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As far as possible, we aim to keep you up to date on our website.
Stop press: Strike action on Brighton & Hove Buses, and Metrobus has been averted.
Stop press 2: During October, further major changes are likely for bus services in the Old Steine, Brighton;
including overnight closures and diversions (from the 12th October, after 8pm).
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Our latest Buswatch Newsletter includes:-
- Service 3X launched.
- Changes to services at the Universities, including the new service 25X
- Strike Action averted.
- Service 54 takeover.
- Other items.
- Our forthcoming bus user group meeting.
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The consultation for Brighton and Hove Council's LTP5 City plan finished on the 12th September.
While we welcome the two recent new bus lanes, red routes etc. But according to the city plan, these positive bus schemes could
be seen as the last, as no bus priority (etc.) is listed into the future.
The council did have a document containing
future bus lane
proposals. While far from perfect, this has been quietly dropped- hence the apparent absence of forward bus priority schemes listed.
While the bus is the main alternative to using a car for many; the council does not even see
encouraging bus usage as a key challenge.
If you care about using bus services; or the city in general- it is recommended you look at the City plan.
Are we are heading back towards basically a cycle and pedestrian only transport policy, which does not reflect the vital part buses play
in the economic and social vitality of our city.
Please click here- to read our near final Buswatch submission to the council
Valley Gardens 3: Updated- Jan '25
While the city council should be praised for most of its recent bus policies; the author believes the Valley Gardens 3 scheme
could be the most damaging scheme for buses, in decades. Do we really need wait until the scheme is
completed, for the issues to finally be recognised. Change is still possible,
it would be so much better to get the scheme right, first time; without the need for extra cost and further disruption.
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General bus information:
The headlines:
- From 31st August the 700 was improved to run 24 hours a day!
- Services 3X and 25X were launched on 28th September.
- And Brighton service 23 was extended from the University to Woodingdean
- Crawley Service 400 has been improved to run half-hourly; now offering four buses an hour to East Surrey hospital etc.
- Slight changes to Compass Travel's service 47 & 52 timetables.
- Flixbus now offers a new Brighton to London and Cambridge service.
All our information is thought to be correct to the 2nd October 2025.
Due to the section on FARES being too large, it has been moved to a separate page- Click here to read
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Information by Bus Company:
Brighton & Hove Bus Co. : From the 28th September- major changes were made to services serving the Universities
at Falmer. The bus company launching an interesting new fast
limited stop service 3X. Running cross-city from Hangleton to the Universities, via Hove and Brighton stations.
It is so fast, it hardly touches the city centre!. Initial viewings show it to be a highly student orientated service.
The second major new service is the reintroduction of the service 25X. By serving fewer bus stops than before,
it offers a fast half-hourly Monday to Friday service from the city centre to the University of Sussex.
The third major new service is extending the service 23 from the University of Sussex, to south Woodingdean shops
- seven day a week! It is hoped that sufficient catch-up time has been given at Woodingdean, to
avoid unreliability problems on the congested Falmer Road.
As part of the shake-up of services at the Universities (at Falmer), the 25 will no longer serve the
Brighton University site at Falmer.
Instead, the 3X, 5B, and 25X will do so. Although only the 3X will link this student accommodation with the main Moulsecoomb campus.
While out of our area- From 21st September, the Brighton and Hove Bus Company took over the service 54, from Stagecoach.
Running from Uckfield to Eastbourne.
For further details of ALL September's changes- Click here
If you use Tap-on, Tap-off; then the cost of the second and subsequent days 'Saver' ticket is reduced,
within that week. This can make it cheaper than using the app or 'The Key' daily fare.
As well a most cards; the Brighton & Hove Bus Company now also accepts Amex Card payments, its all-encompassing app
and Apple Express. But please keep your phone separate from debit cards,
or the system may not know which one to charge!
Click here for Brighton & Hove Bus Company's main website.
Stagecoach: Covering the area between Littlehampton, Worthing, and Brighton (and towards Horsham).
The service 700 from Brighton to Durrington has been enhanced to run 24 hours a day,
seven days a week!
