PASSENGERS on Taunton’s park and ride buses will have to pay more from next month.

The increases come after Somerset County Council decided to cut the amount it spends on the service due to a drop in the cash it gets from central government.

The first fare increases in four years will see adults charged £2.40 for a day return from Tuesday, April 7 – a rise of 20p.

A child day return goes up 10p to £1.40 and a weekly travel ticket will be £10 instead of the current £9.

Other park and ride prices will be shopper ticket £1.70; group ticket £6; flexirider £12; monthly £33; and annual ticket £330.

Cllr Harvey Siggs, cabinet member at County Hall for highways and transport, said the move was a key step to boost the sustainability of the service, which operates from sites at Silk Mills and Henlade.

He added: “No-one likes having to pay a bit more, but the current financial climate, including huge reductions in Central Government funding, has led to us having to significantly reduce the budget for the park and ride service, which is why we are now having to take this step.”

He added that since January, both park and ride sites have added an extra, off-peak stop-off at Musgrove Park Hospital between 9.30am and 4pm, Monday to Saturday.

And five ‘real time’ travel boards will be phased in across the Taunton service route in the future to keep users informed with up-to-the-minute updates of when buses will arrive at specific stops.