Dedicated Dorset route returns thanks to BID investment

A dedicated bus service between Poole and the Ferndown and Uddens Industrial Estates in Dorset is returning. The bus route is being reinstated with the help of an investment from the Ferndown and Uddens Business Improvement District (BID).

The FE1 service, which begins today (20 February), is the result of a partnership between Go-Ahead Group owned Morebus and the BID.

Morebus managing director, Andrew Wickham, said: “We have been serving the industrial estates with our route 13 buses – but that means a significant walk for those working there.

“Now, with investment from the BID, we are able to re-introduce our FE1 service – which was temporarily halted during the Covid pandemic. It runs from Poole via Ringwood Road – opening up the estate to those who don’t have cars as well as enabling those who do, to leave them at home and opt for sustainable transport instead.”

Danny Godfrey, chair of the BID, added: “The service, which costs £2 for a single ticket and £4 for a return, is aimed at employees but will also be available to people visiting the estates. It makes businesses on the estates accessible, especially for younger people, and means more people in the Poole area will have the opportunity to seek and maintain employment here – which can only be a good thing for businesses and the local community.”

The FE1 route from Poole to Ferndown and Uddens Industrial Estates – via Ringwood Road, Newtown, Alderney, Bear Cross and Longham – will run during times convenient to the businesses from Monday to Friday, except public holidays.