Region: Bristol

New bus services will be launching in July across the West of England, connecting even more communities in the region.

The new routes, funded by multi-million-pound investment from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s three-year Bus Grant from the Department for Transport, will improve connectivity for many rural communities and strengthen links to employment, education, and nature.

Changes to the services will be in effect from 26 July (five weeks from Sunday 21 June), with all click to open in a new windowthe details available on TravelWest.

Full tables of changes can be found below. Further details about timetables and exact routes will be released in due course, alongside promotion of the new services to residents.

Changes to services from Sunday 26 July include:

• 65: Thornbury town service connecting more communities to the town centre.
• K2: Keynsham town service connecting the Chocolate Quarter and town centre to neighbourhoods in South Keynsham.
• 100: hourly service between Bath and Bristol to serve Timsbury, Farmborough, Bishop Sutton, and Chew Valley.
• 101: service between Bishop Sutton and Radstock including Chew Magna, Paulton, and Midsomer Norton.
• Y2C: service between Cribbs Causeway and Yate, which will also serve Ladden Garden Village and provide a bus from Westerleigh Road and Rodford Way into Yate town centre. It will also provide services for Severn Beach and Castle School, and Iron Acton.
• X91: connecting passengers between Ubley and Bristol, via West Harptree, East Harptree, Bishop Sutton – with an extension to  Dundry.
• 25: extended to connect Southville to Bristol city centre, terminating at Eastgate Shopping Centre.
• 768: the service between Writhlington, Radstock, Timsbury, and Bath will have earlier later journeys added.
• Y8: the Yate to Wotton-under-Edge service will be extended to serve Leyhill in South Gloucestershire.
• 9, 21, 31, and 41: continued service improvement in Park & Ride services in and around Bath and Bristol, including evening journeys.

In Keynsham, a review will look to ensure that connections currently offered by the K1 are protected going forward – with the new K2 and commercial 43 service in the meantime. Options to connect Thornbury to both SGS College and Southmead Hospital are also being explored.

Enhancements to existing bus services:

Service 9: Park & Ride – Brislington P&R – Bristol City Centre – Portway P&R

• Funding extended
• Peak frequency increase to every 10 minutes
• Later evenings journeys

Service 21: Newbridge Park & Ride

• Funding extended
• Later evenings journeys

Service 31: Lansdown Park & Ride

• Funding extended
• Later evenings journeys

Service 41: Odd Down Park & Ride

• Funding extended
• Later evenings journeys

Service 13: Foxhill – Odd Down – Bath City Centre – Elmhurst Estate

• Funding extended
• Later evenings journeys
• Sunday service

Service 19: Bath – Bitton – Cadbury Heath – Kingswood – Downend – Frenchay – Bristol Parkway Station

• Funding extended
• Route via Frenchay

Service U4: University of Bath – Odd Down – Southdown – Twerton – Bath Spa University

• Funding extended
• All year round (operation during university holiday times)

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:

“Getting our region moving is one of our biggest priorities. Our investment in these routes and services means better buses for passengers across the West Country, and gives people certainty until at least spring 2029.

“Connecting our rural areas to towns and city centres and improving access to jobs, education and nature is essential in helping the West get out of the slow lane and improve sustainable travel options. At our meeting this month, local people rightly once again highlighted the need for renewed investment to connect communities.

“Building on the brilliant efforts of local people piloting some of these bus services and campaigners and councillors over the years, including in the Chew Valley and Thornbury, together we’re starting to build the kind of bus network that local people deserve.”

Councillor Sarah Warren, Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Bath and North East Somerset; Councillor Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council and Deputy Mayor of the West of England; Councillor Mike Bell, Leader of North Somerset Council; Councillor Maggie Tyrrell, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council; and Councillor Ian Boulton, Co-Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said in a joint statement:

“Buses are vital for connecting people to jobs, education, healthcare and each other across our region.

“We’re really pleased to be delivering these improvements, which restore services to some communities for the first time in several years and reflect sustained work with local people to strengthen the network.

“From July, we’ll see new routes and improvements designed to provide better coverage and more reliable connections across the West of England.

“We recognise that not every change will work for everyone, but overall this is a significant step forward – helping more people access public transport and supporting a shift to more sustainable travel.

“We know there is more to do, and we will keep working with the Mayoral Combined Authority and bus operators to go further.”

For passengers who cannot easily connect to the West’s bus network, click to open in a new windowWESTlink is available outside of Bath and Bristol city centres. Passengers can book a WESTlink bus via the app or over phone, to connect to local destinations and the wider bus network. Recent improvements to WESTlink have increased availability and reduced journey times. Passenger use has risen by 15% in recent months.

The P1 service between Backwell and Bristol will be withdrawn from the end of July, after carrying around a dozen passengers on average each day – costing the authority more than £45 per journey per person. WESTlink will continue to serve this area.

Better buses are a crucial part of the click to open in a new windowTransport Vision for the region shared by the Mayor and council leaders earlier this year, with a recent consultation to shape a new Bus Plan receiving more than 4,800 responses from across the West. Meanwhile, work continues at the combined authority to assess options for how to take greater control of the region’s buses – including through different types of franchising.

For more detailed information about bus service changes taking effect from 26 July, click to open in a new windowvisit the WEST website.

Original press release by the West of England Combined Authority