1998 - 2005

In days gone by the Dorset seaside village of Lulworth Cove once had frequent regular bus services to Wool, Bovington, Wareham, Swanage and Weymouth operated by Southern National, as well as twice weekly Wednesday and Saturday market buses to Dorchester operated by Dorset Queen.  The Southern National services gradually disappeared during the 1970s.  Interbus provided a partial replacement in the 1980s and whilst the Dorset Queen service continued the only other connections were a long standing Thursdays-only run also by Dorset Queen to Weymouth and a more recent post-deregulation 8-seater taxibus between Lulworth and Wool provided by Garrison Cars of Wool, trading as the 'Little Red Bus'. 

Running Swanage Taxis from the eastern end of the route was Nick Hubbard, based at the railway station there, whilst Weaverbus was run by husband and wife team Rory and Joyce Weaver from the western end.  The first summer of operation went well and in 1999 Dorset Linkrider was honoured by landing a place in the highly prestigious National Bus Industry Awards - dubbed ‘the Oscars of the Bus and Coach Industry’. Dorset Linkrider was one of three services short-listed nationally in the ‘Bus in the Countryside - Visitors’ category of the 1999 awards, and were Highly Commended in the results.  

Also in 1999, with money from the Rural Bus Grant scheme, the county council revamped bus services in the area and new hourly services were supported through operator Dorset Transit from Dorchester to Wool and Bovington, with five a day running through Lulworth Cove.  Dorset Linkrider continued to serve Lulworth from both Weymouth and Swanage and a "Packhorse" facility was proposed to enable walkers to send their backpacks ahead for later collection.

After the summer of 2000 the two halves of the Linkrider route tended to develop independently and the connections at Lulworth Cove (and the opportunity for passengers to travel through) decreased in number and frequency and finally ceased, as below. During the summer of 2002 (only) the 30 was extended to operate Weymouth to Wareham station. 

Now Swanage Taxis no longer operate to Lulworth at all but Weaverbus continues from the Weymouth end, with the timetable and service frequency adjusted seasonally.  The “link” in Linkrider went after four and a half years on 8th September 2002.  Operations on the 30 then included a morning and afternoon return facility  between Weymouth and Winfrith Technology Park as well as the main route to Lulworth Cove.

Rory’s faithful Mercedes 608 twenty seater C311 SPL (new in 1986, ex-London Country) served the route for several years. An ex-Western National Bristol SU / ECW EDV 338 worked on the route from 1997 to 2000 (Rory Weaver had spent five years from 1992 renovating it and preparing it, including reseating it to 34 passengers).  By 2001 the regular performer was Dennis Dart twenty-eight seater G515 VYE (new in 1990, ex London Buses), which worked the route until closure.  The Mercedes passed to Linco Travel of Henstridge, based just across the county boundary in Somerset.  EDV 338 is now in preservation as Southern National  624 and has appeared at several rallies.

As with many other rural services the Weaverbus timings were interworked with a school contract.  This led to a route extension with positioning journeys to Puddletown from autumn 2002, with operation to Lulworth suspended until the summer of 2003.  (The best carryings were in July and August during the holiday season and regrettably local traffic from the villages served has never developed to the extent anticipated).  In March 2004 the feared loss of the school contract nearly led to the withdrawal of the stage route, as the financial interdependence is of importance to the continuation of the Lulworth route.  Thankfully a school contract was regained and the stage service continued to operate through the summer of 2004 – but now joined at peak time in the school holidays by Sureline's X25 between Weymouth and Lulworth.  Relations between the two operators were however very cordial.  The Weaverbus service from Weymouth to Winfrith continued to operate during winter 2004/05, and in spring 2005 too -  but still limited toWinfrith without serving Lulworth Cove.

The end of the school term in July 2005 saw the end of the Weaverbus operation and routes, with the Dart sold to a collector in Surrey.  Last day was Friday 22nd July.  The need for the bus service had declined since the all year round X53 service was introduced by First Weymouth and the workers runs to and from Winfrith Technology Centre had been sandwiched by First's services X53 and 101-104.  The autumn of 2005 saw the 101-104 group of services withdrawn at the end of October and replaced by a semi-flexible 'Door to Dorset' operation provided by community transport organisation NordCAT of Sturminster Newton.  Nick Hubbard and Swanage Taxis still operate as Linkrider Coaches, including a Thursday market run to Wareham via Kimmeridge.

From 25 July 2005 service Sureline route X30 has provided the morning and afternoon workers services to and from Winfrith Technology Centre, and extended back from Weymouth to start from their Portland base. Along with the other Sureline routes operation passed to South West Coaches in October 2009.  They continue the Weymouth - Winfrith service as their route 230.

Summer 2010 sees a new X43 bus service (jointly operated by Wilts & Dorset and First) which links Swanage and Weymouth via Lulworth Cove.  During the six weeks of the school summer holiday period the bus will run four times daily including Sundays and Bank Holidays in each direction; so reviving the intent of the Linkrider of 1998.