Bath & North East Somerset Council will soon take delivery of a brand new £120,000 mobile library bus, as part of its ongoing investment in community library services.
The custom-designed vehicle will enter service late next spring, ensuring a reliable mobile library service is provided to communities across Bath and North East Somerset.
The new vehicle is more fuel-efficient and slightly narrower than the existing library bus, enabling it to cope better with country lanes.
For the past three weeks, the council has been offering a reduced click and collect mobile library service while its existing ageing mobile library bus undergoes repairs. It will return to service on Wednesday 2nd January 2019.
The mobile bus will be based at the council’s main distribution centre at Haydon near Radstock, to avoid traffic congestion and make more efficient use of time.
To coincide, adjustments have been made to the mobile library’s routes and a new timetable published.
The aim is to provide a safer, more effective and efficient service for local residents.
Although route changes have been kept to a minimum, the day and time of the mobile library’s visit to some locations has changed.
Councillor Karen Warrington, Cabinet member for Transformation and Customer Services, said: “It’s fantastic news that we’re getting a brand new mobile library bus which will serve the district for many years to come.
“We regularly review mobile library routes to meet the needs of the community, try to avoid heavily congested roads and look very carefully at where we position the mobile library to ensure the safety of users.
“We hope that those who use the service will let us know what they think of the adjustments we’re making. Handy flyers with details of the new times together with feedback forms will be available on the bus.”
Full details of route changes and timings can be found on the council’s website here.
