Good news on 82 bus

Thank you once again to everyone who signed our 82 bus service petition. The great news is that both the 82 and X49 bus services will be extended to Chipping Sodbury from 27th May.

Our petition in autumn 2016 showed that hundreds of people wanted the 82 service to run to and from Chipping Sodbury again, so they wouldn't have to change buses in Yate. At the time we were told that wasn't possible, but we have kept up the fight. We are delighted that First Bus has finally listened.

Not all of the changes being made by First Bus are good news though. On Sundays, the 82 service drops to 2 hourly. We will continue to campaign for better bus services for local people every day of the week.

You can check out the new timetables on the Traveline South West site.

Campaigning for better buses

On Monday Claire Young once again took our campaign for improving local bus services to the South Glos Public Transport Forum.

Claire reminded the First Bus Director James Freeman of the 82 bus service petition she presented last autumn and followed up again at the Forum earlier this year. As well as better reliability, we are calling for the reinstatement of a direct bus service from Chipping Sodbury (and the villages beyond) to Southmead, Parkway and the Mall and a later bus service for people who work at the Mall to get home after it closes.

Mr Freeman said that their records showed that since they switched the 82 service to run out of a different depot, reliability has improved (do let us know if this isn't your experience). They're considering options for improving the service but will only implement them once the Bromley Heath viaduct works have finished. Let us know if you have any comments on what you would like to see and we'll pass them on.

Claire also challenged First Bus on the age of buses being used on the 47 and X47 service into Bristol. They are planning changes to the Yate-Bristol corridor, which should bring good news, but again this will be once the viaduct work has finished. Contact us if you would like us to pass on your views about how they could improve the services.

Update: From a subsequent email it appears that First Bus have ruled out extending the 82 bus service beyond Yate before anyone has had the chance to get back to them with their suggestions.

New bus service for Tytherington and Rangeworth

Stagecoach West has introduced a useful new service from Chipping Sodbury to Cribbs Causeway via Yate, Rangeworthy, Tytherington and Thornbury - full timetable here.

Your views on bus services

South Glos Council currently subsidises a number of bus services in our area. They are now asking for your views on these in an online survey.

Printed copies will be available at all South Gloucestershire libraries and One Stop Shops and there will also be roadshow events:

Saturday 24th June, 11.00-14.00, Yate Shopping Centre
Tuesday 27th June, 10.00-14.00, Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke
Friday 30th June, 10.00-14.00 The Mall, Cribbs Causeway
Thursday 6th July, 11.00-14.00 St Mary’s Shopping Centre, Thornbury
Wednesday 12th July, 08.00-10.00, Bristol Parkway Station

The consultation runs until 3rd September.

Southmead bus improvements to include later last service

First Bus have responded to pressure from Cllr Claire Young, Dodington Parish Council and local campaigners by adding an extra bus at the end of the day, Mondays to Fridays. From 30th April, the last service back from Southmead will be at 8.30 pm (instead of 7.15 pm), calling at Cribbs Causeway at 8.45 pm, Bristol Parkway Station at 9 pm and Frampton Cotterell at 9.11 pm, reaching Yate at 9.26 pm.

The full timetable is available here

Please be sure to show your appreciation for this later journey by making use of it and help to encourage usage by making your family, your friends, work colleagues or anyone else you know who uses the 82 service aware of this positive change to the service.

Let’s hope that the changes of service management First promised us recently will result in better reliability.

Positive news on 82 bus

Campaigning last autumn for improvements to the 82 bus

After many months of campaigning with bus users for improvements to the notoriously unreliable 82 service, we are delighted to be able to report some more positive news.

Alan Barrett of First Bus attended Dodington Parish Council on Wednesday to give councillors and parishioners an update on the problems affecting the 82.

He said that at the end of April they would be transferring responsibility for running the 82 service to the team that currently runs the more reliable 46 and 47 Yate to Bristol services. It is hoped this will improve reliability.

We have also been calling for the 82 to continue to Chipping Sodbury and beyond, as it did before the cuts last September. He said that once they have resolved the reliability issues they would look again at this - and he promised to come back to the Parish Council to get their feedback on any proposals before making the final decision.

