Avonmouth will soon be better connected to neighbouring areas thanks to a new WestLocal bus service, launched as part of a community-wide effort. Mayor Dan Norris said: “This is what WestLocal is all about – the community coming together to create a bus service specially tailored for the needs of local people. I’m delighted that my Mayoral Combined Authority funding will benefit residents in such a positive way.”
The new service is not intended to be a direct replacement for local bus route 3 that lost the Avonmouth section of its route in April, but the West of England Combined Authority says it will offer vital access to important services for people living in some of the poorest communities of Bristol.
Darren Jones MP, who first proposed introducing the new bus route, said: “Even when buses are run by private companies, we should never forget the public service that they offer. In axing one section of a bus route, people lost access to the foodbank in Avonmouth; parents were left struggling with how to get their children to school; patients couldn’t get to appointments at GP clinics in Lawrence Weston and Brentry; and people were cut off from employment opportunities in Avonmouth.
“With such a vital need for a new bus service, I was delighted to learn about WestLocal – an initiative championed by West of England Mayor Dan Norris – whereby local people are encouraged to design and run their own bus services.”
SevernNet Director Kate Royston and Director and Transport Lead Peter Evans took the lead on the group’s bid for funding. Kate said: “It has been a lot of hard work, and I thank my colleague Peter for his dedication to securing this funding bid. But it will be well worth the effort to see the bus service in use and the morale boost it will give to the people of Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston, who often feel cut off and forgotten about.”
The new WestLocal service 40 will be operated by The Big Lemon and will begin on 2 September. It will offer a roughly hourly service on weekdays during the daytime.
WestLocal is a partnership between the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and North Somerset Council, and delivers funding from the region’s Bus Service Improvement Plan that allows communities to access cash to design and run their very own, brand new, not for profit bus services. The scheme also recently announced another eight new local services that will start running in September.
Mayor Norris added: “I am delighted that so many local communities and organisations have taken up my challenge and put together winning bids. From connecting schools and colleges, getting people to work and providing much needed links to shops, these new WestLocals are imaginative and designed with local people in mind.
“People who already use the existing WestLocals have told me they really value the services, especially the ‘great community spirit on board’ and are asking for more – so I am particularly pleased that we’ve also been able to extend the WestLocal service in Chew Valley to serve the villages of Compton Martin, East Harptree & West Harptree.”
