The long-feared announcement of bus cuts was made on Friday, 26th August with Metro Mayor Dan Norris commenting: “We’ve thrown the kitchen sink at it, but ultimately we need more bus drivers”.

The following eleven commercial bus services will be cut: 5: Downend - Bristol 22: University of Bath - Twerton 41: Lawrence Hill - Bristol 42: Odd Down P&R - RUH 72, 72A: Temple Meads - UWE Frenchay 171, 172: Paulton - Bath X2: Bristol - Yatton X5 (in part): Bristol - Weston via Portishead Y3: Yate - Bristol Y4: Yate - Bristol Y5: Chipping Sodbury - Bristol.

There will be a new bus service; 379 around the Paulton, Bath, Midsomer Norton, Radstock and Bristol areas. The majority of bus services in the West of England are run commercially, with the remainder fully or partly subsidised by the West of England Combined Authority, led by Dan Norris. Even though the Combined Authority offered to pay for all of the eighty seven ‘supported’ bus services in the region, operators decided they couldn’t run seven of them past 8th October. This is due to a driver shortage - both regionally and nationally.

The “supported” bus services ending/changing come October are: 11: Bathampton - Bath 12: Haycombe Cemetery - Bath 20: University of Bath - Twerton  36 : Extension of Bristol - St Annes service to Brislington with loss of service along Wick Road. 82: Paulton - Radstock (Tyning) 96: Hengrove - Brislington 178: Radstock - Bristol.

Dan Norris said: “I have been concerned throughout 2022 that there would be cuts this October. Sadly, these fears are now being realised and these cuts will be disheartening and worrying for local people.

“The problem of too few drivers to staff our region’s vital bus services has gone off the Richter Scale. We are also living in unprecedented times with annual inflation in the bus industry letting rip at over 40 per cent. These two major challenges have come together to create the perfect storm to see commercial bus providers up-and-down the land cutting back on the services they provide.

“Even where financial support has been made available by the West of England Combined Authority or the Government to keep local buses going, operators are still unwilling to run these services as they simply don’t have the drivers to operate them.

“This is far more about bus driver shortages than cash, even though the sky-high inflation is a massive and difficult challenge. These cuts will cause real difficulty for many local people and communities right across our region.

“While the news in the short term is difficult, I hope to have better news on fares soon and later in April when the next timetable changes take place, and funding from the Bus Service Improvement Plan kicks in. Here the West of England, we have been very successful securing the second highest amount nationwide from this government fund.

“The West of England Combined Authority is looking to use more cost-effective minibuses in future over more traditional buses where this is appropriate. This also has the advantage that minibus drivers can be trained more quickly to fill the critical shortfall. We are already working with the bus companies to identify new drivers, and to then recruit and train them. However, building up a resource of new drivers takes time, and this is really something that should be co-ordinated by national government to ensure our region, and others don’t poach newly qualified staff from one another which is currently the risk of any local initiative”.

B&NES Labour Group Councillor for Westfield ward, Robin Moss, has reacted to the closures, telling The Journal: “These are essential services for many people, who will now struggle to get to work, to medical appointments as well as visiting friends and family. They are a lifeline we cannot afford to lose. If private companies cannot make enough profit and decide to walk away, then we should be looking to set up a community, not for profit bus company, as is being considered in other parts of the country.

“The Labour Group on B&NES Council will be talking to the B&NES administration, other Councils as well as the WECA mayor about ‘franchising’, using the millions of pounds currently given to private operators to fund this.”

Paulton Councillors, Liz Hardman, Grant Johnson and Cyril Mitchard have spoken of the ‘disastrous’ changes, saying: “We’ve just heard that First Bus will be announcing their decision today about proposed changes to the bus service. The proposed changes will be disastrous for Paulton.

Having had a reasonably good bus service, we will be left with one that is virtually non existent. The 171 and 172 bus routes will be cut. The 82 bus which services the local housing estates in paulton will also be cut. With no 171 and the 172 not even going into Paulton as well as no 82 service, not only will our commuters be affected but also the elderly and disabled. Our school children will no longer have a bus to take them to secondary school in Midsomer Norton.

“We have realised there could be problems and have been working with Dan Norris the WECA Mayor and First Bus since the end of July to try to avoid these cuts, but unfortunately we have not succeeded. This is truly disastrous for the people of Paulton.”