Minehead’s MP is to meet First Group officials to discuss chronic overcrowding on some of its route 28 buses to Taunton.
Ian Liddell-Grainger says local users cannot use them at certain times of the week because all the seats are taken by Butlins visitors returning home.
Now he has called for closer co-operation between the bus operators and Butlins so extra vehicles can be laid on at peak times.
The 28 is one of several Somerset routes under threat. It is subsidised with Government money until the end of March, but Somerset Council has said it does not have the funds to continue supporting the service.
Public transport campaigner Linda Sparks, who lives in Williton and works in Minehead, has already written to the Prime Minister stressing the importance of keeping the buses running.
Mr Liddell-Grainger said he was delighted to have the support of local bus users as he continued to look for ways of saving the route.
But, he said, while the bus operators might argue the service was uneconomic because there was too much spare capacity at other times there was too little, or none at all.
“There are peak times in the week on Monday and Friday morning when the buses are already full with returning Butlins visitors by the time they reach Minehead town centre,” he said.
“I am getting reports of local people having to watch two or even three full buses fly past the stop until they can start their journey - and of course the same picture is repeated all the way along the route.
“This is completely unacceptable and manifestly unfair on local, regular users who depend on the buses to get to work, to college, or to keep hospital appointments.
“Neither is it particularly fair on the visitors because there is far too little luggage room and their journeys to Taunton are cramped and uncomfortable.”
Mr Liddell-Grainger said the problem could be solved if First Bus would co-operate.
“It’s time for some joined-up thinking and some intelligent timetabling,” he said. “It only needs one phone call to Butlins to discover how many guests they have, from which figure could be calculated the likely need for buses and if it then means laying on extra vehicles at the cost of services later in the day so be it.
“I would argue that there is even a strong case for First Bus introducing an express service direct to Taunton station specifically for Butlins customers. It’s all revenue, after all.
“I am convinced that if local people knew there would be seats available at all times of the day every day then more of them would use the 28 services and we should start to see the losses reducing.”
