Patients at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton could soon find it increasingly easy to travel to and from the hospital site for visits and appointments.

The hospital is currently undergoing a multi-million-pound upgrade to improve the quality of treatment being provided on site across its various departments.

Stagecoach recently took over the operation of Taunton’s park and ride service, which serves the hospital from both the Gateway and Silk Mills sites – with Somerset Council stating it was pleased with the new operator’s work to date.

The council has now confirmed it is looking at other ways to improve access to the hospital, including improvements to a key walking and cycling route linking it to the town centre.

It also revealed that plans for a second multi-storey car park within the hospital grounds are expected to be voted on by its planning committee west later in the year.

Stagecoach South West officially took over the park and ride service from Buses of Somerset on February 12, with its double deckers operating both both sites every 20 minutes between 6am and 8pm on weekdays, with a slightly later start on Saturdays.

The cost of park and ride tickets is being fixed at £1 for a single until March 31, 2025, with the council subsidising the cost of tickets as part of its £11.9m bus service improvement plan (which is funded by central government).

A council spokesman said: “The new park and ride contract is going well. We made some minor timetable changes to improve punctuality at certain times.”