Free travel days on North Somerset’s bus Network
Free travel days on North Somerset’s bus Network
Travel for free on North Somerset buses on Friday 26 July and Monday 29 July 2024 and enjoy unlimited bus travel at no cost.
North Somerset Council is receiving £12.8million from First Bus, to be invested into the Weston-super-Mare First Bus depot and services. In addition, the Council is receiving £2.1million in capital funding from the Department for Transport (DfT).
The Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) funding will deliver 24 brand new electric buses for the X1 and X4 bus services, as well as electric vehicle charging points at the Weston-super-Mare bus depot.
First Bus will provide its funding for the project over financial years 24/25 and 25/26. Most of the funding will be awarded before April this year, with plans for buses to be on the road from early 2025.
The focus of this investment is electrifying two popular bus corridors. The X1 and X4 routes are North Somerset’s first and third most popular services, attracting 141,131 and 79,402 passengers in October 2023.
North Somerset Council is also investing £48million of DfT funding in bus related infrastructure. New schemes include bus lanes, bus gates, smart traffic lights that detect and prioritise buses, and improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
Weston-super-Mare’s bus interchange was established in 2019 and designed to be ZEB ready with EV charging points which the new fleet will use.
The new electric greener buses will benefit the environment. North Somerset Council declared a climate emergency in February 2019 with 40% of all CO2 emissions related to transport, including local bus activity.
North Somerset Council and the West of England Combined Authority received over £105 million from the Department for Transport to improve bus services by 2025.
The Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) supports our commitment to create a bus transport network that will become faster, more convenient, coordinated and better for the environment and your pocket than running a car.
Working in partnership with the West of England Combined Authority, our local BSIP supports our vision to encourage everyone to ‘walk or wheel’ where possible, helping to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030. When that’s not possible, bus travel is encouraged to be the first choice over car usage, helping ease traffic congestion and creating a greener way to travel. We are delivering this programme by working closely with local bus operators.
For more information about North Somerset Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, please visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/bsip
Travel for free on North Somerset buses on Friday 26 July and Monday 29 July 2024 and enjoy unlimited bus travel at no cost.
North Somerset Council is pleased to confirm that The Big Lemon will continue to run the X10 bus service from Monday 22 July to Saturday 31 August, until a long-term solution is agreed.
Residents in Bath & North East Somerset are being encouraged to take part in a nationally-run satisfaction survey on the quality of roads and the transport network in the area.
A new 20mph zone is set to be introduced in Hutton as part of North Somerset Council’s commitment to improving road safety and sustainable travel.
West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris has today (Tuesday 16 July) announced that another eight new WESTlocal bus services will start running in September.
West of England
Various rail services