Coronavirus - COVID19: Service information
This page was last updated: 21 September
| For important extra information please see here: |
Who may and may not travel on your buses?
On Friday 17 July, the government made it clear that anybody in England may now use public transport.
Anyone who is suffering from coronavirus symptoms, including a persistent cough or high temperature, should not travel and should follow public health guidelines.
What timetables are in operation?
The majority of our services are running. Details of the bus services running in this region are shown further down this page ⇒
Are there any imminent timetable changes?
Services changed on the 21 September. The next service change will be on the 27 September (primarily university services) and new timetables will be on this page when they become available.
What assistance is provided for disabled passengers?
Support for disabled passengers remains the same as before coronavirus, see here for more details ⇒
We offer our full support to wheelchair users who want to travel with us. While many of our seats are blocked with signs or tape, our wheelchair spaces remain available. All our buses have a dedicated area for wheelchair users; other passengers are required to give up the space for wheelchair users. Please ask the driver for assistance if you require any help. If the driver needs to leave their cab to provide passenger assistance they will wear a face covering.
Wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space, since this is the only place in which they can travel safely.
- If the ramp is required please keep a 2 metre distance whilst the driver puts the ramp in place.
- The driver will keep the time they are within 2 metres of you to an absolute minimum.
What steps is First Bus taking to maximise social distancing, at stops and on board?
On our buses we are operating at a reduced capacity with around 2 in 4 seats being available. It is therefore likely that that you might see ‘Bus Full’ signs as some services reach their revised capacity more quickly.
If you are waiting at a bus stop and the bus drives past, it is likely it has reached its reduced seating capacity. If the bus does stop, but is near capacity, the driver will only allow one person to board for every person that gets off, so you may need to allow extra time for your journey and be prepared to wait. With the latest version of the First Bus App you can now track your bus live on a map and it also displays how many seats are available on each bus.
In addition, you will also see further measures in place to help you to adhere to social distancing guidelines. These include:
- New capacity signs by the entrance of each bus
- Seat signs and tape to clearly show where you should/shouldn’t sit to maintain a safe distance
- Reminders to be considerate of other passengers
- No longer allowing standing
| Seat signs will show where you shouldn't sit: |
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| Capacity signs by the entrance of our buses. This will show the maximum passenger capacity for each bus: |
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What should passengers do to socially distance, at stops and on board the bus?
- Plan your travel in advance, avoiding peak periods
- Please observe social distancing on-bus and at bus stops
- Wear a face covering when on board
- On our double deckers, consider sitting upstairs (if you are able)
- Pay with contactless or purchasing your ticket in advance on our Mobile App
- Use the correct change if you must pay by cash
- No eating or drinking while on board
- Leave windows open to aid ventilation
Do bus passengers have to wear face coverings/masks?
The UK Government has stated that from 15 June it is mandatory for passengers to wear face coverings while travelling on public transport in England.
- Please remember to bring a face covering or mask for your journey, it needs to fit well and cover your mouth and nose.
- Put your face covering on before boarding the bus.
- If you have an exemption and you are unable to wear a face covering please be prepared to inform the driver or show an Extra help to travel card (Journey assistance card). Please see here for more details ⇒
- Please take your face covering with you at the end of your journey.
Please see our face coverings page for more information ⇒
Who is exempt from wearing a face covering?
Exemptions for the use of face coverings will apply to those with certain health conditions, disabled people and children under the age of 11.
To see the government guidance on face covering exemptions please follow this link ⇒
What additional cleaning is taking place?
Our buses are comprehensively cleaned every night by our expert team of cleaners, including regular disinfection of all grab rails and poles, entrance door handles, window ledges and other touchpoints.
Will you be providing face masks or hand sanitiser for passengers?
No, customers should use their own sanitiser and face covering.
In order to maximise social distancing, when is best to travel and when is best to avoid?
There is usually sufficient capacity on our buses but it's best to plan your travel in advance. To help you do that, we’ve launched our new Space Checker website, which can be found here. This uses recent travel data to enable you to see by service and stop where the busiest and quietest times are likely to be for the next 7 days. Of course the number of passengers and the time that they travel at will change with the return of students and people returning to work after the holiday period. The Space Checker tool will reflect this as the days pass, so keep an eye on your favourite service and bus stop as things unfold.
As the time you need to catch your bus approaches, with the latest version of the First Bus App you can now track your bus live on a map and it also displays how many seats are available on each bus.
We also advise that you try to travel before the last service of the day, to avoid the risk of the last service bus being full. We will not be able to run extra buses after the last service bus.
What happens if the bus I want to catch is full?
On our buses we are operating at a reduced capacity with around 2 in 4 seats being available. It is therefore likely that that you might see ‘Bus Full’ signs as some services reach their revised capacity more quickly.
