A new direct bus service linking Bristol Airport with the centre of Bath is to be launched in March – the second new transport link with an important market for the airport to be announced in as many weeks.
The service, which will be operated by Bath Bus Company, was announced yesterday at Bath Tourism Plus’s (BTP) annual forum where it was warmly welcomed by the city’s tourism chiefs.
The service will start on March 24 and details on ticket prices will be revealed nearer the time.
The announcement comes a fortnight after the airport announced it is to strengthen its links with the important South Wales market with a direct luxury coach service from Swansea, Cardiff and Newport. It will also launch in March and will give Bristol Airport a significant boost in its battle for passengers with smaller rival Cardiff Airport.
Martin Curtis, managing director of the Bath Bus Company, best known for its bright red opened-top ‘hop-on, hop-off’ tourist buses in the World Heritage city, said he had been planning the link for some time and but had kept his plans under wraps until yesterday’s forum.
The direct link will operate with double-deckers in a traditional green livery harking back to Bath’s original buses. It will travel through South Bristol, Keynsham and Saltford, and on its way from the airport. It will get passengers from the airport to Bath city centre in just over an hour.
Mr Curtis said: “It’s a commercial service. Prices will be competitive and in line with other transport providers.
“During 2012, 5.8m passengers used Bristol Airport,” added Mr Curtis, who explained the strong business argument for providing a bus link. Bath Bus Company is owned by French transport group RATP, which operates buses in Paris.