Several times he mentioned the representations we'd made at the Public Transport Forum meetings in October, when Claire Young presented a petition, and January. Thank you again to all who signed the petition, you really helped to make an impact.

82 bus service problems continue - but new evening journey promised

Local resident Ian Muirhead and
Cllrs Claire Young and Paul Hulbert

Along with her Focus team colleagues, Claire has been campaigning for a more reliable 82 bus service with a later bus back from the Mall. Sadly, we are still regularly receiving complaints about late running and cancelled buses, as covered by the Gazette newspaper this week. However there is some good news - from 30th April there will be a later journey for people returning from the Mall at 8.30pm.

82 bus campaign continues

Your Focus Team is continuing to fight for a better 82 bus service, after the last bus of the day was cut in January. On Monday, local councillor Claire Young spoke out again at the South Gloucestershire Council Public Transport Forum.

Losing the last bus of the day is a blow not just to those visiting relatives in hospital but also to workers at the Mall, Cribbs Causeway. They are having to catch buses into the centre of Bristol and back out to places like Yate and Coalpit Heath, getting home very late at night. Your Focus Team is pushing not only for the last service to be restored but also for a later service that would come back from Cribbs after the shops have closed at 9pm.

First Bus said that they had changed the timetable to improve reliability. By reducing the frequency and not having drivers changing mid-route, they said it gave more time to recoup delays, especially at peak times. They admitted that due to roadworks, including the temporary traffic lights in Winterbourne, there had been problems in the first couple of weeks of the new timetable, but they claimed that reliability had improved since, though there was still work to do.

The poor reliabilty is having a knock-on effect on our highly valued Community Transport services. Because people don't feel they can rely on the 82 bus to get them to their hospital appointments, they are turning to Community Transport, while others are being referred by their GPs because they don't meet the strict criteria for the Patient Transport Service. Claire met Green Community Travel representatives on Wednesday to discuss this and other issues.

Another 82 bus service cut

First Bus has announced yet another cut to an important bus service. This time the No. 82 service from Southmead Hospital via Cribbs Causeway to Yate will lose its last journey of the day. From 8 January the last bus will leave Southmead at 7.15 pm from Monday to Friday, almost an hour earlier and well before the end of visiting time.

This impacts people who work at Cribbs causeway too, not to mention shift workers boarding at other points along the route, and anybody who attends SGS Filton College in the evening. It makes it very hard for young people and those on minimum wage who work at the Mall, for example - their last bus will now be 7.30 pm instead of 8.24 pm.

If you use this service, please contact First and ask for the later journey to be brought back.

Claire Young has spoken  to a South Glos transport officer, who said it was a decision made commercially by First Bus and he would be speaking with them about the changes at their next review meeting.

South Glos respond to bus petition

South Glos Council has given Claire Young the following response to the petition she submitted calling for the council and bus operators to work together to reinstate the bus links to Southmead, Bristol Parkway and UWE:

I am writing in response to the Petition that you presented to the SGC public Transport Forum on the 10th October 2016 in respect of the changes to the local bus network that were implemented in September 2016.

The petition raised the concerns of the petitioners in relation to cuts to bus services from Yate and the Chipping Sodbury area to Parkway Station, Southmead Hospital and UWE, in particular the loss of direct services and the reduction in frequency of those services that remained. The Petition called upon South Gloucestershire Council to work with local bus operators to reinstate these bus services.

I am able to confirm that South Gloucestershire Council will continue to work with the commercial sector to try and deliver as comprehensive as possible network of bus services to the whole of the South Gloucestershire area. Where public funds are used to provide financial support to services (either entirely or in part) the Council will always seek to obtain the maximum benefit possible within the available funding; it may be that in some cases the most effective use of the funding available is to develop the network by making use of the available interchange points rather than by direct routing.

Where services receive financial support from the Council, we will work with the commercial operator to encourage the development and growth of the service with the aim of making it more sustainable for the longer term.

It is not possible for the Council to automatically replace commercial services that have been withdrawn. Where services are withdrawn we will work with operators and other key stakeholders to identity and investigate possible alternatives, albeit this will need to within the available funding.

