Bus operator First West of England is making major changes to some of its services in North Somerset from Sunday, April 24, many affecting Nailsea.

Thinking aloud Nailsea People posted on its Facebook page: ‘Good job we are walking, running and cycling everywhere as there are some serious cuts proposed to our bus services’.

The response was overwhelming, it reached nearly 6,000 people in the first 24hrs and attracted a record number of 100 comments.

In a nutshell this is what First bus company is proposing:

• X8 withdrawn completely removing the direct link between Nailsea and Backwell including the railway station by this bus;

• X7 reduced evening service to finish at 8.15pm from Clevedon to Bristol and 9.15pm from Bristol to Clevedon with the loss of two later journeys on an hourly basis. This double-decker route currently goes via Nailsea Link Road but it is proposed to reroute via railway station; and

• X9 the 8.24pm, 9.24pm and 10.24pm from Nailsea to Bristol are under threat and the 10.45pm and 11.45pm from Bristol to Nailsea will be withdrawn.

However, North Somerset Council is exploring what buses it can subsidise and save.

This is in response to huge cuts announced by commercial bus companies.

These cuts will affect routes that are failing to recover quickly enough financially with Government Covid-relief funding to be withdrawn later this year.

Subject to a successful tender process, the council's proposals would mitigate some of the worst effects of cuts.

However, the council is warning that the scale of the cuts means that it's unlikely to replace every route under threat and difficult decisions will have to be made about which services it can ultimately save.

The changes reflect the need to temporarily reduce the frequency of some services to mitigate the impact of ongoing driver shortages, and to address routes and journeys that, due to low passenger numbers, are not commercially viable.

Taken together, these changes will ensure that remaining services can be operated more reliably.

Weston-super-Mare and other North Somerset towns and villages are also affected.

The bus company said that the X8 between Nailsea and Bristol via Backwell has suffered from long standing issues with low passenger numbers.

It added: “As a result, from April 24, the X8 will cease to operate but the X7 will be re-routed to serve Nailsea and Backwell Station every 60 minutes, an improvement on the current 90-minute frequency.”

First West of England managing director Doug Claringbold said: “Despite the Government extending emergency funding for another six months, ongoing issues with driver availability mean further action is necessary beyond the changes we made at the end of January to ensure we can operate services more reliably for our customers.  

“As part of that, we must ensure our resources are focused on the areas of the greatest need, which means we’ve had to act on those services and journeys that are just not commercially viable as we plan for the end of this funding in October.

“We only reduce or withdraw services as a very last resort and the issue with low passenger numbers and the resulting viability of some services pre-dates the pandemic and will not, therefore, be resolved by any recovery in passenger numbers.”

He added: “I want everyone to be clear that we are 100 per cent committed to providing the very best possible public transport services in Weston-super-Mare and the rest of North Somerset and will continue to work closely with North Somerset Council to that end.

“This commitment is highlighted by the imminent roll-out of 27 brand new lower-emissions diesel buses in North Somerset and an ongoing driver recruitment campaign to ensure we get people where they want to go safely, efficiently and sustainably.”