New bus to reconnect North East Somerset and Bath

A new bus service is set to serve towns and villages in North East Somerset from 1 September, thanks to funding from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority for the current financial year.

The 768 will connect Writhlington, Radstock, Clandown, Camerton, Timsbury, Tunley, Priston, Nailwell, Englishcombe, Bear Flat, and Bath City Centre. The villages of Clandown, Camerton, Priston, Nailwell, and Englishcombe do not currently have a bus service.

The new timetabled bus service will use a 16-seat WESTlink-branded bus on weekdays and Saturdays. Alongside this, bookable minibuses will also continue to be available for journeys as part of the wider WESTlink trial.

Image- WESTlink Bus

Helen Godwin, the Mayor of the West of England, said:

“I know how important bus services are for local people, particularly in more rural areas of our region. Residents of these towns and villages in North East Somerset should see and feel a difference – especially in the five villages which do not currently have a bus service.

“I’m looking forward to seeing local people using these buses over the coming months, taking up the new timetabled bus service between Writhlington and Bath.

“We want to build the kind of bus service that local people deserve, working with local councils and operators to tackle longstanding challenges, and plan to publish a bus plan for the region towards the end of the year.”

Councillor Fiona Gourley, Councillor for Bathavon South and Cabinet Project Lead for Sustainable Transport Rural, said:

“Residents in the Cam Valley have long been calling for reliable public transport, and I’m delighted that this fixed-route, timetabled WESTlink bus trial will help reconnect our villages with each other and Bath and Radstock. We’ve worked closely with WECA to highlight the needs of our rural communities, and this marks a welcome shift in approach. We hope the success of this trial will pave the way for more frequent and dependable services, enabling rural residents to access education, work, healthcare, leisure, and shopping without relying on cars or neighbours.”

These buses will be funded using some of the £13.5 million of Bus Grant funding secured from the Department for Transport by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, as part of the WESTlink trial for the current financial year.

The region’s Bus Grant from UK Government also funds the Kids Go Free summer travel offer, which has seen almost 400,000 journeys taken by under 16s across the West (including North Somerset) since 19 July.