First West of England (Bristol, Bath & The West)

[Whiteway215]

Well that’s quite a surprise!
Andy Burnham visits Bath today and promotes the £2 bus cap.

One would have thought this might have been an appearance in the city centre and perhaps a walkabout to meet the people. But no apparently part of the event happened at Weston Island depot!

 

[freetoview33]

Well that’s quite a surprise!
Andy Burnham visits Bath today and promotes the £2 bus cap.

One would have thought this might have been an appearance in the city centre and perhaps a walkabout to meet the people. But no apparently part of the event happened at Weston Island depot!

With the usual faces

 

[DaveHarries]

There's a schematic of the junction design here:

https://bristolonthemove.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Temple-Way-Bristol-Design-drawing-Sept-2025_Page_2-973x1280.webp

The right turn out of Avon St will run concurrently with the turn into it, and with a new walking and cycling crossing across Temple Way (avoiding the horrible underpass).

Presumably that will be Temple Way getting stuffed up the [....] then - the only thing BCC are good at doing. Sounds like an attempt to make Temple Way worse TBH.

8 will be extended round a new loop to terminate at UoBr Temple Quarter Campus - It will start at temple meads and come out on Avon street. 8 will no longer serve the Horsefair and Penn Street.

How easy will it be to get a Yutong E12 under that bridge on Avon Street? Doesn't look to me as if there will be much, if any, margin for error. Also I can see the 8 getting less ridership from Temple Meads towards the Centre because intending passengers might look for more direct routes. Will the 8 do the Temple Quarter loop on evening and night journeys or will those journeys follow the present route?

Dave

 

[wiltshirebloke]

Well that’s quite a surprise!
Andy Burnham visits Bath today and promotes the £2 bus cap.

One would have thought this might have been an appearance in the city centre and perhaps a walkabout to meet the people. But no apparently part of the event happened at Weston Island depot!

Helped it seems by Andy & Doug being old university chums

When Prime Minister Burnham traveled to Somerset to announce a nationwide £2 cap on bus fares, Claringbold was on hand to greet him and formally support the fare-cap initiative. Doug Claringbold and Andy Burnham were university classmates and played on the same univeristy football team. [Source : https://www.bathecho.co.uk/news/politics/new-prime-minister-bath-launch-bus-fare-cap-118874/]

 

[Stompehh]

Presumably that will be Temple Way getting stuffed up the [....] then - the only thing BCC are good at doing. Sounds like an attempt to make Temple Way worse TBH.


How easy will it be to get a Yutong E12 under that bridge on Avon Street? Doesn't look to me as if there will be much, if any, margin for error. Also I can see the 8 getting less ridership from Temple Meads towards the Centre because intending passengers might look for more direct routes. Will the 8 do the Temple Quarter loop on evening and night journeys or will those journeys follow the present route?

Dave

The lane layout and traffic light sequence there is currently quite convoluted, this makes it much simpler. The bus lane is also continued across the bridge where it isn't now, giving buses a clear run from Old Market to The Friary. Not sure why you'd think that any of this is worse.

On the Avon St arch, the direction the 8 will come from has the lane more in the centre of the arch because the pavement is on that side, so I don't think it will be an issue.

 

[Will1am]

How easy will it be to get a Yutong E12 under that bridge on Avon Street? Doesn't look to me as if there will be much, if any, margin for error. Also I can see the 8 getting less ridership from Temple Meads towards the Centre because intending passengers might look for more direct routes. Will the 8 do the Temple Quarter loop on evening and night journeys or will those journeys follow the present route?

Dave

The E12s will fit perfectly fine. The 8 and 16 will use Avon Street on all journeys towards the centre. As the 8 is becoming 24 hours Mon-Sat with this extension. This also perfectly fits in with the new Friary plans to move the bus interchange there.

 

[swifty]

I noted 67166 on Airport Road yesterday, it appears to have swapped with some of Weston’s Streetdecks making it the first of Baths MMCs (rumoured) to head to Weston.

35159 & 35566/7 are working out of Bath today.

 

[Callum15632]

I noted 67166 on Airport Road yesterday, it appears to have swapped with some of Weston’s Streetdecks making it the first of Baths MMCs (rumoured) to head to Weston.

35159 & 35566/7 are working out of Bath today.

