Transport Service Changes or Disruption

Planned public transport changes, disruption information and contacting operators

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World Car Free Day - Friday 22 September 2023

Friday 22 September 2023 is World Car Free Day which encourages motorists to give up their cars for a day and think about using more sustainable transport for everyday journeys.

To encourage and show our support for having a day with less motor traffic on the roads, we will be offering free bus travel across West Berkshire all day on 22 September - giving more reason to leave the car at home.

Following on from the popularity of the free bus travel initiatives we had in previous years, and with support of funding from HM Government, we have again worked in partnership with Reading Buses, Newbury & District, Thames Travel, Stagecoach and Going Forward Buses to offer free travel on these operators' services for World Car Free Day. Operators will allow passengers to return from places further afield free of charge and Concessionary Bus Passes will still be accepted on the day.

There are no time restrictions as travel for the day will be available to Newbury, Thatcham, Reading, Basingstoke, Didcot and Swindon. A great reason for us all to do our part for World Car Free Day and use the bus to get to work, college, school, go out for a day trip, go shopping, or even to meet family or friends for a bite to eat.

The full list of participating routes is as follows:

Services that operate entirely within West Berkshire:

Route Number	Operator	Destination
1a/1c/1e	Newbury & District	Newbury to Thatcham
2/2a/2c	Newbury & District	Newbury to Wash Common/Tesco
3/3a/3c/3x	Newbury & District	Newbury to Hungerford
4/4a/4b/4c	Newbury & District	Newbury to Lambourn
5/5a/5c	WBC Connect	Newbury to Downlands Villages
6/6a	Newbury & District	Newbury to East/West Ilsley
8	Newbury & District	Newbury to Tesco, Greenham and Pigeons Farm
9/9b/9c	Newbury & District	Newbury to Racecourse
41	WBC Connect	Theale to Thatcham/Newbury

The following routes will offer free bus travel in West Berkshire, whatever the destination and will offer return travel back to West Berkshire:

Route	Operator	Destination
The LINK	Stagecoach South	Newbury to Basingstoke
Jet Black 1	Reading Buses	Newbury to Reading
Lime 2/2a	Reading Buses	Mortimer/Burghfield to Reading
7/7a	Stagecoach South	Newbury to Andover/Burghclere
Sky Blue 15	Reading Buses	Theale/Calcot to Reading
Sky Blue 16	Reading Buses	Purley on Thames to Reading
Yellow 26	Reading Buses	Calcot to Reading
Royal Blue 33	Reading Buses	Turnham's Farm to Reading
X34	Thames Travel	Newbury to Didcot
44	WBC Connect	Beenham to Thatcham via Tadley
47	WBC Connect	Lambourn to Swindon
103/103a/103b	Newbury & District	Newbury to Greenham Business Park
133	Going Forward Buses	Goring to Wallingford via Streatley
143	Thames Travel	Upper Basildon to Reading

Free Bus Travel will not be offered on the Hungerford to Marlborough services (20/X20/X22), nor Hungerford to Swindon services (46a/X46) nor school services (Thames Travel BB3, Reading Buses 85-90, Stagecoach 86/622 and Newbury & District PH1). Please contact the operators directly for details of applicable fares on these services.

New evening bus services in Newbury and Thatcham and Sunday services to Mortimer

You now have even more reason to consider using your local bus services.

From September 2023, Newbury & District have introduced a late evening service between Newbury and Thatcham on Friday and Saturday evenings and Lime 2a operated by Reading Buses now extends to Mortimer every 2 hours on Sundays.

The Friday and Saturday 1e late evening service runs between Newbury Wharf and Thatcham Broadway, extending to Falmouth Way. The service also passes through the Turnpike Estate. Why not use the bus to go to the cinema, the Corn Exchange, go out for a bite to eat or meet friends and family in local bars and eateries.

The Lime 2a has been extended to serve Mortimer every 2 hours on Sundays, providing a bus link to Burghfield and Reading which has not been available for some years. You could use the service to go shopping in Reading, catch the latest film, visit friends/or family, or access job opportunities.

Further information can be found on Reading Buses and Newbury & District's websites and in our Icon for pdf Travel Guide [6MB] .

These service enhancements build on a long-held ambition of West Berkshire Council to enhance late evening and Sunday bus services across the district and with the recent introduction of the X34 between Newbury and Harwell Campus/Didcot ensure that local bus services continue to evolve.