April 2025 saw substantial changes to bus services, in the
Worthing/Littlehampton areas.
This included major changes to the service 700, and the abolition of the 'Pulse' service.
The 700 from Brighton- continues along the coast road in Worthing- to Grand Avenue, then serves
Durrington Tesco's.
Much of the previous Pulse route was absorbed by the new 701 route- from Lancing, past Worthing Hospital,
Worthing Library, Mill Road etc. But instead of serving Durrington, the new 701 replaces the 700 to Littlehampton,
but uses a simpler faster route (avoiding East Preston).
The gap being filled by a new service 11, between Littlehampton, Rustington and Worthing.
Metrobus, south and mid Sussex:
We keep mentioning the fast 273 hourly service from Brighton to Crawley.
While basically outside our area, from the 27th September the service 400 was improved to run every 30 minutes.
This will help provide four buses per hour- linking Crawley, Horley, Gatwick, East Surrey Hospital and Redhill.
There were also service updates to services 20, 100, 284, 420, 422, 424, 460, 480, 594 & 595.
Compass Travel:
Compass Travel took over Big Lemon's supported services 16, 47 and 52- while retaining the service 37/37B.
From 28th September, service 47 and 52 saw changes to their timetables.
All eleven new buses have now entered service.
Click here for the Compass Travel's website.
For their real-time information:
Click here.
CTLA & Cuckmere bus services: Click here for their website
Or phone 01273 517332.
We do not generally list changes to Cuckmere bus services. However, the weekend summer Rambler service through the Cuckmere Valley
will run until the 26th October '25).
Flixbus are offering a new Brighton to London and Cambridge service.
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May we welcome new members and supporters reading
our news for the first time.
We are independent from bus companies and local authorities. Our policy
is to influence decisions by building relationships and working with others.
We have meetings four times a year with bus companies and Council representatives
where members concerns are discussed. They also have an opportunity to
explain future proposals.
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Some other recent newsletters are available here.
Includes major changes to Worthing bus services.
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What we do:
Brighton Area Buswatch deals mostly with strategic issues affecting
lots of people. We campaign for improvements to bus services and fares
on behalf of bus users. Our policy is to build relationships with local
Councils, local interest groups and bus companies to find out about their
plans, so we can make suggestions and try to influence them.
We are lucky to have excellent bus services in much of our area which
are well-used and very few require public subsidies. Recently around 50
million passenger journeys were made by bus in Brighton & Hove which
compares with under 20 million journeys in Southampton or Portsmouth which
are similar in size. This is a tremendous achievement but we recognise
that people's expectations are always rising and there are always improvements
that can be made.
If you have a particular problem regarding a bus service or an incident
on a recent journey we advise you in the first instance, to contact the
bus company concerned. In our experience most local bus companies are
keen to receive feedback and will do their best to help if they can. Our
partners at Bus Users UK can deal with appeals if a customer is not satisfied
with the response from a bus company or local authority.
What we have achieved in the past includes:-
- We suggested a one-hour single ticket, which has been introduced,
so enabling passengers to change buses without needing to pay again.
- We successfully campaigned for Saver tickets, Key Card and m-tickets
to be valid on all Council supported bus services in Brighton &
Hove.
- We rejoined the Council's Quality Bus partnership, enabling us to
influence planning decisions affecting all local bus companies.
- We suggested improvements to late night services to Goldstone Valley
and to Lewes; and have been pressing for improvements to route 37 to
Meadowview and the Bristol Estate; plus later Sunday evening journeys
to Worthing.
- We have expressed concerns about the revised Valley Gardens scheme.
We are associated with Bus Users UK.
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Our Public Transport Information
page- includes links to real-time bus
information for Metrobus and Worthing area services (as well as real-time
information in the Brighton area- both the city council and the Brighton
and Hove Bus Company).
Photos:
top left: Brighton & Hove bus new 1X service.
top right: Stagecoach bus
above: Compass Bus service
above: Brighton & Hove Bus
above: Big Lemon CIC bus
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