MetroBus (Bristol)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

MetroBus (stylised as metrobus) is a
bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
system in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, England, created as a joint project between
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
North Somerset North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non ...
and
South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...
councils. The first route, service m3, began operations on 29 May 2018, followed by m2 on 3 September and m1 on 6 January 2019.


Overview

MetroBus is part of a package of transport infrastructure improvements in the
West of England West of England is a combined authority area in South West England. It is made up of the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset unitary authorities. The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England Dan N ...
which have been designed to help unlock economic growth, tackle poor public transport links in South Bristol, long bus journey times and high car use in the North Fringe of the city and M32 motorway corridor. MetroBus vehicles have priority over other traffic at junctions and use a combination of segregated busways and bus lanes. They are double-decker
Alexander Dennis Enviro400 The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor bus, low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the United Kingdom, British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400, Dennis Trident 2, ...
bodied
Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
biogas Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. It is a ...
buses with two doors, one for boarding and one for exiting, to shorten stop times. There are five routes: *m1:
Cribbs Causeway Cribbs Causeway is both a road in South Gloucestershire, England, running north of the city of Bristol, and the adjacent area which is notable for its out-of-town shopping and leisure facilities. The retail and leisure complex takes its name fr ...
to
Hengrove Park Hengrove is a suburb and council ward of Bristol, England, situated between Whitchurch, Knowle and Bishopsworth, running along both dual carriageways, Wells Road ( A37) and Airport Road (A4174). The area of Knowle it adjoins is known as Knowl ...
via the
city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
*m2:
Long Ashton Long Ashton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset and is one of a number of large villages just outside the boundary of city of Bristol urban area. The parish has a population ...
park & ride to the city centre *m3:
Emersons Green Emersons Green is a suburb of Bristol and parish in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. Sitting 7 miles northeast of Bristol, England. It was developed from farming land during the 1990s and early 21st century, and sits within the hi ...
and Lyde Green park & ride to The Centre, via the University of the West of England (UWE) Frenchay campus *m3x: Emersons Green and Lyde Green park & ride to City Centre - faster peak time service along the same route as the m3 that skips UWE Frenchay Campus *m4: Cribbs Causeway to City Centre, via
Bristol Parkway Station Bristol Parkway, on the South Wales Main Line, is in the Stoke Gifford area in the northern suburbs of the Bristol conurbation. It is from London Paddington. The station was opened in 1972 by British Rail, and was the first in a new gener ...
and UWE Frenchay Campus (starting 22nd January 2022) The m3 route will be extended at a later date from Emersons Green to
Bristol Parkway railway station Bristol Parkway, on the South Wales Main Line, is in the Stoke Gifford area in the northern suburbs of the Bristol conurbation. It is from London Paddington. The station was opened in 1972 by British Rail, and was the first in a new generat ...
, following works at the station to improve access for buses and other vehicles. The South Bristol Link section, between Long Ashton park & ride and Hengrove Park, is not currently operated as no operator will run services without a subsidy. It is anticipated that when a large development of new homes is built near the route, the service will become commercially viable. In central Bristol, The Centre was re-modelled and partly pedestrianised as part of the project. Many sections of the Metrobus routes also include a shared use path for multi-modal transport.


