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| Parent | First South West |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Taunton |
| Service area | Somerset Dorset |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Depots | 2 |
| Chief executive | Alex Carter [1] |
| Website | busesofsomerset.co.uk |
The Buses of Somerset [2] is the trading name used by bus operator First South West for services operated in Somerset from its depot in the town of Taunton since 2014. The services were formerly managed as part of First Somerset & Avon.
Southern National was formed in 1983 as the Somerset and Dorset operations of Western National (then part of the National Bus Company). It was privatised in 1988, [3] acquired by FirstGroup in 1999 and rebranded as First Southern National. In 2003 the Somerset operations of First Southern National were merged into First Somerset & Avon. In 2014 the services were relaunched as 'The Buses of Somerset'. [1]
The new brand identity and livery is the first major departure from the FirstGroup corporate identity and livery which was previously applied almost universally across the group's bus operations. The business instead now uses a two tone green and cream livery with bespoke branding, website and social media profiles. [1] [4] Buses allocated to Taunton town services were branded 'The Buses of Taunton' but using the same livery as other buses in the fleet.
The livery was revised from 2020 with different shade of green and changed logos. Taunton town services now have a different arrangement of the two green colours and are branded 'Taunton's town buses'. Certain routes have specially branded buses including Taunton Park and Ride (orange and purple), Quantock Line (route 28; brown and cream), Burnham-on-Sea to Taunton (route 21; blue) and Exmoor Coaster (blue).
In late 2024, the separate Buses of Somerset identity began to be phased out[ citation needed ] with the adoption of First's new nationwide purple and grey livery. [lower-alpha 1] [ self-published source? ]
The Buses of Somerset initially operated from two depots in Taunton and Bridgwater along with an outstation in Minehead. [6] Yeovil was added in 2016, having previously been part of First Hampshire & Dorset.
The Bridgwater depot closed at the end of 2 September 2023 when crews and vehicles were transferred to the other depots. [7]
After attempts to sell the Yeovil site failed, FirstBus suggested in 2023 that it would demolish it instead. The number of buses operating from Yeovil had reduced from 43 to 9 because some routes had been transferred to First West of England depots. [8]
The Buses of Somerset routes link Taunton, Bridgwater, Yeovil and other major towns: [9]
Somerset, archaically Somersetshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east and the north-east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. The largest settlement is the city of Bath, and the county town is Taunton.
The Quantock Hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England, consist of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land. They were England's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, designated in 1956.
The West Somerset Railway (WSR) is a 22.75-mile (36.6 km) heritage railway line in Somerset, England. The freehold of the line and stations is owned by Somerset Council. The railway is leased to and operated by West Somerset Railway plc, which is supported and minority-owned by the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) charitable trust and the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust (WSRHT). WSR operates services using both heritage steam and diesel trains.
West Somerset was a local government district in the English county of Somerset from 1974 to 2019. The council covered a largely rural area, with a population of 34,900 in an area of 740 square kilometres (290 sq mi); it was the least populous non-unitary district in England. According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics in 2009, the population of West Somerset had the oldest average age in the United Kingdom at 52. The largest centres of population were the coastal towns of Minehead and Watchet (4,400).
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, 21 miles (34 km) north-west of the county town of Taunton, 12 miles (19 km) from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park.
Badgerline was a bus operator in and around Bristol from 1985 until 2003. Its headquarters were in Weston-super-Mare. Initially a part of the Bristol Omnibus Company, it was privatised in September 1986 and sold to Badgerline Holdings in a management buyout. It went on to purchase a number of bus companies in England and Wales. In November 1993, Badgerline Group was listed on the stock exchange and, on 16 June 1995, it merged with the GRT Group to form FirstBus.
First Hampshire & Dorset is a bus operator providing services in the counties of Hampshire and Dorset. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
First South West is a bus company operating services in the English counties of Somerset and Cornwall. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Somerset is a county in the south west of England. It is a rural county and transport infrastructure has been significant in industrial development. There is some heavy industry particularly related to the defence technologies and the county has several centres for stone quarrying, although the coalfield is now closed.
First West of England is a bus operator providing services in Bristol, Bath, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Wiltshire. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Southern National was a bus company operating in South West England from 1929 until 1969, and again from 1983 until 1999.
The earliest known infrastructure for transport in Somerset is a series of wooden trackways laid across the Somerset Levels, an area of low-lying marshy ground. To the west of this district lies the Bristol Channel, while the other boundaries of the county of Somerset are along chains of hills that were once exploited for their mineral deposits. These natural features have all influenced the evolution of the transport network. Roads and railways either followed the hills, or needed causeways to cross the Levels. Harbours were developed, rivers improved, and linked to sources of traffic by canals. Railways were constructed throughout the area, influenced by the needs of the city of Bristol, which lies just to the north of Somerset, and to link the ports of the far south-west with the rest of England.
The county of Somerset is in South West England, bordered by the Bristol Channel and the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, and Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south, and Devon to the west. The climate, influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the prevailing westerly winds, tends to be mild, damp and windy.
Quantock Motor Services is a privately owned bus operator in Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, England. The company operates a substantial heritage fleet for private hire and on route 300.
WebberBus was a privately owned company that operated bus services around Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Highbridge, Minehead, Taunton, Street, Glastonbury, and Wells in Somerset and also around Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England.
Kernow is a bus company operating services in Cornwall, England. It is part of First South West, a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Taunton bus station was situated on Tower Street, Taunton, Somerset, England. It was opened by the Western National Omnibus Company in 1953 and closed in 2020, by which time it was operated by The Buses of Somerset. In 2015 the Transport Trust awarded the station a Red Wheel plaque for its historic value.
Tiverton and Minehead is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election.
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