VILLAGERS near Bristol are urging top politicians not to axe the “lifeline” bus which is the only route to the city for many.

More than 1,100 people signed a petition to the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) asking for it to keep the X91 running through the Chew Valley.

At present it is the only bus connecting this part of North East Somerset to Bristol but it could be coming to an end after July.

The petition warns: “Removing this service would likely force many residents back into their cars, undermining the progress we’ve made in reducing traffic and environmental impact.

“It would also disrupt the daily routines of countless individuals who depend on the bus for access to work, education, healthcare, and other essential services.”

Presenting the petition at a WECA committee meeting on June 5, Chew Valley transport campaigner Jackie Head told West of England Mayor Helen Godwin and the WECA committee: “I want to keep coming to these meetings but the reality is my village is one of the ones that would be cut off.”

Villages south of the Chew Valley Lake such as Compton Martin, Ubley, East Harptree, and West Harptree all face being cut off from a Bristol bus service if the X91 ends, while other villages in the Chew Valley could be served by a new bus as part of a two-hour long route between Bath and Bristol.

Liberal Democrat councillor for the Chew Valley on Bath and North East Somerset Council, David Harding warned the meeting that the new route was “overly circuitous.” He said: “Local people want the X91.”

The X91 was set up by the Chew Valley Sustainable Transport Group in 2024, under a WECA scheme to fund local groups to set up bus services, after locals were left stranded when all of the Chew Valley’s buses were axed in 2023.