History

The £200 million project started in 2006, developed by the West of England Partnership, a partnership between
South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...
,
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and
North Somerset North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non ...
and
Bath and North East Somerset Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a unitary authority district in England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. Th ...
councils. Three routes were originally proposed: *
Ashton Vale Ashton Vale is a suburb located in the Bedminster ward of Bristol, United Kingdom.It Is located in the very south-western edge of the city. Ashton Vale has a mixture of residential and light industry. It is served by Ashton Vale Primary Scho ...
to Temple Meads station (AVTM, later m2) * North Fringe (as far as the
Cribbs Causeway Cribbs Causeway is both a road in South Gloucestershire, England, running north of the city of Bristol, and the adjacent area which is notable for its out-of-town shopping and leisure facilities. The retail and leisure complex takes its name fr ...
retail area) to
Hengrove Hengrove is a suburb and council ward of Bristol, England, situated between Whitchurch, Knowle and Bishopsworth, running along both dual carriageways, Wells Road ( A37) and Airport Road ( A4174). The area of Knowle it adjoins is known as Kno ...
(NFHP, later m1) *South Bristol Link (SBL, not in operation) From its announcement, MetroBus (originally called 'BRT') proved controversial. In 2013 and 2014, incoming directly elected mayor George Ferguson decided to change the route of the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads service. Instead of travelling on the north side of
Bristol Harbour Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It is the former natural tidal river Avon through the city but was made into its current form in 1809 when the tide was prevented from going out per ...
along Hotwell Road or along the south side of the harbour and over Prince Street Bridge, it would follow Cumberland Road and Redcliff Hill calling near Temple Meads station and travelling around the inner ring road before reaching the city centre. This change would have implications for potential patronage: as the city centre was projected to be the most frequent destination, journey times for most passengers were significantly lengthened. As a result, the revised economic appraisal in 2014 projected significantly lower passenger numbers than the original appraisal in 2011. An addition to the North Fringe package was proposed in 2015. The Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (CPME) will provide a more direct route from
Bristol Parkway railway station Bristol Parkway, on the South Wales Main Line, is in the Stoke Gifford area in the northern suburbs of the Bristol conurbation. It is from London Paddington. The station was opened in 1972 by British Rail, and was the first in a new generat ...
to Cribbs Causeway, via housing developments at Filton Airfield. The scheme's promoters claimed in 2014 that it would reduce journey times by up to 75% between Long Ashton park & ride and
Hengrove Park Hengrove is a suburb and council ward of Bristol, England, situated between Whitchurch, Knowle and Bishopsworth, running along both dual carriageways, Wells Road ( A37) and Airport Road (A4174). The area of Knowle it adjoins is known as Knowl ...
. In 2015, services were expected to begin in 2017, although this date subsequently slipped. The first route (m3) commenced on 29 May 2018. Route m2 commenced on 3 September 2018 and route m1 in January 2019. Route m4 debuted on 22 January 2023.


Construction cost

The total estimated cost of the scheme initially was £200 million. The Ashton Vale to Temple Meads route was £49.6 million, of which the
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
(DfT) would contribute £34.5 million. DfT would contribute £27.6 million, more than half of the total cost, to the South Bristol Link Road scheme which extends the
A4174 The A4174 is a major ring road in England which runs around the northern and eastern edge of Bristol, mainly in South Gloucestershire, and through the southern suburbs of the city. When it was first conceived it was planned to circle the whole ...
ring road, with
Bristol City Council Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 wards ...
contributing £8.4 million and
North Somerset Council North Somerset Council is the local authority of North Somerset, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Cou ...
contributing £5.3 million. The cost of the North Fringe to Hengrove package was estimated to be £102 million, with DfT contributing £51 million, £30.5 million from
South Gloucestershire Council South Gloucestershire Council is the local authority of South Gloucestershire, England, covering an area to the north of the city of Bristol. As a unitary authority it has the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. I ...
and £20.5 million from Bristol City Council. In 2016 estimated costs had increased to £216 million, and in 2017 to £230 million.


Objections

MetroBus faced opposition from environmental groups who claimed the new bus-only junction over the M32 (North Fringe to Hengrove section) would mean the loss of 12 smallholdings, loss of long-held allotments, expansion into
green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...
land, and loss of Grade 1 soil and land at Feed Bristol, a community food-growing project. The scheme proposed mitigation for loss of allotments, soils etc but a report to the Development Control Committee for the meeting of 27 August 2014 stated: "Despite the proposed off-site mitigation, the NFHP scheme would result in the loss of 1.79 hectares of best and most versatile agricultural land."


