Swindon’s Bus Company is planning cuts and changes to bus services next month.

An email to councillors from a Swindon Borough Council transport official lists the changes, amalgamations and cuts.

The following changes will come into effect from September 4 and 5.

Services 1, 1A and 1B – Middleleaze – town centre - GW Hospital

These will be combined to maintain 6 buses per hour from Link Centre to GWH on Mon-Fri; Grange Park / Middleleaze / Ramleaze being reduced from 6 to 4 buses per hour. On Saturdays Grange Park / Middleleaze / Ramleaze to GWH will be reduced from 3 to 2 buses per hour, with the 1B operating additionally between Sparcells  and the town centre at 2 buses per hour; on Sundays the level of service will be similar to now, i.e. 2 buses per hour from Grange Park / Middleleaze / Ramleaze to GWH supplemented by an hourly 1B between Sparcells and the town centre.

Service 2 – Swindon town centre – Walcot East – Covingham - Nythe

Reduced in frequency on Mon-Sat from 3 to 2 buses per hour and on Sunday from 2 to 1 bus per hour.

Services 5 -  Haydon Wick – Moredon – town centre – Walcot East – Park North & Service 17 - Penhill – Gorse Hill – town centre – Walcot East – Park South

Minor changes to late evening services on Mon-Sat, Sunday frequency reduced from 4 to 3 Buses per hour

Services 11 & 12 – Middle Wichel/GW Hospital – town centre – Pinehurst – Haydon Wick -  Taw Hill/Oakhurst

Nationwide Mon-Fri peak extra journeys removed; revised to terminate at Oakhurst instead of Taw Hill in conjunction with the route 15 change.

Services 13 & 14 – Town centre – New College – Snodshill Roundabout – Liden/Eldene

Revised timetable with slight reductions in peaks and evenings

Service 15 – Town centre – Wood Hall – Haydon Wick

To operate 2 buses per hour, town centre to Oakhurst & Haydon Wick, continuing to interwork with the Service 11 at those locations, i.e. 15s become 11s at Oakhurst, 11s become 15s at Haydon Wick; the routeing will change in the Haydon/Taw Hill area with all buses operating via Westfield Way, Torun Way, Thursday Street (new section for buses), Friday Street (new section for buses) and Queen Elizabeth Drive to Oakhurst Garsington Drive. This will mean that the current section of route via Taw Hill will become unserved, although the new routeing will be within walking distance of much of the unserved area.

Service 16 (and linked shoppers service 24) – Town centre – Haydon Wick – Abbey Meads – St Andrew’s Ridge - Blunsdon

Withdrawn, leaving Mazurek Way, Abbey Meads and Blunsdon without a service and removing links between St Andrew’s Ridge and Haydon Wick (and points beyond); the existing combined 15/16 frequency between the town centre and Wood Hall roundabout reduces from 4 to 2 Buses per hour.

A replacement bus service to fill this gap is currently being designed at the request of Swindon Borough Council.

Service 19 – Town centre – Outlet Village – Link Centre – Sparcells - Peatmoor

Withdrawn and replaced by new route 1B (registered with the 1, 1A) which will operate between the town centre and Sparcells at current frequencies; it will extend to GWH on Mon-Fri; the route will operate an anticlockwise loop west of the Link Centre akin to the existing 19A, i.e. Mead Way, Sparcells then existing routeing back in towards the Link Centre via Ridgeway Farm, Peatmoor and Shaw.  

Service 22 – Barnfield – Outlet Village – town centre - Okus

Revised in afternoon peak with a 90 minute gap between Barnfield and the town centre.

Services 151/155/159 – Ridgeway School Services

The 151 will be withdrawn and replaced by an extended 159 (to cover more of the town centre) and a re-routed 155 (via Old Town) along with some additional stops on existing line of route on other services – falling numbers make this rationalisation possible.

Salisbury Reds

Service X5 – Swindon – Marlborough - Salisbury

Minor changes fewer peak journeys to/from Swindon.