A PETITION has been launched to bring back the 38 bus route between Keynsham and Bath.
Lee Foster, who started the campaign, said: “Cuts to public transport have been ruthless these past few years, and residents in Keynsham have suffered because of this.”
He said that the 38 service, which used to serve the Park Estate, was axed by First Bus in 2017. Now, only two services run from Keynsham to Bath – the hourly A4 (known locally as ‘the airport bus’) and the 522, which does not go directly to Bath.
Lee said: “Neither of these buses serve the Keynsham Park Estate, which directly excludes people who live in Keynsham who need to travel to Bath regularly for work or college.”
Lee said he used to catch the 39 bus “constantly” before it was axed. Now he uses the A4 service to get from Bath to Keynsham. Then he eithers walks from the High Street or catches the 349.
He added: “A Park Estate bus that would take people directly to Bath was incredibly beneficial to the people of Keynsham in the past.
“Now, many elderly people/people with limited mobility who want to travel to Bath and have to rely on public transport have no choice but to walk to the High Street, and then they have to wait for anywhere up to an hour for the right bus.
“Many young people in Keynsham study at Bath College. A bus that serves the estate would not only be a simple, one-vehicle journey, but it would also be cheaper than taking the train or a taxi/Uber.
“In any case, a bus route that serves the Park Estate would also provide a safe way home for people who are coming home late and do not want to walk home in the dark from the High Street.
“Keynsham has been without the 38 for almost seven years, and enough is enough.”
Lee said he was happy to see that 521 people had signed the petition in its first four weeks, but he does not have an exact target.
He said: “The more the merrier, I guess! I will contact First and tell them about the petition when more people sign it.”
The petition – called ‘Bring Back The 38 Bus Route From Bath To Keynsham’ – can be found on change.org
One person who signed the petition said: “I live right at the top of Charlton Rd so I have to walk 30 minutes to the High Street to get train or bus to Bath. And takes 1 hour 30 minutes to get each day from work in Bath.”
Another said: “There is a huge hole in the bus service without the 38, which provided vital public transport for people getting into Bath, particularly for those accessing the Royal United Hospital. For the health and wellbeing of the residents, it is desperately needed that this bus service be restored.
And another said: “You can get to Bristol easy enough but not Bath! We’re called a commuter town but only if you want Bristol!”
Petition calls for return of axed 38 bus
