents complain that the service is now no longer fit for purpose
Dorset Community Transport (DCT), part of the ECT Charity, has temporarily taken over a bus service in Lyme Regis after Dorset County Council (DCC) withdrew subsidy for it.
The continued operation is on a two-day per week basis and it follows broadly the same route as the withdrawn 71 bus. It will run until 1 September, when it is hoped that a longer-term solution can be found. £12,000 has been budgeted for that.
The temporary operation has been funded by a £4,000 grant from Lyme Regis Town Council. ENCTS passholders remain eligible for free travel, as do under-18s. Other passengers pay £2.
Critics claim that the reduced number of journeys makes the service inadequate, with one saying that the Town Council should have made alternative arrangements sooner.
DCC’s cuts to its supported bus network have been known about for some time, but the Town Council blames hold-ups in DCC’s tender process for school services. It claims that the town was “badly treated” during that process.
To use the Lyme Flyer, passengers must register with DCT and book a seat. It operates two round trips and serves two medical centres, with some residents saying that the limited hours of operation are making it difficult for them to arrange appointments.
