A FATHER from Broadway is urging the county council to help provide easier public transport to Taunton.

Laurence Whitlock, whose son studies at Richard Huish College, is concerned about the amount of time and effort it is taking his son to make it to and from college on the bus.

The Horton parish councillor said elderly people in the area are also affected.

According to the Traveline South West website, bus services from Broadway and Horton can take over two hours to arrive in Taunton.

Mr Whitlock, 50, said: “In order to get into Taunton, my son has to cycle about a mile to Horton Cross, leave his bike and catch a bus in, and then do the same on the way back.

“We would take him into Richard Huish but my wife is a teacher in Devon and I have to travel into London or to the north, thus our ability to drive him to Taunton is somewhat limited, so we are very reliant on public transport.

“The road to Horton Cross is quite busy at 7.45am and the footpath is on the opposite side of the road to the bus stop, so it’s certainly far from ideal.

“And for this we pay about £600 a year for a bus pass.”

Mr Whitlock said a number of pupils from Horton and Broadway are leaving Holyrood Academy in Chard this year and he wanted to warn other parents about the situation.

He added: “It would seem like an ideal solution for the bus between Chard and Taunton to divert via Horton to collect these pupils plus any other residents who may need to get into Taunton pre-9am.

“I know a lot of older residents nearby who struggle to get around as much and there’s no straightforward bus service for them to use.

“Diverting the bus would only add a few minutes’ journey time and wouldn’t mean having to miss out any other stops.”

A spokesman for Somerset County Council said: “We are currently working on a solution to provide a link between Horton and Broadway and Taunton colleges and we hope to have this in place by September 2014.”