I saw either 35566 or 35567 yesterday on Bath Road on the way to Bath. I thought it might have been for MOT but then I realised that Hengrove do it.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

37318 donated to charity https://news.firstbus.co.uk/news/fi...bzGxbbB9YHUWm2CTtg_aem_naKrKQKZK6FewiWnbXhONA

When new, it was vinyled up at a present as it was the first new bus for the East Bristol bus corridor

 

[wiltshirebloke]

A rather lengthy piece on the Saltford Parish Council Website regarding the recent roadworks in the village, which caused the main X39 to be diverted away from the A4 due to delays of an hour being suffered.

Many villagers not happy with the bus missing out many stops, and having to wait for the A4 Airport Flyer bus which was not diverted. This coupled with lengthy works to continue in connection following planning approval for a Curo homes development, which required improved walking and cycling access to 208 new homes, approximately 1km of active travel path on the A4 between Pixash Lane and Grange Rd in Saltford will no longer form part of our scheme. This section is currently under construction by Curo. WECA’s article on the outcome of their ‘A4 Bath to Bristol’ 2025 consultation,

Some of the article :

SPC is also aware that the First Bus website currently states: ‘Due to regular significant delays being experienced passing through roadworks at Saltford, a diversion is now in place between 0930-1530 weekdays only until Monday 3rd August. This will affect service X39.’

This morning, SPC contacted First Bus to request that information about any service disruptions is clearly displayed online. This followed cancellations affecting services through Saltford on both 10 July and 17 July due to the roadworks.

SPC became aware of the update to the First Bus website subsequently (as below) but has yet to receive a direct response (bar auto-response).

SPC has also raised concerns with First Bus about the impact of diverted services on residents, particularly those who may be more vulnerable or less able to make alternative travel arrangements.

SPC has also asked for reassurance that passengers boarding the X39 will be informed by the driver if the service is unable to travel through Saltford, following reports of residents being unaware of diversions and having to walk from stops at the Globe or in Keynsham during hot weather.

SPC continues to await a direct response from First Bus and will share any further information received on this page.

I must say, as a side point i've always found, although comprehensive, the Daily Service Updates section very hard to read as it's compiled on a table basis, but constricted to display in a small window. I'm sure it could be displayed much better for all formats - Desktop or Mobile.

 

[nick291]

37318 donated to charity https://news.firstbus.co.uk/news/fi...bzGxbbB9YHUWm2CTtg_aem_naKrKQKZK6FewiWnbXhONA

When new, it was vinyled up at a present as it was the first new bus for the East Bristol bus corridor

Keep forgetting that it's a Lawrence Hill turned Hengrove then Lawrence Hill bus, and not 37315/6/7 which are/were Weston turned Hengrove ones.

 

[contrex]

Wife and I used our elderly persons' bus passes on the new 25 from St Werburghs to Broad Quay for lunch and an Arnolfini visit, then return. Both journeys punctual and the new Yutongs are such a change from the rusty old growlers they replace. Aircon for one thing. Both services well patronised. I think the southern extension to Ashton Gate has easily made up for the truncation at the other end from Fishponds Straits to the Eastgate Centre. Plenty of people in both directions were riding through & past the Centre so it seems to have opened up journey opportunities. We sometimes go to the Riverside Garden Centre in Southville for dinner ("lunch"), waste sacks, little cacti etc. It goes very near.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

rusty old growlers

Keep forgetting that it's a Lawrence Hill turned Hengrove then Lawrence Hill bus, and not 37315/6/7 which are/were Weston turned Hengrove ones.

37315-7 were new for the X1 at Weston (hence having high backed seats) whilst 37318 to 37359 were new to Lawrence Hill. I think they dislodged the Palatine 2 Olympians which I really liked but then again, you can't stop progress.

 

[nick291]

37315-7 were new for the X1 at Weston (hence having high backed seats) whilst 37318 to 37359 were new to Lawrence Hill. I think they dislodged the Palatine 2 Olympians which I really liked but then again, you can't stop progress.

They did. Don't have much recollection of the S-AAE olympians they replaced tbh. I think a few did end up at Hengrove and occasionally turned up on the 89/90(now 74) but I could be misremembering.

 

[Snow1964]

One of the grey Bristol university livery buses, was used on D1X to Trowbridge, Wilts yesterday (Tuesday)

A long way off its normal route, but possibly covering during university holidays

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

One of the grey Bristol university livery buses, was used on D1X to Trowbridge, Wilts yesterday (Tuesday)

A long way off its normal route, but possibly covering during university holidays

They’re all at Bath and have been for a few months. They’re often on U services or the A4 but do escape elsewhere. One’s at Wells atm

 

[Class707SE]

One of the grey Bristol university livery buses, was used on D1X to Trowbridge, Wilts yesterday (Tuesday)

A long way off its normal route, but possibly covering during university holidays

All of these buses have been at Bath a short while now and many have been painted into West Green. They're likely not going back.

