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Bristol's Metrobus routes to start running in May

West of England Partnership Artist's impression of Metrobus stationWest of England Partnership
The Metrobus network will link up the outskirts of Bristol with the centre

Passengers of a long-awaited segregated bus network around Bristol will get free rides for the first two weeks of the service.

The first of Bristol's dedicated Metrobus routes will start running from 29 May.

The launch, originally planned for the end of 2017, has been dogged by delays, ticketing problems and cost increases.

Initially estimated at £190m in 2015, the bill for the network has risen by £40m to a current total spend of £230m.

TravelWest Metrobus planned routesTravelWest
The Metrobus route is the first of several expected to be launched in coming months

The prioritised bus routes - billed as "the first buy before you board service outside London" - will link North Somerset, Bristol city centre and South Gloucestershire.

First Bus, who will operate the initial service from Emersons Green to the city centre and invested £1.5m in the route's vehicles, claim fares will be amongst the cheapest 2% in the country.

They have promised "USB charge points for every seat, free wi-fi and wood-effect flooring".