The independent transport videos studios welcome you to another DVD programme featuring buses from England’s West Country.  This time we feature the buses in Somerset, filmed over two visits in 2021 and one in 2024.  Taunton features twice with Minehead appearing in one of our 2021 visits.  It is interesting to note how much has changed in the bus world during the intervening years, as you will see in this programme.  We begin in 2021 with a visit to Taunton town centre.  The town is starting to return to normal following the covid-19 pandemic as we see the buses from First West of England with their ‘Buses of Somerset’ brand in action.  Our filming takes place initially at the town’s former bus station, now closed, but used by First as a daytime parking area.  Further filming is on Fore Street and Corporation Street.  Most of the Firstbus double-deckers seen on this 2021 visit have now left the fleet as well as some of the older saloons including a number of SLF Dennis Darts.  First were also responsible for operating the Park & Ride services in the town and these buses are seen in an attractive orange and purple livery, but in February 2024 First lost out to Stagecoach for this contract as you will see later in this programme. 
   
The next location on our second 2021 visit to Somerset is the seaside town of Minehead.  After filming some of the action on Warren Road we board First West of England 36081 (SN57 DBY), a former Lothian Buses Scania OmniCity now with a PO76F body for the spectacular ride on the ‘Exmoor Coaster’ service to Lynmouth, just over the border in Devon.  This superbly presented bus makes light work of Porlock Hill, the 1 in 4 hill that is famous for being the steepest ‘A’ road in England.  Our cameras travel on the upper deck to capture the views for you to enjoy.  Our return to Minehead is on the same bus, but we travel in the lower saloon to hear the engine and gearbox noises for added pleasure as we pass though the lovely countryside and capture various sea view vistas.  More filming is completed in Minehead along The Avenue and at the West Somerset Railway Station (WSR) where we see preserved former Stockport Corporation 65 (HJA 965E), a 1967 Leyland Titan PD2/40 with a Neepsend 64 seat body along with former Bristol Omnibus Bristol VRTSL3/6LXB with an open-top ECW dual-door body, C5055 (LEU 263P) arriving and departing with passengers continuing their travels on the WSR. Having seen the beauty of the scenery from the open-top bus earlier in this programme we now film some of the open-toppers in action at various locations in the Exmoor National Park. 
     
The final section on this DVD is a return visit to Taunton, this time in the spring of 2024.  A good deal has changed with the bus scene here.  First is now called First South West and most of the double-deckers are former Arriva London ADL Enviro400s in a smart new livery with a new fleet name of ‘green - from BUSES OF SOMERSET’. The Park & Ride route is now in the hands of Stagecoach with, at the time of filming, one bus in a smart eye-catching livery and the route is now double-deck operated with ADL Enviro400MMC buses transferred in for the purpose.  Filming locations are Fore Street, Castle Way and Tower Street.  As you will see a lot has changed in just three years.