News / climate emergency

Youth activists target airport bus again

By Rachel Sutherland  Saturday Feb 18, 2023

An Airport Flyer bus on Bedminster Parade was halted by environmental activists on Saturday.

Extinction Rebellion Youth Bristol (XRYB) held a banner, which read ‘Fair travel, not air travel’, in front of the bus which was travelling from the airport to the city centre.

Activists are up in arms after the expansion of Bristol Airport was recently granted permission to go ahead by the High Court.

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Amid the climate emergency, the campaign group is protesting against the increase in carbon dioxide which will be released into the air as a result of the airport expansion.

Saturday’s protest marks the third time the group has blocked a First Bus Airport Flyer.

The airport expansion will increase the number of annual passengers from 10 million to 12 million.

Torin Menzies, an 18-year-old XR youth spokesperson, said: “We need to revolutionise our public transport, including vastly improving the state of the West of England’s frankly awful bus network.

“Sadly, FirstBus are more interested in serving the potentially expanding Bristol Airport instead of our local communities, cutting bus routes across the region whilst increasing the Airport Flyer service.

“Bristol Airport expansion will increase flights and emissions at a time of climate emergency, as well as worsening air quality, and FirstBus are actively supporting these plans.

“What we need is fair travel, not air travel.”

As part of XRYB’s ‘Free Buses, Fair Buses’ campaign, it is demanding the West of England Combined Authority and its constituent local authorities to launch free bus travel within the west of England (including North Somerset) for all those under the age of 25, all students, and all apprentices.

Activists are also calling for a consultation and public forum to identify improvements to bus routes that would best serve communities.

Main photo: Extinction Rebellion Youth Bristol

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