Bus timetables in Bristol are set to change today in what is a 'major shakeup' for public transport in our city.
First Bus announced this month that it would be reinstating old routes and introducing new ones in a bid to improve the reliability and punctuality of services in and around Bristol.
The changes, which come into effect today (January 30), will also see some services re-routed due to a shortage of drivers.
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The shake-up comes after the company overhauled its ticketing system.
Two-trip tickets and day bundles have been introduced in Bristol and the West, but some tickets have gone up in price.
From today passengers are being urged to check before they travel, as some bus stops will no longer be in use.
Here is everything we know about the timetable changes.
What has First Bus said?
First Bus says it is "making some alterations" to its Bristol and surrounding area services to reflect changing customer demand, and improve punctuality and reliability on a number of key routes.
First West of England’s Managing Director Doug Claringbold said: “These changes are designed to improve the performance of several key services in the city, which have been beset by issues as traffic levels and, until recently, increasing passenger numbers, leading to longer journey times.
“We have also looked long and hard at how we can better serve Ashton Vale and provide a connection into the city centre with a new service, Service 23, whilst changes to Service 71 will provide important extra capacity once we emerge from the current restrictions and the number of people travelling increases again.
“Operating conditions continue to be difficult with the impact of the Omicron variant on staffing levels, but we continue to do our utmost to deliver a high level of service and to work with the Combined Authority to manage the network through these challenging times.
“As always, we’d like to thank all our customers for their patronage, and for their compliance with the current rules around face coverings as we seek to keep everyone moving safely.”
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What buses are changing?
We have listed the main changes, and all other alterations to Bristol's buses below. You can read more about the changes in depth here
The main changes are:
Evening, Sunday and public holiday journeys on service 5 from the city centre to Downend have been reinstated.
The Y1 will serve the new Yate Park and Ride on inbound journeys from Chipping Sodbury to Bristol. The new Park and Ride opens on February 7, until then buses will stop outside it on Badminton Road.
Additional resources have been added to service 24 between Southmead Hospital and Ashton Gate. Journeys have been re-timed and will terminate at Ashton Gate, with none continuing to Ashton Vale.
In Bedminster, Service 24 will be re-routed on journeys towards Southmead Hospital only, to operate via Cannon Street, East Street and Bedminster Parade. Late evening journeys will be reduced in frequency.
A new service, service 23, will serve Ashton Vale. Service 23 will serve Ashton Vale and the city centre via North Street, with journeys operating just over once an hour during the day, Monday to Saturday.
Service 71, which serves Gloucester Road, will be re-routed, extending south of the city centre.
The changes in full:
- Service 1: Broomhill – Cribbs Causeway
At Union Street in the city centre on journeys towards Cribbs Causeway, service 1 will now stop at the next stop down, at Union Street Stop B14.
- Services 2/2a: Stockwood – Cribbs Causeway/Southmead
At Union Street in the city centre on journeys towards Southmead and Cribbs Causeway, services 2 and 2a will now stop at the next stop down, at Union Street Stop B14.
- Service 3: City Centre – Avonmouth – Cribbs Causeway
The timetable has been amended.
- Service 4: City Centre – Lawrence Weston – Henbury
During the day on Monday to Saturday, service 4 will terminate at Henbury Crow Lane and will no longer serve Cribbs Causeway. Service 3 will continue to run to and from Cribbs Causeway on all journeys.
All early morning, evening, Sunday and some school journeys on service 4 will continue to run to and from Cribbs Causeway.
- Service 5: City Centre – Downend
Evening and Sunday and Public Holiday journeys will be reinstated.
- Service 8: Temple Meads – Clifton & Bristol Zoo
The timetable for Service 8 has been re-timed.
- Service 17: Southmead Hospital – Kingswood – Keynsham
At Longwell Green, service 17 will be re-routed to no longer operate via Ellacombe Road or Court Farm Road, and will instead operate direct via Bath Road in both directions.
In Kingswood, the service will now operate via Ingleside Road and Downend Road. Buses will continue to serve Cossham Hospital.
- Service 19: Cribbs Causeway – Bath
The timetable has been amended, with changes to early morning journeys.
- Service 23: Ashton Vale – City Centre
This service replaces service 24a. It will operate from Rupert Street, via Broad Quay, Redcliffe Hill, Catherine Mead Street, North Street, Ashton Road, Marsh Road, Winterstoke Road and Ashton Drive to Langley Crescent.