Edit: Beaten to it

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

All of these buses have been at Bath a short while now and many have been painted into West Green. They're likely not going back.

Edit: Beaten to it

And here's one of them repainted that I snapped in March in TrowVegas. A long time since a dual door bus was used in Trowbridge, I reckon

 

[contrex]

I forgot it's a rude word to some people, probs those under about 40?. It also used to be a slang term for a hackney carriage (the horse drawn type)

 

[Cheers Drive]

Wife and I used our elderly persons' bus passes on the new 25 from St Werburghs to Broad Quay for lunch and an Arnolfini visit, then return. Both journeys punctual and the new Yutongs are such a change from the rusty old growlers they replace. Aircon for one thing. Both services well patronised. I think the southern extension to Ashton Gate has easily made up for the truncation at the other end from Fishponds Straits to the Eastgate Centre. Plenty of people in both directions were riding through & past the Centre so it seems to have opened up journey opportunities. We sometimes go to the Riverside Garden Centre in Southville for dinner ("lunch"), waste sacks, little cacti etc. It goes very near.

Im sorry but rusty old growlers the Volvos were extremely well maintained throughout their life I as a driver know this from driving all over the uk with different operators and different vehicles they’re nowhere near rusty they’re like brand new Lawrence hill and hengrove are some of the best maintenance departments in the uk

 

[contrex]

Im sorry but rusty old growlers the Volvos were extremely well maintained throughout their life I as a driver know this from driving all over the uk with different operators and different vehicles they’re nowhere near rusty they’re like brand new Lawrence hill and hengrove are some of the best maintenance departments in the uk

Sorry, I could have been clearer that I was on about the stuff Eurocoaches put on in their short time on the 25 up to last week. If you had heard or ridden their deckers you would know what I mean. [EDIT] - I gather from another post (not a bus expert!) that they were using Mellor minibuses and ex-Dublin Bus Volvo B7TLs. For example, here's a picture of one with an 05 reg, they were not always as clean looking as this. They were hot as hell in the heatwave. You could smell it when you boarded. And plastered with the Devil's phone number! Whatever made them pick that?

 

[Andyh82]

Why do the T & Y services seem to now be run by the oldest possible vehicles. Looking today besides one or two, it’s all the oldest Geminis, often every vehicle being in a different livery. Why did they take off the Scanias?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Why do the T & Y services seem to now be run by the oldest possible vehicles. Looking today besides one or two, it’s all the oldest Geminis, often every vehicle being in a different livery. Why did they take off the Scanias?

I think it's because they wanted to concentrate the gas buses on the 1, 3, and 4 as well as the original 6, 7 and 44 but, to be honest, there's no pattern on how vehicles are allocated these days. So far removed from the days of James Freeman

 

[swifty]

I think it's because they wanted to concentrate the gas buses on the 1, 3, and 4 as well as the original 6, 7 and 44 but, to be honest, there's no pattern on how vehicles are allocated these days. So far removed from the days of James Freeman

I thought it was to do with keeping the gas buses on the short / low mileage boards, as they had been shunted back to LH for fuel in the early evening for the longer boards.

The non Metrobus 386xx Scania’s seem to mainly back fill for the long term VOR gas buses on Metro routes now, so that leaves B9s for the MH routes.

 

[freetoview33]

I thought it was to do with keeping the gas buses on the short / low mileage boards, as they had been shunted back to LH for fuel in the early evening for the longer boards.

The non Metrobus 386xx Scania’s seem to mainly back fill for the long term VOR gas buses on Metro routes now, so that leaves B9s for the MH routes.

Until it all changes again when electrics start coming to LH

 

[DaveHarries]

Until it all changes again when electrics start coming to LH

And that won't be long: I saw a pic of some Westbus-coloured U11DDs at a docks somewhere which were said to be for LH so PDI would be the next stop for those. Has much been done towards the electrification at LH? I haven't looked through the fence for a while.

Dave

 

[Class707SE]

Looks like the changes for August 30th are up. (Link to Travel west page).

Only have the descriptions in, and the timetables will probably follow suit later.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Looks like the changes for August 30th are up. (Link to Travel west page).

Only have the descriptions in, and the timetables will probably follow suit later.

Confirmation that the Orchard Way estate in Peasedown St John loses its bus service...again

 

[freetoview33]

Some of the new timetables are on the first bus website

 

[Will1am]

It seems to be looking like we can see Somerset rejoining West of England in the next few months, with their changes being listed with Bristol and Baths on the website