BUS operator First has confirmed that it plans to return one of two services that were diverted following the closure of the M4 bridge back onto Badminton Road this spring.
First rerouted both the Y1 and Y2 along Bristol Road and Church Road when the bridge was shut in 2023, severing the A432 between the Frome Valley and the Avon Ring Road.
The bridge is expected to reopen during the spring and as it announced new timetables coming into force in April, First said the Y2 will return to Badminton Road, while the Y1 stays on its current route.
Both will remain half-hourly services during the day and hourly at night.
First said: “The Y2 will have a revised timetable.
“Following the completion of the replacement bridge on the A432 over the M4 motorway, the Y2 will be re-routed between Yate and the M32 via the full length of Badminton Road through Coalpit Heath to Wick Wick Roundabout, and then via the A4174 Ring Road to Hambrook (the same as the Y1 route prior to the closure of the bridge in 2023).
“The Y1 will continue to serve Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne as now. If the bridge doesn’t re-open in time, then the Y2 will continue to run via Winterbourne until it opens.”
‘Not the incentive we need’
People living in Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne have been calling for the villages to keep the frequent services, which have made bus travel more popular since the re-routing took place, by increasing frequency on both routes.
Laura Fogg-Rogers of Frome Valley Environmental Network, which has been campaigning for improvements, said: “It’s better than no buses, but it’s certainly not the incentive we need to get out of our cars.
“With more houses being built in the Frome Valley, we implore the Mayor of the West of England to urgently address the need for rapid, reliable public transport in the West of England.”
The West of England Combined Authority, which has helped subsidise services during the closure, is due to launch a new consultation on the future of the region’s bus services this month.
It recently launched a ‘transport vision’ including mass transit services to Bristol Airport – but a spokesperson said the main improvement planned for most areas would be better bus services, including more electric buses.