Approval process

All planning permissions for the MetroBus network have now granted. The Ashton Vale to Temple Meads route was approved by the DfT in November 2013. The South Bristol Link part of the MetroBus scheme was approved in January 2015.


Construction

By April 2016, construction had begun on the first three routes. Works for the fourth route began in February 2019.


Ashton Vale to Temple Meads (AVTM)

Construction started in early 2015 on the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads route. Works for the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads MetroBus route include: *construction of a total of 1.2 miles of guided busway (not continuous) from
Long Ashton Long Ashton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset and is one of a number of large villages just outside the boundary of city of Bristol urban area. The parish has a population ...
to the
Ashton Avenue Bridge The Ashton Avenue Bridge is a pedestrian, cycling and busway bridge in Bristol, England. Grade II listed, it was constructed as a road-rail bridge as part of the Bristol Harbour Railway. It now carries a Bristol MetroBus guided busway route and ...
, together with a segregated path for cyclists and pedestrians, *the refurbishment of Ashton Avenue Bridge, *the construction of a new parallel bridge at
Bathurst Basin Bathurst Basin is a small triangular basin adjoining the main harbour of the city of Bristol, England. The basin takes its name from Charles Bathurst, who was a Bristol MP in the early 19th century. The basin was built on an area of an old ...
, and *city centre works including new bus stops, upgrading of existing stops and installation of real time information displays.


North Fringe to Hengrove (NFHP)

Work began on the Stoke Gifford Transport Link (SGTL) and Bradley Stoke Way in August 2015 as part of the North Fringe to Hengrove Package. The work includes the construction of new roads, widening the carriageway, a bus only junction on the M32 and the creation of new bus lanes on the
A4174 The A4174 is a major ring road in England which runs around the northern and eastern edge of Bristol, mainly in South Gloucestershire, and through the southern suburbs of the city. When it was first conceived it was planned to circle the whole ...
, Coldharbour Lane, Stoke Lane and SGTL. The widening of the A4174 required the replacement of the Church Lane bridge for pedestrians and horses, near
Emersons Green Emersons Green is a suburb of Bristol and parish in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. Sitting 7 miles northeast of Bristol, England. It was developed from farming land during the 1990s and early 21st century, and sits within the hi ...
. The concrete bridge was demolished in December 2015 and replaced with a steel
truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
in June 2016. Also in June 2016, the M32 was closed to allow the installation of a bus-only bridge.


South Bristol Link (SBL)

Work on this westward extension of the A4174 began in summer 2015 and involved the construction of: *a new road with bus lanes from Highridge Common to the A370 Long Ashton Bypass, *a new realigned road from Highridge Common to Hareclive Road, *the new MetroBus route from Hengrove Park to Long Ashton Park & Ride, including a bus-only spur of about 700 metres connecting the new road to the park & ride site, *a replacement railway bridge on the
Bristol to Exeter line Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in S ...
(a branch from the
Great Western Main Line The Great Western Main Line (GWML) is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington to . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea. Opened in 1841, it was the or ...
). The South Bristol Link Road was completed and opened to traffic in early January 2017. The initial Metrobus network will not, however, run along the bus lanes of the Link Road, although the road is used by services between the city centre and
Bristol Airport Bristol Airport , at Lulsgate Bottom, on the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills, in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England, and the surrounding area. It is southwest of Bristol city centre. Built on ...
.


Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (CPME)

A route to be known as 'm4', between
Bristol Parkway railway station Bristol Parkway, on the South Wales Main Line, is in the Stoke Gifford area in the northern suburbs of the Bristol conurbation. It is from London Paddington. The station was opened in 1972 by British Rail, and was the first in a new generat ...
and the
Cribbs Causeway Cribbs Causeway is both a road in South Gloucestershire, England, running north of the city of Bristol, and the adjacent area which is notable for its out-of-town shopping and leisure facilities. The retail and leisure complex takes its name fr ...
regional shopping centre, via new housing built on the former Filton Airfield, began to be designed in 2014. Work to add short stretches of bus lane to existing roads, and replace Gipsy Patch Lane Bridge under the railway with a wider concrete bridge, began in 2019 and was largely complete in August 2022. Services on the m4 route were expected to begin in the spring of 2023. In December 2022, a start date of 22 January 2023 was announced.


