COMMUTERS travelling from Dawlish and Teignmouth to Exeter are facing potential disruption to their journeys following changes to bus services.

Stagecoach has withdrawn a direct service, the 2B, which takes passengers direct from both towns to Marsh Barton and Exeter.

But the change means travellers will have to use the number 2 service to Exminster, then change onto the service to Marsh Barton and Exeter.

Town and district councillor Alison Foden is campaigning against the change and for wider improvements to bus services.

She said: ‘This means people will now have to get the 2 to Exminster, and change there onto the B bus to Marsh Barton, and vice versa the other way.

‘I will continue to campaign for better and more regular bus services.’

Cllr Foden, who works at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and is a regular bus user, explained she had to rely on a work colleague’s husband to get home one day.

She said: ‘There were lots of very unhappy and angry hospital staff.

‘We know there are difficulties recruiting drivers but this has been ongoing for the last six months.

‘I understanding bus driving is a demanding job and it’s in no way their fault that services are being cut.’

The time table was changed at the end of July.

Short term, there were delays to some services due to drivers being seconded to work in Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.

News of the latest cuts come after Teignbridge District Council agreed to call on Devon County Council to ‘urgently explore’ ways to improve public transport across the county.

The executive committee had made a number of recommendations following notifications of changes to services on various routes serving Dawlish, Dawlish Warren, Starcross, Exminster, Chudleigh, Newton Abbot, Kingsteignton, Bovey Tracey and Teignmouth.

It asked efforts be made to increase the level of frequency of services from Exeter to Newton Abbot via Exminster, Dawlish, and Teignmouth, and increase the frequency of services between Dawlish Warren and Teignmouth during the holiday season.

Other recommendations were for improved public transport to cut carbon emissions, ease traffic congestion at a time of climate crisis and fuel price increases.

Stagecoach Devon has confirmed a service will operate between Exminster and Exeter Science Park, via the city centre hourly.

The company says the new routes will provide a combined 30 minute frequency between Exminster and the city centre on weekdays and Saturday daytimes.

However, the section of route 2B from Exminster to Dawlish and Teignmouth was to be withdrawn with the exception of two weekday morning peak journeys towards Exeter and two weekday afternoon peak journeys towards Dawlish and Teignmouth.

It said the new routes were designed to ‘co-ordinate’ with Service 2 between Exeter and Exminster ‘which will facilitate connections’ for travel to and from Dawlish.