WILTSHIRE Council has been awarded £1.2million worth of funding in order to launch a new bus service in Pewsy and Marlborough.

The funding has come from the Department for Transport, and the council says the service will be "improved, flexible and on-demand".

And it wants your views on what it should look like.

Flexible, on-demand bus services do not run to a set timetable like usual buses. Instead, they enable you to phone or book a bus service via an app, to take you anywhere within the service area at a time to suit you.

App users will be able to book their journey, see in real-time when the vehicle will arrive and make payment. Telephone booking and on-bus payment will also be available.

This new service will take in much of Pewsey Vale; from the eastern edge of Devizes, north to Beckhampton and Marlborough, and east to Collingbourne Dulcis, Shalbourne and Froxfield, including Pewsey, Burbage, Great Bedwyn and Everleigh.

It would also provide links to Devizes, Ludgershall and Tidworth, so people can take bus services to other towns.

Councillor Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for people in the Vale of Pewsey, as the new service will help to improve connectivity across the towns and villages in the area.

“Unlike a conventional bus, which has a fixed route, timetable and stopping points, on-demand buses allow people to book using an app and make journeys where they want, when they want; it’s a bit like an Uber-style service for buses.

“But it’s really important that this service is designed around the needs of passengers and our communities, and that’s why we’re asking people to take our survey to let us know what they’d like to see from the service.

“This new service supports our business plan aim to have vibrant, well-connected communities, particularly in rural areas, so I’d urge anyone in the area to take part in the survey so we can design a new service that meets the needs of the community.”

To complete the survery, click here. The closing date is Friday, July 15.

If you would like a paper survey,  email  Connect2@wiltshire.gov.uk. Postal surveys: Paul Sanders, Wiltshire Council, Passenger Transport Unit, County Hall, Trowbridge, BA14 8JN.