Operators

As of February 2017, an operator for MetroBus services had not been found. An operator should have been in place 12 months prior to commencement of services (planned for Spring 2017), but bus companies were reluctant to invest in new buses to meet the requirements for MetroBus, whilst having a cap on fares. They suggested that the services would not be viable on a commercial basis. MetroBus had said in 2016 that public subsidy might be needed to attract an operator. In June 2017, it was announced that would run services on the first route to open – at that time expected to be the m2 from Long Ashton – and would not receive any public funding. In April 2018, it was announced that the m1 route would be operated by Bristol Community Transport, under contract to First West of England, with the m2 and m3 services operated by First.
HCT Group HCT Group was a social enterprise providing transport services and community services in several areas of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1982 as Hackney Community Transport in the London Borough of Hackney, to provide transport services f ...
, the owners of Bristol Community Transport, announced at short notice in August 2022 that they would withdraw from the m1 service. First West of England took over the service after a two-day suspension.


Future expansion

The
West of England Combined Authority The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is a combined authority within the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The combined authority is led by the ...
's Joint Local Transport Plan has outlined the ambition for future expansion of the MetroBus network to link
Bristol city centre Bristol City Centre is the commercial, cultural and business centre of Bristol, England. It is the area north of the New Cut of the River Avon, bounded by Clifton Wood and Clifton to the north-west, Kingsdown and Cotham to the north, and ...
to Bath via
Keynsham Keynsham ( ) is a town and civil parish located between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. It has a population of 16,000. It was listed in the Domesday Book as ''Cainesham'' (as it is pronounced), which is believed to mean the home of Sai ...
,
Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 i ...
via
Nailsea Nailsea is a town in Somerset, England, southwest of Bristol, and northeast of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the opposite side of the Bristol to Exeter railway line. Nailsea had a populatio ...
,
Yate Yate is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It lies just to the southwest of the Cotswolds, Cotswold Hills and is northeast of Bristol city centre and from the centre of Bath, Somerset, Bath, with regular rail services ...
, Thornbury and
Avonmouth Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, facing two rivers: the reinforced north bank of the final stage of the Avon which rises at sources in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset; and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuar ...
; along with an orbital service linking
Emersons Green Emersons Green is a suburb of Bristol and parish in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. Sitting 7 miles northeast of Bristol, England. It was developed from farming land during the 1990s and early 21st century, and sits within the hi ...
to South Bristol. A service in
Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...
is also proposed.


Criticism

The current MetroBus network has shown signs of
bus rapid transit creep Bus rapid transit creep is a phenomenon commonly defined as a bus rapid transit (BRT) system that fails to meet the requirements to be considered "true BRT". These systems are often marketed as a fully realized bus rapid transit system, but end u ...
; primarily not fully operating on dedicated bus lanes for much of its routes, operating in mixed road traffic and being subject to traffic jams. In an open letter published in January 2020, James Freeman, the then managing director of First West of England, said services could not operate properly because buses were delayed by roadworks and congestion. He stated that the £230m of public money had been "largely wasted".


See also

*
MetroWest (Bristol) MetroWest, formerly known as the Greater Bristol Metro, is a project to improve the rail services in Bristol, England, and the surrounding region. It was first proposed at First Great Western's Stakeholder Event in March 2008. The aim of the p ...
– rail services *
Transport in Bristol Bristol is a city in south west England, near the Bristol Channel coast, approximately 106 miles (170 km) west of London. Several factors have influenced the development of its transport network. It is a major centre of employment, reta ...


References


External links

* Bus transport in Bristol Guided busways and BRT systems in the United Kingdom Transport infrastructure completed in 2018 2018 establishments in England {{UK busway