USING THE WESTLINK BUS – Richard Lloyd, Greenforce team
Four of us tested our new WESTlink bus a few months ago for a fun trip to Bristol. We took the bus from Olveston to the Swan at Almondsbury, where we changed on to the T1 service bus for the centre of Bristol. A few hours later, we returned to the T1 service at Almondsbury to join the WESTlink bus for the last bit home. The trip was booked on the telephone. Everything worked seamlessly, with the WESTlink bus dead on time both ways and a very friendly driver.
Recently, I needed to get to Bristol Parkway to catch a train to Taunton. Bristol Parkway station can now be reached by WESTlink. I would be coming back by car and didn’t want to have to drive to the station and leave the car there for several days. So I used the WESTlink bus again and it was brilliant. I first downloaded the WESTlink app onto my iPhone (you can still book by phone or use their website to book). Using the app on the phone was very easy. You can book the bus up to 24 hours ahead – you provide details of your home location, where you want to go and when. You will receive immediate confirmation that the trip can be made and where to board the bus – in this case, at the bus stop in Tockington. I booked on a Monday evening. I had a second confirmatory email on Tuesday morning and a further email letting me know that the bus was coming. Everything worked like a dream, and as the journey was after 9.00 am and I had a diamond travel card, there was nothing to pay!
Please use the bus if you can. I fear the service won’t survive long term if it is not supported.