Residents of the rural villages in North East Somerset’s so-called “forgotten valley” are facing significant challenges as bus service cuts increasingly disrupt their daily lives.
Over recent years, many villages in the heart of the district have seen their bus links slashed or eliminated entirely. Now, a reduction in frequency for one of the few remaining services—the 172 bus—has come into effect over Easter, causing serious difficulties for people trying to access work, school, and healthcare.
Sam Ross, Green councillor for Clutton and Farmborough on Bath and North East Somerset Council, voiced strong concerns in a letter to the West of England Combined Authority (WECA). He described the changes as more than minor timetable tweaks, emphasizing they effectively remove essential transport for those who rely on it. The 172 service, operated by First Bus, has been cut from every 30 minutes to just hourly, a change attributed to funding reductions.
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For local resident Rebecca Hall, the 172 bus is a lifeline for getting her two children to school. The new schedule means her family must now leave their home in Hallatrow an hour earlier each morning to reach Temple Cloud on time. The two villages are close but separated by roads without pavements, a potentially hazardous journey especially as Ms Hall cannot drive due to epilepsy. “I moved here because of the bus service—losing it so abruptly feels very discouraging,” she explained.
Historically, the villages along the A39 corridor, including Hallatrow and High Littleton, enjoyed frequent bus connections to Bath and Bristol. However, 2023 saw numerous services axed, leaving primarily the 172 and a newer 522 service operating a southern loop linking Bath, Bristol, Midsomer Norton, and Radstock.
Peter Ghillyer, a member of High Littleton Parish Council, recalls how travel into the city once took about 20 minutes. With the cuts, journeys now take at least an hour and 15 minutes, as passengers must follow complex routes with fewer options. He warned that the Cam Valley communities are being overlooked as transport priorities focus on the Bath-Bristol-Radstock triangle, leaving those in the rural center underserved.
Independent councillor Ann Morgan, also from High Littleton, expressed frustration, highlighting the council’s goals to reduce traffic and improve air quality in Bath. “Those ambitions can’t be met without reliable, effective public transport,” she said.
While there are currently no plans to reduce the 522 service, which is fully funded by WECA, early announcements of potential cuts caused alarm. Local teenager Sam Harris, who uses the 522 to commute to sixth form college in Bristol, launched a petition that collected nearly 500 signatures to save the early morning service. WECA later clarified that the timetable cuts were published in error and that the early morning buses would remain.
The 172 and 522 buses split north of Hallatrow: the 172 runs along the A37 while the 522 follows the A39. As a result, communities along the A39 or those, like Ms Hall’s family, needing to travel between the two routes remain with just one bus per hour.
Ms Hall has been preparing her autistic children for the new bus schedules by practicing early departures ahead of the changes. She is even considering switching her GP to one more accessible by bus, lamenting, “I shouldn’t have to rearrange my life because authorities are cutting costs.”
Councillor Ross highlighted the widespread impact in her letter to WECA, noting how care workers, students, and employees who depend on the 172 service face major disruption. She described a pattern of “managed decline” since the 2023 withdrawal of the 179 service and the failure of demand-responsive transport options like WESTlink to support these communities.
“If this continues, we risk hollowed-out villages as people are forced to relocate for access to work, education, and healthcare,” Ross warned.
In response, a WECA spokesperson acknowledged the frustrations but stressed their commitment to keeping communities connected through funded bus services and demand-responsive transport in rural areas. They highlighted a £750 million investment secured for better transport infrastructure and invited residents to participate in a consultation on a new regional bus plan.
First Bus confirmed the 172 timetable change was a response to reduced funding and adjusted passenger numbers but assured that, combined with the 522, residents would still have service roughly every half hour between Midsomer Norton, Paulton, and Bristol.
Despite these assurances, the people of Somerset’s forgotten valley face continuing uncertainty—and the threat of isolation—as bus services inevitably shrink.