metrobus operates within an extensive network in Bristol, spread across three main routes which serve a number of key transport interchanges and points of interest:

• The m1 runs between Cribbs Causeway and Hengrove, via UWE and the city centre.
• The m2 runs between Long Ashton park and ride and the city centre, via Bristol Temple Meads rail station.
• The m3 runs between Emersons Green and the city centre, via Lyde Green Park and Ride and UWE.
• The m4 runs between Cribbs Causeway and the city centre, via Bristol Parkway rail station and UWE.

For detailed route and timetable information, please visit the relevant metrobus service page.

You can find timetable information about each metrobus route in a number of ways:

• This site, by choosing the relevant metrobus service – each service page contains a downloadable timetable and route map.
• This site, under the journey planner and live departure sections.
• Pamphlets, which can be found at the Long Ashton park and ride site, Bristol bus station and the Bristol Tourist Information office.

You can find running information and travel updates about metrobus services by:

• Visiting the travel updates section of the travelwest site.
• Looking at the real time information display on the iPoint at all metrobus stops.
• Visiting the metrobus and First West of England twitter pages.

m1:

The first bus to depart both Cribbs Causeway and Hengrove Park is 06:00 Monday – Sunday, including Public Holidays.

The last bus to depart Cribbs Causeway is 00:10 Monday – Sunday, including Public Holidays.

The last bus to depart Hengrove Park is 00:05 Monday – Sunday, including Public Holidays.

m2:

The first bus to depart Long Ashton Park & Ride is 06:00 Monday – Saturday.

The last bus to depart Cabot Circus is 21:05 Monday – Saturday.

Note: the m2 does not operate on a Sunday. 

m3:

The first bus to depart Lyde Green Park & Ride is 05:45 Monday – Friday, 07:20 on Saturdays and 09:04 on Sundays.

The last bus to depart the City Centre is 22:20 Monday – Saturday and 18:48 on Sundays.

m3x:

Note: the m3x does not operate on weekends.

The first bus to depart Lyde Green Park & Ride is 07:15 Monday – Friday.

m1

Saturdays – yes
Sundays – yes (reduced frequency)
Bank holidays – yes (Sunday service)

m2

Saturdays – yes
Sundays – no
Bank holidays – no

m3

Saturdays – yes
Sundays – yes (reduced frequency)
Bank holidays – yes (Sunday service)

m3x

Saturdays – no
Sundays – no
Bank holidays – no

m4

Saturdays – yes
Sundays – yes (reduced frequency)
Bank holidays – yes (Sunday service)

m1

Please note that the m1 is not a park & ride service. Passengers wishing to take the bus at Hengrove Park will need to pay for the limited-availability on-site parking. Passengers can, however, drive to Long Ashton park & ride and take the m2 (see below). This is a 12 minute drive (approx.) from the entrance of Hengrove Park.

m2

You can find more information about Long Ashton park & ride here.

If your vehicle is locked in at Long Ashton, please call 0117 903 1550. Bristol City Council retains the right to charge for the call out service and the release fee is £25.

m3

You can find more information about Lyde Green park & ride here.

Please note that overnight parking is not permitted at any site.

You can find detailed information on ticket prices, validity and how to purchase a ticket on our tickets and travelcards page.

Yes. English concessionary bus passes (‘older person’s’ and ‘disabled person’s’) are accepted on all metrobus services.

There’s no need for a separate ticket, just present your pass to the driver as you do on a regular bus.

You can use your pass to travel on any metrobus service Monday to Friday from 09:00 – 04:00 the next day and any time on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

To find out more about iPoints and how to use them, see our how to use iPoints page.

Yes! You can find detailed information on how to purchase a ticket on our tickets and Travelcards page.

You will be issued with a Travelwest Travelcard when you:

• Purchase the appropriate ticket from an iPoint, First’s Travel shop at Bristol Bus station or buy your first ticket online for a Travelwest Travelcard.

Visit First West of England’s website.

As well as pre-purchased paper tickets, metrobus accepts tickets loaded onto a travelwest Travelcard and the First Bus app.

The format in which a ticket is available / dispensed depends on the ticket type and where it’s purchased. For instance, one single or day ticket is only available as a paper ticket, whereas a pack of five single tickets is dispensed on a travelwest Travelcard.

Most ticket types are available for purchase from travelwest and in the First Bus app.

Children up to the age of 4 travel free.

Children between the ages of 5 and 15 travel for around half the price of an adult. Please visit the Fares page for further information.

Tap On, Tap Off uses contactless payments to cap adult bus fares so you’ll never pay more than the Day ticket fare for each day you travel, no matter how many journeys you make. And the great news is, the more you travel across 7 days (Monday to Sunday), the cheaper the days become! Just tap when you get on and off the bus and make sure you tap the same contactless card or device each time. Payments are accepted on VISA, Mastercard, Apple Pay (now with Express Mode) and Google Pay.

You don’t need to choose your ticket type in advance, which is especially useful when you’re not sure how many times you’re going to be using the bus. Tap On, Tap Off covers all First Bus routes in the West of England area, too. For full details of Tap On, Tap Off on First buses, please see the First website.

If you need any other types of ticket, for example Child, Student or Group tickets, these are only available from the iPoints at bus stops and from the First Bus app.

For faster journeys, metrobus will remain a Buy Before You Board and Tap On, Tap Off service, and therefore you will still be unable to purchase tickets from the driver.

