I went on the new cross-city Bristol bus service and it’s so scenic I felt like a tourist

Most regular Bristol bus users would be hard pushed to name a truly scenic route in the city but the new cross-city 41 service takes some beating.

It’s one of three new cross-city bus routes introduced by First West of England this month and it connects Kingswood and East Bristol with Sea Mills, Shirehampton and Avonmouth.

The main point of this new service is to reduce journey times between Avonmouth and the city centre. It also hopes to provide more transport for workers at the big employment hubs around Avonmouth, such as Amazon and Evri.

The journey time from Bristol city centre to these hubs is now around 25 minutes, which is a lot quicker and more convenient than other bus and rail options.

From the city centre, the 41 now runs to Avonmouth from as early as 5.16am and they run every 35 minutes at peak times and hourly at other times of the day.

Climbing aboard the 0933 service, I had high expectations - not a feeling I often get when jumping on a Bristol bus - and I even managed to grab a seat at the front on the top deck like a proper sightseer.

There were already quite a few people on the bus, the majority carrying backpacks and wearing hi-vis bibs or uniform ready for shifts at the various business parks and warehouses in Avonmouth.

Rather than tapping on and off, some were asking the driver for a paper ticket so they could claim it for their work expenses.

After leaving the city centre, the bus stopped outside We The Curious on Anchor Road and along Hotwell Road, with the SS Great Britain on the other side of the harbour.

It then carried along Hotwell Road to Merchant Road before taking the Cumberland Basin Road to the Portway.

Within a few minutes of leaving the city centre, the bus was travelling beneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge, giving passengers a fantastic and unique view of Bristol’s most iconic landmark.

With the river on one side and the Avon Gorge rocks on the other, it felt more like one of those guided bus tour routes than a journey to work for most of the passengers. I suddenly felt like a sightseeing tourist.

The bus was soon in Sea Mills, stopping outside Bristol Manor Farm football club, and then turning up Sylvan Way onto Shirehampton Road, where it continued through the leafy area flanked by the park and the golf course before stopping by the shops in the heart of Shirehampton.

For Shirehampton residents, this new direct service is much easier than taking the number three bus which goes via Coombe Dingle, the Downs and Whiteladies Road before arriving on the city centre.

From Shirehampton, the bus continued its journey down Lower High Street towards the roundabout and then into Avonmouth village.

It was here that the landscape changed from the leafy landmarks of ten minutes earlier to the industrial Avonmouth skyline.

Many of the passengers started to alight at the various stops around Kings Weston Lane and Poplar Way East, where there were countless Amazon Prime vans parked at the roadside as delivery drivers sorted their parcels before the day ahead.

The bus finally stopped at the end of the route outside King Lifting (‘the first choice for heavy lifting and plant movement solutions’) a mere 25 minutes after leaving Bristol city centre.

The driver got out and had a cigarette break on the pavement before starting the return journey and a couple of warehouse workers were soon waiting to get the bus back into town after a long night shift.

“This new bus route has been what we’ve been waiting for,” said Darren, who had just finished a shift at a nearby distribution hub. “I live in Redfield so before the 41 was extended to Avonmouth it took me ages to get to and from work, often involving several buses or even a train.

“And it’s actually quite a nice journey, too, although I’m often so tired after the night shift that I usually fall asleep before I get to the best bits!”