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North Somerset Council recognise this bus route is currently used by school children. The 59-bus service will end on 31 March 2024, meaning all children can still access this bus service to travel to and from school before the Easter Holidays begin.
From their return to school in April, an alternative service is available on the X4 bus, along with a safe walking route to the Sheepway Station Road where a return journey on X5 has now been provided to match school day start and finish times. These bus services provide a higher frequency service for children accessing and leaving the school. The national £2 single bus fare cap for adults and £1 for children also continues until December 2024.
The X4 now runs every 20 minutes during the day, up from 30, thanks to funding from the council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan which is available until March 2025.
The X5 service runs from Sheepway Station Road at 07:59am to serve Gordano School for 08:18am. In the afternoon, the X5 serves Gordano School at 03:28pm, reaching Sheepway Station Road at 03:46pm.
By not renewing the expiring contract for the 59-bus service, North Somerset Council can support the wider bus network and help ensure routes connecting large communities remain popular and therefore commercially viable. This includes supporting the X10 service to run during peak morning and evening times, giving residents an improved service throughout the day with access to Southmead Hospital.
Bus network maps and detailed timetables for individual bus services are available to view online at travelwest.info. This will be updated shortly to show the April service changes.
Cllr Hannah Young, Executive Member for Highways and Transport at North Somerset Council, said: “The X4 and X5 bus services better connect Gordano School to the surrounding areas as pupils can use the services outside of typical pick up and drop off times. The council works closely with bus service operators to ensure local communities can be better connected by sustainable transport options.
"Higher frequency services, coupled with the extension of the government's £2 fare offer, makes the bus a cost-effective alternative to the car to get to school - especially useful during current economic challenges."
Commercial operators, with support from the council, review the existing bus network every year in April and September to update services in accordance with usage level and community needs. This process formalises commercial bus operator decisions and allows the council to react to any gaps in the network where possible with council funded supported services.
North Somerset Council and West of England Combined Authority want to encourage everyone to ‘walk or wheel’ where possible, helping reach their carbon neutral goal by 2030. When that’s not possible, they want bus travel to be the first choice over car usage, helping ease traffic congestion and creating a greener way to travel.
More information on the Bus Improvement Service Plan can be found on the council website: Bus service improvement plan | North Somerset Council (n-somerset.gov.uk)
