A 91-year-old woman, who campaigned against the axing of her local bus service last year, has now cut the ribbon to open a new bus serving her area.

The new 2V bus service launched on Monday, April 8 and will run five times a day from Radstock to Odd Down Park and Ride via Westfield, Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Radford, Timsbury, Camerton and Tunley. Cutting the ribbon at the launch by Midsomer Norton Tesco, Marion Harrington said: “It has given me my independence back again.”

A year ago, she addressed Bath and North East Somerset Council to urge them to save the “lifeline” 82 bus service which was cancelled — along with most of rural North East Somerset’s buses — after a row between the council and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) about who’s responsible it was to pay for them.

The new WESTlocal: Two Valleys bus — just 2V for short — is being funded through WECA’s new WESTlocal scheme, a £2m fund to allow local communities to design and run their own not-for-profit bus services. Paulton Parish councillors Liz Hardman, Grant Johnson, and Cyril Mitchard drew up the application for the bus — which is the first to be funded through the scheme.

Mr Johnson said: “Residents have waited so long for a service that could once again meet all of their needs. We have worked closely with the West of England Combined Authority, and our service provider The Big Lemon, to create something that works for our area. Time will tell just how successful we can make this service. I am so pleased to be on its inaugural journey.”

Ms Hardman added: “It’s taken seven months to get to this day. We are delighted to have succeeded in providing this much needed service for our residents.”

A new commuter service for the Chew Valley has also launched under the scheme. The area had been left with no bus routes after the 2023 bus cuts. Now the WESTlocal: X91 Chew Valley Sprint will run once per day to Bristol and once per day back, in a route running through Bishop Sutton, Chew Stoke and Chew Magna to Hengrove Park, Bristol Temple Meads, near Bristol Bus Station, and the Centre.

A dedicated WESTlink will be available to connect locals in Compton Martin, Bishop Sutton, and East and West Harptree with the new service. More information will be available the Travelwest website.

WECA Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “I hope these WESTlocals become a familiar and welcome sight for residents up and down North East Somerset. I’ve always said that local people know their areas best. That’s what WESTlocal is all about, and it’s why I’m so pleased to be launching these vital new and innovative services for residents.”

But Bath and North East Somerset Council have criticised the WESTlocal scheme, with deputy leader Sarah Warren claiming at a WECA scrutiny panel in March that WECA officers had been instructed to not tell anyone at the council about the plans for the new “2V” service, and that by going ahead, it had scuppered their own plans for a bus.

Ms Warren said: “This failure to collaborate means the chance of a commercially viable service serving the same and more communities has just been lost.”

More WESTlocal buses are planned over the next two years and funds are still available for other organisations such as community groups or parish councils to apply to set up a bus. You can find out by visiting the WECA website here: https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/transport/westlocal/