A GROUP of elderly bus users say they are being 'punished for having bus passes' as the Buses of Somerset push through new timetables.

Susan Steel, Geraldine Baker, Carol Hawke and Rita Sunders are among those who use the 75 service during the week but say changes to the timetable by reducing the number of services are making things worse.

They argue the narrower window in which to do things in town has made hospital appointments and trips into town much more difficult.

"The first bus leaves now leaves at 9.50am and the last bus back is now at 2.50pm, and getting back is now every two hours," Mrs Steel said.

"If you want to do a quick trip, two hours is a long time to wait. But we don't have cars, and a taxi from here to Asda in the town centre costs £7 one way, there's no way we can afford that," Rita Sanders added.

Mrs Hawke said one of the main issues was getting to Musgrove for hospital appointments.

"It leaves you a very narrow gap to get to Taunton if the last bus to get home leaves the town centre before 3pm," she said.

Mrs Steel felt that it was unfair that town services to and from nearby Rhode Lane were still running more regularly.

"The majority of people on our service are older, and I feel as though we are being punished for being bus pass users," she said.

"It is alright if you can walk to the other bus stops but that is no good for us."

A spokesman for the Buses of Somerset said: "The service changes that we’re introducing have come after reviewing customer feedback and to better match the level of demand.

"These changes have been designed to make many of the routes operate more reliably and punctually, but without inconveniencing the travel plans for our passengers.

"Alongside the slight timetable and route adjustments we’re making across some of our network, many of our passengers will benefit from these changes."

The Buses of Somerset have also substantially increased the fares for single, day, return and family tickets, as reported in last week's Mercury.