Bus petition handed to First Bus and Council

On Monday, Claire Young handed over our petition to First Bus and council officials at the Public Transport Forum, calling on them to work together to reinstate direct bus links to Southmead Hospital, Bristol Parkway Station and the University of the West of England. The petition contained over 240 signatures.

The withdrawal of the 81 service has left people living in Yate, Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell with fewer buses to Southmead and Parkway. Terminating the 82 at Yate means those living in Chipping Sodbury, Wotton-under-Edge and the villages in between have no direct link at all. In addition, there are now almost no direct buses from the Yate area to UWE.

Claire and others also gave examples of the poor reliability of the 82 service. Having to change buses is bad enough, especially if you are infirm, but it's even worse if you're not sure the other bus will turn up. People will only use a service if they can rely on it.

Cuts for buses to Southmead, Parkway, UWE

First Bus has announced cuts to bus services from our villages to Parkway Station, the University of the West of England Frenchay Campus and Southmead Hospital, starting 4th September.

You can see the full details of the changes on the South Glos Council website here - you need to look at the sections about services 81, 82 and 16 in particular.

The section of the 81 service between Yate and Parkway will be withdrawn, meaning that people living in Yate, Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell will only have service 82 to get to Parkway, giving them a less frequent service. Those living in the villages between Wotton under Edge and Chipping Sodbury will no longer have any direct link to Southmead Hospital and Parkway Station.

In addition almost all the direct buses from Yate, Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell to the University of the West of England will be cut, leaving just one "school time" direct service per day in each direction, and that will only run on school days. Otherwise passengers will have to change buses.

Things will be even worse for people who live in the villages in between Chipping Sodbury and Wotton-under-Edge. They will have to change buses in Yate as well, taking longer and pushing up travel costs. People in our area fought long and hard to get decent buses to Southmead when Frenchay Hospital closed, and now many of these services are being taken away.

These cuts will:

• deter people from using public transport, making parking and congestion at Southmead and Parkway worse
• waste time for people whose trains do not coincide with the bus schedule
• restrict employment opportunities
• deter students from going to their local university
• make life more difficult for the many people who are not students or staff who use UWE's Frenchay bus station as an interchange

Please sign our petition against these cuts.

Bus service changes

There are a number of changes to the 47/X47 services from 24th April:

• There will be two more X47 journeys departing Chipping Sodbury at 0620 and 0850.
• Extra time and an extra bus has been added to Service 47 to ease some of the current issues of poor punctuality and reliability.
• An additional evening journey from Bristol on Service X47 will also be added. The times of the departures of Service X47 in the evenings will change.
• Following customer requests an additional 0500 departure from Bristol Bus Station has been added to Service 47, this will allow customers to arrive into Yate before 0600.

Following agreement with the parish councils, a nightbus service will be running but it will be renumbered and will go straight down Badminton Road rather than round Frampton Cotterell (Beesmoor Road/Woodend Road/Church Road) as it used to.

Changes to the 86 bus service

South Glos is asking for your views on changes to some bus services, including the 86, which would operate between Yate and Longwell Green, going via Coalpit Heath and Greenacres Park. It should provide a more frequent service and school journeys will still be provided, although times may alter slightly. You can have your say here before 11th February.

Ram Hill bus concerns

At last week's Safer and Stronger Community Group meeting, local beat manager PC Finbar Simmons reported back on the concerns raised at the previous meeting that buses were speeding on Ram Hill.

Between them, the police and Community Speed Watch visited Ram Hill nine times to check the speed of buses. Because they weren’t trying to gather evidence with regards to prosecution, they could do it more discretely, and they tried a number of different positions, including on the steep hill. Eight buses were found to be doing under 30mph, one other was slightly over but still below the enforcement level.

The conclusion was that although there is a perception they are speeding, perhaps because of their size on a comparatively narrow road, there is no evidence they are routinely doing so.

There is still the question of whether 30mph is appropriate on this road. Prior to raising this issue on behalf of residents at the last meeting, ward councillor Claire Young had asked highways officials at South Glos to add investigating a possible 20mph limit on this road to the list of highways schemes to be considered for future selection. That is a long process though, even once a scheme is selected. In the meantime, if you have any views, please contact Claire.

