The West of England's bus network will be boosted from this autumn with new 24-hour services, route alterations, and timetables.
From Sunday 31 August 2025, the m1 metrobus service will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a new half-hourly overnight service – providing Bristol’s first 24/7 metrobus route and a vital boost to the city’s night-time economy.
In partnership with Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority, First Bus is also introducing an expanded night bus network, earlier journeys on many services, improved university connections and better access to key employment and transport hubs.
A new and improved night bus network in Bristol will see several services running through the night for the first time, adding to the overnight buses already running on services 48, 49, 75 and 76:
- Service 39 becomes a 24-hour service, 6 days a week.
- Service 1 adds new overnight journeys (Monday – Saturday) between Cribbs Causeway and Broomhill.
- Services 2/2a, 4, 5, 6, 73 and 74 will now operate overnight on Fridays and Saturdays, while service 77 will run overnight Monday to Saturday during university term-time.
These enhancements, supported by Bristol City Council, will support late-night workers, students and social life across the city.
Image: A First Bus outside Turtle Bay in Bristol
Several other routes are also being extended or upgraded to boost connections across Bristol, as follows:
- Service 16 will now run from Fishponds to Whitchurch via Temple Meads, creating a new east–south cross-city link, operating every 30 minutes daily, and serving Imperial Park.
- Service 43 will be rerouted to serve Temple Meads Station directly between Bedminster and the city centre. On Friday and Saturday nights, it will extend to Cadbury Heath.
- Services 1, 24, 41, 72, 73 and 74 will offer earlier weekday departures to better connect with shifts and early-morning travellers.
- metrobus m2 frequency will increase to every 10 minutes at peak times on weekdays.
- Service 37 is revised to improve connections, including new links to Avonmouth Village.
- Service 25 will be operated by First Bus from 31 August, with an improved weekday peak-time timetable.
A range of improvements are also being introduced for Bristol’s university students during term-time:
- Service 5 will run more frequently and extend to Stoke Bishop, providing new direct links between the University of Bristol, Clifton, the city centre, and student residences.
- Service 77 will extend to Stoke Bishop via Whiteladies Road, operating half-hourly at night during term time.
- The U1 will maintain high-frequency daytime service every 12 minutes at peak times and every 30 minutes off-peak.
- Night and weekend U1N services, along with services 5 and 77, will help deliver a 15-minute frequency between Stoke Bishop and Clifton Triangle at night during term time.
In Bath, residents and students will benefit from extended services and better weekend coverage, partially funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority:
- Service 13 will gain evening journeys Monday–Saturday and a new Sunday service, including weekday school journeys to Ralph Allen School.
- Service 19 will run every 30 minutes, now serving Frenchay in both directions, and extended evening journeys to Bristol Parkway Station for better rail access.
- Service U3 will become a year-round route connecting University of Bath and Bath Spa University via the city centre.
- Service U4 replaces service 22, running between Bath Spa University and University of Bath via Southdown, Whiteway and Twerton, with support for weekend and holiday operations.
- Service U5 will boost capacity between Bath Spa University and Lower Bristol Road, looping via Newbridge Road and Windsor Bridge.
In North Somerset, changes will be made to services in Weston-super-Mare to make them clearer to customers. Two existing services in the town, the 7B and 7H, will be replaced by an extended version of the X5 route, creating a simpler and more understandable network. Key features of the new setup are as follows:
- The new X5 will run cross-town through Weston, linking Bleadon Hill and Hutton with Clevedon and Portishead via Weston Hospital, Coronation Estate, Weston College, and Worle.
- The new structure maintains key local links while offering clearer connections for residents in South Weston travelling towards Worle, Clevedon, and Portishead.
- Bleadon Hill will regain a Saturday service, which had previously been unavailable.
- The X5 will run approximately every 70 minutes, Monday to Saturday, replacing both the 7B and 7H while improving connectivity across Weston.
- Outbound journeys from Weston will follow the former 7B route to Bleadon Hill before continuing to Hutton, while inbound journeys from Hutton will follow the old 7H route to Weston Interchange and then continue as the existing X5 to Clevedon and Portishead.
- The fourth bus per hour between Weston-super-Mare and Coronation Estate will now be provided by a revised service U2 as explained below.
The U2 service between Bristol and Langford will now run through to Weston-super-Mare, creating a new direct link between South Weston, Banwell, Sandford, Churchill, and Bristol (now terminating at the bus station) following work with North Somerset Council and Bristol University. Key features of the new U2 service are as follows:
- In Weston, the U2 will operate from the Helicopter Museum via Haywood Village, Oldmixon, Weston General Hospital, Coronation Estate, and Broadoak, continuing to the town centre.
- This maintains four buses per hour between Weston Hospital and the town centre and increases bus frequency in Haywood Village and Oldmixon.
- Buses will run hourly, including evenings, but the Sunday service will be withdrawn due to low usage. The Falcon coach will continue to link Langford with Bristol on Sundays.
Seasonal services 1 and 20 will have their usual winter timetables. First Bus have been re-awarded the service 125 contract; and school service 51s will be renumbered to service 125s at the request of North Somerset Council. The company has also been awarded new college-day services for Weston College sites: the X12 from Filton, X18 from Nailsea and X21 from Bridgwater.
Finally, service X7 between Clevedon and Bristol will now run via Long Ashton on all journeys, incorporating the previous service X7a route. Buses will run every 70 minutes Monday to Saturday, and hourly on Sunday, with a new timetable to improve punctuality and reliability.
George Burton, Head of Network for First Bus in the West of England, said: “We’re excited to bring Bristol its first 24/7 metrobus route and to significantly enhance night-time and early-morning connections across the region. These changes are designed to support people who live, work and study in the city, and to keep pace with the needs of our vibrant night-time economy. We’re grateful to Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority for their support in delivering these improvements.”
There are also changes to other services, and passengers are advised to check timetables before travelling from Sunday 31 August 2025. Full details are available on the First Bus website.
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