Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has announced a forthcoming meeting with First Bus officials to address ongoing issues with the Number 25 and Number 28 bus routes. This action follows hundreds of complaints from her constituents detailing unreliable and overcrowded services.
Scheduled for Friday, September 26, the meeting will include First Bus’s operations director and comes ahead of separate discussions with the Department for Transport planned for early October. These talks will cover broader local transport concerns, including better connectivity between the heritage railway at Bishops Lydeard and the main line at Taunton.
Gilmour has publicly described the Number 28 service as “not fit for purpose,” highlighting frequent lateness and overcrowding, especially on Mondays and Fridays. Complaints about the Number 25 route, which serves Taunton to Bampton via Norton Fitzwarren and Wiveliscombe, have also increased.
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In addition to service quality, Gilmour drew attention to accessibility problems, noting that many disabled persons’ travel cards restrict free travel until 9:30 AM, limiting the ability of disabled passengers to commute effectively.
Her commitment to improving public transport follows a July Public Accounts Committee session where Gilmour urged the Department for Transport to engage directly with First Bus. Within a day, the department confirmed a meeting had taken place between its Director General for Public Transport, Conrad Bailey, and First Bus CEO Janette Bell.
The MP emphasized the need for enhanced services: “Hundreds of constituents have raised concerns about the Number 28 and 25 routes. The current state of the Number 28, with its delays and overcrowding, is unacceptable, and the Number 25 is facing growing issues as well. I look forward to discussing these matters directly with First Bus and with the Department for Transport to ensure that our community receives the reliable and accessible public transport it deserves.”