PATIENTS and visitors travelling to the city's hospital will benefit from extra bus services from the autumn.

The First Worcester bus service has announced changes to the city's bus timetable that will result in more frequent connections to Worcestershire Royal Hospital from September.

These include the 38 and X38 bus services between the hospital and Worcester bus station becoming operational on Sundays, with hourly services added between 9am and 6pm.

Commercial director for First Worcester, Rob Pymm, said: "New Sunday buses connecting Worcestershire Royal Hospital to the network will mean that it is now accessible by public transport from as far as Bromsgrove and Pershore. 

"We are also investing in some of our most popular routes in Worcester."

Amongst those is the 30 bus which travels between Dines Green and Worcester bus station, which will run every 10 minutes, rather than 30 minutes, during peak hours between Monday and Friday.

The X50 bus between Worcester and Evesham will benefit from extra early morning and early evening services, whilst the 144 and 44 services which connect with Catshill and Great Malvern, respectively, will have increased early evening services.

Mr Pymm added: "We have also been using the latest planning software on our X50 service, and as a result customers can expect a far more punctual timetable on this route from September.

“With all of these improvements and adult single fares still at £2, we’re making bus travel accessible and encouraging many more people to travel by bus."

Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, councillor Marc Bayliss, said: "I’m really pleased to hear about the changes that First Bus are bringing in for Worcester this autumn.

"They should give our residents access to key areas of the city, such as the hospital on a regular basis, whilst also giving people more flexibility and more choice on how they travel."

First Worcester consulted with Worcestershire County Council and other local authorities regarding new routes, and the changes come as part of the organisation's bi-annual review.

The timetable changes are set to come into effect by Sunday, September 1 this year.