[ Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, behind the wheel of a bus. Photo credit: First Bus / Jon Craig]
New bus services – including some linking to Bath – are set to launch in July across the West of England.
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 take effect from 26 July (five weeks from Sunday, 21 June), with all the details available on TravelWest (link will be live from midnight).
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 and 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 | Route | Details |
| 9 | Park & Ride – Brislington P&R – Bristol City Centre – Portway P&R | Funding extended Peak frequency increase to every 10 minutes Later evenings journeys |
| 21 | Newbridge Park & Ride | Funding extended Later evenings journeys |
| 31 | Lansdown Park & Ride | Funding extended Later evenings journeys |
| 41 | Odd Down Park & Ride | Funding extended Later evenings journeys |
| 13 | Foxhill – Odd Down – Bath City Centre – Elmhurst Estate | Funding extended Evening service Sunday service |
| 19 | Bath – Bitton – Cadbury Heath – Kingswood – Downend – Frenchay – Bristol Parkway Station | Funding extended Route via Frenchay |
| 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, WESTlink is available outside of Bath and Bristol city centres. Passengers can book a WESTlinkbus via the app or over the 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 Transport 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.
Routes from 26 July include:
| Current Service | New Service | Route | Days of operation | Frequency | Details |
| 2V, X91 | 100 | Bath - Timsbury - Farmborough – Bishop Sutton – Chew Valley – Bristol | Monday to Saturday | Every 60 minutes between 0600 & 1900 | New service – replaces X91 and 2V Increase in frequency New links created between Chew Valley and Bath |
| 99 | 101 | Bishop Sutton – Chew Magna – Paulton – Midsomer Norton – Radstock | Monday to Saturday | Every 90 minutes, 7am to 8pm | New service – replaces 99 New links created between Chew Valley and Paulton, Midsomer Norton, and Radstock |
| 522 | 522 | Brislington Park and Ride to Odd Down Park and Ride | Monday to Sunday | Mon – Sat every 60 minutes 6am – 8.30pm Sunday every 60 minutes 9am – 7.30pm | Route and frequency unchanged |
| Y2C, 918 | Y2C | Cribbs Causeway to Yate (including Severn Beach to Castle School journeys) | Monday to Saturday | Every 120 minutes 7am to 8pm | Replaces Y2C and 918 route. Route serves Iron Acton, more of Ladden Garden Village and Westerleigh Road/Rodford Way |
| Y8 | Y8 | Yate to Wotton Under Edge | Monday to Saturday | Every 120 minutes 7am to 7pm | Route to include Leyhill |
| 525 | 525 | Yate – Emersons Green via Pucklechurch, Westerleigh | Monday to Sunday | Every 60 minutes Monday to Saturday Every 120 minutes Sunday | Some journeys removed at weekends |
| 25 | 25 | Southville to Eastgate Centre via Bristol City Centre | Monday – Sunday | Every 30 minutes 7am – 7pm | Route changed to terminate at Eastgate Centre (instead of Fishponds) and extended from Bristol City Centre to Southville |
| 534 | 534 | SGS College – Fishponds via Emersons Green and Longwell Green | College days only | Runs three times a day | Route and frequency unchanged |
| 768 | 768 | Writhlington – Radstock – Timsbury – Bath | Monday to Saturday | Every 120 minutes, 7am to 7pm | Increase from 2 roundtrips per day to every ~120 minutes Earlier and later journeys |
| X91 | X91 | Ubley – West Harptree – East Harptree – Bishop Sutton – Dundry – Bristol | Monday to Saturday | 4 or 5 trips a day | Will stop in Dundry |
| 40 | 40 | Avonmouth, Lawrence Weston, Henbury, Brentry to Cribbs Causeway | Monday to Friday | Every 90 minutes | Route and frequency unchanged |
| K1 | K2 | Keynsham Town Service | Monday to Saturday | Every 60 minutes between 0700 & 1900 | K2 will provide a connection between the Chocolate Quarter and Keynsham and provide new connections across Keynsham. |
| – | 65 | Thornbury Town Service | Monday to Saturday | Every 60 minutes between 0700 & 1900 | New service designed to connect neighbourhoods with Thornbury town centre and bus services for onward travel |
