Service changes in Bath and North East Somerset from Sunday 9 October 2022

7th Sep 2022Bath & Somerset

Location

Bath and North East Somerset
Cause

Service Change
Responsibility

N/A
Effective

09/10/2022 - 09/10/2022

Bus operator First West of England announced service changes designed to balance customer demand with available resource to deliver reliable services for its customers into the future. The changes are a result of changing post-pandemic demand which has seen passenger numbers fall by 25 per cent compared to pre-Covid figures. The effects of this have been further impacted by acute driver shortages in the region.

The vast majority of routes in Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Somerset have been retained.

Local Transport Authorities worked with First West of England and all local operators to complete a network review to assess the viability of all routes in light of changes to travel patterns and bus use post-pandemic.

First West of England’s changes, which come into effect on 9th October, follow this review and were shared in July with Local Transport Authorities to allow the maximum time for them to consider whether alternative options were available. Some changes come into effect earlier, to reflect University term dates. Full details are shown below.

Doug Claringbold, Managing Director of First West of England, said: “The very last thing any transport operator wants to do is reduce or cut any services. We recognise the impact these changes will have on some of our communities and we are truly sorry for those who will be affected. We’ve actively engaged with local authorities to try to keep these services running.

“We had high hopes that, as we moved beyond the pandemic and Covid restrictions, we would see a stronger recovery in bus use. Unfortunately, the world has changed more than we predicted and we are still seeing a significantly lower level of bus use, as well as different travel patterns across our network. On top of this, like the rest of the bus industry and other sectors, we are operating against the backdrop of rising business costs and labour shortages that are particularly acute in our area.”

“Our data shows that passengers do not use these services in sufficient numbers and are unlikely to return in the future. Along with the significant driver shortages, this means we simply have no choice but to withdraw or reduce those services and ensure we focus on running buses where there are enough customers travelling.”

First West of England will continue to work with local authorities and partners to adapt services in a way that remains sustainable for the longer term, whilst seeking to provide customers with the reliability that meets their needs. This includes looking at community and Digital Demand Responsive Transport solutions which in some parts of the region may offer better and more cost-effective alternatives to meet local social needs than traditional scheduled bus services.

Services 22, 42 and 178 will be withdrawn. Changes to Service 4 and the introduction of Service 379 will mitigate the loss of Services 42 and 178 as outlined below. Service 22 will no longer be operated by First after Saturday 24th September. Arrangements have been made between the West of England Combined Authority and a new operator, Abus, to continue this service. This will now start from Tuesday 27th September. Please see full details at www.abus.co.uk. First tickets will not be accepted on this service, however BathRider tickets will be accepted on both operators’ buses.
Service 379 will operate between Bath and Bristol via Peasdown St John, Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Hallatrow, Wells Road and Knowle. This will replace Service 171 and provide a partial replacement for the majority of customers on Service 178, reducing journey times to and from Bristol compared to that service. A further part-replacement for Service 178 between Midsomer Norton (Old Mills) Tesco and Brislington Park & Ride has now been arranged between the West of England Combined Authority and other operators. This service will be jointly operated by Abus and Citistar, and provide additional journeys to the school-time journeys on Service 349 which will be extended beyond Keynsham to and from Midsomer Norton. First tickets will not be accepted on the revised 178, however AvonRider tickets will be issued and accepted on all operators' buses. For further information, please see www.abus.co.uk or www.citistar.co.uk.
Service 4 journeys will be extended to Odd Down Park & Ride to cover the loss of Service 42.
Service 2 – will increase in frequency, and will now run every 20 minutes throughout the day (Monday-Saturday daytimes).
Service 3 – will no longer serve Elmhurst Estate. Customers in the Elmhurst Estate can use a new service, Service 13, which will operate between Elmhurst Estate and Bath City Centre.
Services 4, 4a and 4b – will no longer serve the full length of Eastfield Avenue following a request from Bath and North East Somerset Council due to ongoing problems with the road surface. Customers can still use the Eastfield Avenue terminus stop. Buses will operate via High Street and Lansdown Lane before turning right into Eastfield Avenue to reach Haviland Park terminus. Those journeys that continue to Upper Weston will turn right onto Lansdown Lane on leaving the terminus, serving Upper Weston and then return via Lansdown Lane.
Service 8 – will reduce in frequency, and will now run every 45 minutes.
Services 11, 12, 20 and 82 – these services are operated by First West of England under contract to the West of England Combined Authority. The contract for them ended on 27th August but First West of England agreed with the Combined Authority that the services could continue until Sunday 9th October to align with the wider set of changes on that date. Due to driver shortages, from Sunday 9th October, First West of England have not re-tendered for, and will therefore no longer operate, these contracts. The Combined Authority is determining whether alternative provision can be secured. Service 82 will continue with a new operator from Monday 10th October - Libra Travel (www.libratravel.co.uk). There are some changes to the timetable including the morning journeys operating earlier than previously, so please check before travelling.
Service 172 – will operate hourly, with most journeys terminating at Tesco in Midsomer Norton. Evening and Sunday services will also cover Paulton and early morning and late evening journeys will operate to and from Wells.
Service 174 – will have a revised timetable and on Sundays, will additionally serve Chilcompton. Buses on Sundays will run from Bath to Midsomer Norton Town Hall but instead of turning around at Midsomer Norton Town Hall and using Silver Street, will continue as per the 173 route via Redfield Road into Chilcompton. At the end of Bakers Lane, they will turn left into Wells Road to rejoin the normal 174 route at the end of Silver Street. Buses towards Bath will do the same in reverse.
With the introduction of Service 379, the 172, 173, 174 and 379 will maintain a 15 minute frequency along the common sections of route.
Service D2 – Sunday frequency will be reduced to every 2 hours. More journeys across the week will cover Rode. Evening journeys will now be retained on Mondays - Saturdays.
Services U1, U2 and U5 will increase in frequency for the start of the new academic year at the University of Bath and Bath Spa University. There will be an uplift on service U1 from Monday 26th September, with it running every 10 - 15 minutes during the main part of the day. The full term time timetable will then come into effect on all of the U1, U2 and U5 from Sunday 2nd October.
Services 1, 5, 19, 39, X39 and 173 will have minor timetable changes to improve punctuality and reliability.