Filton facing bus cuts

Three bus services servicing Filton and nearby areas are to be axed in April.

Bus passengers across the West of England face further cuts to the region’s struggling public transport network as a total of 42 bus services face the axe. Due to a funding row, from April these publicly subsidised services will no longer be funded and most likely withdrawn.

The services affecting the Filton area include:

• 506 Bristol city centre to Southmead Hospital

• 17 Southmead Hospital to Kingswood

• 680 North Yate to Chipping Sodbury and SGS College Filton

The service cuts were signed off by the West of England combined authority in January 18, after the region’s political leaders heard how many of the services were crucial in connecting isolated communities and persuading car drivers to use public transport.

The axed bus routes form a huge 60% chunk of the region’s total of 69 subsidised services. However it’s unclear exactly which bus routes are facing the axe in April, and a full and accurate list was not provided in reports to the combined authority meeting.

During the meeting, West of England metro mayor Dan Norris blamed the three council leaders — in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset — for paying the combined authority too small a transport levy. Mr Norris said this year’s increase to the transport levy was less than inflation, so service cuts had to be made.

Responding to claims that the councils could spend more on the transport levy, South Gloucestershire Council leader Toby Savage said many of the council’s reserves are for specific areas and can’t be spent on saving subsidised bus routes.