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BOPF members, including the Ashton Vale Suffragettes are fighting to see public bus services improve.

Over the last year, social action by BOPF members has seen success in highlighting the challenges of bus cuts, bus stop changes and unreliable services across Bristol.

Ashton Vale is a neighbourhood on the south western edge of Bristol. It’s part of the Bedminster ward and is home to many older and disabled people. In April 2023, First Bus, who are the main (private sector) bus provider in Bristol cancelled all bus services to the estate. A number of reasons were given – a lack of passengers and profit, withdrawal of subsidies from Bristol City Council and even the local railway bridge was blamed. Local residents were isolated, ignored and as a result, outraged. Over the next year a campaign to ‘get our buses back’, gathered momentum.

Behind this, has been a dozen older women from the estate, who named themselves the Ashton Vale Suffragettes. The core group backed by many others from the local community, took up the battle with First Bus and WECA.

Over the next year, working with Ian, the BOPF manager, the group developed their own unique bus cuts campaign, coupling some satirical and good humoured direct action with a more strident approach – based around directly challenging the decision makers. The suffragettes attended as many of the WECA and Bristol City Council meetings as possible, to highlight the city-wide ‘bus desert’ and put pressure on to get the decision reversed. The campaign also linked up with the national Reclaim Our Buses protest movement, with the focus on bringing bus services back under public control.

Finally in April 2024, a full day/evening number 24 service was reinstated by First Bus. 

The group, working with Ian have organised a review process with the management team at First Bus. This has also included the Stapleton Village Action Group, who are currently going through the same struggle as Ashton Vale. The campaign continues!

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