Local bus operator First West of England has announced a number of adjustments to its services with effect from Sunday 29th August 2021.
The company says it is making the changes “to reflect customer demand and improve reliability and punctuality”.
Service T1/T1s
(Thornbury – Bradley Stoke – Bristol city centre)
Sunday and public holiday frequency will be reduced from ‘every 30 minutes’ to ‘every 60 minutes’, which reinstates the service frequency that was offered prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The dedicated school service T1s will no longer operate. However, there are journeys on service T1 timed to suit school journeys to and from Thornbury.
Service M1 MetroBus
(Cribbs Causeway – Bradley Stoke – UWE – Bristol city centre – Hengrove Park)
Minor changes to timetable. Monday to Friday daytime service frequency will remain at ‘every 10 minutes’.
Note: This service is operated by Bristol Community Transport on behalf of First West of England.
Service 73
(Bristol Temple Meads – Bristol Parkway – Bradley Stoke – Cribbs Causeway)
Minor changes to timetable. Monday to Friday daytime service frequency will remain at ‘every 30 minutes’ through Bradley Stoke. There is a higher frequency of ‘every 15 minutes’ between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway (with alternate services starting and ending at Parkway).
Service 12
(Severn Beach – Easter Compton – Cribbs Causeway – Little Stoke – Bristol Parkway)
First Bus will start operating service 12 on Sundays and public holidays between Severn Beach and Cribbs Causeway, providing four journeys in each direction.
There will be minor changes to the current timetable operated by Stagecoach for operational reasons and to improve journey times for those working at The Mall.
Stagecoach will continue to operate the Monday to Saturday service on this route. Stagecoach season ticket holders will also be able to use their tickets on the Sunday service operated by First Bus.
Service 18
(Cribbs Causeway – Little Stoke – Bristol Parkway – Kingswood – Keynsham – Bath)
Following a review of financial support from the West of England Combined Authority, service 18 is being withdrawn.
Customers travelling between Bath and Keynsham will be able to use Services 39, and A4 (operated by Bath Bus Company).
Customers travelling between Keynsham and Kingswood will be able to use Service 17, however some intermediate journeys will no longer be possible without changing buses.
Service 19 will continue to operate between Bath and Cribbs Causeway via Kingswood and will provide an alternative for many customers.
Service 19
(Cribbs Causeway – Little Stoke – Bristol Parkway – Kingswood – Bath)
There will be a minor change to the route, which is designed to improve access to Charlton Hayes.
Buses will operate via Charlton Boulevard, Hayes Way and A38 in both directions, which will mean that part of Highwood Road will no longer be served.
Intermediate running times are revised on all days of operation to improve reliability and punctuality.
There are changes to some journeys around school start and finish times to accommodate travel to and from Oldfield School, which includes some additional journeys to provide sufficient capacity, which will operate during term time only.
Service 963
(Patchway – Bradley Stoke – Winterbourne Academy)
This school service will also be available for use by the general public when it restarts at the beginning of the new school year from Thursday 2nd September.
Note: This service is operated by Stagecoach.
Responding to customer demand
Doug Claringbold, managing director of First West of England, said:
“We are constantly monitoring service usage and reviewing our timetables to reflect customer demand which, although steadily rising overall post-pandemic, has remained, and looks likely to remain, very low on some routes.”
“We Work in close partnership with the West of England Combined Authority to ensure we are providing a good quality and reliable service for our customers where it is needed most”
“We are continuing to encourage customers to plan their journey in advance and travel at quieter times if they can. Our journey planning tools, including the First Bus app and the Space Checker website, support customers to plan their travel effectively. If you can’t book in advance, then please use contactless payment on board whenever possible.”
“Even though it is no longer mandatory, we are also encouraging customers to continue to wear face coverings on board for their own sake and that of their fellow passengers.”
More information and related links:
- First Bus timetables (including MetroBus)
- Stagecoach timetables
- Bus services in the Bradley Stoke area (BSJ)
- Bus services in the Stoke Gifford and Little Stoke areas (SGJ)
