Major changes are coming to Bristol city centre bus routes

Twenty-five bus services that travel through Bristol city centre will be rerouted away from some of Broadmead's busiest shopping streets from Sunday 30 August 2026.

These changes to bus routes are part of the Bristol on the Move City Centre project, which is changing transport routes through the city centre in preparation for thousands of new homes, shops, and leisure spaces being built in the coming years.

From 30 August, all bus stops on Union Street, The Horsefair and Penn Street, plus one stop on Broad Weir, will close. People travelling to or from Broadmead will need to use alternative nearby bus stops in the city centre, including new and upgraded bus stops on Fairfax Street, Broad Weir, Lower Castle Street and Bond Street.

As this will be a big change for commuters, shoppers, students and tourists, the council, working with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, bus operators and Broadmead businesses, has launched the Broadmead Bus Changes campaign to help people prepare for the changes.

Find out more information and view the 25 new route maps online here. There will also be travel advisors in the area in the lead up to and following the changeover, to help people find their new bus stops.

Councillor Ed Plowden, Bristol City Council’s Chair of the Transport and Connectivity Committee, said:

“These new bus routes will change the way thousands of people travel through Broadmead, so we’re working with our partners to make sure people know what is happening before the changes take effect.

“The Broadmead Bus Changes campaign provides information online, on buses and across the city centre, while our travel advisors will be available on the ground before and after the changeover date to help people find their new bus stops and plan their journeys. Once the bus routes have changed, there will be bespoke information displayed on each bus stop that is closing to direct people to their new bus stop.

“Moving buses away from some of Broadmead’s busiest shopping streets will allow us to create new public spaces, with planting, trees and seating areas, new public art and space for community events, while supporting wider plans for the city centre.

“With thousands more people expected to live in the area, when major developments are completed, these changes will help create a city centre that is greener, safer and more attractive for residents, visitors and businesses.

“Having listened to concerns from disabled persons’ groups and Disabled people, we also want to reassure everyone that we are providing new disabled parking bays for Blue Badge holders and accessible taxi ranks and, much like our approach to replacing bus stops, we will not close any of these facilities before opening the new ones. Our plans also include improving walking and wheeling routes from Broadmead to the new spaces and to provide new benches, lighting and an accessible map.”

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:

“Buses are so important for people across our region, with new routes and our new green buses moving us in the right direction.

“The upcoming changes in central Bristol can help continue to lay the foundations for a better transport system overall for the West of England – and come alongside the range of transformational investment that’s lined up for new homes, new shops, and better public spaces in and around Broadmead and Castle Park.

“The record £752 million that our region has already secured from government to invest in transport – including better buses, more trains, and mass transit – will do exactly that.”

Bus routes that are changing through Bristol city centre
 
The bus services with routes that are changing through Broadmead in Bristol city centre, include:
 
1, 2, 2a, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 18, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 71, 72, 172, 374, 375, 376, 376a and Y6.