Bus service improvements for Gloucester, Forest of Dean and Tewkesbury

Gloucestershire County Council has announced the introduction of improved local bus services in Gloucester and some extra services to the Tewkesbury and Forest of Dean areas.

This is the third phase of wide-ranging bus service improvements being made for the benefit of communities after the county council was awarded more than £4.4 million by the Department for Transport over two years.

The Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (BSIP+) funding amounting to £2,209,623 was allocated to improve bus services in the county during 2023/24 and an anticipated further £2,209,623 will be given for 2024/25.

The additional later evening bus services in the Gloucester area will begin on Sunday 3 March. They will operate on the following routes until between midnight and around 1am on Friday and Saturday evenings and until between about 10pm and 11pm on Sunday evenings.

• 1 Gloucester to Matson
• 2 Gloucester to Upton St Leonards
• 8 Kingsway to Coopers Edge via Gloucester
• 10 Cheltenham to Lower Tuffley via Gloucester
• 12 Gloucester to Quedgeley

Residents in the Tewkesbury and Forest of Dean areas will benefit from the provision of better weekday evening and Sunday daytime services to and from Gloucester:

• 24 Gloucester to Cinderford, to be extended to Coleford and Monmouth on Sundays
• 32 Gloucester to Newent, later journeys on weekday evenings
• 71 Gloucester to Ashchurch via Tewkesbury, new Sunday daytime journeys and introduction of weekday evening services

These improved bus services will be operated by Stagecoach. The improvements to evening services will support the evening economy, allowing residents to spend longer in city and town centres, knowing they will have a bus to take them home. The initiative will also benefit shift workers.

Improvements to Sunday daytime bus services from Gloucester to Coleford, Monmouth, Tewkesbury and Ashchurch will offer enhanced travel opportunities for bus users.

The full bus timetables are available here: https://nationaljourneyplanner.travelinesw.com/

Cllr Philip Robinson, cabinet member with responsibility for buses at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “I’m pleased to see these additional GCC subsidised bus services can be provided thanks to the funding we have received from the Department for Transport. They will help the evening economy and provide greater convenience for residents and shift workers.

“This is the third phase of our programme of bus service improvements coming to many parts of Gloucestershire, continuing our commitment to improving and supporting the many bus services we have in the county.”

Elisabeth Tasker, Interim Managing Director, Stagecoach West, said: “We are delighted to be introducing these extra evening services in Gloucestershire. The later journeys give workers and leisure passengers more choice and flexibility in how they travel around the region, making bus an even more attractive option.

“Whilst adding the new services to the timetable we have also made some punctuality improvements across the board to reflect journey length and arrival times more accurately.”

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk