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Commercial bus operators, in partnership with North Somerset Council, review their bus networks twice a year, introducing any changes in April and September. These reviews allow for bus services to be revised based on passenger usage levels and community needs.
Summary of service changes to take place from 1 September 2024 include:
1 - Sand Bay - WSM (via Kewstoke): will change to the winter timetable from 2 September, to align with schools returning and the seasonal reduction in demand. Buses will run hourly, with the Sunday service finishing for the summer at the end of October Half-Term, the last Sunday of operation being Sunday 3 November.
5 - Atlantic Road - WSM (one way loop): Timings adjusted to align with X5 timetable changes.
6 - Worle Retail Park - WSM (via Mead Vale, Upper Bristol Rd, Worle High Street): The final 6 bus service of the day will now be at 7:22pm from WSM, currently 10:22pm on weekdays and Saturdays. This means passengers will need to use the 7-evening service for later journeys between Weston-super-Mare and Worle.
7 - Worle Retail Park - Locking Parklands (via Milton, WSM Town, Hospital): Sunday frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to 40 minutes. The last bus Monday to Friday will now be 10:49pm, currently 11:50pm. Minor timing changes.
9 - West Wick - WSM (via Worlebury, B&Q): Revised timings with an earlier start time of 9:00am, currently 10:20am, based on passenger requests.
20 - Burnham - WSM (via Brean, Bleadon, Uphill): Will change to the winter timetable from 2 September, to align with schools returning and the seasonal reduction in demand. Buses will run hourly, with the Sunday service finishing for the summer at the end of October Half-Term, the last day of Sunday operation being Sunday 3 November.
126 - Wells - WSM (via Cheddar, Winscombe, Hutton, Bleadon, Uphill): Timing changes to improve reliability and accommodate Weston College schedules.
X1 - Bristol - WSM (Asda) (via Backwell, Congresbury, Worle, Interchange, Bournville): Timing changes for reliability. Many journeys will depart Bristol five minutes later than present, to stagger departures from the Bus Station to improve frequency to Hotwells and assist the flow of departing buses.
X4 - Bristol - Portishead (via Pill): Timing changes for reliability. Many journeys will depart Bristol five minutes later than present, to stagger departures from the Bus Station to improve frequency to Hotwells and assist the flow of departing buses.
X5 - Portishead - WSM (via Clevedon, Yatton, Worle, Locking Castle): Timing changes for punctuality.
X10 - Clevedon - Southmead Hospital (via Portishead, Cribbs Causeway, Filton): This service is currently undergoing a tender process due to the withdrawal of X10 operator Transpora. Once confirmed, from 1 September the service will undergo significant timing changes to improve reliability and cater to Filton College schedules. Details to follow.
X9 – Nailsea – Bristol: Disruption due to gas works
Whilst there are no formal changes to the X9 route and timetable in September, the service is affected by a long-term road closure in Nailsea due to gas main repair works. These works are anticipated to last until mid-November, affecting White Oak Way, St Marys Grove and Hannah More Road. This means the X9 bus service will not be able to serve much of its usual loop in southern Nailsea.
The council’s Public Transport team worked closely with First Bus to explore potential diversions. However, there were no suitable alternatives that could be implemented safely and reliably, due to issues such as narrow roads and parked cars.
As a result, from Monday 16 September the X9 is serving its usual route as far as The Perrings but instead of turning left into Whiteoak Way it is continuing along The Perrings before turning right onto Queens Road to resume its normal route back to the town centre via Mizzymead Road. This means that all bus stops between and including Harptree Close (on Whiteoak Way) and The Perrings West (on Queens Road) are not being served (including stops on St Marys Grove, Hannah More Road and the western end of Queens Road).
The council encourages those unable to get to bus stops on the diversion route to consider contacting valued community partners such as Nailsea and District Community Transport. From Tuesday 17 September they will be running a twice a week minibus replacement service. For more information on this service, please visit: Nailsea West End Mini Bus Service (nailseatown.com).
Cllr Hannah Young, Executive Member for Highways and Transport at North Somerset Council, said: “We want North Somerset communities to have a modern, efficient, reliable, and affordable public transport system to use for years to come. Our goal is to create a well-connected bus network that meets our current needs, provides additional travel options in areas of housing growth, and is also commercially viable for operators to continue to run. By upgrading our roads to make bus journeys quicker and more reliable, and working closely with bus operators on service changes, we’re working to give more people the chance to enjoy taking the bus for their commute, for socialising or to just stay connected.”
The bus service changes are designed to support the wider North Somerset bus network and help bus routes become commercially successful for operators to run. Some bus services are currently subsidised by Bus Service Improvement Plan government funding, which ends in March 2025.
Residents can view bus network maps and detailed timetables for individual bus services online at travelwest.info, which will be updated soon to reflect the upcoming changes.