WESTlink is a new type of bus service which operates across our region. It runs without a fixed timetable or route, and is booked ‘on demand’ by users through the WESTlink app or website, or by phone.

You can travel anywhere within the Chew Valley Zone, as well as the A37, Hengrove, & airport shared zones.

To get to Bath or Bristol, advice from travelwest is to book WESTlink to get you to Pensford, then interchange with the 172 Bristol-Bath bus service: you can find the timetable for that here, which runs Monday to Saturday (excluding bank holidays). Make sure to give plenty of time to interchange, as neither bus will wait for you.

It’s best to book the day before & you'll have to book your return WESTlink trip at the same time, or you could be stranded. You also need to be careful with timings, as the 172 service operates for longer through the day than WESTlink.

Concessionary cards are accepted after 9am. Service dogs are welcome, but any other pets may need to be in an "airline-approved carrier".

Monday to Friday you can also catch the X91 commuter service for Bristol, which leaves the village shop at 07.35, arriving at Bristol Centre (C3) at 08.25. Then return by leaving Bristol Centre (C6) at 17.40, arriving back in the village at 18.25. Details are available here.

Alternatively, we provide directions to park & rides for Bath & Bristol here. They both have height barriers (all of Bristol's P&Rs do), but there's a layby outside the Bath (Newbridge) P&R for high vehicles. One Bath P&R doesn't have a height barrier, but it's a 20 mile diversion, or a drive right through the centre of Bath to get there (which seems to defeat the purpose).

If not using a park & ride, parking in Bath is easiest at Charlotte Street car park (BA1 2NE), which has no height barrier, but is inside Bath's Clean Air Zone. For Bristol, the easiest parking is Cabot Circus (BS2 9AB), but there is a height barrier and it's inside Bristol's Clean Air Zone.

We know this is far from perfect - from height barriers & CAZs, to cross-referencing timetables, longer journey times, and the limits on pets. We complained when WECA was set up (because we knew it would reduce rural transport options), when they cancelled the few remaining buses in Chew Valley, & when they vastly restricted the WESTlink regions with little notice early in 2024 - again making it more difficult for campers & locals to get around. Most of the people involved in these decisions live in well-connected cities, so it would help if you let them know why this is such as problem by emailing them on westlink@wedrt.com, ideally CC'ing us on enquiries@bathchewvalley.co.uk as well.

Visit travelwest.info for more information & to book a trip with WESTlink.

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