Newport Bus changes as Fflecsi bus trial comes to an end

Newport Bus has announced a new timetable for journeys within the city, as well as to Cardiff, Cwmbran, Chepstow and Monmouth.

The changes have been made with the year-long Transport for Wales Fflecsi bus pilot scheme closing on September 25. Data from the pilot scheme, along with feedback from customers and usage of current services, has been used in developing the new timetable.

“The Fflecsi pilot in Newport allowed us to implement and develop demand responsive transport in an urban setting and has provided us with a wealth of useful information on the journeys being taken around the city,” said Andrew Sherrington, head of bus network and service development at Transport for Wales.

Scott Pearson, the managing director of Newport Transport, said there would be “a number of service enhancements from Sunday, September 4 designed to mitigate the Fflecsi pilot coming to an end”.

The changes – which are detailed below – are part of a review of Newport Bus services. These will be monitored over the next six months, and will then be adjusted in line with demand and traffic hotspots.

The new Newport Bus timetable comes into effect on Sunday.

1 Newport – Rogerstone (Morrisons): A new Monday to Saturday service with early morning and evening journeys, restoring large parts of the routes 1 & 1B to High Cross and Mount Pleasant, and adding the Jubilee Park estate.

2A/C Newport – Gaer:  A new Sunday timetable will operate as a route 2, via Stow Hill and Bassaleg Road. The only Monday to Saturday change is the 5.40pm on Saturday will now set off at 5.50pm.

5 Newport – Gwent Europark: An extra stop on Meadow Road has been added to serve Halo Foods, as well as minor changes to the timetable.

6 & 7 Newport – Ringland: Minor changes to the timetable with some buses running a little earlier or later at peak times, especially on Saturdays. Routes 9A/C provide the evening and Sunday services.

8A/C Newport – Ringland: The 8C will now serve Ringland Centre with minor changes to the timetable. Routes 9A/C provide the evening and Sunday services.

9A/C Newport – Ringland: This Sunday service is extended to provide Monday to Saturday evening services to the areas served by the 6/7, 8A/C and 42/43. The Sunday service will now operate every 30 minutes. All journeys will now operate via Lliswerry Road, Broadmead Park and Moorland Park.

13 Newport – Brynglas: Monday to Friday, the 2.50pm bus will run at 3.10pm, and on Saturday all journeys will run 15 minutes earlier.

14 Newport – Ridgeway: The last Monday to Friday journey now sets off at 5.30pm. The Saturday journeys will run five minutes later, except the one at 5.20pm which will run 15 minutes later. There will be an extra journey at 10.35am.

15/16 Newport – Bettws: Route 15 and route 16 are re-numbered 16A (anti-clockwise) and 16C (clockwise). The 6.17am journey from Bettws is now 11 minutes earlier at 6.06am. arriving in the city centre for 6.25am, but no longer continues to St Woolos or the Royal Gwent Hospital. New early morning and early evening journeys have been added Monday to Saturday, and more weekday buses have been scheduled every 15 minutes.

18 Newport – Malpas: A new service which replace the sections of route 19E, providing hourly journeys to Blaen-y-pant, Edison Ridge, Oliphant Circle, Montgomery Road, Claremont and St Joseph Hospital.

19 Newport – Malpas: The new 19 service is now more frequent and no longer serves Blaen-y-pant, Blackett Avenue, Edison Ridge, Oliphant Circle, Montgomery Road and Claremont. A new evening and Sunday service is added. The 6.09am journey from Westfield Drive will now leave at 6.01am to arrive in the city centre for 6.25am.

20 & 21 Newport – Newport Retail Park: Two new services replace the routes 20A/C and the Clevedon Road diversion of route 26C. Both routes serve Bishpool and Treberth to and from the Newport Retail Park.

Route 20 operates via Church Road, Summerhill Avenue, Victoria Avenue, Christchurch Road, Beechwoods Road, Gibbs Road, Christchurch Road, Christchurch, Royal Oak Hill, Chepstow Road to the retail park via Treberth and Ringland.

