THE pioneering Wigglybus service is to be extended after carrying 40,000 passengers in its first 18 months.

The service, between Pewsey Vale and Devizes, will feature a new evening run into Pewsey on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from November 27, a public meeting was told on Tuesday.

The meeting in Pewsey's Bouverie Hall heard there is confidence the service, which has attracted the attention of other local authorities and Government ministers, will continue after its three-year pilot funding runs out.

The three, 14-seat buses 'wiggle' their way around the vale villages between Pewsey and Devizes with the drivers picking up passengers who have pre-booked through a Chippenham call centre. Each bus is tracked by satellite.

The chairman of the Wigglybus standing advisory group, John Brewin, said he was delighted that surveys showed car drivers were switching to the service.

Mr Brewin said the question most often asked was would the Wigglybus end when the three-year pilot scheme finishes. He said: "I am absolutely certain that the answer is 'No'."

Kennet District Council planning officer Ian Bertram said the Wigglybus would be given a greater profile in Devizes once the enhancements to the Market Place had been completed.