It took a long time, but a revised Connect2 bus service was put in place in the Pewsey Vale on August 17, designed to save Wiltshire Council £70,000 a year. This service has been criticised in your newspaper, and also by users, drivers and the bus inspector, and we would like to make it clear how the shortcomings have arisen.

The volunteer Joint Task Group set up by the Devizes and Pewsey Community Area Partnerships identified a skilled and highly experienced consultant, who was contracted by Wiltshire Council to develop a new timetable that would continue to serve as many villages as possible, while providing more direct services with fewer buses.

It was designed to encourage car users to switch to the bus, and included fast services from Devizes to connect with trains at Pewsey. There were extensive consultations with bus users and the head driver, and the timetable developed last April dealt with as many of the issues raised as possible.

However, in the version published in August, we were surprised and disappointed to find that a number of changes had been made. In particular, the fast buses from Devizes to Pewsey station now go via Upavon, a number of stops are now marked ‘to set down only’ so you cannot make a booking to board the bus, and the drivers are having to work unacceptably long shifts. We wish to make it clear that these changes were made by Wiltshire Council without consultation with the Joint Task Group or with any of the people directly affected.

The council’s intention is to revise the service once it has been in place for about a month, and we urge them to get whatever information and help they need to produce a workable timetable.

We would encourage anyone with specific comments about its effectiveness to contact us through www.dcap.org.uk or www.pewseycap.org.uk, or on Facebook at Devizes Pewsey Buses, or by telephoning (01380) 728565.

JASPER SELWYN, Joint Task Group, Great Western Close, Devizes