Bristol airport bus services

[mrmartin]

Used this airport a bit recently and the bus service is pretty poor. Going to the airport was ok, but I could see other buses on the way back around 1pm were absolutely rammed. I got out of the airport at around 8.30 and the bus was around 10minutes late arriving compared to what national rail had (don't know how accurate that is though - but it was a long wait), and took over 10 minutes to depart because of the enormous queue of passengers getting on. A few people were left behind.

Seems crazy that given the airport doesn't have a rail link that the bus link is so overloaded. Is this a post covid hangover of reduced services that aren't back to where they should be, or has it always been this poor?

It also seemed the bus had loads of stops which isn't ideal for an 'express' service, but thankfully very few of the intermediate stops were used by passengers.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Used this airport a bit recently and the bus service is pretty poor. Going to the airport was ok, but I could see other buses on the way back around 1pm were absolutely rammed. I got out of the airport at around 8.30 and the bus was around 10minutes late arriving compared to what national rail had (don't know how accurate that is though - but it was a long wait), and took over 10 minutes to depart because of the enormous queue of passengers getting on. A few people were left behind.

Seems crazy that given the airport doesn't have a rail link that the bus link is so overloaded. Is this a post covid hangover of reduced services that aren't back to where they should be, or has it always been this poor?

It also seemed the bus had loads of stops which isn't ideal for an 'express' service, but thankfully very few of the intermediate stops were used by passengers.

The route had an allocation of 12 Volvo B7RLEs from 2010/1 until 2018 when they brought in the e400mmc. The opening of the metrobus route to Long Ashton also allowed the A1 to be directed along there and away from Bedminster so you had a journey time of just over 30 mins. There was also a service (A2) that ran every 30 mins via Bedminster, initially with Streetlites but then some mmcs nicked off a city route.

When Covid hit, there were lots of changes understandably. However, what happened could be seen in one of two ways...

• The A1 was rerouted to replace the A2 with that fleet and/or
• The A2 was renumbered and uplifted

The route is slower because of the need to serve Bedminster. Personally, I'd prefer a return to the Jan 2020 position and have the A1 using the rather underused infrastructure at Long Ashton before the bus lane is dropped on the South Bristol Relief Road in favour of being a second general running lane.

 

[sk688]

Have found walking to the Airport Tavern and using the U2 , or using the Falcon to be preferable to using the A1 , given the crowding levels on it

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Have found walking to the Airport Tavern and using the U2

Not really suitable for most people though

 

[Stompehh]

It also used to stop right at the airport door but now it is relegated to the sorry excuse for a coach station down the hill. You can only catch a bus right outside the airport if you are heading to one of the car parks...

 

[D2007wsm]

It also used to stop right at the airport door but now it is relegated to the sorry excuse for a coach station down the hill. You can only catch a bus right outside the airport if you are heading to one of the car parks...

They were originally sent down to the Coach Park during Covid when a marquee was erected across the forecourt and have never gone back up.

They are supposed to be going back up on the forecourt alongside the A3, but no date has been set.

At one point pre-covid the A1 was every 10 minutes, I think they are yet to reach that frequency again. The A3 came back on it’s pre-covid timetable and has since been enhanced with an extra journey in each direction.

Rumour has it, electric buses are going to be tested on the A3 with the view to them replacing the E200MMCs as they are getting knackered.

 

[mrmartin]

It also used to stop right at the airport door but now it is relegated to the sorry excuse for a coach station down the hill. You can only catch a bus right outside the airport if you are heading to one of the car parks...

Yes, this is another issue. The stop is far from ideal especially with luggage at the airport, and also at Temple Meads it stops really far away, having to walk past loads of parked taxis. Not really the "green" experience on either end that Bristol has a name for!

Also, the roads are terrible there. On the way out we were stuck behind a tractor for a fair part of the journey. Is there any other airport in Europe of that size which doesn't have a proper dual carriageway (at least) connection nor any rail link?!

Overall it's a really poor offering taking into account the limited frequency, overloaded buses, terrible road infrastructure, poorly placed stops and no fixed rail link.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Yes, this is another issue. The stop is far from ideal especially with luggage at the airport, and also at Temple Meads it stops really far away, having to walk past loads of parked taxis. Not really the "green" experience on either end that Bristol has a name for!

Also, the roads are terrible there. On the way out we were stuck behind a tractor for a fair part of the journey. Is there any other airport in Europe of that size which doesn't have a proper dual carriageway (at least) connection nor any rail link?!

Overall it's a really poor offering taking into account the limited frequency, overloaded buses, terrible road infrastructure, poorly placed stops and no fixed rail link.

I think you have to look at this in context.

The airport was a piffling provincial affair, perched on top of a hill, and in 1988 had 100,000 passengers p.a. 30 years later and it had 7 million! The idea that it would've been able to get any sort of rail link quickly and in line with that sort of growth simply wouldn't have been feasible.

The A38 from Lime Kiln to Bristol Airport could be better. As I've alluded to before, the route from the A370 to the A38 (South Bristol Relief Road) had bus lanes as part of the design brief as it received money for the metrobus scheme; it has hardly any services, the fear is that they will disappear and so it was a means of building a road using money for bus improvements (when Bristol desperately needs bus priority).

