Bristol bus changes: three new cross-city routes to launch this spring

Three extra cross-city bus routes are being introduced in Bristol as part of a raft of changes from First West of England this spring.

A new service 41 will connect Kingswood and East Bristol with Sea Mills, Shirehampton and Avonmouth, which First says result in journeys between Avonmouth and the city centre taking less than 30 minutes.

The service will operate every 30 minutes during peak times every day, and the timetable will be aligned to shift start times at Avonmouth.

A new cross-city connection (service 5) between St Anne’s and Clifton will also be introduced. It will replace the current service 36 (city centre to St Anne’s) and will be extended to take in the Bristol Hippodrome and Park Street, before heading on to Clifton.

It will operate every day and provide journeys into the evening, and will run alongside service 8 (Temple Meads to Clifton).

Third cross-city route will see service 77 connect Henleaze to Gloucester Road via the city centre. It will be the only route to directly link Stokes Croft and Whiteladies Road with the city centre every 30 minutes at peak times.

These three new cross-city routes, which will be introduced on April 7, join two others which were introduced last October.

From March, First is also set to introduce a new on-the-spot £50 fines for bus passengers without valid tickets.

Other route changes from April 7 will include service 24 once again serving Ashton Vale via South Liberty Lane, providing a route to Southmead Hospital every 15 minutes at peak times.

And a new half-hourly service 47 will serve the Oldbury Court Estate with direct links to Fishponds Road, Stapleton Road, Broadmead and the city centre.

A First spokesperson said: "The two new services are being introduced following discussions with the West of England Combined Authority and concerns from local residents, after they were cut from the Bristol network in recent years because of underusage and a driver shortage as a result of the pandemic."

Sign up for our free newsletters now

Among other changes from April 7 are:

• Quicker journeys from Fishponds and Eastville to the city centre will be available by making every other service 48 and 49 (city centre to Emersons Green) an express bus via the M32.
• The routes of services 3 and 4 (city centre to Cribbs Causeway) will change so that both are extended to Cribbs Causeway, allowing buses to be spaced evenly within the hour and resulting in a bus from Lawrence Weston to Cribbs Causeway and the city centre every 15 minutes.
• A new express service D1x (Bath to Warminster) will be introduced between Trowbridge and Bath, making the journey between Bradford-on-Avon and Bath 15 minutes quicker.
• Passengers in Bridgwater and Taunton will be able to take one bus to Bristol following the introduction of new services 374 and 375 via Glastonbury and Wells, making it one of the longest bus routes in the south-west.

Timetables for the new routes will be published in the coming weeks, and customers are advised to check details on the First West of England website before travelling ahead of the new timetables coming into effect.