New bus routes connect communities in Leighton Buzzard
Tuesday, 4 July 2023
Improved links to town centre, train station, retail park and market. Seven-day timetable with new Sunday service. Services run later in the evenings. Fully accessible buses.
Leighton Buzzard bus travellers can enjoy a new, improved bus service that connects more neighbourhoods to the town centre, with six-months free bus travel until December.
The new bus network, operated by Arriva and funded by us, improves accessibility around the town with improved links to the town centre, local shops and railway station.
The timetable has been designed to meet fast trains to and from London Euston seven days a week, including Sunday. The new bus service also operates later in the evenings.
Bus travellers will be able to enjoy all the retail and leisure activities Leighton Buzzard and the capital can offer, all weekend and every evening, for free until Christmas.
We secured funding from residential developments in the east and south the town to improve the local bus network.
The new services replace former bus services in the town that had become uneconomic for operators to run due to a fall in passenger numbers after the Covid-19 restrictions. Where timetables allow, stops have been reintegrated into the new services.
Arriva has introduced a fleet of fully accessible buses that feature audio-visual displays, free wi-fi and USB charging points.
All local services will be free until Christmas to encourage bus use. It is hoped that by sampling the new services for free, travellers will be encouraged to shift to more sustainable modes of transport that will reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in the town.
Councillor Tracey Wye, our Executive Member for Sustainability and Climate Resilience, said:
The new routes in Leighton Buzzard have increased connectivity across the town, enabling more people to take advantage of public transport.
It is pleasing to see the timetable takes into account the fast trains to London, which is essential to encourage commuters onto buses.
Boosting passenger numbers will make buses more commercially viable and secure the routes when the funding runs out.
Our challenge is how to create a decent service for all our residents who rely on buses while making public transport a realistic alternative to driving.
Everyone should have the opportunity to shrink their carbon footprint and reduce their dependency on car ownership, which will improve air quality and could save people money.
Toby France, Arriva’s Head of Commercial, said:
We’re delighted to be working with Central Bedfordshire Council to bring this new bus network to Leighton Buzzard.
Local bus services play such a key role in building vibrant, sustainable communities and we hope that our new routes and new buses will encourage residents to consider the bus as their mode of choice for travel across Leighton-Linslade.