Your concessionary fares bus pass will be accepted on these services between 9.30am and 11pm on Fridays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays.

These service extensions have been made possible by funding from HM Government, given to West Berkshire Council after submission of a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) in October 2021 and the Council has partnered with Reading Buses and Newbury & District to make these services a reality.

There will be further announcements about your local bus services in the coming months so please do look out for them.

West Berkshire Bus Survey 2023

Buses are a vital part of public transport in the UK - allowing young people to go to college or school, enabling pensioners to see their family and friends, and connecting people to work opportunities they would not otherwise consider. Buses sustain town centres, strengthen communities and help towards protecting the environment.

In 2021 the Government launched the National Bus Strategy setting out its vision of improved bus services and provided authorities with additional funding to 'build back better' bus services via the Bus Service Improvement Plans. Its main aim is to get more people travelling by bus but this can only be achieved if buses are made more practical and attractive as an alternative to the car.

Over the last few years we have been working with our local residents to gather thoughts and intelligence on the local bus service. In summer 2021 we asked for opinions to help form the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which outlined how we at the Council, alongside bus operators in the district, would improve bus services in order to receive extra finding, which we were successful to be awarded £2.6 million.

Last summer we asked about the changes and improvements made so far, to find out how satisfied residents were with local public bus services. Now we want to gather views on ticketing improvements in the last year, the £2 National Single Fare Cap Scheme, and views on new bus services we are expecting to introduce in the coming months.

Cllr Denise Gains, Executive Member for Highways, Housing and Sustainable Travel at West Berkshire Council, said: "Public transport is a vital way to travel in a cost effective and sustainable way.

"That's why your views are extremely important and will help inform how we can continue to ensure your local bus services will provide vital services to all residents in West Berkshire and beyond.

"Having this continuous feedback helps us measure trends over a period of time to see where the services are working well and where improvements can be made in the future."

Our 2023 online survey has now closed and the results are being analysed. We will look to publish the results in due course. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey.

Travel to Harwell and Didcot by bus

From Monday 24 July 2023 an exciting new bus service from Newbury Wharf Bus Station to Harwell Science and Innovation Campus and Didcot has been introduced.

The service is called X34 and runs hourly between Newbury and Harwell Campus Monday to Saturday and is operated by Thames Travel who are part of Oxford Bus Company.

It provides a vital link between Newbury and a very prestigious local science and innovation campus as well as providing a link to Didcot where there is onward bus travel to Abingdon, Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Wallingford and Wantage.

Why not use the bus to go to work at the Harwell Campus, to go on a day trip with family and friends or take advantage of shopping opportunities in Didcot or Oxford.

The timetable for the service can be found here.

The service between Newbury and the Harwell Campus (bus services already existed between Didcot and Harwell) has been made possible by funding from HM Government, given to West Berkshire Council and Oxfordshire County Council after submission of a Bus Service Improvements Plan (BSIP) in October 2021.

Fare cap for bus journeys

You may have heard the Government's announcement that a fare cap has been introduced across most bus services in England in late 2022.

The council is pleased to announce that bus journeys across West Berkshire will capped at £2 for a single journey and £4 for a return journey until 31 October 2023.

Its intention is to provide affordable bus travel for millions across England and you can travel any time of day. The scheme forms part of the Government's Help for Households campaign, as the new cap can deliver real savings for those most affected by the rising cost of living.

So why not use the bus to get to work, go shopping, attend an appointment, go for a bite to eat in the local eateries, take in some of the outstanding scenery, or meet friends and family.

This fare cap builds on the allocation of more than £2 billion to support bus services in England through the pandemic and a commitment to fund improved services, new bus priority measures and new electric or hydrogen buses as part of the ambitious National Bus Strategy, published in 2021.

