As far as possible, we aim to keep you up to date on our website.
This includes:-
- 100% Electric Buses enter service.
- More Electric buses announced.
- Sunday service extention on service 272.
- Major new service 20 announced (replacing the 18 & 50).
- Roadworks on A27.
- Valley Gardens 3 nearing completion.
- Work on A23 Bus lane starts.
- Brighton Station bus stop moves.
- Buswatch meeting
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There are still deep concerns about Brighton and Hove Council's LTP5 City plan, and likely problems with the Valley Gardens scheme,
especially with regard to disabled access to buses.
Click here for an updated May 2026 viewpoint on Valley Garden issues.
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General bus information:
The headlines:
- Brighton & Hove have introduced a number of 100% Electric Buses.
- An outline of the new service, replacing the 18 and 50 has been made public.
- Several new night bus routes have been announced, in Brighton.
- Service 125 ended on the 28th April, Cuckmere Bus will provide a limited replacement.
- Flixbus are offering a new Brighton to Milton Keynes- serving three Airports.
- While mentioning airports, there is a new 24 hour-a day service from Gatwick to Eastbourne.
- Several local bus companies have won a number of awards over the past year.
All our information is thought to be correct to 18th May 2026.
A number of fares, and ticket prices have increased over the last three months. Some of the increases is from the bus companies, but most
is from the loss of council BSIP fare support
in Brighton and Hove and East Sussex County Council areas (due to reduced government support and reprioritising). Brighton & Hove Council
is now targeting certain demograhics, such as Care leavers. Thankfully the £3 Adult Government fare cap remains in place,
until at least early next year.
Ordinary (unaccompanied) child fares have seen by far the greatest increase, since the loss of the 50p fare.
Different bus operators have their own 'tap-on-tap off' system, so paper Saver tickets are better, if you want to travel on
both Brighton & Hove and
Compass Travel buses, in the city. Even Metrobus and Brighton & Hove Bus do not cap on each other's fares!
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Information by Bus Company:
Brighton & Hove Bus Co.:
As can be seen from our May Newsletter (appologies for its late inclusion). This was partly to confirm that the
services 18 and 50 will be merged into a new cross-city service 20- serving Queens Park and Hollingdean. This is expected to be
introduced in June. Other changes to services may occur at this time.
After an excellent launch celebration, most buses on the service 7, are being run using the new 100% electric buses
(also see May's Newsletter). These buses can also be seen on the service 6 on Sundays.
April saw the Brighton & Hove Bus Company launch its new night services N29 and N48. This means both Lewes and
Moulsecoomb/Bevendean will gain a 24 hour- 7 day a week service. At the same time the service N1, was extended past the County Hospital
to serve Whitehawk and Woodingdean; so again offering a 24 hour 7 day a week service. These join the N25 and N700, in offering a round
the clock 24 hour hour service.
At the same time, summer services were added to 'Breeze services' 77, 78 & 79 (also see April's Newsletter).
Five Recent awards for the bus company include Winner of best new bus service, for the 1X.
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!
Metrobus, south and mid Sussex:
The big news locally is improvements to the service 271/272 (etc.), including better evening services, and for the first time
Sunday services extended to Crawley, via the major gardens at Wakefield Place (which includes the Millenium Seed Bank).
There are some provisional signs that Metrobus may soon be able to reintroduce (some or all) of its Hydrogen buses,
following important modifications to the buses, after their withdrawal. This should eventually replace the current temporary fleet.
In the meantime some services may be affected by the mix of buses and their requirement for spare parts.
Wholly outside our area: the new service 500 has been launched. Replacing several bus services, this offers a 24 hours a day service-
from Gatwick, through East Grinstead, Uckfield, and Hailsham, to Eastboune. If only we could say the same from Brighton.
Compass Travel:
Compass Travel took over Big Lemon's supported services 16, 47 and 52- while retaining its service 37/37B.
All eleven new buses have now entered service. Compass Travel is also an award winning bus company-
coming second, to a small operator in the north of England for customer satisfaction. Quite an achievement.
Click here for the Compass Travel's website.
For their real-time information:
Click here.
CTLA & Cuckmere bus services:
We do not generally list changes to Cuckmere Bus services, but are providing the following information:
The Cuckmere Valley Rambler bus 47 has restarted at weekends. Funding cuts in late April saw the service 125 withdrawn.
Instead Cuckmere Bus will run their service 25 additionally on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Its service 26 links Seaford to Eastbourne, via Alfriston, on Sundays. The bus company
also runs other services in this area, including the Art shuttle.
Flixbus are offering a new Brighton to Milton Keynes service, via Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton Airports;
in addition to the Brighton to London and Cambridge service. The former may run from a site near Brighton Station