WESTlink minibus service to expand from April
As of April 8th, services will start running to Southmead Hospital, Bath's RUH and Cribbs Causeway
A West Country minibus service will be expanded next month.
The West of England Combined Authority says as of April 8th, WESTlink services will start running to Southmead Hospital, Bath's RUH and Cribbs Causeway.
The service was introduced a year ago, offering people lifts to people in areas no longer served by traditional bus routes.
To mark the anniversary, the 'zones' are changing which the green minibuses cover, 'in response to passenger feedback'.
What this means are the new areas, which are being brought in to include Bath Royal United Hospital, Kingswood High Street, Ashton Vale, Cribbs Causeway and Southmead Hospital.
New measures are also being introduced to encourage shorter journeys on the service.
The three large zones are being replaced with eight smaller “core” zones and 13 shared zones, while making sure that popular journeys are still covered - for example, between Yate and Thornbury.
Those behind the service say more than 100,000 trips have been made by people travelling on a WESTlink so far.
The aim is to help those who live in areas with little or no public transport to connect with main bus routes, so attracting new passengers onto buses.
There will also be changes to the booking system, as the app has previously allowed people to book trips where there were already existing bus routes.
You can find a list of the service changes - which come into effect on April 8th - on the WESTLink website.