Bus operator First Bristol has granted a partial reprieve to the X73 peak-hours-only bus service, which it had previously stated would be withdrawn once the M1 MetroBus service starts in January 2019. However, as widely anticipated, Bradley Stoke’s current main bus service, the 73, will see its frequency reduced due to an expected drop in demand from passengers travelling to the city centre.

The announcements follow an informal public consultation during September, launched at the request of First’s managing director James Freeman, who attended a meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council in August to talk through some of the possible scenarios for current local bus services in the MetroBus era.

Two journeys a day in each direction will be retained on the X73 service, which operates along the full length of Brook Way , in contrast to the MetroBus route along Bradley Stoke Way.

In a statement released to the Journal, Mr Freeman said:

“We were delighted by the number of people who made time to respond to our request for views about what we should do the with the 73 service as well as the X73 after MetroBus route M1 is introduced on 6th January 2019.”

“The overwhelming response was that people wanted us to keep things as they are, albeit with a general acceptance that services would need to run at a lower frequency than at present.”

“I am therefore pleased to announce today that we will continue to operate service 73, but every 20 minutes after 6th January, following the present route in every detail.”

“Journeys on weekday evenings and Sundays will run broadly as now.”

“In addition, we have found additional resources to continue the X73 service with two rather than three journeys per day – at 0640 and 0805 from Aztec West, returning from the city centre at 1550 and 1725 on Mondays to Fridays.”

The reduction in the daytime frequency of the 73 means that it will have halved from the ‘every 10 minutes’ rate that was offered back in 2013, after the old 74 service was merged with the 73.

More: M1 will run ‘every 10 mins’ between 6am and midnight Mon-Sat »

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The M1 MetroBus service through Bradley Stoke is due to begin operating in January 2019, but there seems to be little urgency in completing the remaining preparations, which include the installation of 38 iPoints (information and ticket machines) and a missing shelter at the Great Meadow Roundabout northbound stop.

Many of the new MetroBus stops have barriered-off excavations, believed to be for the iPoint bases, with no activity having been seen at the sites for over three months.

Back in June, we were told that the iPoint installation teams had been reassigned to complete work on the M3 and M2 routes. With these two routes now operational, we asked for a further update. A spokesperson told us:

“Installation of the remaining 38 iPoints for the M1 route will be taking place in the lead up to the start of service in January, with the iPoints in the North Fringe due between 19th and 27th November. These dates may vary according to traffic management requirements.”

The spokesperson added:

“Remember, MetroBus is a buy before you board service for faster journeys. Full details of how to buy tickets, the M1 timetable and routes will be widely available in the lead up to the start of the M1 service – keep an eye on www.metrobusbristol.co.uk for details.

The M1 route will be operated by Bristol Community Transport, under contract to First Bus.

Photo: Archive image from May 2018 of further installation work taking place at the southbound ‘Willow Brook Centre’ MetroBus stop on Bradley Stoke Way.

This article originally appeared in the October 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 3). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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Bus operator First Bristol says it intends to maintain Bradley Stoke’s 73 bus service at a “good level” following the planned launch of the M1 MetroBus service through the town in January 2019 and has asked local residents to share opinions on what they think would be the optimum route of the service between Aztec West and Parkway Station.

Speaking at a meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council’s Planning and Environment Committee on 22nd August, James Freeman, managing director of First Bristol, acknowledged that the introduction of the M1, which will run every 10 minutes down Bradley Stoke Way, will have an impact on the number of passengers using the existing 73 and X73 services.

He confirmed a statement previously reported in the Journal that the peak-hours-only X73 service, which runs down Brook Way, will be withdrawn.

In the short term, the main 73 service will be continued at a “good level”, with all buses continuing to serve Gloucester Road to the Centre and Temple Meads, but its frequency is likely to “come down a bit”, possibly to ‘every 20 minutes’ (rather than the present ‘every 15 minutes’).

Responding to concerns that passengers living close to the “western” route through Bradley Stoke (i.e. down Brook Way) might not find it easy to access the new MetroBus service running along Bradley Stoke Way, he hinted that the route of the 73 might be “slightly modified … possibly making it a bit straighter and running more to the west”.

Speaking of the timescale for introducing these changes, Mr Freeman insisted that it is now a “dead cert” that the M1 MetroBus service will start in January 2019 and he named 13th January as the currently projected launch date.

Responding to concerns that the vast majority of passengers on MetroBus will have transferred from existing services, Mr Freeman pointed to the already-running M3 Emersons Green service, which he said had “driven demand” and attracted 20 percent more passengers than predicted.

He noted that the recently introduced T1 Thornbury to Bristol service, which passes along Bradley Stoke Way and operates with a half-hour frequency using MetroBus-style vehicles, has been “quite well received”. However, he stressed that the new M1 service will offer similarly fast journey times to the city centre, operate at three times the frequency and run until at least 11pm.

More: Public asked for views on future route options for the 73 »

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MetroBus services in the Greater Bristol area are expected to take a significant step forward this month with the introduction of the new M2 service between Long Ashton Park & Ride (P&R) and Bristol city centre and enhancements to the frequency of the existing M3 service which links Emersons Green with the city centre via UWE.

Subject to everything going to plan, attention will then turn to preparations for the launch of the M1 service, currently scheduled for January 2019, which will see express buses running along Bradley Stoke Way with an ‘every 10 minutes’ frequency on a route between Cribbs Causeway, the city centre and Hengrove.

First Bristol has announced that it plans to start operating the new M2 service from Monday 3rd September. The service will run between Long Ashton P&R and the city centre, serving Ashton Gate Stadium, SS Great Britain, Wapping Wharf, Temple Meads Station and Cabot Circus. It replaces the current 903 service between Long Ashton P&R and the city centre, which is operated under contract to Bristol City Council.

James Freeman, managing director of First Bristol, said:

“We are looking forward to taking MetroBus to the next level and start operating the M2 service. Since we started operating the M3 MetroBus service from Emersons Green and Lyde Green to the city centre at the end of April, we have been delighted to see steadily growing passenger numbers, with around 120,000 journeys made so far; and appreciated a lot of positive feedback from customers.”

First has also announced the planned introduction of a Sunday service and late-night journeys on the M3 route from mid-September. The new Sunday service will commence on 16th September and run half-hourly between 9am and 7pm. Later evening and night journeys, between 9pm and 4am Mondays to Saturdays, will start from 17th September, but will only run on the route section between UWE and the city centre (and only during UWE term time).

More: Buy-before-you-board using smartphone app or smart card »-

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