I've found the following item on the Planet Radio website, which gives more information regarding who will operate the buses:
The West of England Combined Authority have announced the operators for the...
planetradio.co.uk
It dates from 27 February 2023.
"The West of England Combined Authority have announced the operators for the region's new on-demand minibus service.
WESTlink will be run by a partnership of Via - a global public transport, logistics and tech company - and WeDRT - a UK-based company with experience of working with Transport for West Midlands.
WESTlink will see a fleet of green minibuses rolled out from the Spring as part of a £3 million-plus investment per year from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and North Somerset Council.
WESTlink buses will not be constrained by a traditional timetable but will use clever algorithms to connect people and places. Passengers will be able get on or off at over 1,800 existing bus stops as well as a number of virtual bus stops.
They are designed to link people to key routes where they can pick up another bus or train.
Residents will book their ride through an app, visiting a website or phoning up.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “I’m pleased that after a rigorous commercial procurement process, Via and WeDRT are on board. This is an important step as we begin rolling out WESTlink for residents later this year. The status quo on buses isn’t working, and residents deserve better, so it is time to try something different.
"I am proud to have secured the largest amount of funding for buses in the country, which means I can make this investment in WESTlink. Of course, change is disruptive, takes time, and we will have to learn lessons as we work hard to get things right - but I’m determined we get on with trying something new. I am hopeful that WESTlink will be a key part in getting people from A to B in the West of England, and linking residents to the wider local bus network”.
Jonathan Hampson, Head of UK Partnerships at Via, said “Via is delighted to partner with Metro Mayor Dan Norris and the West of England Combined Authority to introduce WESTLink demand-responsive minibuses this spring.
"We look forward to seeing how our innovative software expands access to flexible, sustainable mobility in the region - filling access gaps in remote areas and making it easier for locals to travel without a private car. We're confident other regions will look to the West of England as a leader for 21st century transport solutions.”
Charlie Crawford, weDRT Chief Operating Officer, said:“weDRT is thrilled to announce we will be launching and operating the brand new WESTlink service on behalf of the West of England Combined Authority, and in partnership with Via Technologies.
"Working with Mayor Norris, this service will be the largest of its kind in the UK and is set to transform and modernise the way residents move around the West of England region. Our experience in launching other 'on-demand' transport services across the UK gives us confidence in delivering the highest quality to the residents in the West of England”.
Steve Bridger, Leader of North Somerset Council, said: “WESTlink is the result of a shared programme of funding from the Government to improve bus services in the West. The new fleet of minibuses will offer a new local service to communities, allowing us to offer public transport to everyone who needs it.
"WESTlink is part of the £48 million Bus Service Improvement Plan, awarded by the Department for Transport, which will look to improve bus services in the West over the next two years. The ambition is to improve the quality and provision of bus services and today’s announcement is the first step towards that.”
And the following item from the Somerset Live website, published 22 March 2023:
Residents will be able to book a bus via an app
www.somersetlive.co.uk
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North Somerset Council executive member for transport Councillor Steve Hogg with Clara Canales from Via and a Westlink driver (Image: North Somerset Council)
These are the first glimpses of how North Somerset’s new on demand buses will look - ahead of them hitting the road next month. The 30 strong fleet of WESTlink
buses will start operating across the district from April 3 and will be part of the biggest on demand bus scheme in the UK.
Residents will be able to book the buses via an app, online or over the phone. It is hoped the initiative will help people in communities where there are no longer services to access
public transport. As part of the trial period, the buses will cost £2 per adult, £1 per child, and concessionary bus passes are accepted.
These prices will then be charged at standard commercial service costs, in line with Government guidelines from July. The
service will run Monday to Saturday 7am – 7pm. There will not be a service on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
READ MORE: Major changes to A38 to provide new bus lanes
Areas are separated into zones, with North Somerset having the largest area including some in Weston-super-Mare, Nailsea, Clevedon, Portishead,
Bristol Airport and Chew Valley. North Somerset Council executive member for highways and transport Steve Hogg said: “WESTlink will make a positive difference to communities that no longer have a bus service available to them, reconnecting people to key train and bus services, offering them public transport to medical appointments or even a trip to the cinema with a friend.”
“Booking is easy – you put in your destination time and the system will calculate when you need to be at the nearest active bus stop to you. There will also be ‘virtual stops’, which will be made clear when you book.
“This service won’t solve all our
bus problems, but it will make a positive difference to those that need it the most.”The WESTlink service is being introduced as part of North Somerset’s Bus Improvement Service Plan (BSIP).
