A BUS service from Fishponds to Bristol Temple Meads is being extended to South Bristol.

The 16, which was introduced earlier this year, will now continue from the station to Whitchurch, via Windmill Hill, Knowle, Knowle West, Imperial Retail Park and Hengrove Park.

The new route will be effective from August 31.

On the same date operator will also take over the 25 from Fishponds to the city centre via St Paul’s, and launch an all-night service for the m1 metrobus, which links Stapleton to Cribbs Causeway and Hengrove Park.

Funded by money from Clean Air Zone charges, the 16 was set up earlier this year to link Fishponds with Kingswood, St George and Temple Meads.

The extension will create “a new cross-city service”, says First, running half-hourly during the day, seven days per week.

The company said: “The timetable will be revised on the existing city centre to Fishponds section, to improve punctuality.”

This will include moving the city centre stop from Rupert Street to Nelson Street.

First will take over the 25, which runs from Straits Parade through Eastville, St Werburgh’s and St Paul’s, from Stagecoach after the service was re-tendered by the West of England Combined Authority.

It says buses will operate “every 30 minutes during the daytime on weekdays and every 20-25 minutes during peak times”, with hourly services at weekends – broadly in line with the frequency currently offered by Stagecoach.

The 25 was originally operated by Transpora, with WECA funding. Stagecoach stepped in last summer when Transpora suddenly ceased operations in the region last summer.

All-night metrobus

The m1, which stops at the Begbrook bus stop next to Stapleton Allotments, will run every half hour throughout the night between Cribbs Causeway, UWE Frenchay campus, the Centre and Hengrove Park, replacing the late-night U3 service for UWE.

On several other routes serving the Fishponds area – the 46, 47X, 48, 48X, 49, 49X and 50 – First says: “There will be minor changes to times on Monday to Friday to better reflect traffic conditions.”

There will be no changes to weekend timetables on those routes. 

New timetables and an updated route map will be published before the new times come into effect on First’s website.

Details of all local bus services, including timetables and route maps, can be found online at travelwest.info.