Bristol bus stops still missing printed timetables after major changes to routes

Bristol bus stops are still without printed timetables after major changes to routes were introduced on April 2.

First Bus has claimed it is reinstating 1,600 hours of journeys in Bristol every week. This is following the temporary suspension of bus journeys in November, which were scrapped due to ongoing driver shortages.

But passengers across the city have been left without printed timetables at bus stops for the first week of the new routes and times.

Although bus service changes are available online and some stops have real-time information displays, many people who don’t have smartphones and the bus app have been left without information for their journeys.

The display boards that usually contain the printed timetables have posters saying ‘we are working as fast as possible to update the timetable information at this bus stop’.

There is also a large QR code for live information about arrivals, bus locations and route maps.

Waiting for a number 2a at a bus stop on the Wells Road in Knowle, Colin from Stockwood told Bristol World: “I’m a pensioner and I don’t even have a mobile phone so how do I know when the next bus is coming?

“This stop doesn’t have a display with the buses and times on either, so I’m just having to wait until one comes along, it’s not ideal. It’s not as if the bus company didn’t know they were changing the timetables in time to print new ones.”

A spokesperson for the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) said: “This is a normal concern when timetables change. WECA is in the process of updating timetable displays at all bus stops with the most update-to-date timetable information. Digital information has been updated.

“There is a 42-day process to regenerate all bus stop timetable displays as set out by the Traffic Commissioner. Unfortunately, some last-minute decisions including by the local authorities - such as deciding to step in and fund some buses until just after the May elections - delayed getting this process underway.”