Bus service changes
Information about changes to local bus services, including routes, timetables and operators.
Biggleswade – Hitchin Street closure
The planned closure of Hitchin Street, Biggleswade from 18 May 2026 has been postponed, so Grant Palmer Ltd routes 74 and 200 will continue to operate on normal timetables. The closure is currently intended to start on 8 June 2026, but this is subject to further change. An update will be posted when available.
May bank holidays 2026
Buses in the Central Bedfordshire area will run to a Sunday timetable on bank holiday Monday 25 May 2026.
Train services over the weekends may be altered, and there is engineering work on Thameslink lines in central London over the 23 to 25 May weekend.
Train times are available on operators' websites or National Rail Enquiries.
31 May 2026 – bus service changes
Arriva – Luton, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard Areas
Arriva route 1 (Dunstable – Luton – Farley Hill) will have minor timetable changes on all days, and the Saturday service will be reduced to every 20 minutes.
Arriva route 4 / 4A (Dunstable – Bushmead – Bramingham - Leagrave – Luton and Dunstale Hospital, Dunstable) will have timetable and route changes.
Route 4 will continue to run hourly on Monday to Friday daytimes, but will no longer serve the northern section of Cromer Way, which is still served by Grant Palmer routes 3 / 3A.
Route 4A will be extended to Dunstable during Monday to Friday daytimes, providing links to Leagrave and Bramingham Park hourly. The evening and weekend service will continue to run between Luton and Luton and Dunstable Hospital via Bramingham Park and Leagrave.
New Arriva route 7 (Upper Sundon / Linmere – Sundon Park – Luton) will replace Arriva routes 23 / 23A which are withdrawn.
Daily journeys on route 7 will connect Luton with the Lidl and Ocado Distribution Centres at Linmere via Sundon Park. Journeys at Linmere will serve Huckett Street and Elmers Gate, and buses will run every 30 minutes daily. Five Monday to Friday journeys will divert to Lower and Upper Sundon replacing the current 23A.
Arriva route 321 (Luton – St Albans – Watford) will have timetable changes, with some reduction in evening journeys, and an increased service on Sunday mornings. Buses will continue to run every 15 minutes on Monday – Saturday daytimes, and every 30 to 60 minutes Sundays and evenings.
Arriva Busway routes A / Z (Luton – Dunstable -Houghton Regis – Luton) will have a new timetable, and route Z will be diverted in Houghton Regis to serve the east side of Parkside Drive instead of Windsor Drive. Windsor Drive and the west side of Parkside Drive will be served by routes H and L. Buses will continue to run every day including an all-night service, and up to every 15 minutes in each direction during weekday daytimes.
Arriva route CS1 (Luton – Dunstable – Leighton Buzzard, Cedars School) will have minor timetable changes and will be re-routed to run via Stanbridge and Tilsworth.
Arriva Busway route H (Luton – Busway – Dunstable – Thorn Turn) will have a route and timetable change. Buses will leave the Busway at Skimpot Lane and will run via Skimpot Road (for Tesco) and Poynters Road, then via Leagrave High Street, Tomlinson Avenue then via Windsor Drive, Houghton Regis, Bedford Road, to Thorn Turn, then via Chalk Hill and High Street North to Dunstable town centre. Buses will run every 30 minutes during weekday daytimes, with limited evening journeys and an hourly Sunday daytime service between Luton and Thorn Turn only. Buses will no longer run through to Luton Airport.
Arriva Busway route L (Luton – Busway – Linmere) will have a route and timetable change. Buses will leave the Busway at Skimpot Lane and will run via Skimpot Road (for Tesco) and Poynters Road, then via Leagrave High Street, Tomlinson Avenue then via Windsor Drive and the west side of Parkside Drive, Sundon Road, and then to Linmere, serving Silver Birch Avenue, Waterslade Way and Huckett Street and Elmers Way. Buses will run every 30 minutes on weekday daytimes and every hour evenings and Sundays. Some buses will run direct between Lewsey Farm and Lidl Distribution Centre.
Arriva route QA1 (Linmere – Queensbury Academy) will have a minor timetable change.
New Arriva Busway route W (Luton – Busway – Dunstable Amazon) will operate at peak shift change times during the early morning and one late evening journey.
Arriva route X1 (Milton Keynes – Dunstable – Luton) will be diverted via the Busway between Dunstable and Luton, and will be diverted to Luton Airport instead of Capability Green. The route will run hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes. The route in Milton Keynes will also be changed.
Arriva Busway routes X2 / X3 (Milton Keynes – Leighton Buzzard – Dunstable – Luton Airport) will have timetable changes, and route X3 will no longer serve Stanbridge and Tilsworth, which will be served by route X4. Each route will continue to operate hourly during the daytimes and every 2 hours evenings and Sundays, providing a half hourly daytime service and hourly evening / Sunday service on common sections of route.
Arriva route X4 (Aylesbury – Leighton Buzzard – Dunstable – Luton Airport) will have a timetable change, and will be extended from Leighton Buzzard to Luton Airport via Dunstable and the Busway. The route will serve Stanbridge and Tilsworth in place of route X3, and will run hourly every day, reintroducing a Sunday service between Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard.
A school time journey on route X4 will continue to and from Aylesbury Schools, and new Arriva route X15 will offer additional capacity between Leighton Buzzard and Aylesbury, and will run from Milton Keynes to Aylesbury schools via Heath and Reach in place of the current schools journey on route X4.
A number of Arriva routes in Luton Borough are also changing, and Arriva’s Green Line route 757 between Luton and London Victoria will also have a timetable change.
Traveline – plan your journey.
Grant Palmer Ltd – Flitwick and mid Bedfordshire
Grant Palmer route 34 (Milton Keynes – Flitwick – Ampthill Heights) will have an additional Saturday afternoon journey to and from Milton Keynes. The rest of the timetable is not changed.
Grant Palmer route 200 (Flitwick – Shefford – Biggleswade) – the 5:45pm journey from Flitwick to Silsoe will be withdrawn on Saturdays. The rest of the timetable is not changed.
Grant Palmer route Z1 (Lidlington – Marston Moreteyne – Flitwick) – this Saturday only route will be withdrawn.
Traveline – plan your journey.
Stagecoach East – Bedford and mid Bedfordshire
New Stagecoach Route 2W (Bedford – Wixams – Wootton) will be introduced, between Bedford and Wootton via Interchange Park, Fisherswood Road and Meadow Way in Wixams, and Kempston Hardwick Station. Buses will be every 30 minutes daytimes and early evenings on Monday to Saturday.
Stagecoach Routes 9A, 9B and 9D (Bedford – Shefford – Hitchin – Stevenage) have timetable changes, routes 9A and 9B will be reduced each to run every 2 hours on Monday to Friday, to match the Saturday service. Route 9B will no longer serve Haynes village and will call at the Haynes Turn stops on the A 600. Early morning and late evening journeys will be reduced. Additional hourly buses will operate as route 9D on Monday to Saturday daytimes between Henlow Camp and Stevenage, operating via Queen Street in Hitchin to serve the ASDA supermarket.
Stagecoach Route MK1 (Beford – Clophill – Luton – Luton Airport – Milton Keynes) will have minor timetable changes, and will continue to run approximately hourly every day.
A number of Stagecoach routes in Bedford Borough are also changing from 31 May 2026.