A new bus service running to big employment hubs in Avonmouth also offers stunning Bristol views along the journey. The new 41 service from First Group, which launched last week, runs every 30 minutes during peak hours starting from Kingswood.
It follows the same route as existing buses which head through Church Road and Lawrence Hill down to Old Market before terminating at the city centre, but keeps going via Hotwells, Coombe Dingle and Sea Mills before passing through Shirehampton and terminating at Avonmouth.
The new route, which operator First Bus claims only takes 30 minutes from the city centre to Avonmouth, offers stunning views of the SS Great Britain and Clifton Suspension Bridge along the way, and also runs past the scenic Kings Weston Estate.
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Although the bus only operates every hour during non-peak times, it means that those travelling by bus from Kingswood and East Bristol to the north of the city are able to do so without having to change buses in the city centre.
First Bus state that the timetable of the 41 is aligned to shift start times in Avonmouth, where several large warehouses are located, and will provide additional buses on one of Bristol’s busiest bus routes. The 41 is one of three new cross-city bus services launched by First on Sunday, April 7.
The two other new bus routes are the number 5, which replaces the current 36 bus route from Brislington and St Anne’s to the city centre, and the 77, connecting Henleaze to Gloucester Road via the city centre. In addition, the 24 will once again serve Ashton Vale via South Liberty Lane, providing a route to Southmead Hospital every 15 minutes at peak times.
A new half-hourly service 47 serving Oldbury Court Estate will offer direct links to Fishponds Road, Stapleton Road, Broadmead and the city centre. While the new number 5 route provides an extension to the 36 route by taking passengers to Clifton rather than terminating at the city centre, it is actually a shorter route than the 36 route.
This previously connected east and South Bristol via Barton Hill and terminated in Hengrove prior to January 2019. The justification for the shortening of the route back in 2019 was that the previous service was unreliable and slow.
George Burton, head of network for First Bus West of England, said: “After the pandemic we had to make some tough decisions about our network, some of which were affected by a drop in passenger numbers as well as pressure on funding and our own resources, such as driver availability.
“We’re now firmly in a post-pandemic recovery, and following a successful recruitment campaign our driver numbers have increased, and we’re seeing great signs that people are returning to bus travel and new people are using the bus.”