Tip: To make sure that the correct account is charged when you pay at a contactless reader, keep the card or device that you want to pay with separate from your other cards or devices.

Tap On, Tap Off is available across all metrobus and First West of England bus services, across all ticket zones. The system will automatically charge the appropriate price for the zones that you travel in. All metrobus services operate only within the Bristol zone.

With Tap On, Tap Off, no paper tickets are issued – your card or device acts as your ticket instead. To keep track of your spending, click below to visit the transaction portal. Purchases do not show immediately, but your journey will appear on our online portal within a few hours. Once you’ve logged in, you can see which journeys you’ve made and how much you’ve been charged over the past 90 days.

No, when you use Tap On, Tap Off, your card acts as your ticket. If you use more than one card or device, each will be read separately and will be entered into separate caps.

Not on the bus on metrobus services. metrobus will remain a Buy Before You Board and Tap On, Tap Off service, and therefore tickets will remain unavailable for purchase from the driver. However, you can still use your card or device at any of the iPoints at metrobus stops to buy the usual range of tickets.

When using Tap On, Tap Off, your card acts as your ticket, therefore you cannot use the same card or device to make two or more taps for different people travelling at the same time. If you’re travelling together, please remember to bring one contactless card or device per person. Group tickets remain available for purchase from the iPoints at metrobus stops and from the First Bus app.

The Tap On, Tap Off system is run by First Bus across all metrobus services, m1, m2, m3 and m3x. For further information, including contact details of who can help if there’s been a problem, please see the First website.

Yes! All metrobus vehicles and stops are accessible to wheelchair users and those with limited mobility. Our buses have height-adjustable suspension and our bus stops have raised boarding platforms, for safe and easy boarding and exiting. In addition, the touch screens on all iPoints are placed at a height that makes them accessible to wheelchair users.

All buses also have automated on-board ‘next stop’ announcements and an information screen.

Mobility scooters
Some mobility scooters can be used on metrobus services, but it depends on their type, size and weight. Also, only one is permitted at any given time.

Before using any metrobus service, all mobility scooter users must first be assessed by First Bus to demonstrate competence in using a scooter on public transport and that the scooter itself is suitable. Once these have been demonstrated, a ‘permit for travel’ will be issued. For more information, please visit Mobility Scooters Code on First Bus’ website.

Only folding bikes are permitted on metrobus services. Electric folding bikes are not permitted due to the potential fire risk from their batteries.

Permission to board with a folding bike also depends on how busy the service is and whether the loading area for wheelchairs, prams and bikes is already in use.

All metrobus stops include a bike rack which can be used to secure larger bikes. Whilst some city centre bus stops do not have a bike rack on the actual stop, there is always one close by.

metrobus is a new, modern express bus service for the greater Bristol area, which sits between regular bus services and the rail network.

The m1, m2, m3, m3x and m4 are operated by First West of England

First is the largest bus operator in the West of England region, covering Bristol, Bath, Weston-super-Mare and beyond.

It operates around 600 buses and carries over 62 million passengers per year.

First is a large employer and investor in the region, operating from seven depots and employing approximately 1,800 people.

Since 2015, it has invested over £60 million in new vehicles and £10 million in metrobus. It has one of the highest low emission fleets in the UK with over 140 low emission buses and has recently invested in a sizeable fleet of bio-methane gas powered vehicles.

Please call 0345 646 0707 (Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm)

When claiming lost property, you must supply a full description of the item, including its contents if applicable, and give details of where and when lost, in order to reasonably satisfy us that you are the rightful owner of the property.

All lost property found or handed in by drivers or company officials or by a third party is recorded, labelled and stored at the local lost property office. If the lost property is contained in a package, bag or other container, we may open it and examine it in order to trace the owner or identify the nature and value of the lost property.

Any lost property found on our vehicles, providing the item is not perishable will be kept for 1 month. All unclaimed property is donated to charity at the end of the calendar month following the one in which it was handed in. Perishable items, including but not limited to foodstuffs, and soiled items will be held for a maximum of 48 hours and if deemed necessary will be disposed of immediately.

Yes! All metrobus vehicles and stops are accessible to users with prams and young children. Our buses have height-adjustable suspension and our bus stops have raised boarding platforms, for safe and easy boarding and exiting.

In addition, children up the last day of their fourth year travel free and children between the age of 5 and 15 pay half the fare of an adult. See the tickets section of the website for further information.

Only folding bikes are permitted on metrobus services. Electric folding bikes are not permitted due to the potential fire risk from their batteries.

Permission to board with a folding bike also depends on how busy the service is and whether the loading area for wheelchairs, prams and bikes is already in use.

All metrobus stops include a bike rack which can be used to secure larger bikes. Whilst some city centre bus stops do not have a bike rack on the actual stop, there is always one close by.

Yes. You can follow metrobus on Twitter and metrobus on Facebook.

The m4 was launched in January 2023 as part of the Cribbs Patchway metrobus Extension (CPME). The final route is due to open in 2023, as part of the Brabazon development. The m1 and m3 have both started serving new stops from early 2023.

Bristol City Council, South Gloucestershire Council and North Somerset Council are working with the West of England Combined Authority and different bus operators to look at introducing more metrobus routes. See the Quality Partnership Scheme page on the Travelwest site for further information.