If you are waiting at a bus stop and the bus drives past, it is likely it has reached its reduced seating capacity. If the bus does stop, but is near capacity, the driver will only allow one person to board for every person that gets off, so you may need to allow extra time for your journey and be prepared to wait. With the latest version of the First Bus App you can now track your bus live on a map and it also displays how many seats are available on each bus.
What happens if the last service of the day is full?
We advise that you try to travel before the last service of the day, to avoid the risk of the last service bus being full. We will not be able to run extra buses after the last service bus, and you may have to arrange alternative transport.
Are you still accepting cash on your buses?
We encourage all of our customers to buy tickets using the First Bus App or to pay by contactless card on board. Services X8 and 349 operated by ABus on behalf of First Bus do not currently accept contactless payments. If you are paying with cash, please try to use the exact fare.
Which First Bus ticket offices and customer service centres are open and which are closed?
Bristol Travel Hub is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, all other travel shops are currently closed. For customer service enquiries you can call us on 0345 646 0707. Our lines are open from 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri. Our quieter times are usually between 11am and 3pm so you may prefer to call then as there will be less of a wait to speak to one of our Customer Support Agents.
If you prefer, you can fill out the contact form here instead ⇒ We will get back to you as soon as we can but please be aware that for lost property enquiries our response time is usually within 3 working days for all other enquiries this could take up to 14 days.
| For important extra information please see here: |
Bristol and the surrounding area
Bristol Network Map from 2 August 2020
| Service |
Current Timetables |
Route map |
|---|---|---|
| 1, 2 & 2a |  map |
|
| 3 & 4 |  map |
|
| 5 |  map |
|
| 6 & 7 |  map |
|
| 8 |  map |
|
| 17 |  map |
|
| 18 & 19 | n/a | |
| 22 | No service | n/a |
| 24 & 24a |
24a - No service |
 map |
| 35 |  map |
|
| 36 & 36s |  map |
|
| 37 |  map |
|
| 39 & X39 |  map |
|
| 41x | ||
|
42 & 43 |
 map |
|
| 44 & 45 |  map |
|
| 48, 48A & 49 |
 map |
|
| 70 |  map |
|
| 71 | No service | n/a |
| 72 & 72a |  map |
|
| 73 |  map |
|
| 75 & 76 |
 map |
|
| 90 |  map |
|
| 91 & 92 |
 map |
|
| 96 |  map |
|
| 178 |  map |
|
| 349 | n/a | |
| 376 |  map |
|
| A1 | Service suspended (please use A2) | n/a |
| A2 |  map |
|
| T1, T1b & T2 |
 map |
|
| U1 | n/a | |
| U2 | map | |
| X1 |  map |
|
| X2 |  map |
|
| X3, X3a, X4 |
 map |
|
| X5, X5s | X5 & X5s from 6 Sept | n/a |
| X6 & X7 |  map |
|
| X8 & X9 |
 map |
|
| Y1 & Y2 |
 map |
|
| Y3 & Y4 |
 map |
|
| Y5 |  map |
|
| Y6 | n/a | |
| m1 |  map |
|
| m2 |  map |
|
|
m3x (m3 service suspended) |
 map |
|
| Portway P&R |
n/a | |
| Brislington P&R | n/a | |
|
SB1 (college service only) |
SB1 from 6 Sept |
.
Weston-super-Mare and Wells
If your service is not listed below, please check the Bristol area.
| Service |
Current timetables |
Route map |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | see timetable | |
| 3 |  map |
|
| 5 |  map |
|
| 7 |  map |
|
| 20 | see timetable | |
| 126 |  map |
|
| A3 | Service suspended |  map |
.
Bath and the surrounding area
If your service is not listed below, please check the Bristol area.
| Service |
Current Timetables |
Route map |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  map |
|
| 2 |  map |
|
| 3, 3a, 3b & 3s |  map |
|
| 4 | map | |
| 5 |  map |
|
| 6, 6a & 7 |  map |
|
| 8 |  map |
|
| 11 |  map |
|
| 12 |  map |
|
| 20a, 20c & 20s | map | |
| 21 | n/a | |
| 31 | n/a | |
| 41 | n/a | |
| 42 | map | |
| 171, 172, 173 & 174 |  map |
|
| D1, D1x & D1s |  map |
|
| D2 & D2s | n/a | |
| U1 | map |
|
| U2 |
This service has been replaced with 20a & 20c |
n/a |
| U3 |
No service |
map |
| U5 |  map |
|
| R2 | Service now operated by ABus | n/a |
| Please watch our videos for information and advice for travelling on the bus during the coronavirus situation: | |
 |
Travel safely on our buses: Social distancing and travel information: Video ⇒ |
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Face coverings: Video ⇒ |
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First Bus App: Know where your bus is and how many seats are available: Video ⇒ |
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Social distancing information for customers who are visually impaired: Video ⇒ |
