Communities in Midsomer Norton, Keynsham and Paulton will keep their bus thanks to efforts led by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

When the new 379 service was announced by First, while it covered much of the old 178 route, it left some communities cut off.

But after intensive talks with the West of England Authority, led by Mr Norris, Citistar and Abus have agreed to jointly run a new service covering the remainder of the route, with final talks now taking place.

Mayor Norris' West of England Authority will invest £22,000-a-month to support the service.

There will be a 6.20am (to Brislington Park and Ride) and 7pm (to Welton) slot added to the new timetable.

The latest news on the 178 means that over half of the threatened bus cuts have now been stopped by Mayoral action from the West of England Combined Authority - including saving the 82 earlier this month.

Mayor Dan Norris said: "I promised we'd throw the kitchen sink at this, and we have. Thank you to Citistar and Abus for taking on this service that's really important for local people and students in Keynsham, Marksbury, Farmborough, High Littleton, Paulton, Midsomer Norton and other areas. My thanks to Cllr Hardman and Cllr Johnson for their support. Now I'd ask passengers to use this service taking advantage of our new, cheaper fares. That's vital for its future viability. I know some communities in other parts of the region will still miss out and my heart goes out to them - but I'm proud that we have saved over half of services due to be cut. Buses matter. They allow local communities to thrive and are so, so vital if we're going to meet our ambitious net-zero targets".

Councillor Grant Johnson said: "We've been really lucky in Paulton and the wider Cam Valley, to have a team of dedicated activists willing to fight for the bus services that matter to their communities. Me and Liz have been inundated with stories from those that rely so deeply on these vital services, so it is brilliant to be able to keep the 178 and keep these close communities connected. The service has been scaled down due to the chronic issues around bus drivers, but I'm thrilled to see the constructive work that Dan and his team has put in to make this work. Conversations with residents across our area have helped produce this, so a big thank you to them for all their important input".

Councillor Liz Hardman added: "It's good to see that Dan has listened to the concerns of those living in villages like Farmborough, Marksbury and High Littleton, and has reinstated some of the of the routes previously covered by the 178 bus. The next job is to recruit more drivers, make the most of the newly capped fares and give the people of B&NES the bus services they deserve".