A new bus service linking Henleaze to Gloucester Road via the city centre will start next month.
Operator First says the 77 route will directly connect the busy and popular shopping and leisure areas of Stokes Croft and Whiteladies Road with the city centre every 30 minutes at peak times and will help relieve pressure on nearby bus services.
The route is one of three cross-city links starting in April 7. Service 41 connects Kingswood and East Bristol with Sea Mills, Shirehampton and Avonmouth while the number 5 will link St Anne’s and Clifton. It will operate every day and provide journeys into the evening, and will run alongside service 8 (Temple Meads to Clifton) to provide extra capacity on this busy route.
George Burton, Head of Network for First West of England, said: “All the changes we’re introducing in April are as a result of listening to our customers, local residents and working with local councils. We’ve also been able to work closely with the West of England Combined Authority to consider introducing new routes without the need for public funding.
“Introducing new cross-city routes, adding capacity, creating faster, express journeys and connecting more parts of the West of England, coupled with single ticket prices frozen and our Tap On, Tap Off technology making it quicker to travel and ensuring you pay the cheapest fares, shows we’re doing all we can to encourage more people to make bus the travel of choice.
“We’re now firmly in a post-pandemic recovery, and following a successful recruitment campaign our driver numbers have increased, and we’re seeing great signs that people are returning to bus travel and new people are using the bus.”
Timetables for the new routes will be published soon. Details will be on the First West of England website.