Like many of you, I was shocked at the announcement that First Bus intend to remove the X2, X5 and 126 buses from North Somerset network. I know that many people rely on the X5 especially, as it is a key artery in the constituency that connects Clevedon and Portishead.
The reasons given by First Bus come down to two things: driver shortages and lack of use of these networks, significantly following the pandemic.
I have been working closely with North Somerset Council who have been working hard to look at ways to maintain these bus routes. Below I have outlined the changes to each route.
X2 Route to be terminated:
The council has devised an amended route for the 54 to incorporate the Cleeve/Claverham loop back via the A370 through Congresbury where it will now route to Winscombe and on to the Airport. This removes the duplicated section of the A3 and provides residents of Congrebury and Winscombe with access to Yatton Station and access to the X1 at Congresbury A370 junction. The council wish to increase the 54 frequency to hourly as soon as we can identify driver and vehicle resources using BSIP funding.
126 Route to be terminated:
The council have so far been unable to identify any alternative options in the context of the driver shortages. We intend to investigate the possibility of commissioning a new service from Cheddar to Worle or Yatton. This will require engagement with residents and Somerset Council, and is unlikely to materialise until the spring at the earliest.
X5 Route to be terminated as a commercial service and replaced as a partially supported service:
The council has secured a modified alternative to the current X5 which previously required too many buses with too few passengers to be sustainable. The new route will be an hourly service from the Worle interchange via Clevedon onward to Portishead high street. This will be keyed to allowed passengers in Portishead to interchange smoothly with the X4 for onward to Bristol, and from Worle passengers will have a choice of frequent service to travel onwards to parts of WsM and beyond.
I will continue to update this section of my website as more information becomes available and will be working hard with North Somerset Council to ensure the best outcome for the people of North Somerset. The long term issues of low usage rates and the chronic national driver shortages are, however, likely to prove problematic.