SHAFTESBURY & DISTRICT MOTOR SERVICES

 

How the route network developed over the years





Whilst services and routes have come and gone over the years some have remained remarkably little changed such as the 32, 34 and 36.  Salisbury and Dorchester remain as continuing destinations, whereas Yeovil has disappeared from the route list.  Poole and Bournemouth were added, as were summer seaside services in more recent years, after a gap of many years.





1978 timetable
1987 timetable
1993 timetable
2001 timetable
2010 timetable






25




Wincanton - Kington - Gillingham - Stoke - Wincanton  (Thursdays)
28/
 54

Shaftesbury - Hindon - Fovant - Salisbury
(Mondays to Saturdays (evenings))



31
Hill Farm - Shaftesbury
(Mondays to Fridays, town service)
(served by 32, 40A, 46)
(served by 32, 39, 46, 47)
(served by 32, 38, 39)
(served by 35, 37, 38, 39, 45)
32
Shaftesbury - Orchards - Stur Newton
(Mondays)
Shaftesbury - Orchards - Stur Newton
(1st, 3rd Mondays)
Shaftesbury - Orchards - Stur Newton
(Mondays)
Shaftesbury - Orchards - Stur Newton
(Mondays)

33



Blandford - Fontmell - Shaftesbury
(Schooldays)
Iwerne Minster - Ashmore - Shaftesbury
(Schooldays)
33A




Fontmell Magna - Shaftesbury - East Orchard
(Schooldays)
34
Margaret Marsh - Orchards - Shaftesbury
(Thursdays)
Margaret Marsh - Orchards - Shaftesbury
(Thursdays)
Margaret Marsh - Orchards - Shaftesbury
(Thursdays)
Todber - Margaret Marsh - Orchards - Shaftesbury   (Thursdays) Moorside - Margaret Marsh - Orchards - Shaftesbury    (Thursdays)
35
Stur Newton - Marnhull - Stours - Shaftesbury
(Tuesdays, connects to Salisbury service)
Stours - Gillingham - Shaftesbury
(Tuesdays, connects to Salisbury service)


Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Morden - Swanage
(Thursdays in summer)
36
Marnhull - Todber - Stours - Shaftesbury
(Thursdays)
Marnhull - Todber - Stours - Shaftesbury
(Thursdays)
East Stour - Todber - Marnhull - Shaftesbury
(Thursdays)
East Stour - Todber - Marnhull - Shaftesbury   (Thursdays) East Stour - Marnhull - Stours - Shaftesbury
(Thursdays)
37
Stur Newton - Marnhull - Gillingham
(Fridays)



Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Spetisbury - Poole
(Mondays)
38
Shaftesbury - Stours - Henstridge - Stalbridge     (Tuesdays)


Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Handley - Bournemouth   (Fridays) Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Handley - Bournemouth   (Fridays)
39
Stalbridge - Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Salisbury   (Tuesdays)
Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Salisbury
(Tuesdays)
Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Salisbury
(Tuesdays)
Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Salisbury
(Tuesdays)
Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Salisbury
(Tuesdays)
40
Shaftesbury - Gillingham - Okefords - Woolland - Dorchester
(2nd, 4th Wednesdays)

Gillingham - Okefords - Winterbornes - Dorchester
(Wednesdays)
Shaftesbury - Gillingham - Okefords - Winterbornes - Dorchester
(Wednesdays)
Gillingham - Okefords - Winterbornes - Dorchester
(Wednesdays)
40A
Shaftesbury - Gillingham - Okefords - Winterbornes - Dorchester
(1st, 3rd, 5th Wednesdays)
Shaftesbury - Gillingham - Okefords - Winterbornes - Dorchester
(Wednesdays)



41
Gillingham - Common Mead Lane
(Fridays, town service)




42
(route number not apparently used)




43
Bovington - Wool - East Lulworth - Lulworth Cove
(Sundays in summer, but did not operate)




43A
Shaftesbury - Blandford - Wool - Lulworth Cove
(Sundays in summer, but did not operate)




