Transport Bus service changes a temporary measure, says boss

FIRST West of England has reassured passengers that changes to more than 30 of its Bristol routes from Sunday, April 24, are “temporary”.

The changes are being made to reflect ongoing driver shortages, low passenger numbers and the coronavirus pandemic that has seen services severely impacted in recent months.

Some services are being withdrawn, while others are having reduced frequency and some journeys are being removed due to low customer demand.

First Bus has apologised to passengers for poor services in recent months.

Doug Claringbold, managing director of First West of England, said “ongoing issues with driver availability mean further action is necessary beyond the changes we made at the end of January to ensure we can operate services more reliably for our customers”.

He said changes are “temporary” while “passenger and driver numbers are constrained”.

Some people have expressed fears the temporary changes are part of a long-term plan to cull some services and that the public transport company is using the driver shortages as an opportunity to trial a reduction of buses.

But First West of England said: “It is obviously in our interest to reinstate service levels on key routes where it is feasible” but added that it is “too early to say when further changes will be made”.

A spokesperson said: “Clearly there are still a number of factors affecting service levels, not least high levels of absence due to sickness and reduced patronage, which is why we have made these forthcoming service changes in order to provide a much more reliable service for our customers in the short term.

“It is too early to say when further changes will be made but it is obviously in our interest to reinstate service levels on key routes where it is feasible both resource-wise and from a financially sustainable perspective as soon as we can as better frequencies are absolutely key to people choosing to travel by bus.”

More than 30 services are affected, including the withdrawal of the T2 from Thornbury to Bristol and the Y2 from Chipping Sodbury to Bristol.

The 92 bus will also no longer serve Whitchurch, which local councillor Tim Kent says will “leave hundreds of people having to walk well over 1km to get a bus and will be a disaster.”

Affected services:

For details see https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west

» 1, Broomhill to Cribbs Causeway via Bristol City Centre

» 2 and 2a between Cribbs Causeway (Brentry for Service 2a) and Stockwood via Bristol City Centre

» 44 and 45, Bristol City Centre to Cadbury Heath/Cherry Gardens

» 48 and 49, Bristol City Centre to Emersons Green/Lyde Green

» 70, Bristol City Centre to UWE Frenchay Campus

» 75 and 76, Hengrove to Henbury/ Cribbs Causeway

» 90, Bristol City Centre to Hengrove

» 6 and 7, Bristol city centre to Kingswood/Staple Hill

» 43, Bristol City Centre to Cadbury Heath

» 48a, Bristol City Centre to UWE Frenchay Campus

» 71, Parson Street to UWE Frenchay Campus

» 73, Bristol Temple Meads to Cribbs

Causeway

» 91, Bristol City to Hengrove

» A1, Bristol Temple Meads to Bristol Airport

» M1, Hengrove Park to Cribbs Causeway

» M2, Long Ashton Park & Ride to Bristol City Centre via Bristol Temple Meads

» M3, Emersons Green to Bristol City Centre

» Y4, Bristol Bus Station to Yate

» Service Y1, Y3 and Y6 between Yate and Bristol.