New bus to reconnect Yate, Thornbury, and Cribbs Causeway

A new bus service is set to serve parts of South Gloucestershire from 1 September, thanks to funding from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority for the current financial year.

The Y2C trial service will connect Yate and Cribbs Causeway via Engine Common, Rangeworthy, Tytherington, Thornbury, Alveston, Olveston, Tockington, and Almondsbury. The 662 supported service¬ previously connected some of these areas until 2023.

The new timetabled bus service (attached) will run using a WEST-branded minibus around every 80-90 minutes on weekdays, with a Saturday service too, as part of the wider WESTlink trial. Alongside this, bookable minibuses will also continue to be available for journeys to other locations through WESTlink.

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

“I know how important bus services are, particularly outside of our region’s two cities. Residents of towns and villages in South Gloucestershire should see and feel a difference through the new trial Y2C bus.

“I’m looking forward to seeing local people using these buses over the coming months, taking up the new timetabled service between Yate, Thornbury, Cribbs Causeway, and the beautiful villages along the way.

“We want to build the kind of bus service that the West deserves, 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 Maggie Tyrrell, the Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said:

“The Y2C is a welcome trial service that helps reconnect Yate, Thornbury, and Cribbs Causeway. I’m pleased that the Mayor has recognised and is working so hard to restore these vital links for work, shopping, and community life. I encourage residents to make the most of this opportunity during the trial period, so we can demonstrate the demand for reliable, sustainable transport in our area.”

Sam Griffiths, Head of Northern Europe at bus operator Via, said:

"We are delighted to collaborate with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority to introduce a new fixed-route line alongside the WESTlink DRT service. Via will operate both the new scheduled service and the DRT network, ensuring seamless coordination between modes. Together, we aim to improve rural connectivity across South Gloucestershire—providing reliable scheduled services where demand is high, while continuing to serve more dispersed communities with efficient on-demand transport."

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 over 520,000 journeys taken by under 16s across the West (including North Somerset) since 19 July.