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Major changes to bus routes in the Bristol area

A series of major changes planned for Bristol bus routes have been announced by operator First.

The company, which is the biggest bus company in the city, says it is introducing the changes with the aim of increasing reliability and punctuality.

Bus services in the city have a reputation for being unreliable and the city is known for its high levels of congestion.

The series of changes will come into effect from September 4, with First trying to better match its resources against the level of demand for travel.

The firm has warned that there will be some cuts in services as the firm tries to balance its books. They include a reduction in frequency of off-peak Number 6 services between Kingswood and the city centre, cutting late-night Number 2 services to Stockwood and the axing of Service 17A from Southmead Hospital to Hillfields, parts of Kingswood, North Common, Oldland Common, Bitton and Willsbridge.

Among the changes are a number of improvements being made to services on Sundays and Public Holidays, reflecting the fact that in some parts of the city the demand for journeys on these days has increased.

A number of new links are being created, for instance a direct link from Gloucester Road to Anchor Road (for access to the Harbourside) on Service 71, and the extension of Service 73 from Rupert Street through the Centre to Bristol Temple Meads railway station.

Services between Bristol and the towns and villages in North Somerset are also set to be improved, with increased frequencies on the Bristol and Weston-super-Mare routes, now numbered X1/X1A, which will offer a bus every 15 minutes.

Double-decker buses will replace single-deckers on the routes between Bristol and Portishead, where increased customer numbers in the past two years have made this necessary.

There are some significant route changes though, and a handful of services are being withdrawn – either because they duplicate what is already on offer elsewhere, or because they cannot be sustained due to low passenger numbers.

James Freeman, managing director of First West of England, said: "The changes in September are significant and affect almost everything we operate. Amongst the alterations there are a number of very positive pieces of news, for instance improvements to Sunday and Public Holiday timetables on a number of routes. The creation of new links between different parts of the city, for example Filton, Gloucester Road and Anchor Road, are also expected to be welcomed."

He added: "It would be disingenuous to suggest it's all good news though. We have had to make some hard choices – not something we like to do, but necessary nonetheless. Following years of growth and expansion it is right that we have done some housekeeping, to make sure we have the balance between what we operate, and what people are using, right.

"Where routes are poorly used they have been adjusted so that we can better deploy the resources elsewhere, enabling us to serve the greatest number of people.

"While difficult to digest if you are one of the few affected by this type of decision, the fact remains that we are a business, and we do have to make these tough choices to ensure the long term viability of the whole network. Where areas have been left without services, we did discuss these matters in advance with the relevant local authorities, giving them the opportunity to consider what alternatives may need to be put in their place.

"We hope that on balance the changes being made in September will be viewed for what they are, broadly positive and supporting the efforts that we, and the local authorities, have been putting into making bus travel more attractive."

Timetables for the new services will be available online from August 12 and to pick up from travel shops from August 22.

Double-decker buses will replace single-deckers on the routes between Bristol and Portishead, where increased customer numbers in the past two years have made this necessary.