ELECTRIC buses are to start running on the Wellington to Taunton and Tiverton routes this summer as First Bus introduces changes to its timetable.
The new buses will start to arrive at depots in stages over the next few weeks and will be incorporated into a new timetable starting on April 20.
But it will take longer for them to start entering into service because drivers will need to be trained.
The new timetable will see the recently-introduced No. 22B bus to Wellington’s Jurston Fields dropped because not enough passengers were using it.
The X22 which travels through Wellington and Rockwell Green to Tiverton will be replaced by a new 22C service, which will continue also to serve Cullompton.
All the 22 services, including the No. 22 and 22A, will also now make a short diversion off the A38 to serve the new Orchard Grove housing estate but will continue to meet the existing 15-minute frequency schedule.
The No. 25 bus will continue to operate the Dulverton to Wiveliscombe to Taunton route during peak times, while a 25A service will also go to Cotford St Luke during daytime as the route to Exmoor is split into two, with a No28A serving the village in the evenings and on Sundays.
The 1E service from Silk Mills Park and Ride to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, will operate every 60 minutes using electric buses.
First Bus Somerset network head Terrance James said the changes were being made to ‘incorporate customer and driver feedback’.
Mr James said the bus firm had been working closely on the new timetable with Somerset Council and the Somerset Bus Partnership.
He said more electric buses were being introduced than originally planned, and all town centre buses in Taunton would be fully electric, ‘bringing cleaner, greener air to the centre’.
Mr James said: “We are 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 are 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.”
Somerset Council executive Cllr Richard Wilkins said: “We will be seeing the first EV buses on our roads very soon, and that is 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 toward 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 April 20 so they are fully aware of any that may apply to their route.”
The new bus timetable does not include a reintroduction of a Wiveliscombe to Wellington route for which the Wivey-Welly Bus User Group has campaigned and raised a supporting petition.