First Bus has announced further emergency timetable changes including 'special service levels' for the Easter period.
The bus operator says the new timetables, which came into effect on Sunday (April 5), will ensure the number of buses in operation is sufficient to meet the needs of those undertaking essential travel, while also making sure staff are not exposed to any unnecessary risk.
Most services will continue to operate across weekday operating hours, with early morning and evening journeys to ensure key workers are able to get to and from work.
Meanwhile, a small number of services will be withdrawn due to the reduced levels of passenger demand.
The new timetables are expected to extend to cover the Easter period, with additional service levels in place from Good Friday on April 10 to Easter Monday on April 13.
These timetables will reflect an emergency Sunday timetable across all four days but with earlier buses to ensure important connections, particularly with hospitals, are maintained at the necessary times.
James Freeman, managing director of First West of England, said: “Our customer numbers show that people have responded to the government’s stay at home guidance, and we are changing our timetables to reflect this.
“We remain fully committed to providing a service for all those who need to make essential journeys in line with government guidance, balancing this with our absolute duty of care to our staff, both those in the frontline and our depot teams who have been working tirelessly to keep our services running.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank every member of staff for the dedication and professionalism in these very difficult circumstances
“We appreciate that due to the fast-evolving situation we have made a number of changes to our timetables since the current crisis began.
"We would like to thank all our customers for the patience and understanding that they continue to show, and we are very grateful for all the kind feedback we have received from our customers.
“We will continue to follow government guidelines and keep our customers informed of any further developments via our website and social media channels.”
Further information about the new service levels and timetables can be found on the First Bus website here.
