Bristol bus company Wessex is set to close this year which will mean the loss of three bus services.

In a note to staff members - seen by Bristol Live - its parent company Rotala said there has been a reduction in “business opportunities” and it could no longer sustain a depot and the overheads in place.

Three services - the 42, 12, and 51 - will be stopped entirely from Sunday, September 2 this year.

The 51 bus service – which goes from South Bristol Hospital to Broadmead, through Hengrove, Broadwalk and Temple Meads – had only just been taken on by Wessex recently.

It was dropped by First Bus in 2016 and a huge community campaign saw it taken on by Wessex.

(Image: Paulgillisphoto.com)

Other services?

Eight of its other services will go to Cheltenham and Gloucester Omnibus Company, which is owned by Stagecoach.

3A, 3C and 3X - South Bristol to city centre and Aztec West

3B - Parkway Station to Aztec West

508 - Dursley Road to Southmead Hospital

515 - Stockwood to Imperial Park

11 and 11A - Avonmouth to Southmead Hospital

513 and 514 - Brislington to Knowle

625 - Severn Beach to UWE Frenchay

TSB - Staff shuttle

In Bath, the 20A and 20C were lost at retender and the 10 bus service has been removed completely because the service was deemed “no longer viable”.

Staff axed

(Image: Bristol Post)

Wessex Bus employs more than 200 people and has two depots in Keynsham and Avonmouth, according to Rotala.

Only 60 are set to transfer to Stagecoach, the acquiring company confirmed. A full staff consultation is set to be called.

Wessex Bus had a revenue of around £10million, and it operated some 4.5 million passenger journeys.

Starting in Bristol in April 2007 as Wessex Connect, it acquired the bus business of South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach Company and was rebranded as Wessex Bus in 2011.

Parent company Rotala had originally said it had plans to expand in the South West, but the company announced last month it would no longer accept M-tickets from August and that its mobile app was closing.

A spokesman for Stagecoach said: “We are pleased to confirm that Stagecoach West (Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company Ltd) has agreed to acquire certain assets of Rotala plc (Wessex Bus Ltd).

“The assets acquired include nine vehicles and the transfer to Stagecoach of eight routes across Bristol and South Gloucestershire. The agreed sale is expected to complete at the beginning of September.

“Around 60 staff are due to transfer to Stagecoach West under TUPE arrangements.

(Image: Bristol Post)

“This acquisition will allow us to further expand our successful bus operations in the west of England where we currently employ around 750 staff and operate around 270 vehicles.

“We have a strong track record in the region of attracting more people to bus travel and we will continue to focus on providing good value, high-quality bus travel for people in the area.”

Rotala, owner of Wessex, said in the letter: “We would like to thank staff for their continued support and we recognise that the last few months have been a very uncertain time.

“We feel sure that the opportunity with Stagecoach allows for an exciting time ahead, with a large, well-known operator who wants to grow within the North Bristol area.”