Town council buys bus to replace lost service

A town council looking to reinstate a lost bus service has bought a mini bus and enlisted the help of nine volunteer drivers.

The 71 Lyme Regis town bus, operated by Damory, was linked to a school bus but served the town between school drop-off and pick-up times.

But when Dorset Council switched the school contract to a minibus in September, the 71 was withdrawn.

Lyme Regis mayor Philip Evans said the 16-seater mini-bus would arrive in mid-March.

In his blog, Mr Evans said: "We are conscious of the fact that it's not just about nipping into town to do a bit of shopping.

"For some of the passengers it's the only social interaction they might have that day and they stay on the bus for the full circuit."

The service will initially run for three days a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday - although a start date has yet to be announced.

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