I agree with the comments about the regressiveness move of buses down the hill to the grim little bus station at the airport. However, I don't agree with the Temple Meads issue. It isn't that far to walk and you can't get the deckers closer to the entrance as they risk striking the Temple Meads canopies. They did used to stop closer when they used single deckers.

As I said earlier, it would make much more sense to route the A1 via the pre-Covid route and miss out Bedminster. That way, the metrobus infrastructure would be used for its intended purpose, the journey time would be shorter and more reliable, and the frequency uplifted to the old level (which I think was every 10 mins as @D2007wsm mentioned) and so the same fleet could be used more intensively.

 

[mrmartin]

I think it really exposes how poor UK infrastructure is. Compare this to Warsaw Modlin; which is the ryanair airport for Warsaw, around 2million pax. They've got a well coordinated rail/bus link, and they are upgrading the road to "expressway" dual carriageway standards (though it is 2 lanes each way the whole way, just with a lot of at grade crossings in places atm).

Porto airport is similar size; with a premetro station and many motorways running near it, with one (VRI) specially designed to get you to the airport quicker (despite having 2 other motorways).

Must be quite confusing from people from "poorer" countries like Poland and Portugal arriving at Bristol airport in the UK for the first time and getting stuck behind a tractor on a terrible single carriageway road.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I think it really exposes how poor UK infrastructure is. Compare this to Warsaw Modlin; which is the ryanair airport for Warsaw, around 2million pax. They've got a well coordinated rail/bus link, and they are upgrading the road to "expressway" dual carriageway standards (though it is 2 lanes each way the whole way, just with a lot of at grade crossings in places atm).

Porto airport is similar size; with a premetro station and many motorways running near it, with one (VRI) specially designed to get you to the airport quicker (despite having 2 other motorways).

Must be quite confusing from people from "poorer" countries like Poland and Portugal arriving at Bristol airport in the UK for the first time and getting stuck behind a tractor on a terrible single carriageway road.

It's a bit more complex than that. It exposes one element of UK infrastructure. There are plenty more issues for those countries to sort out.

It's long been argued that in selecting Lulsgate, they chose the wrong location. Would've been better to have selected Filton but in the 1950s, they closed Whitchurch and Lulsgate was relatively close by.

As I've said above, they could restore the A1 route to go via Long Ashton P&R. Using the metrobus route along Spike Island (even if the bus lanes there are not great) and then on the dedicated routes through Ashton Gate and Long Ashton would then provide it with a faster route, and then use the bus lane on the SBRR before it joins the A38.

 

[kijeta]

Bus or Coach to Cardiff Airport is worse than Bristol by far, so much so that even Cardiff residents would rather get a National Express to Bristol than fly from Cardiff.

 

[GusB]

Bus or Coach to Cardiff Airport is worse than Bristol by far, so much so that even Cardiff residents would rather get a National Express to Bristol than fly from Cardiff.

If you wish to discuss services to Cardiff Airport, I suggest that you start a new thread - your comment is off-topic as far as this thread is concerned.

 

[MasterSpenny]

Apologies if this is in the wrong place.

Bristol Airport has placed an order for 2 Mercedes Benz eCitaro electric buses according to this Route One article

Bristol Airport orders Mercedes-Benz eCitaro pair for landside use​

Bristol Airport has ordered two battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro 12m buses. They are to be used on landside work for both staff and customer car park transfers and will be supported by an electric bus charging hub there that uses Kempower 150kW units.

The eCitaro pair will complement four battery-electric Cobus airside buses that were delivered earlier this year. A spokesperson for Bristol Airport says that the eCitaros form part of a phased plan to move all airside and landside buses to zero-emission. Two further battery-electric Cobus airside buses are on order for 2024.

Infrastructure to support the two eCitaro buses at Bristol Airport will commence installation in mid-November, with the chargers arriving in late December.

Daimler Buses UK has confirmed that the vehicles will be to two-door, airport-style layout, although “the flooring and seat moquette has been specified to enhance the passenger experience,” a spokesperson says.

Each bus will have 588kW/h of energy storage, with a nominal usable capacity of 420kW/h. In revealing the increase to a 588kW/h maximum in 2022, Daimler Buses said that it utilises a third generation of NMC chemistry via individual battery pack capacity of 98kW/h.

The manufacturer noted then that such a provision will give the air-conditioned eCitaro a reliable range of 280km, and “well over 300km” in favourable conditions.

Daimler Buses UK has now confirmed three eCitaro orders. In addition to those for Bristol Airport, it has two separate purchases by Transdev Blazefield in hand, which will see 35 of the type delivered for use in Yorkshire. Those buses are part-funded by the first round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme. The first production eCitaros for the UK will arrive in spring 2024.

 

[geoffk]

I suppose you could build a link road to the airport from the M5 junction 20 (Clevedon). The land is very flat until you get to the A370 but then you reach the edge of the Mendips so some major engineering would be needed. Also it's a roundabout way of reaching the airport from Bristol itself. Not that I'm an advocate of more road-building!