TWO Bridgwater town bus services will be axed in the new year as emergency funding will not be extended.

Somerset County Council has agreed to temporarily fund the Bridgwater town C and F services until December 31, 2016 following the sudden demise of Webberbus in May.

However the council says as the routes are running at a loss and no commercial operators have expressed an interest in taking them on, emergency funding will be stopped at the end of the year and the routes will cease to operate.

Alternative arrangements will be available for County Ticket holders who use the services to get to college.

The County Council says it spends around £1.6m subsidising bus services across the county, but the huge pressure on all its budgets means it cannot afford to continue the arrangements costing an extra £22,000 per a month.

Another factor is that the average number of passengers per trip on the C and F services is just four.

In the coming weeks transport officers will be contacting bus operators and parish councils to see if there are opportunities for community-supported, no or low-cost alternatives that the council can encourage and support to fill some of the gaps.

The County Council continues to fund the Slinky service and financially support demand responsive Community Transport schemes by covering half the cost of fares for journeys made using concessionary bus passes.

“We have done our best but unfortunately no operators want to run these routes because they are not viable,” said Cllr David Fothergill, cabinet member for highways and transport.

“The Council’s financial position is well-documented, with falling funding and increased costs, and we cannot afford to carry on paying this extra money for these routes.

"We will do what we can to assist communities if they have ideas for alternatives, for example through community car share schemes or changing the areas covered by Community Transport schemes.”

Councillors whose wards are covered by the buses have been notified of the planned decision.

Parishes councils will be contacted from next week and students will be notified of alternative arrangements once these have been agreed.