More passengers have shared their experiences of Bristol’s buses with many complaining services are often either “cancelled, delayed or packed”. Months of cuts to bus services have left some saying they've spent as much on taxis 'as a cheap car' or even giving up commuting to work.
As well affecting people from all walks of life, poor bus services are impacting the lives of people from all across the city, including St Anne's, Bedminster Down and Fishponds. The issues have left some stopping using the bus to get to work due to being so unreliable.
It comes as Bristol Live has launched a Better Buses for Bristol campaign, calling for action to improve services.
Campaigners say Bristol has long suffered with poor public transport and heavy congestion, but problems appear to have become much worse in recent months. However First Bus, the city’s largest operator, said its services were improving and many more buses will be running from this April.
Read more: Impact of Bristol bus cuts laid bare as passengers share their experiences
Leoberto Reed, from St Anne's, said: “I’ve spent £800 on an electric skateboard to get into town from St Anne's, because I can’t reliably plan my trips with a bus. It’s either 15 minutes on my board or two-plus hours on a bus combined with cancellations, delays, and the really poor route the 36 takes to reach the most stops it can with the fewest drivers.
“I used to drive my old van and park in the multi-storey, but now with the Clean Air Zone that would be a tad remortgage-worthy. The skateboard is dangerous, but the risk is worth it. Knowing my luck I’ll get run over by the bus I’ve given up waiting for.”
One passenger from Bedminster Down, who asked not to be named, said: “I’ve had so many issues with the buses since moving to Bedminster Down. I catch the 75/76 to and from work every day. They’re often cancelled, delayed or so packed that it’s dangerous.
“What should be a 25-minute bus journey takes at least an hour, sometimes an hour and a half. With the Clean Air Zone and constant reminders that we need to be greener with our transport, sorting out the buses should be a major priority for the council.
“Sometimes when there’s no seats people have to stand in the aisle, and it can be shoulder-to-shoulder and very cramped. Not only is this a bit claustrophobic, but I dread to think what would happen if there was an accident or the driver had to brake suddenly.”
Jack Quinton, a software engineer from Fishponds, said: “In November last year I wanted to commute to work from Fishponds to Temple Meads. I left my house to get the 49 from the stop near my house around 8am. I used the First Bus app to see that the next bus would be five minutes away. Once I got to the stop, the electronic sign said 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes went by without any bus, the sign would continue to update: 16, 17, 18…
“It got to the late 20s when the sign updated once more to remove that bus and replace it with the next one in the service, which was due to arrive a full 20 minutes later. I decided to cut my losses and walk 10 minutes to another stop, to use the 48a. This stop didn’t have an electronic sign, but the app updated the bus route as if invisible buses were appearing exactly on time. I waited here for a further 30 minutes before deciding to admit defeat and work from home, so as not to miss the first meeting of my day.
“Later on in the day, I managed to get through to someone on the phone via customer services. First said there weren't any issues with the service, and I should have followed the printed schedule on the stop. This was clearly wrong as four or five buses would have come and gone if I followed that logic. I can either work from home or the office, but I haven’t worked from the office since, due to the experience.”
Hannah B, whose partner works for the NHS, said: “My partner works in the Bristol 111 call centre, and has had to walk around two hours home at midnight on multiple occasions, due to buses not running. We’ve had to book Ubers at least once a week just to get him to work on time. We can’t afford a car, but have probably spent just as much on taxis as a cheap car.”
Another passenger, who didn’t give their name, said: “I’ve given up using buses for work or anything that’s time-critical. Now I walk the two miles to and from work each day. Which to be fair does give me some exercise, but when it’s minus 5°C and I’ve got to be on site for 7am, it kind of sucks.
“It would be nice to at least have it as an option for bad-weather days — even if the prices have increased in the last five years. As it stands, I spend half the year soggy or freezing when I get to work, but at least I save a few quid and get my 10,000 steps in each day.”
First Bus has previously said its service was improving, and it will "significantly increase" the number of buses running from April.
A spokesperson for First West of England said: “We always aim to ensure that our customers have a good experience when travelling with us. We operate over 35,000 journeys and carry well over 1 million passengers every week, and we receive many commendations from our customers for the professionalism and level of service from our drivers and other staff.
“We don’t always get things right, but the reliability and punctuality of our services has improved significantly and everyone at First West of England is committed to delivering great service. Our driver recruitment campaign and high levels of staff retention are enabling us to improve our service, and we are looking forward to a significant increase in the number of buses being operated from early April, when we next update our timetables. Details of these changes will be confirmed in the coming weeks."