Following a successful bid to the Department for Transport (DfT), over £105million in Government funding has been allocated for bus improvements, with £48m earmarked for capital improvements in North Somerset alone. £57.5m will be used as a pooled revenue fund with the West of England Combined Authority to enable delivery of the
Bus Service Improvement Plan.""
And also from the Somerset Live website, published today (1 April 2023)
A lot will be different next week — here is everything you need to know
www.somersetlive.co.uk
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Views across Bath, Monday 11 February, 2019. STOCK Bath bus station, first bus, transport, park and ride, ticket price, coaches, metrobus, clean air zone, carpool, pollution, diesel, fuel, late, transit link, first group, PHOTO:PAUL GILLIS / paulgillisphoto.com (Image: Paul Gillis/ Bath Chronicle)
The bus network in Bath and North East Somerset will look radically different next week, with 15 well-known bus routes ending overnight and a new on demand minibus service launching.
Here is everything you need to know about what is changing from April 2, if you rely on the buses to get around.
Which buses are being cut?
A total of 15 bus routes in the council area are running for the last time this week, although some will have their routes taken over by new or upgraded services.
Although some of the buses that are being axed go through parts of
Bath, it is rural North East Somerset which is bearing the brunt of the bus cuts.
The bus services that will no longer run from April 2 are:
- 178/178a Midsomer Norton – Brislington Park & Ride
- 185 Paulton – Trowbridge
- 636 Whitchurch – Keynsham
- 640 Bishop Sutton – Keynsham
- 663 Somerdale – Chandag Road
- 664 Somerdale – Saltford
- 665 Somerdale – Longmeadow Road
- 668 Peasedown St John – Bristol
- 683 Keynsham – Wells
- 684 Wick to Keynsham
- 752 Hinton Blewett – Bath
- 754 Hinton Blewett – Radstock
- 757 Combe Hay – Midsomer Norton
- 79 Tormarton – Bath
- 379 Bath – Bristol
Additionally, the 349’s journeys from
Keynsham to
Midsomer Norton will end. The bus will still go between Keynsham and Bristol Bus Station.
More information about changes to bus services
can be found here on the Travelwest website.
Which buses will be running next week?
Current bus routes not listed above should continue to run, although there have been some timetable and route changes made to some buses and in the North East Somerset countryside, some key buses are only funded for a few more months.
The 82 between Paulton and Radstock, and the 179 and 768 which both run between Midsomer Norton and Bath will continue to run but only until June.
The 172 is also being funded until June and will have an extended route, running all the way to Bristol Bus Station after Paulton in order to replace the 379. The bus will now serve Bath, Peasedown St. John, Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Clutton, Pensford, Whitchurch, and Bristol Bus Station. But the service will no longer call at Midsomer Norton Tesco.
The Chew Valley’s 672 between Blagon and Bristol was also going to end in June — until a surprise announcement that it had been extended until the end of July.
The 22 between Twerton and the University of Bath had been among those slated to be axed, but it is now planned to be extended with funding from the university.
A new bus will also start running
called the 522.
Where will the 522 run?
The 522 will connect Bath and Bristol via Midsomer Norton. The bus will run every half hour between the two cities, with an hourly service on Sundays and public holidays.
It will serve Bath Bus Station, Peasedown St. John, Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Paulton, Hallatrow, High Littleton, Farnborough, Timsbury, Marksbury, Burnet, Keynsham, Brislington, and Bristol Bus Station.
The bus will essentially replace the axed 178 service. Alan Peters who runs local bus company Abus which currently runs that bus said: “It’s a huge enhancement on the 178, and by extending it to the bus stations at either end, they have enhanced it even more.”
But he added: “However it won’t help the people in Timsbury.”
The village is losing its 179 service directly into Bath — a predicament which left many villages fearing they were being “cut off”. The new 522 will go through the village and connect it to Bath,
but the journey will take longer as it will go via Midsomer Norton.
Mr Peters added: “There’s the possibility of using DRT but we have yet to see what the DRT will look like. [...] Most industry professionals do not feel that DRT will work in the way it's envisioned.”
What is DRT?
“DRT” — or demand responsive transport — is a type of bus service that works on demand, with minibuses going where people need them rather than following set routes. It has been used in several areas around the country and, from next week,
a DRT service will be rolling out across the West of England.
You will be able to book one of the 30 WESTlink minibuses through the WESTlink app which can be downloaded onto your smartphone, on
the website, or over the phone on 0117 457 8561. A WESTlink minibus will pick you up from a nearby bus stop or “virtual bus stop.”"
