A NEW bus service for east Bristol is due to launch next month.
The half-hourly service 16 will run from Fishponds to Rupert Street in the city centre via Kingswood, St George, Barton Hill and Temple Meads.
It is one of three new routes being funded from April 6 by £4.3 million set aside by Bristol City Council from the income raised by Clean Air Zone charges.
Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport and connectivity committee, said: “I am thrilled we are funding these important new bus services that will connect people to their places of work, families, friends, leisure, education and more.
“It’s fantastic, that by working towards clean air for Bristol, we have been able to put money aside to invest in sustainable public transport that will be invaluable to the communities they will serve.
“This follows on from the work of a task and finish group, which involved councillors from all political parties and was chaired by Councillor Tim Rippington, to consider how best to spend the Clean Air Zone income to support more bus services. We looked at gaps in Bristol’s bus network to identify services that would have the most benefit for people along these routes.
“I am especially pleased that residents in east Bristol will benefit from a new half hourly bus service. This will complement our East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial, offering residents a fantastic new resource and hopefully reducing pressure in the area.”
Councillor Tim Rippington said: “This is great news for our city, particularly for some of areas which have been poorly served by buses until now. Every Bristolian should have access to a reliable bus service. Whilst there’s a lot more work to do, I hope these routes serve as an important first step towards those ends.
“There are, of course, a lot more areas that need new bus routes. £4.3 million* does not buy very much these days in terms of buses, but we are hopeful that this is just the beginning and we can identify more funding and plug even more gaps in the future.
“The timescales for this project were extremely tight – had we not initiated the Task and Finish Group when we did it would have been at least another six months before we saw any new routes coming into action.
“I’d like to thank council and Mayoral Combined Authority officers, in particular, for making this happen so quickly, and also my fellow councillors on the Task and Finish Group for their efforts in getting us over the line.”
First Bus has registered the three new bus services with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, who is responsible for overseeing and improving bus services in Bristol and the wider region and will manage the contracts for these new routes.
ROUTE DETAILS: From Rupert Street via Christmas Street, Quay Street, Nelson Street, Union Street, The Horsefair, Penn Street, Lower Castle Street, Old Market Roundabout, Temple Way, Avon Street, Feeder Road, Marsh Lane, Avonvale Road, Church Road, Summerhill Road, Air Balloon Road, Nags Head Hill, Kingsway, Two Mile Hill Road, Regent Street, Hanham Road, (Kingswood) Cecil Road, Moravian Road, Regent Street, Downed Road, Ingleside Road, Lodge Road, Lodge Hill, Lodge Causeway to Fishponds Road Cross Hands bus stop.
From Fishponds Road Cross Hands bus stop via Downend Road, Overndale Road, Sheppard Road, Gill Avenue, Vassell Road, Straits Parade, Fishponds Road, Lodge Causeway, Lodge Hill, Lodge Road, Ingleside Road, Downend Road, Regent Street, Hanham Road, (Kingswood) Cecil Road, Moravian Road, Two Mile Hill Road, Kingsway, Nags Head Hill, Air Balloon Road, Summerhill Road, Church Road, Avonvale Road, Marsh Lane, Feeder Road, Avon Street, New Kingsley Road, Horton Street, Midland Road, Old Market Street, Old Market Roundabout, Temple Way, Bond Street, St James Barton Roundabout, The Haymarket, Bridgewell Street to Rupert Street.