AN hourly service is among the improvements that Wiltshire County council has introduced on the Chippenham to Devizes bus service.

A wide range of improvements have been made to the number 33 service, which travels from Chippenham to Devizes via Calne.

New low-floor buses have been introduced on the service to make travelling easier for passengers, particularly parents with buggies.

The low-floor buses will also help to improve disabled access to the service and the buses are equipped with ramps for easier kerbside access.

There will also be better links to the railway station in Chippenham. Every number 33 service will serve Chippenham bus and rail stations, making use of the new award-winning bus and rail interchange at Chippenham railway station.

Changes to the timetable mean the new service will increase the frequency on the route between Devizes and Chippenham to one bus per hour in each direction. In addition, every other bus will serve Calne.

The service is operated by APL Travel and subsidised by Wiltshire County Council.

Tim Reynolds, of the county council's passenger transport unit, said: "Wiltshire County Council has worked extensively with APL Travel to carry out the improvements to the route, and APL has put considerable funding into the route to ensure the upgrade is a big success."

The new service is already in operation, and has been re-branded with dedicated vehicles and a website with timetables at www.bus33.com.