Ram Hill buses

Concerns have been raised once again about the way buses are being driven down Ram Hill. It's a narrow country road, well used by walkers and horse riders as well as motorists. Claire Young has been passing details of incidents on to both the police and South Glos council officials and has asked for the issue to be considered at the next Safer Stronger Community Group meeting (7.30pm on Tuesday 30th June in the Manor Hall, Coalpit Heath). Please email Claire details of any incidents that happen between now and then. We would also be interested to hear the experiences of people who use the bus.

Easter bus services

First Bus have made the following announcement regarding their Easter services (for other operators, please check individual websites):

Easter services for the West of England - over Easter, we will be running the following services:

Good Friday (Friday 3 April)
- Buses will operate Sunday/Public Holiday timetables. This includes Bath Park & Ride services (21, 31 & 41).
- The Bristol Airport Flyer (Service A1) will operate a normal Monday to Friday service.

Saturday 4 April
- Services will operate normal Saturday service.

Easter Sunday (Sunday 5 April)
- Buses will operate Sunday/Public Holiday timetables.
- No Park & Ride will operate in Bath (Services 21, 31 & 41).

Bank Holiday Monday (6 April)
- Buses will operate Sunday/Public Holiday timetables. This includes Bath Park & Ride services (21, 31 & 41).
- The Bristol Airport Flyer (Service A1) will operate a normal Monday to Friday service.

Please note: If it says Sunday/Public Holiday timetable and your bus service does not normally run on a Sunday/Public Holiday it will not run on this day.

A chance to put your views to First Bus managers - Mon 9th Feb

If you have problems with or questions about First's local bus services, you may be interested in their Online Meet the Manager event on Monday, timed to coincide with the commute home.

Between 5 and 7pm on Monday (9th February) you can talk directly online to First’s management team, either asking specific questions about local bus services or offering feedback. It is being held in addition to the normal Meet the Manager sessions, which are generally held every few months at various locations throughout the West of England.

To take part, you can:

• post a message on to the Facebook wall (www.facebook.com/FirstWestofEngland) 
• send a direct private message via the Facebook Page
• tweet the company, at @FirstBSA, using the hashtag 'tweetboss' ie #tweetboss. 

Messages will be answered on the night by First West of England’s Managing Director, James Freeman and the business’ Regional Customer Services Manager, Natacha Tagholm. Let's just hope potential participants are on a bus with WIFI or a good phone signal...

Southmead bus services safe

There was concern locally when some eagle-eyed people spotted that First Bus were deregistering the 82 bus service. However, Pat Hockey, the Lib Dem Transport lead member, has investigated and all is well.

Pat said, "I spoke to First’s Managing Director, James Freeman. In order to make bus services more reliable the timetables have been investigated and some of them found to be totally unrealistic in view of the traffic congestion. This has resulted in changes to timetables. The new timetables have to be registered with the Traffic Commissioners and will start on March 29th. The existing services have to be deregistered to accommodate this and include the 82."

"There is absolutely no intention to stop the Southmead services. The aim is to make them reliable. Before the changes come in I am assured there will be full publicity."

MP challenges bus bosses over local services

Local MP Steve Webb has hosted a meeting in his constituency office at Yate to raise with First Bus managers the many concerns of local residents about the quality of bus services in this area.

James Freeman, the new Managing Director of First in the West of England, attended the meeting along with Commercial Manager, Simon Ford.   The two heard from Steve a range of complaints about services including those from Yate to Southmead Hospital. They also heard from X49 user and Westerleigh resident Mrs Carol Moore, whose account of the service was described by James Freeman as “a chapter of horrors”.   Issues raised included buses being cancelled or running late, inexperienced drivers making mistakes over routes and the lack of reliable information at bus stops.

First Bus said that they recognised that the service needed to be improved and were planning a range of improvements for the timetable which takes effect at the end of March 2015. This included ensuring that the first bus of each day gets to its starting point on time, adjusting timetables to make sure that they give a more realistic indication of journey times, recruiting more drivers to reduce dependence on agency and temporary staff and trying to make better use of the existing fleet of buses as well as bringing in new vehicles and more double decker buses to increase capacity.

You can read more on Steve's website.