Positive news for future of several Bristol bus routes
A new operator has been found for five recently scrapped services
Several bus services that were due to be scrapped, are being saved, thanks to efforts led by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.
Negotiations to save them began on the 2nd September after the operator Bristol Community Transport decided to discontinue the services in Bristol.
With help from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), The Big Lemon, another bus company, have agreed to run the services, 505 (Long Ashton Park and Ride to Southmead), 506 (Broadmead to Southmead), 515 (Imperial Park to Stockwood) and 516 (Broad Walk to Hengrove Park) which are now due to recommence in October.
The Mayor has also announced that another operator has decided to support the running of route 52 (Hengrove park to Cabot Circus). This service will resume from today (September 12).
Mayor Dan Norris said: “As soon as the bad news came through that Bristol Community Transport was cutting all its buses, the West of England Authority I lead got down to work to try to find a solution.
"There was always money on the table, and I promised we would leave no stone unturned.
"I am delighted these efforts have paid off for the 505, 506, 515 and 516 as well as 52, 511 and m1 services: this is a really, really positive step forward.
Last month the future of the routes was thrown into doubt when the owner of Bristol Community Transport HCT Group announced it would completely scrap the scheme, which includes Dial-a-Rides and community minibuses as well as the above routes.
It also comes as several other routes run by First West of England are due to stop next month.
That includes services 5, 72a, 96, 178, X2, Y3, Y4 and Y5 in Bristol, services 22, 42 and 178 across Bath and North East Somerset and 126 and X2 across the rest of Somerset.
The Labour metro mayor previously called these cuts, which are still set to go ahead, "disheartening".
“The problem of too few drivers to staff our region’s vital bus services has gone off the Richter Scale," he said.
“We are also living in unprecedented times with annual inflation in the bus industry letting rip at over 40 per cent.
“These two major challenges have come together to create the perfect storm to see commercial bus providers up and down the land cutting back on the services they provide.
“Even where financial support has been made available by the West of England Combined Authority or the Government to keep local buses going, operators are still unwilling to run these services as they simply don’t have the drivers to operate them."