The fare cap will be applied on the following routes across the district:

Route	Operator	Destination
Jet Black 1	Reading Buses	Newbury to Reading Town Centre
1a, 1c, 1d	Newbury & District	Newbury to Thatcham
2, 2a, 2c	Newbury & District	Newbury to Wash Common/Pigeons Farm
2 (Stagecoach)	Stagecoach South	Basingstoke to Tadley/Baughurst
Lime 2 and 2a	Reading Buses	Mortimer to Reading Town Centre
3/3a/3c/3x	Newbury & District	Newbury to Hungerford
4/4a/4b/4c	Newbury & District	Newbury to Lambourn
5, 5a, 5c	WBC Connect	Newbury to Downlands Villages
6 & 6a	Newbury & District	Newbury to The Ilsleys
7	Stagecoach South	Newbury to Andover
7a	Stagecoach South	Newbury to Burghclere via Penwood, Woolton Hill & Ball Hill
8	Newbury & District	Newbury to Greenham/Tesco
9	Newbury & District	Newbury to Racecourse Development
15	Reading Buses	Reading Town Centre to IKEA
16	Reading Buses	Reading Town Centre to Purley On Thames
20, X22	Swindon's Bus Company	Hungerford to Marlborough
26	Reading Buses	Reading Town Centre to Calcot
33	Reading Buses	Reading Town Centre to Turnham's Farm
X34	Thames Travel	Newbury - Harwell Campus - Didcot (from Monday 24 July 2023)
41	WBC Connect	Thatcham to Theale
44	WBC Connect	Thatcham to Beenham/Calcot via Tadley
46, 46a, 48	Stagecoach West	Hungerford to Swindon
47	WBC Connect	Lambourn to Swindon
103/103a/103b	Newbury & District	Newbury to Greenham Business Park
143	Thames Travel	Reading Town Centre to Pangbourne, Upper Basildon and Goring
The LINK	Stagecoach South	Newbury to Basingstoke

Other services may be taking part.

The full list of operators known to be taking part across England can be found on the Government's website.

The government has announced that the £2 single fare cap will be extended until the 31 October 2023, it will then raise to £2.50 for a single ticket until 30 November 2024. Information about continued participation after 31 October 2023 will be available nearer the time.

Other Public Transport Services

National Express are run coach services. See the National Express website for more details. Services depart from the Mereoak Park & Ride site in Three Mile Cross which is near junction 11 of the M4. One service currently departs from Newbury Wharf

Service 402: Newbury - Heathrow Central Bus Station - London Victoria Coach Bus Station. The service operates Monday to Sunday.

Trains services that operate in West Berkshire maybe subject to change, often at short notice, updated information can be found on the Great Western Railway (GWR) website.

Travel Guidance and Face Coverings

The Government has removed all domestic legal restrictions relating to COVID-19.

There is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering, but the government suggests that people consider wearing one when COVID-19 rates are high and you will be in close contact with others such as in crowded and enclosed spaces, when you come into close contact with someone in a high risk category and when there are a lot of respiratory viruses circulating.

You can find more detailed information about coronavirus guidance on the GOV.UK website.

Services on Bank Holidays and During Travel Disruption

If you are planning to travel by public transport on bank holidays, during bad weather or during other periods of disruption, please use the Traveline journey planner which has regularly updated information.

We also post available updates on the Connect West Berkshire Twitter feed.

You can also check with the bus or train company you will be using to make sure they are running. Please see the contact details listed below.

Road Closures and Bus Stop Suspensions

At times essential utility work and highway improvement works can cause disruptions to bus services. This can include bus stop suspensions and services having to divert from scheduled routes.

Details of any works which could have a major impact on West Berkshire Council contracted services will be posted on this page.

Contacting Local Bus and Train Operators

You can find details of the major bus and train operators in West Berkshire, and links to their website and contact details, below:

Connect - services 5, 5a, 5c, 41, 44, 47 and H1; or follow Connect on Twitter
Going Forward Buses - find their contact details on the Going Forward Buses website, here - you can also find Going Forward Buses on Facebook
Great Western Railway (GWR) - find their contact details on the GWR website, here - you can also follow Great Western Railway on Twitter
Newbury and District - find their contact details on the Newbury and District website - you can also find Newbury and District on Facebook and follow Newbury and District on Twitter
Reading Buses - find their contact details on the Reading Buses website, here - you can also find Reading Buses on Facebook and follow Reading Buses on Twitter
Stagecoach - find their contact details on the Stagecoach website, here - you can also follow Stagecoach South on Twitter
Swindon's Bus Company - find their contact details on the Swindon Bus Company website, here
Thames Travel - find their contact details on the Thames Travel website, here - you can also find Thames Travel on Facebook