VILLAGERS are jumping for joy after it was revealed the 99 bus service received a last-minute reprieve.

Residents reacted angrily when Stagecoach announced the bus would no longer run due to insufficient passenger numbers, with many claiming the service was a ‘lifeline’.

However, The News can reveal that Somerset County Council will have to step in to help the beleaguered service, due to statutory commitments.

Following a discussion between a council officer and a county councillor Nigel Pearson, it came to light the county council has a statutory duty to provide a service for students to get to Richard Huish, Bridgwater and Taunton College and other sixth forms.

However, it is not yet known if the current frequency of the service will remain, as it is deemed not financially viable, and whether off-peak journeys will survive the cuts.

The council officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We have a statutory duty to provide access for students and as a minimum we would provide a solution for this.

“With regard to other journeys this is much more discretionary, and in our current financial position it is difficult to see how we could fund any addition journeys on this service.”

As well as this, the council officer said the authority has three operators interested in providing a route.

The officer added: “Three operators have expressed an interest in providing some level of commercial service on this route.

“I am reasonably confident that our talks with these operators will result in providing more than just the peak journeys, but I doubt that the current level of service will be provided because the current operators has advised that this is not commercially viable.

“Fares may change as a result of a change in operator.

“We would expect the operator to charge a fare that is commercially viable.

“There is no regulation of bus fares and operators are free to charge whatever they deem appropriate to make the service viable.

“But they must accept English National Concessionary Bus Passes and we would expect them to accept our County Tickets for students and we already have agreements in place for the acceptance of these with most bus operators in the county.”

Last week’s news that Stagecoach would be withdrawing from the service was met with uproar from councillors and residents, and a petition was launched to save the service by a concerned resident.

As well as reducing the services from Chard to Taunton, the loss of the 99 bus would mean villages such as Buckland St Mary and Combe St Nicholas would be left without a service at all.

Now county, district and town councillors have rejoiced at the announcement that some service will be provided on the route.

Cllr Dave Bulmer, mayor of Chard said: “It is great news.

“I am delighted as mayor.

“I was at the Battle of Britain ceremony at St Mary’s church in Chard and there was a petition going around to try and save this route.

“I think this news has really hit a raw nerve. It is a wake-up call, it is as simple as that.

“People are very concerned.

“This bus is regularly used, I have seen it today as it stopped outside where I work.

“There were 16 people on it and it hadn’t even got to the schools yet. People are using it during the day.”