New bus services but anger grows over route
Changes to bus services across Bath will come into force this weekend in a move transport giant First says will improve reliability and punctuality.
From Sunday a number of services in the city will be subject to minor timetable and route changes which the operator hopes will reflect the needs of passengers.
The number 4, which runs between Bathampton and the city centre, will follow a new route in the centre from Sunday.
The service will now travel between Manvers Street and North Parade via Pierrepont Street, High Street, Bridge Street, Grand Parade, Pierrepont Street before continuing on to Bathampton.
This change is being made to give people coming into Bath on Service 1 from Combe Down, which later becomes the number 4, better access to the city centre.
Passengers with valid through tickets, who boarded the bus in Combe Down, will now be able to remain on the vehicle and travel beyond the bus station until Service 4 reaches the main shopping areas.
The service 8 from Kingsway to the University of Bath will also be re-routed to take account of the likely pedestrianisation of Pulteney Bridge.
Later in the year, all service 8 buses will be re-routed between Manvers Street and Bathwick Hill, but from Sunday, they will go via High Street, Bridge Street, Grand Parade, North Parade, North Parade Road and Pulteney Road.
The 418/419 service, which serves the University of Bath and Bath Spa University, will also be re-routed as well as renamed.
From Sunday Bath Spa University will be served by two dedicated bus services to be known as SPA1 and SPA2, replacing the 418 and 419 services.
Both buses will operate between Grand Parade and both universities, with SPA1 taking a longer route around Brougham Hayes, Lower Oldfield Park and Newbridge Road, and SPA2 going on a more direct route via Lower Bristol Road to the university campus.
Tony McNiff, managing director of First Bristol, Somerset and Avon said the changes were part of a continual review to ensure the firm was providing bus services people used.
He said: "We are constantly reviewing our networks to ensure they best reflect the ways people are actually travelling.
"The changes being made in Bath this month will improve the punctuality and reliability of services, while improving connections for some local people, particularly those people in Combe Down who have asked us to make changes to allow them to access Bath city centre with greater ease.
"Some additional changes are being made in advance of the expected closure of Pulteney Bridge to all traffic from the autumn."
However, residents in Larkhall and Fairfield Park are still fighting to upgrade their 6/7 circular route to a 30-minute service linking the two communities.
In May the circular service was split into two separate routes, then after pressure from a campaign group which fought to oppose the change, operator First restored the circular arrangement.
But the firm reduced the frequency of the buses to every 40-minutes, compared to the original 20-minute service, which residents say is not sufficient.
Mr McNiff said the firm would struggle to make a 30-minute service viable which was the reason for splitting the route in the first place.
He said: "It is difficult to see where we would get the money to fund a 30-minute service from.
"There are ongoing discussions about the service but there are some quite difficult issues."
For more information about changes to bus services, visit www. firstgroup.com/bath.
8 Comments
by Thomas, Bath
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 6:04PM
“This has all been done in advance of any decision being made on the NON pedestrianisation of Pulteney Bridge - after all, they are only removing the public transport and leaving emergency vehicles, bikes and delivery vehicles. Can anyone from First comment on why they have suddenly given up the fight to protect this route they have always defended so fiercely in the past? Isn't all this changing of routes pre-empting the decision a little?”
by anil, sg
Monday, September 06 2010, 4:40PM
“Agree with Jenna. Rather than cut university services, there should be more. If First were proactive, they would be running a couple of buses daily from the uni to Bristol and Trowbridge. Maybe WessexConnect will in the future?
There's absolutely no reason why every bus in the region shouldn't call at the uni. This is what happens at UWE et al.”
by Jenna, Oldfield Park
Saturday, September 04 2010, 7:06PM
“Why cut back the University routes when they're the most popular in the city? We pay a substantial amount each year for the buses and are rewarded with two separate companies competing for our business (Wessex wouldn't bother being here at all if it wasn't worth it). Meanwhile, the 6/7 passengers can barely fill the tiny Optare buses.”
by Pete, Chippenham
Friday, September 03 2010, 3:41PM
“Dave, yes there is an interval of 6 minutes at the bus station between the arrival of a 1 from Combe Down and the departure of a 4 to Bathampton according to a quick scan of the timetables on the First Bristol website.
Come to think of it, I remember not so long ago that service 4 was extended to Combe Down, duplicating the 2 from the bus station, and therefore giving a bus every 15 minutes on that section.”
by Dave, Bristol
Friday, September 03 2010, 12:05PM
“JMP: the U18 is run by Wessex Connect as an attempt to compete with First's 18. The U18 is nothing to do with First.
Pete: I believe that was the case, yes. Presumably there is a break between the arrival of the 1 and the departure of the 4 in the City Centre though.”
by JMP, Bath
Friday, September 03 2010, 9:43AM
“Re the 6/7 service. Mr McNiff states that the firm would struggle to make a 30-minute service viable and he also states that it would appear difficult to see where First Bus would get the money to fund a 30-minute service from. May I suggest that a reduction in the frequency of the U18/18 services from every 6 minutes (10 buses an hour) to every 10 minutes (6 buses and hour). Cost savings on this route could be reinvested in a more frequent 6/7 service. The 18/U18 services are often seen to run in tandem, 3 buses one behind the other and usually each about 25% full.”
by Jenna, Oldfield Park
Thursday, September 02 2010, 5:34PM
“In case anyone else was as confused by the section on University buses:
- the 418/9 is being pared down to just the town centre-Bath Spa section and renamed SPA1/2. One of them avoids Oldfield Park and the other doesn't.
- the 18 (not mentioned here) is being extended to run Lower Oldfield Park-University - basically, doing the same Lower Oldfield Park loop the blue U18 does.
- the 8 is the same as always, except following the U18 route once in the town centre rather than going over Pulteney Bridge.
Should help the tourists and Freshers out - they always seemed very confused by the idea that there was a uni on both ends of the bus route.”
by Pete, Chippenham
Thursday, September 02 2010, 4:00PM
“"This change is being made to give people coming into Bath on Service 1 from Combe Down, which later becomes the number 4, better access to the city centre. Passengers with valid through tickets, who boarded the bus in Combe Down, will now be able to remain on the vehicle and travel beyond the bus station until Service 4 reaches the main shopping areas."
So service 1 and 4 are interworked, in effect forming a new cross-city route. But wasn't service 1 originally half of the cross-city service 2 (Combe Down - Ensleigh), which was split in two due to reliability issues in crossing the congested city centre?”