Bristol CAZ pays for new bus routes

Three new bus services for Bristol are to be introduced thanks to funding coming from the city’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charges.

In total £4.7m has been set aside by the council from the income raised by CAZ charges to fund the new bus services until 2028.

First Bus is to launch the new routes on 6 April 2025.

The first two of the new bus services (Fishponds – Rupert Street and Highridge to St Annes) will run roughly half hourly services every day between 6am and 7pm. The third bus service, between Knowle and Avonmouth, will be a tailored service that will run three return journeys every day, with timings based around the shift patterns of workers in Avonmouth and Severnside business hub.

“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” – Cllr Ed Plowden, Chair of the Transport and Connectivity Committee

Cllr 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.”

“£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” – Cllr Tim Rippington

Cllr 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.”

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