Towards the city centre, service 23 will run from Langley Crescent via Ashton Drive, then follow the route of service 24 including the diversion via East Street and Bedminster Parade until Redcliffe Hill. Service 23 will then use Bristol Bridge, Wine Street and Union Street to reach Rupert Street, stopping at Wine Street.
Service 23 will operate just over once an hour Monday – Saturday during the day.
- Service 24: Southmead Hospital – Ashton Gate
The timetable for service 24 has been re-timed.
All journeys on service 24 will terminate at Ashton Gate, with none continuing to Ashton Vale. Late evening journeys will be reduced in frequency.
Service 24 will be re-routed, on journeys towards Southmead Hospital only, to operate via Cannon Street, East Street and Bedminster Parade.
- Service 37: Bristol – Cherry Gardens – Bitton – Bath
This service will be withdrawn.
Customers wishing to make onward journeys across Cherry Gardens can use service 45, which will be extended to Cherry Gardens to enable a connection with service 19 for onward journeys to Bath.
- Service 44: City Centre – Cadbury Heath
The timetable has been amended.
- Service 45: City Centre – Cherry Gardens
Service 45 will be re-routed and now serve Cherry Gardens rather than Cadbury Heath.
At Longwell Green, from Bath Road buses will now operate via Watsons Road, Shellards Road, California Road, Long Beach Road, Bath Road and Willsbridge Hill to terminate at Cherry Gardens. Customers will be able to interchange at Cherry Gardens to service 19 for onward connections to Bitton, Kelston and Bath.
- Service 71: Parson Street – UWE, Frenchay Campus
Services 75 & 76, Service 71 will be re-routed and extended.
From UWE Frenchay Campus, service 71 will operate its current route to McDonalds, then use Station Road to Filton Roundabout, then Gloucester Road North, Filton Road, Gloucester Road, Cheltenham Road, city centre, Redcliff Hill, Bedminster Parade, Dalby Avenue and West Street, terminating at the Parson Street stop on Bedminster Road.
- Service 73: Temple Meads – Bristol Parkway – Cribbs Causeway
The timetable has been amended.
In addition, the route will be changed in Bradley Stoke, with buses no longer serving Baileys Court Road, Webbs Wood Road or Bradley Stoke Way. Instead, between Orpheus Avenue and the Willow Brook Centre, buses will run via Brook Way. To maintain an interchange with services m1 and T1, service 73 will additionally stop at the Willow Brook stop on the main road before entering the Willow Brook Centre.
- Services 75 & 76: Hengrove – Cribbs Causeway/Henbury
The timetable of services 75 and 76 has been re-timed.
- Service 90: Hengrove – Broadmead
On journeys towards Hengrove, service 90 will now stop at the next stop up, at Union Street Stop B16.
- Service 93: Hengrove – City Centre
The timetable of service 93 will be modified.
- Service X1: Weston-super-Mare – Bristol
The timings of Service X1 have been altered.
- Services X3, X3a and X4: Bristol – Portishead
Services X3, X3a and X4 will be replaced with an amended version of service X4 which will operate every 30 minutes during the main part of the day Monday – Saturday.
Service X4 will operate from Bristol via Hotwells, Abbots Leigh, Ham Green, Pill, Easton-in-Gordano, Sheepway, Sainsbury’s, Harbour Road, Portishead High Street, Combe Road, Avon Way, Weatherley Drive, Nore Road, West Hill, Avon Way then onward to Bristol as per the outbound journey.
The new service X4 will not operate via Portishead Marina.
- Service X5: Weston-super-Mare – Clevedon – Portishead – Bristol
Service X5 will follow a new route to provide more direct, faster journeys.
In Portishead, service X5 will run via Sheepway, Sainsbury’s, Harbour Road, Portishead High Street, Gordano School and via Clevedon Road to Clevedon. In Clevedon, buses will run via Walton Road, Old Street, Clevedon Triangle, Old Church Road, Southern Way and Central Way to the M5.
- Service Y1: Bristol – Yate – Chipping Sodbury
All inbound journeys to Bristol will serve the new Park & Ride site. The Stover Road stops will no longer be served. Towards Yate and Chipping Sodbury, service Y1 will serve the new stop on Badminton Road outside the site.
- Services Y2, Y4 and Y6
At the new Yate Park & Ride site, these services will stop at the new stops on Badminton Road outside the site, instead of the Stover Road stops.
- Service OS1
Two morning and afternoon peak journeys will operate between Hanham and Oldfield School to replace journeys on service 37.
- Service X39: Bristol – Bath
The 07.30 X39 departure to Hayesfield School will now depart 10 minutes earlier from Bristol Temple Meads.
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