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The next public meeting of the West Dorset (Western Area) Transport Action Group (WATAG) will be held on Thursday 2 July 2026 at 18.30

Bridport Town Council Offices, Mountfield, Bridport DT6 3JP

The meeting will include a general update of our activities so far this year, including the current passenger survey to assess the support for improvements to the X51 bus timetable between Bridport and Dorchester. You can read more about it on our website and there’s still time to complete our survey. Survey forms will also be available at the meeting. We’ve had an excellent response so far since we launched it at the Bridport Charter Fair on 16 May.

Local bus and rail operators have been invited along with Dorset Travel (the public transport arm of Dorset Council) – and will provide updates where applicable.

As always, we will leave time for individuals to speak or raise questions about any transport issues for which they would like answers. We’ll aim to finish by 20.00 latest.

Anyone interested in public transport issues is encouraged to attend. We are also very keen to increase the numbers on WATAG’s committee – So if you are a regular bus/rail user or simply have an interest in improving Public Transport, let us know!

We hope to see you on 2^nd July.

This will be a ‘hybrid’ meeting, and a link will be provided to enable those unable to attend in person to join us on Zoom. If you are not already a subscriber to our email list please consider joining to be sent the link, or you are welcome to contact us at watag@hotmail.co.uk

The Bridport News has a report on our ongoing X51 Bus users survey.

Views sought over future of ‘lifeline’ bus service as improvements called for

“The West Dorset Western Area Transport Action Group (WATAG) has launched a public survey asking what people want from First’s X51 bus service and how it can be improved.”

“Bob Driscoll, committee member for WATAG, said the service is a vital link for Dorset, which people rely on for schools, work and hospital appointments, and helps businesses throughout the county. Doubling the service so it runs hourly, is the group’s main aspiration.”

Read on here… and please help us with our campaign by completing the survey here!

Credit to Bridport News reporter Chloe Boden

WATAG has launched a survey of users and potential passengers of the X51 bus service.

WATAG campaigns for better public transport in West Dorset – our main priority is to seek an hourly service on the X51 bus running between Bridport and our county town Dorchester – seven days a week, all year round, together with journeys later in the evening.

Please help our campaign by completing our X51 survey – either online here – or on paper at the Bridport TIC. We will use your response to provide evidence for the level of public support.

https://www.southwesterntimetable.com

South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex are embarking on the first full refresh of the timetable across the south and west of England since 2004.

Ahead of the formal consultation taking place in Autumn 2026, your views will help shape the timetable planning. SWR want to know about your experience, insights and aspirations for the future timetable.

​SWR say the aim is to maintain reliability of the service, improve connectivity and, as a publicly owned service, use public money responsibly. Some technical decisions will need to be balanced, for example between faster journeys from one station and more stops at another.

Have your say here

A new summer evening bus service LB1 between Bridport and Lyme Regis calling at Chideock, Morecombelake and Charmouth will start on Friday 1 May.

The LB1 will run every Friday and Saturday night until Saturday 26 September.

The first LB1 will run from Bridport bus station at 18:15 with the last bus leaving Lyme Regis at 23:30.

There will also be the opportunity to link with the X53 service from Weymouth for the first two buses from Bridport, while the 23:30 return bus from Lyme Regis will travel back to Weymouth following the X53 route, offering passengers the possibility of a late evening out in Bridport or Lyme by public transport.

The service will be operated by First Bus, using double deckers, capable of transporting more than 90 people at a time.

The LB1 timetable is available here

The project for a late-night bus service was spearheaded by West Dorset Commons, which worked in partnership with Lyme Regis Town Council to secure a £20,000 grant from Western Gateway, the Sub-National Transport Body for the West of England. West Dorset Commons was also responsible for the Bridport to West Bay shuttle, the WB1, which was launched last summer.

Up to Thursday 2 April – Regular service

Friday 3 April (Good Friday) – Sunday service (No service CR6 or X51)

Saturday 4 April – Saturday service

Sunday 5 April (Easter Sunday) – Sunday service (No service CR6 or X51)

Monday 6 April (Easter Monday) – Sunday service  (No service CR6 or X51)

From Tuesday 7 April – Regular service resumes

The next Public meeting of the West Dorset (Western Area) Transport Action Group (WATAG) will be held on Thursday 29 January 2026 at 18.30

Bridport Town Council Offices, Mountfield, Bridport DT6 3JP

The evening will start with our Annual General Meeting, at which the Chair will give a quick review of the last 12 months. We’ve had a busy year – with a number of new committee members bringing a wider range of expertise – and also relaunched a much improved website.

We then continue with our Public Meeting. This will include a presentation of WATAG’s initial “Vision for the Future” of public transport in our area. We believe that the frequency of bus services MUST improve but we need to demonstrate to both Dorset Council and the bus operators that investment will work for everyone. We will share our thinking on this – it is very much “work in progress” and we encourage feedback!

The meeting starts at 18.30 (doors open from 18.00) and we aim to finish by 20.00. As always, you will be most welcome to share your views and raise questions about local bus and rail services. We have invited representatives form Dorset Council and rail and bus companies to join us if they wish, to provide their own updates.

Anyone interested in public transport issues is encouraged to attend. We are also keen to widen our committee, so if you are interested in joining our Advisory Group, please let us know, either in advance or after the meeting.

This will be a ‘hybrid’ meeting, and a link will be provided to enable those unable to attend in person to join us on Zoom. Please consider joining our email list to be sent the link, or you are welcome to contact us at watag@hotmail.co.uk

DORSET COUNCIL MEDIA RELEASE – MONDAY 8 DECEMBER 2025

Dorset Council has secured £12m in multi-year bus funding from Government to improve services and stops across the county from 2026/27 to 2028/29.
While this is a welcome boost, it falls short of what’s needed to deliver consistent hourly routes and full Saturday timetables.
Over the next three years, £6.8m in revenue funding will help Dorset Council and local operators make targeted upgrades, such as restoring some Saturday services and improving frequencies where demand is strongest. £5.2m in capital funding will pay for better bus stops and real-time information, with capital support continuing to 2029/30.
These improvements will still make a difference for residents who rely on buses for essential journeys, even if they cannot match the scale of investment seen elsewhere.
However, Dorset’s allocation is significantly lower than neighbouring and similar rural authorities. Cornwall will receive £30m and Somerset £22m, while Plymouth and Wiltshire also have higher shares.
This means Dorset cannot deliver the same level of service improvements seen elsewhere, and the council will continue pressing for a fairer long-term share.