44
Bovington - Wool - Lulworth Cove
(Sundays in summer, but did not operate)




45




Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Bere Regis - Weymouth    (Mondays in summer)
46
Shaftesbury - Gillingham - Todber - Henstridge - Sherborne - Yeovil
(Fridays)
Shaftesbury - Stour Row - Todber - Henstridge - Sherborne - Yeovil
(Fridays)
Gillingham - Todber - Henstridge - Sherborne - Yeovil
(Fridays)


46N


Shaftesbury - Gillingham - Yeovil
(Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays (evenings))
Shaftesbury - Gillingham - Yeovil
(Fridays, Saturdays (evenings))

47

Gillingham - Todber - Winterbornes - Poole    (2nd, 4th Mondays)
Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Iwerne Minster - Blandford - Poole   (2nd, 4th Mondays)


48

Henstridge - Marnhull - Stur Newton - Poole     (1st, 3rd Mondays)
Gillingham - Stours - Henstridge - Stur Newton - Blandford - Poole     (1st, 3rd  Mondays)


49

Iwerne Steepleton - Shaftesbury
(Mondays to Fridays in school term)



50

Stur Newton - Shaftesbury - Marnhull
(Mondays to Fridays in school term)
(operated by Cudlipp Coaches at this time)
Stur Newton - Shaftesbury - Marnhull
(Mondays to Fridays in school term)
West / East Orchard - Shaftesbury
(Schooldays)
51

Gillingham - Marnhull - Stur Newton
(Mondays to Fridays in school term)



52

Shaftesbury - Rushmore
(Mondays to Fridays in school term)



53

Dinton - Fovant - Shaftesbury
(Mondays to Fridays in school holidays)



58




Shaftesbury - Bourton - Zeals - Mere - Gillingham    (Mondays to Saturdays)
59




Shaftesbury - Gillingham - Shaftesbury Shuttle    (Mondays to Saturdays)
80




Gillingham - Mere - Maiden Bradley - Frome - Bath   (Wednesdays and Saturdays)
159




Shaftesbury - Motcombe - Gillingham
(Schooldays)
400



Ashmore - Handley - Salisbury
(Tuesdays, Saturdays)
Cann Common - Ashmore - Handley - Salisbury    (Tuesdays)
401



Handley - Ashmore - Shaftesbury
(Thursdays)

803



Mere - Gillingham
(Schooldays)




From 28th July 2011 the operation of the ex-Victory service 400 to Salisbury on Tuesdays passed to Damory Coaches (a Go-Ahead Group subsidiary) as part of a major retendering exercise of bus routes by Dorset County Council.  At the same time several long standing weekly routes were deregistered, whilst operation of the daily Shaftesbury to Gillingham route was also lost to Damory Coaches of Blandford. This left the following routes in operation at that time:

25     Wincanton - Gillingham Thursdays
35     Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Swanage  summer Thursdays
37    
Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Poole  Mondays
39    
Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Salisbury  Tuesdays
45    
Gillingham - Shaftesbury - Weymouth  summer Mondays
80     Gillingham - Frome - Bath  Wednesdays and Saturdays
159   Shaftesbury - Gillingham  school journeys only

By late 2013 the routes had contracted further with only the 37, 39 and 80 remaining in operation by Shaftesbury & District.  Route 52 Bourton - Hindon - Tisbury - Warminster (Thursdays) was subsequently added. By summer 2015  operations now were only on routes 37, 39 and 52. 
The 80 to Frome and Bath had passed to Frome Minibuses on 1st February 2015.  Summer of 2016 saw only two routes still operating, Mondays to Poole and Tuesdays to Salisbury. To note that the weekly route to Salisbury has survived in operation on Tuesdays for 40 years from the very earliest days of Shaftesbury & District. All three remaining routes ceased operation after 24 July 2017 following withdrawal of local authority support by Dorset.


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