THE 'vital' Lyme Regis town bus service is under threat once again as Dorset Council ends the contract with the bus operator.

The number 71, which is operated by Damory, is linked to the school bus service for Charmouth Primary, running as a town bus service in between school drop-off and pick-up times.

Dorset Council has re-tendered the school bus service and awarded the contract to Dorset Community Transport, which has confirmed it will not be able to run the town bus service.

This means the service will end on August 31 if no replacement can be found.

The town council is working to find a replacement and has contacted four local bus companies with suitable accessible vehicles.

The town bus was previously saved by the town council in 2017 after the former Dorset County Council withdrew funding for the service.

The town council has since been funding the town bus at a cost of over £16,000 a year.

Lyme Regis Town Council said it is doing all it can to save the service, which provides a lifeline to many elderly, disabled and isolated residents.

The mayor, Cllr David Ruffle said: “We know how vital this service is to our residents. That is why we stepped in to save the service seven years ago and why we are doing everything we can to rescue it for a second time.

“This is a hugely frustrating situation as the decision has been taken out of the town council’s hands.

“We are now left with the prospect of either no town bus service or to run one at hugely increased cost to the town council.

“We have asked Dorset Council if it is willing to support the cost of a replacement town bus service.

“Based on the current situation, it seems very unlikely that we will be able to achieve a continuous town bus service when the existing service 71 comes to an end on 31 August.

“We will obviously do everything we can to avoid a break in service, but the timescales are looking very challenging, always assuming we have a willing operator and at an affordable cost.

“We will keep the community updated on our progress.”

Dorset Council said: “Dorset Council regularly reviews the vehicle sizes needed for our home-to-school transport routes. Depending on student numbers travelling on the bus, different sized vehicles are used accordingly.

“In the case of Charmouth School, Dorset Council was funding a 32-seater bus, for just 13 students. The bus was also too large for some of the rural narrow roads in the area, and could not pick up from some of the more remote households.

“We have now tendered for a 16-seater minibus which is more appropriate for the number of students and will be able to get to some of the more remote areas to pick up children.”