Airport Flyer is a pair of bus routes that serve Bristol Airport. The routes are operated by First West of England.[1]
History
editIn 2012, the route began operating 24 hours per day.[2]
The A2 service was withdrawn in January 2018, after having its frequency halved from hourly to two-hourly in January.[3]
In 2018, twelve double-decker Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC-bodied Scania N250UD buses were deployed on the route.[4]
During the COVID-19 pandemic when passenger numbers to the airport had reduced, the A1 route was changed and the bus began serving local stops. This arrangement was discontinued in April 2022.[5][6] From May 2022, Bristol Zone bus tickets were no longer accepted on the route.[7]
The frequency of route A1 was increased to every 12 minutes in October 2022.[8][9]
Routes
editA1 Bristol Bus Station to Bristol Airport
edit| A1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Operator | First West of England |
| Garage | Hengrove |
| Vehicle | Enviro400 MMC |
| Route | |
| Start | Bristol Bus Station |
| Via | Bristol City Centre Bristol Temple Meads station Bedminster |
| End | Bristol Airport |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | up to every 10 minutes |
The A1 runs from Bristol Bus Station to Bristol Airport, serving the city centre and Temple Meads Station.[10] The route between Bristol Bus Station and Lime Kiln roundabout is limited stop but from Lime Kiln Roundabout to the airport, the bus serves all stops.
A3 Weston-super-Mare to Bristol Airport
edit| A3 | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Operator | First West of England |
| Garage | Weston-super-Mare |
| Vehicle | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC |
| Peak vehicle requirement | 2 |
| Route | |
| Start | Weston-super-Mare station |
| Via | Weston-super-Mare town centre Worle Congresbury Cleeve |
| End | Bristol Airport |
| Length | 12.5 miles |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | every hour |
The A3 runs from Weston-super-Mare to Bristol Airport on a direct, but limited stop route via Locking Road and the A370 through Worle, Congresbury and Cleeve. [11][12]
References
edit- ^ "Changes planned for Bristol Airport bus services". Bristol Airport. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
- ^ "More buses and quicker journey on Bristol airport route". Bristol Post. 22 August 2013. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ Frost, Sam (2018-01-19). "First Bus scales back A2 route ahead of scrapping it in April". Weston Mercury. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
- ^ "Bristol Airport route upgraded to double-deckers". Buses Magazine. 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
- ^ "Bristol Airport called on to reverse bus route decision". BBC News. 2022-04-24. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
- ^ Postans, Adam (2022-04-20). "Anger as Bristol Airport scraps free bus travel for pensioners". BristolLive. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
- ^ Cruse, Beth (2022-05-28). "Bristol bus tickets to no longer be accepted on Airport service". BristolLive. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
- ^ "Bristol Airport confirms A1 Flyer service will run more frequently". www.bristolworld.com. 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ Roig, Estel Farell (2022-10-10). "Bus to Bristol Airport increases frequency". BristolLive. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ "A1 route map" (PDF).
- ^ "Weston Flyer service to return". Weston Mercury. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ "A3 route map" (PDF).