Somerset Travel & Transport

The transport system in the county of Somerset offers visitors a number of ways to get around from public transport such as buses and trains to using the road with car hire, coaches and ferries.

Buses
Local bus services in Somerset provide services to local areas and across the county, with a number of routes covering the towns of Taunton, the cities of Bristol and Bath and a number of other towns and villages in the county including Glastonbury, Yeovil, Somerton, Burnham-on-Sea and Western-super-Mare.

Details of local bus services and timetables can be found at First Group Buses and Webber Bus


Trains
Trains in Somerset serve a number of routes across the county and to other areas. There are several mainline rail routes offering local and regional services. Taunton Station has services to London Paddington with a journey time of approx 2 hours 10 minutes. There are services to local areas including Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Bridgwater and Western-super-Mare and further to Plymouth, Cardiff Central, Torquay, Paignton, Exeter St David’s, Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester Piccadilly.

Train services are provided by First Great Western and Cross Country

Other railway stations in Somerset include Western-super-Mare, Bridgewater, Castle Cary, Templecombe, Yeovil Junction and Yeovil Pen Mill.

For more information please see National Rail Enquiries


Public Transport Safety Tips
Most journeys on public transport go ahead without incident, in order to minimise the chances of any incidents, passengers may wish to consider the following safety tips:

- Be aware of your belongings at all times.
- Do not leave your bags and belongings unattended at any time.
- Stay alert and aware of your environment and those around you.
- Do not show valuables including money and jewellery in public.
- If you are carrying a bag/handbag, ensure you use a bag that has a strong good quality strap and wear it across your shoulder (not on your shoulder), with the pockets closed facing towards your waist. Carrying the bag on your shoulder makes it much easier for criminals to snatch the bag or cut the strap.
- Be careful and cautious in crowds and beware of pickpockets, do not leave anything valuable showing in public including wallets in back trouser pockets.
- Sit in carriages with other passengers do not sit in carriages with no/fewer passengers.
- Try not to use smaller/isolated stations especially at night.
- When waiting for buses, trains, boats and taxis stand with other passengers in an area that is well lit, do not stand/wait in isolated areas.


Car
There are a number of car hire firms in Somerset that offer car rental services for both short and longer term car hire offering a range of vehicles from small budget cars to family cars to larger mini-buses and luxury cars.

Somerset is connected to the road network via the M5 and A303. London to Taunton by car via the M4 and M5 is a drive of approx 3 to 3 hours 30 minutes depending on traffic and time of day. Other major roads around the county include the A37, A39, A361 and A396.

Parking in Taunton town centre includes a number of pay and display and pay on exit car parks. Major car parks in and around the town centre include Crescent North, Crescent South, Canon Street, Duke Street, Belvedere Street, Elms Parade, Wood Street and Castle Green.

There are Park & Ride schemes in operation in Taunton at various sites including Silk Mills and Taunton Gateway where drivers can park in designated areas in the outskirts of the city centre and get a bus in to Taunton town centre. For more information please see: Taunton Park & Ride

Drivers should note there may be driving restrictions in and around the city and town centres. It is recommended visitors ensure they fully understand the local parking rules before parking and help avoid unnecessary fines and worry.


Ferry
Somerset’s location in South West England makes it accessible from the south coast. Condor Ferries offers services from Jersey in the Channel Islands to Poole, located approx 65 miles from Taunton.

Brittany Ferries offers services from Cherbourg in France to Poole and services from Portsmouth and Plymouth to both France and Spain.


Coach
Somerset is accessible by coach with regular coach services available to Somerset from London Victoria coach station; the journey time from London to Taunton is 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 15 minutes depending on the service, time of day & traffic. There are also services from London to Bristol and Worle. Coach services are provided by National Express.

Megabus has services from London Victoria coach station to Bristol city centre, with a journey time of 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours.

Whilst travelling by coach to Somerset is usually more time consuming than using rail and road, it is usually more cost effective.


Air
Bristol Airport is located a 1 hour drive (40 miles) from Taunton via the M5. The airport has domestic and international flights.

Exeter Airport is located 30 miles from Taunton, with a journey time of 40-50 minutes by car.

For more information on public transport in Somerset including information on public transport and timetables please see: Traveline Southwest




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