First West of England announces service alterations for Bristol
In response to the introduction of the national lockdown earlier this week, Bus operator First West of England will be adjusting some its services in Bristol from Sunday 10th January 2021 to reflect the reduced customer demand across the region, especially for school, college and university services.
It is expected that many of these service alterations will be for the duration of the lockdown period, but all services remain under constant review.
Among the key changes to timetables and operating services is the suspension of several closed schools-only services, and the withdrawal of some journeys which were previously introduced to provide additional capacity prior to lockdown.
James Freeman, Managing Director of First West of England, said: “The introduction of this new lockdown is a reminder that we are still operating in a very fluid environment due to the pandemic. This set of changes reflects the ever-shifting situation.
“As circumstances change, we are regularly monitoring what is needed to get our customers moving safely and reliably and we remain fully committed to providing a service for all those who need to make essential journeys in line with Government guidance.”
“We want to remind all customers that it is a legal requirement to wear a face covering when travelling by public transport, unless you fall within the Government’s specified exemptions and we ask that everyone adheres to this to help protect each other. Social distancing measures remain in place on all our buses and we also encourage customers to take advantage of contactless payment if possible, to make boarding faster and safer.
“We’d like to thank all our customers for their ongoing patience and cooperation over the last few months which has been challenging for everyone.”
Key changes
Brislington Park and Ride
From Monday to Friday the frequency of this service will be slightly reduced, operating every 20 minutes, rather than every 15 minutes as previously. On Saturdays there will be no change to the frequency of buses on this service, however journey times will be reduced.
Portway Park and Ride
From Monday to Friday the frequency of this service will be slightly reduced, operating every 20 minutes, rather than every 15 minutes as previously. On Saturdays there will be no change to the frequency of buses on this service, however journey times will be reduced.
On Sundays and Public Holidays this service will operate on a slightly reduced timetable of every 30 minutes.
metrobus Service m2 (Long Ashton P&R - City Centre)
From Monday to Friday the frequency of this service will be slightly reduced, operating every 20 minutes, rather than every 15 minutes as previously. On Saturdays there will be no change to the frequency of buses on this service, however journey times will be reduced.
Service U1 (Stoke Bishop Transport Hub - City Centre via University of Bristol Campus)
With the University of Bristol moving to online learning, Service U1 will continue to operate according to its University holiday timetable, with journeys every 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday during the day.
Service (4 Cribbs Causeway - City Centre Via Henbury)
Journeys between the City Centre and Cribbs Causeway will continue to operate as normal.
Monday to Saturday daytime journeys operating between the City Centre and Henbury only will be withdrawn. These journeys were introduced to provide additional capacity pre-lockdown and are no longer required during the current national lockdown.
Service 36s (City Centre – Brislington)
Service 36s, which operates journeys exclusively for school and college students, will be suspended.
Service SB1 (St Brendan’s College)
Service SB1, which operates journeys exclusively for St Brendan’s College, will be suspended.
Service T1s (Bristol – Thornbury)
Service T1s, which operates journeys exclusively for Thornbury school students, will be suspended.
Service X4/X4s (Bristol – Portishead via Pill)
On Service X4, duplicate journeys between Bristol Bus Station and Pill, which previously provided additional capacity at peak times from Monday to Friday, will be suspended.
Service X4s, which operates journeys exclusively for St. Katherine’s School, will be suspended.
School / College Duplicate Journeys
Where journeys on services are duplicated to provide additional capacity for school and college movements, these additional journeys will be suspended. Customers are advised to check timetables carefully prior to travelling.
For details of all changes view the new timetables here: www.firstgroup.com/letsgetmovingwoe