Metro mayor wants to see night buses back in Bristol ‘as soon as possible’

The region’s Metro Mayor says he wants to see night buses back up and running in Bristol ‘as soon as possible’.

Dan Norris said he was in discussions with First Bus and representatives from the city’s night-time economy about getting the 3 and 4 night services, along with the wider late-night bus network, back in action after a two-year hiatus.

First Bus launched a number of late-night journeys, which ran until around 2am, on its 3 and 4 services from Bristol City Centre to Cribbs Causeway in September 2013.

The extra late-night services ran six nights a week, from Monday to Saturday.

Operating via Henbury and Shirehampton en route to and from Bristol City Centre and Cribbs Causeway Bus Station, the 3 and 4 are already popular with bus users.

But the night services were pulled during the pandemic due to the overnight shutdown in the night-time economy meaning that the last bus from Cribbs Causeway is now at around 11.35pm.

Night buses are ‘really important’ for the city’s night-time economy, said Mr Norris, as they provide a ‘safe and reliable transport option for local people’ travelling late at night.

But they’re just one of the many transport-related issues the Metro Mayor is having to contend with as Bristol’s bus ‘crisis’ deepens.

First Bus altered or axed more than 20 of its services across the city in early April, citing decreasing passenger numbers.

This paired with driver shortages leading to mass cancellations on the services that are still running have rendered public transport a sensitive topic in Bristol.

The West of England Combined Authority secured £105m in funding from the government’s ‘Bus Service Improvement Plan’ last month, the highest award given out in the country.

But the hefty cash boost was revealed to be ‘tangled in red tape’ as it can only be used on new routes, not existing services facing cuts.

“As readers know, there are very many challenges on the buses at the moment - not least due to a serious driver shortage,” Mr Norris told BristolWorld.

“I am working closely with First Bus to fix this as I would like to see these night services resumed as soon as possible and fewer cancellations of services across the board.

“We need more reliable buses at times people want to use them so we create a virtuous circle of more bus use, more fare income and more investment, not a downward spiral.

“And if people are considering a career change, bus driving might be for you.”