The Best Public Transport Options in Bath

If you’re planning a trip to Bath or live in the city and need to reduce your travel costs, this guide to all the public transport options from Swoop covers everything you need to know!

Train Services in Bath

Starting with trains, you’ll find just one train station in the city – Bath Spa.

The station is close to the city centre. It is possible to walk to attractions such as the Roman Baths or Bath Abbey and into offices in central Bath, provided the weather is suitable, and you are comfortable walking.

You can take a train from Bath to London, Bristol, Cardiff and other areas, and the timetable is available through Great Western Railway.

We’d recommend you check the schedule before you travel since delays and downtime due to strikes and line maintenance can cause severe disruption.

Ticket prices vary, although note these can be fairly expensive!

The Freedom Travelpass is probably the most cost-effective option if you use the train service regularly, and you can book weekly or monthly tickets depending on the zones you wish to travel within:

Bus Services in Bath

Your next option is to use the bus or coach services. There is a bus station and several stops close to the railway station, although it’s best to verify which bus you need since this will dictate where you need to wait.

FirstBus runs Bath buses, and you can find the routes and timetables here.

Some buses will accept contactless payments, although not all, and it helps to have the correct change with you just in case.

Visitors can also buy tickets online in advance, and there are a few ticket options depending on how often you need to catch the bus into or around the city or how long you are staying.

The Freedom Travelpass we mentioned above works on buses and trains, although there aren’t any discounts if you don’t use the pass on a certain day or week.

NB – if you want to take two bus trips in one day, ask for a 2-Trip ticket. It works like a return, but you can use the second journey on any service, which takes the sting out of the ticket price a bit!

Bath and North East Somerset residents can apply for a Diamond Travelcard if they are either over retirement age or are eligible on disability grounds.

Park and Ride Services in Bath

One of the big public transport issues in Bath is that parking is limited and exorbitantly expensive – and with the new Clean Air Zone in central Bath, it can be prohibitive.

The Clean Air Zone only applies to businesses, although if you work in the city and don’t travel in a private car, you will be subject to a charge.

Park and Ride is the best alternative if you want to drive or haven’t downloaded the Swoop app and don’t want to pay upward of £15 a day for parking.

There are three Park and Ride services, open seven days a  week, but you will have a 15-minute wait between buses, and the journey takes a further ten minutes.

Parking is free, but you will, of course, need to pay for your bus ticket, and can only travel along a predefined route, which is solely available to Bath city centre.

If you’re going anywhere else, you’ll need to take a second bus or book a taxi.

The routes are:

• • Lansdown Park and Ride – North Bath – to Milsom Street.
  • Newbridge Park and Ride – West Bath – to Westgate Buildings.
  • Odd Down Park and Ride – South Bath – Southgate and the Royal United Hospital.

The car parks at the Park and Ride do get full, so if you intend to use this, it’s worth checking the spaces available with Bath Car Parks to ensure you don’t have a wasted trip.

Bath Fare Car

Another possible solution is Fare Car, a subsidised taxi service that charges £1.50 per person, per trip – you cannot claim a discount for children or bus pass holders.

The transport service is shared and works similarly to a bus with travel along specific routes, although you must book in advance.

Journeys into Bath must be booked at least an hour and a half in advance and out from the city at least half an hour before you hope to travel.

Fare Car isn’t suitable for visitors and is only available to residents of:

• • Langridge
  • Northend
  • Combe Hay
  • Shoscombe
  • South Stoke
  • Wellow

Each individual who wishes to travel must have registered and needs to present a membership number before they can book a trip.

Routes available include:

Note that these are pre-scheduled routes and times – neither service runs on other days of the week or public holidays.

E-Scooters in Bath

Although e-scooters are a little controversial, you can hire a Voi scooter, which you’ll find at designated parking spots in Bath city centre.

You should review the rules about driving on a scooter in and around Bath and wear a helmet since these vehicles are associated with a high volume of accidents.

Bath Taxi Services

Finally, if this all sounds too expensive, time-consuming or downright stressful, the easiest (and often cheapest!) option is to book a cab, at your convenience, from door to door.

Bath taxis are notoriously hard to come by, but without the new Swoop ride-hailing service, you can travel to and from any destinations within the city or further afield, with no pre-booking required.

If you need help planning your travel in and around Bath and Somerset, you can use the TravelWest Journey Planner or download the Swoop app to have a driver in your pocket wherever you go!