New Buses For Bath-Bristol Route

22 July 2013, 04:00

First has invested £1.8 million in 11 new vehicles for the West of England Bus operator First has invested £1.8 million in 11 brand new StreetLite Max buses for the West of England.

The vehicles, which are made by WrightBus, are set to be used on Service X39 (Bath-Bristol). 

The new buses began arriving two weeks ago and are gradually being put into service on the popular commuter route between Bristol and Bath. The final ones arrived on Thursday 18 July and following a small launch event on 22 July, they will be put into service from 23 July.

They each feature a distinctive new livery, with an outline silhouette of the Roman Baths on one side, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge on the other. Each of the new buses also offers those customers on board an enhanced journey experience. With space for 41 seated people and up to 33 standing (30 if the wheelchair space is occupied), they each have individual leather seats and offer customers access to free on board WiFi while they travel. The latter means those on board with smartphones or other devices will be able to surf the web for free on the way to work - checking emails, tweeting, reading the news online or catching up with friends on social media as they wish - while the driver takes them where they need to go. 

The buses are also more environmentally friendly than the vehicles they are replacing. They have the latest Euro V engines and with a lighter overall chassis and body, they will use less fuel and create fewer emissions than older vehicles. Talking about the arrival of the new buses.

Paul Matthews, Interim Managing Director for First in the West of England, says: ''These new buses represent a significant investment in our services in the West of England, which follows on from the investment that has already been made in recent times. For instance in Bath we invested in seven new buses for use on Service 13 in the city at the end of last year, and eight hybrid buses for use on the Park and Ride last autumn. While in Bristol we will take delivery of 37 new buses this year, while also refurbishing 140 others too. These latest vehicles are a fantastic addition to our fleet and we are proud to be unveiling them officially this week. We hope that our customers enjoy the benefits that they bring, not least the addition of leather seats and free WiFi, which should make travelling between Bath and Bristol by bus even more comfortable.''

To support the launch of the new vehicles and encourage more people to use the service First will also be holding two customer road shows during August. The first will take place on Thursday 22 August in Bristol Bus Station, between 2 and 5pm, while the second will take place on Friday 23 August between 2 and 5pm in Bath Bus Station. 

Staff from First will be available at these events to talk to customers about the X39 service while handing out some goodie bags to the first 200 customers at each event.