Bristol: New cross-city routes announced by bus operator

Three new services will be running in Bristol from 7 April

Bus services in Bristol are set to improve with the addition of three new cross-city routes, says the operator.

The services will connect different areas of the city, as part of a range of changes from First West of England.

The buses will run from 7 April, with the aim of improving accessibility and making travel cheaper for passengers.

George Burton from First West of England said: "We're seeing great signs that people are returning to bus travel and new people are using the bus."

A new 41 bus will connect Kingswood and East Bristol with Sea Mills, Shirehampton and Avonmouth.

It means passengers will be able to travel from Avonmouth to the city centre in less than 30 minutes, the operator said.

First West of England said it was doing all it could to encourage people to travel by bus

The current 36 service will be replaced by the number 5 bus which will travel between St Anne's and Clifton.

The route will be extended to the Bristol Hippodrome and Park Street. It will operate daily, running alongside service 8 to help provide extra capacity.

Service 77 will connect Henleaze to Gloucester Road, linking Stokes Croft and Whiteladies Road with the city centre every 30 minutes at peak times.

"All the changes we're introducing in April are as a result of listening to our customers, local residents and working with local councils," said Mr Burton.

He added the city-centre routes were among a raft of changes, which included increased capacity and faster journeys, which showed "we're doing all we can to encourage more people to make bus the travel of choice".