Vital bus services used by thousands of passengers in Bristol are set to be saved, thanks to efforts led by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.
Bus services run by Bristol Community Transport were cancelled on 2 September after the operator decided to stop running them at short notice. But after intensive talks, the West of England Authority, led by Mr Norris, has found another company – The Big Lemon – who have agreed to run four of the buses and final talks are now taking place with the Traffic Commissioner.
This will mean the 505 (Long Ashton Park and Ride to Southmead), 506 (Broadmead to Southmead), 515 (Imperial Park to Stockwood) and 516 (Broad Walk to Hengrove Park) will recommence, likely in October.
The Mayor also announced another operator has agreed to take over the running of the 52 route, another former Bristol Community Transport service, with Transpora running the 52 starting from today Monday 12 September. The m1 has already been saved by Firstbus and the 511 and 512 by Eurotaxis.
Mayor Dan Norris said: “As soon as the bad news came through that Bristol Community Transport was cutting all its buses, the West of England Authority I lead got down to work to try to find a solution. There was always money on the table, and I promised we would leave no stone unturned. I am delighted these efforts have paid off for the 505, 506, 515 and 516 as well as 52, 511 and m1 services: this is a really, really positive step forward”.