A "media frenzy" around a generous Bridport resident's offer to pay for a Sunday bus service has caused the company to instead run it commercially.

Alan Williams was going to pay for a service between Lyme Regis and Weymouth from December to March. It has been running for three weeks and has gained national - even international - attention. Since which, First Wessex has told Mr Williams it will run the service commercially and not charge him.

Mr Williams believes the bus service should be seven days a week as people still need to go to work and attend hospital appointments, which is why he offered to run it.

A spokesman for First Wessex said: "We're pleased to say that following recent conversations with Mr Williams, the X53 will be funded by First Wessex throughout this winter.

"We'll continue to work with Dorset Council, Mr Williams and other local stakeholders to deliver bus services that are needed by the community. We fully support Dorset Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan, which has been submitted under the Government's National Bus Strategy. We hope it will attract the level of central government support needed to make the improvements to bus services we all want to see.

"We thoroughly commend Mr Williams' actions in supporting access to public transport for local customers and thank him for his hard work in raising awareness of the funding challenges faced by operators."

First Wessex state that it funds the X53 service except for 10 Sundays from January to March when there is less demand, making the service commercially unviable.

This is the second time Alan Williams has offered to pay First Bus to put on a Sunday service, the first time in 2019 between Bridport and Weymouth from September to December. The service took more money than they were going to charge him, so he never got a bill.

Mr Williams said: "I think it's a fairly unique thing for a person to actually subsidise a scheduled service. Rather than talk about it, I actually did it.

"The people who I meet in town have been very complimentary about me doing it and the people travelling on the bus have been. I've gone on the bus to Lyme Regis each Sunday that we've been running it.

"We found the fact that I sponsored it back in 2019, more people used it because they knew we were making an effort to keep it running and the same thing applies now, people are fully aware it needs to be supported. We're hoping people will support it."

Mr Williams has caused a "media frenzy" with his offer to subsidise the service, which caught the attention of a German television network.

He added: "One good thing about the coverage in the national newspapers is they all had pictures of the bus going up Abbotsbury Hill and that lovely view, so hopefully will encourage holidaymakers to come here and support it as well."

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