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February 2018
News
Start of Bradley Stoke MetroBus service delayed until “late summer”
S
ervices on the Cribbs Causeway to Hengrove MetroBus route, which will pass through Bradley Stoke, connecting it with UWE and the city centre, will now not start running until “late summer”, the Journal can exclusively reveal. Originally scheduled to begin running in September 2017, the projected start date for services on the M1 route, as it is now known, has been progressively put back, first to “early 2018” (in August 2017) and most recently (in December) to “summer 2018”. The latest projection was given in an update provided to the Journal in late January by the West of England Councils’ MetroBus team. The installation of iPoints (combined information, route planning and ticketing machines which will be a feature of all MetroBus stops) is now not expected to be completed on the M1 route until July, a significant advance on the “late February/ early March” date given to us just two months ago. Elsewhere on the network, the previously advertised MetroBus route between Emersons Green and Parkway Station via UWE appears to have been quietly shelved, with the other (M3) route between Emersons Green and the city centre being altered to take in UWE and use the new bus-only M32 junction on
Stoke Lane. Consequently, it is understood that there will be now be no MetroBus services accessing Parkway until the Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension is completed in 2021 (see page 23). A MetroBus spokesperson said: “It is expected that, by this time, the extra patronage will be in place to extend the service so that it runs from Emersons Green to Cribbs Causeway via Parkway; utilising the stops at Hunts Ground and the associated Park & Ride site.” Work to remodel the environs of Parkway Station to allow buses to arrive and depart through the rear entrance is expected to start in autumn 2018. Announcements about which operator(s) will run MetroBus services have been repeatedly postponed. Currently, we only know that First Group will operate the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads (M2) route. Asked for an update on when an announcement about the operator(s) of the Bradley Stoke (M1) MetroBus route would be made, the spokesperson said: “The current information is that there will be an announcement in mid-February. The operators’ announcements are a matter for the operators themselves. We can only pass on the information that they give.” ● travelwest.info/metrobus
MetroBus in Bradley Stoke: Your questions answered by the West of England Councils’ MetroBus team What time will the service stop running each night? Will there be late services for people spending the evening in Bristol? MetroBus services for the Bradley Stoke route are currently due to run between 6am and midnight. Will the service be linked to the internet to allow bus timings to be viewed in real time and with online ticket purchasing? Yes. Real time information will be displayed at all iPoints and on the UK Bus Checker mobile phone app. Tickets will be available to buy online via the Travelwest site or First Group’s mTicket*. Will there be a combined bus/train/bus option for commuting or will it need to be bus all the way? This is a matter for the MetroBus operators and the train companies. We are currently looking at ‘bus only’ for the launch. Why are the stops through Bradley stoke not in lay-bys, especially judging by the size of the bus stops that many people getting on/off will hold up other traffic? The route is designed so that buses always have priority. The problem with using bus lay-bys is that cars don’t let them back out, which in turn leads to delays. Therefore cars will have to wait behind the bus. Because, passengers have to buy tickets prior to travel, boarding times will be kept to a minimum and delays to other traffic should be negligible. When the bus pulls away it will have maintained its position in the traffic flow and have a clear road in front of it so that it can keep to time. Is there going to be an option to pay by phone/card/app etc.? Yes. iPoints accept all major credit cards and tickets can be bought by mobile phone using First Group’s mTicket app*. Will there be combined tickets with other bus services? Yes, background bus tickets will be able to be used on MetroBus. Will you be able to use an OAP bus pass on it? Yes. MetroBus will accept all concessionary cards. Who has responsibility for ongoing costs for repair to infrastructure (bus lanes, shelters, paving at stops)? As with all bus stops and shelters, the responsibility for their maintenance and repair rests with the local authorities. Can taxis use all the new MetroBus lanes, or are some restricted for MetroBus only? All buses, coaches, taxis and motorcycles will be able to use the new bus lanes. There are two exceptions to this: (1) The bus-only junction on the M32 will be for MetroBus only. (2) The segregated busway in south Bristol will only be able to be used by buses fitted with the necessary guide wheels. What is the point of the short section of bus lane between the Aztec West Roundabout and the Woodlands Lane junction? It’s to allow buses to overtake any vehicles waiting at the Woodlands Lane traffic lights. [The bus stop on this section is not a MetroBus stop] How many MetroBuses a day are going to use the bus lane? All of them, with services running up to one every ten minutes The current cost of a [off-peak] day return from Parkway to Temple Meads is £3.50 and the trip takes 12 minutes. What cost and time benefits will the bus add? There is no direct route planned from Parkway to Temple Meads. * On services where First Group is the operator. More questions? Send them to the Journal!
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