PASSENGERS who coped with “freezing” temperatures on an Exmoor bus will be protected from the winter chill thanks to repairs by the service provider.

The Exmoor Coaster is operated by First Bus and has stops in Watchet, Blue Anchor, Dunster Steep, Minehead, Porlock, Exmoor County Gate and Lynmouth. 

One of its buses was taken out of service to have its heating pipe fixed following passenger feedback about the conditions on board the service.

Mrs Hall, a regular user of the service, contacted the County Gazette last week about the chill passengers faced when travelling across Exmoor.

She said: “There’s no heating on the bus. People are getting ill on the bus because it’s freezing. Fortunately, the driver’s warm in the cabin.

“I know people who don’t want to use the bus because it’s cold, but then we’ll lose the service. We’ve been phoning First Bus, but we can’t get through.”

She added: “It’s marvellous that it’s been made available. It’s great that they’ve got it up and running. The drivers are exceptional and very patient.”

Now, First Bus has confirmed action has been taken to resolve the problem.

A spokesperson for First South said: “A customer recently reported to one of our drivers that the heating on one of our Exmoor Coaster buses wasn’t working.

“As we don’t want any of our customers to suffer from the cold, we acted immediately and took the bus out of service the same day for repairs.

“I’m pleased to report that we swiftly fixed the problem, which was a flat heating pipe, and the heating is now working again.

“The bus is back on the road and customers can rest reassured that it’s nice and warm on board.

“We’d like to thank this lady for her kind remarks about our wonderful drivers and we’ll ensure that we pass on the compliments.”

The Exmoor Coaster operates under First Bus's ‘Adventures by Bus’ brand and offers “one of the UK's most spectacular bus rides, combining the wild beauty of Exmoor National Park and the seaside harbour or Lynmouth”.

The service launched in May 2021 and has been popular with locals and tourists.