Bristol bus journeys to be run on commercial basis

Some bus journeys that were under threat due to cuts being made by Bristol City Council will be saved, it has been announced.

First Bus says it will operate a number of journeys that were previously subsidised by the council on a commercial basis from 4 September.

Last month, the authority's cabinet voted through transport cuts of £2.2m.

Councillors decided to end subsidies for bank holiday buses in Bristol and the commuter ferry service.

Simon Newport from First South West and Wales said detailed information about how individual services will be affected will be published in the coming weeks.

Councillor Tim Kent said the changes would mean that even more of Bristol's services are now running entirely on their own at no cost to the public purse.

"Business-like negotiations have yielded business-like results" he said.

The move is expected to save Bristol City Council £500,000.