What mass transit is, our plans for public transport and mass transit, what we're doing and why.
What mass transit is
Mass transit is a public transport system that:
- can move lots of people across a city and the neighbouring regions
- can run separately to other traffic
- could be made up of several different types of transport
- could run both over and underground
What we're doing
We're working on plans for a mass transit system for Bristol and the surrounding area with the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and neighbouring councils in Bath, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
WECA has invested £1.5 million to look into options for mass transit and investigate and develop possible routes. There'll be a public consultation about them in summer 2021.
They'll assess all suitable options as part of the project. We've published image a map that shows where and how we want mass transit lines to run (386 KB) , in order to help connect people in Bristol with each other, jobs, retail, leisure and the surrounding area.
Our vision for public transport and mass transit
Rapid bus routes
We ran a trial to close Bristol Bridge to traffic from August 2021. If Bristol Bridge closes to traffic permanently, we'll be able to:
- connect rapid segregated routes through the city centre
- create a central bus loop and a hub where different transport options meet
Upgrades to bus services, including new city centre bus lanes, have already started, and First West of England has doubled the number of route 2 buses crossing Bristol Bridge. There are also plans for:
- new bus lanes to connect the city to existing and proposed new park and ride sites
- connections between the rail network and new public transport routes
- new railway stations
Mass transit lines
Our next goal is to bring in a mix of over and underground mass transit lines running separately to other traffic. More information on these routes is in the pdf Bristol City Centre Framework (19.57 MB) , which we consulted on and adopted last year.
Why we're doing this
By increasing the use of public transport, we can build a case for government and private organisations to invest in a low carbon, reliable transport network.
This will:
- connect people in Bristol and the surrounding areas to each other, jobs, education and leisure
- help us meet the challenges of a growing population
- help us meet our environmental targets