Route 21 operates via Durham Road, Bank Street, Heather Road, Hove Avenue, Clevedon Road, Upper Tennyson Road, Chepstow Road and then to the retail park via Treberth and Ringland.

26A/C Newport – St. Julians: New evening journeys from the city centre are added at 7.20pm and 9.20pm Monday to Saturday as well as a Sunday timetable. Weekday buses are every 30 minutes throughout most of the day, and buses will no longer serve Clevedon Road, Tennyson Road and Beechwood Road.          

27 & 28 Newport – Caerleon: The 28 service is withdrawn and replaced with a 29A, providing a service from Caerleon estates directly to Cwmbran.

Monday to Friday, the 27 service will operate up to every 30 minutes and hourly on Saturdays. There is an extra journey from Caerleon at 5.58am that arrives in the city centre at 6.25am.

29/29A Newport – Cwmbran: Route 29A is introduced to bring a direct service to Cwmbran via the College Glade area. It will serve Lodge Road, Lodge Hill, Anthony Drive/Roman Way and College Glade. There will be two buses per hour from Monday to Saturday between Newport, Caerleon, Pont-hir, The Grange University Hospital and Cwmbran – one as service 29 and the other as 29A. The Sunday service will be a 29A service.

30 Newport – Cardiff: There are no changes from Newport Bus. However, Cardiff Bus will revert to their normal Monday to Friday service with some changes at peak time - from Newport the 3.45pm and 4.20pm will be five minutes later, the 6pm and 6.35pm will be 10 minutes later, and from Cardiff, the 4.55pm and 5.30pm will be 10 minutes later.

35/36 Newport – Duffryn: Early morning and later evening buses and an hourly Sunday service have been added. The Saturday service will operate every 30 minutes. The evening, Saturday and Sunday services will no longer extend to and from Celtic Springs.

37 Newport – Rhiwderin: Monday to Friday, buses will run hourly until early afternoon. The 2.25pm service from Newport will finish at Rhiwderin Village and not go to Cwm Cwddy Drive due to school traffic parking issues. On Saturdays, buses will run every two hours.

40/41 Newport – Pillgwenlly: There is an extra journey on route 41 on Monday to Saturday from St Stephen’s Church at 6.15am. The Saturday service has been restored and will operate every two hours.

42/43 Newport – Newport Retail Park: There is an extra bus Monday to Saturday from Newport Retail Park to arrive at the bus station by 6.30am. The Saturday timetable will be every 30 minutes. Routes 9A/C will provide evening and Sunday services in the area. Some early morning buses will divert via Leeway and Meadows Road.

44 Newport – Spytty Park (Coleg Gwent): The 8.40am journey from Coleg Gwent and the 2.50pm from Newport have been cancelled. There are no other changes.

60 Newport – Monmouth: The timetable has been fully revised, and a new express service (X60) in the morning and evening, diverting off the A449 and calling at Usk (Twyn Square). The Saturday timetable has also been fully revised.

73 Newport – Chepstow: There will be hourly buses throughout most of the day, Monday to Friday. Most journeys are timed to connect with route T7. There is also an additional journey from the city centre at 6.30am and from Parc Seymour at 6.53am. On Saturdays, buses will operate every two hours.

74 & X74 Newport – Chepstow: The timetable has been amended due to 20mph speed limits along parts of the route. Additional morning and evening journeys have been added on Saturdays, and a new Sunday service has been added.

74A/C Newport – Underwood: There are minor changes to the timetable, and an extra 74C evening service from Newport at 8.15pm. The Saturday timetable is now hourly. The new 74 Sunday service will also go via Underwood.

Chepstow town services - C1 Thornwell / C2 Fryth Wood / C3 Garden City: The timetables have been revised to provide an hourly service Monday to Friday and every two hours on Saturdays.

B1/B2 Bassaleg School:  The B1 route will revert to its former route by starting at Mount Pleasant and heading via Cefn Road and St John’s Crescent. Two buses will operate on each service.