A NORTH Dorset coach company has won a controversial tender following a shake-up in school transport contracts by the county council.

The changes mean redundancies for drivers at bus company Barry’s Coaches Limited, the long-standing school transport provider, which has had contracts with the council since 1978.

But the bad news for the Weymouth company has resulted in a boost for Blandford-based company Damory, which was successful in its contract bid.

It is now recruiting for 100 jobs and a spokesman said drivers from south Dorset would be able to operate from its new Dorchester station.

“Adverts have gone out in all the local papers and we’ve had several applications from Weymouth drivers, from First buses and different firms,” said a spokesman.

“We’re still interviewing and if anyone would like to give us a call we’d be happy to send out application forms.

“We’re based in Blandford but we have outstations in Dorchester, Henstridge and Ringwood.”

Dorset County Council bosses blame soaring transport costs for forcing changes in school transport.

The authority has retendered for its public transport services and school services, increased concessionary fares for school buses and made fewer seats available as part of a cutback programme that aims to save more than £55million over the next three years.

A spokesman for Barry’s Coaches Limited, which is based in Cambridge Road, Weymouth said: “There are going to be some redundancies.

“We haven’t made a decision of how many. We’re obviously disappointed and have to work out what’s going to happen.

“We’ve had the original contracts with the county council since 1978.”

First Bus and Weymouth’s Bluebird Coaches also used to provide the school transport service, along with Barry’s Coaches.

A spokesman for Bluebird Coaches refused to comment.

A First Bus Company spokesman said: “We have no immediate plans to change staffing levels.”