Transport Service Changes or Disruption
Planned public transport changes, disruption information and contacting operators.
On this page:
- Travel by bus for free this festive season
- Travel to Harwell and Didcot by bus
- Additional bus services between Newbury and Basingstoke
- New evening bus services in Newbury and Thatcham and Sunday services to Mortimer
- Fare cap for local buses
- Other Public Transport Services
- Travel Guidance and Face Coverings
- Services on Bank Holidays and During Travel Disruption
- Contacting Local Bus and Train Operators
Travel by bus for free this festive season
Mark your calendars with the following dates:
- Saturday 16 November 2024
- Saturday 14 December 2024
- Saturday 21 December 2024
On these Saturdays, you can travel all day, any time, completely FREE (do check the timetables) within West Berkshire. It's the perfect opportunity to shop for gifts, enjoy in the festive lights, catch the panto at the Corn Exchange, dine at local eateries, embrace the scenery, or spread the holiday cheer with pre-Christmas visits to family and friends.
The Council has worked in partnership with our bus operators Reading Buses, Newbury & District, Thames Travel, and Stagecoach, along with the Council's Connect buses, to bring you this initiative over the festive period. Don't forget, Concessionary Bus Passes are welcome as usual.
Free travel extends beyond West Berkshire to our neighbouring areas such as Reading, Didcot, Basingstoke, and Swindon. If you start your journey in West Berkshire, your return journey is also FREE! But you need to request a return ticket from the driver when boarding to take advantage of this offer.
The full list of routes is as follows:
Public bus services that operate entirely within West Berkshire.
| Route Number | Operator | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| 1a/1c/1e | Newbury and District | Newbury to Thatcham |
| 2/2a | Newbury and District | Newbury to Wash Common/Tesco |
| 3/3a/3x | Newbury and District | Newbury to Hungerford |
| 4/4a/4c | Newbury and District | Newbury to Lambourn |
| 6/6a | Newbury and District | Newbury to East/West Ilsley |
| 8 | Newbury and District | Newbury to Tesco, Greenham and Pigeon's Farm |
| 9 | Newbury and District | Newbury to Newbury Racecourse |
The following routes will offer free bus travel in West Berkshire, whatever the destination. Should you travel beyond the West Berkshire boundary, the return journey back to West Berkshire will be free.
| Route | Operator | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Jet Black 1 | Reading Buses | Newbury to Reading |
| Lime 2/2a | Reading Buses | Mortimer/Burghfield to Reading |
| 7 | Stagecoach South | Newbury to Andover |
| Sky Blue 15 | Reading Buses | 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 |
| 32 | Stagecoach South | Newbury to Basingstoke |
| X34 | Thames Travel | Newbury to Harwell Campus/Didcot |
| Azure 43 | Reading Buses | Upper Basildon/Pangbourne to Reading |
| 47 | WBC Connect | Lambourn to Swindon |
The Free Bus Travel at Christmas has been made possible by funding from HM Government, given to West Berkshire Council after submission of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
Travel to Harwell and Didcot by bus from Newbury and Donnington
In July 2023 Thames Travel's X34 bus service operating between Didcot and Harwell Campus was extended to Newbury town centre. (This was made possible by funding from HM Government, given to West Berkshire Council and Oxfordshire County Council after submission of a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) in October 2021). This extension has been a great success with numbers boarding in the West Berkshire section of the route, Newbury town centre and the Vodafone headquarters, steadily growing. The service in particular makes employment opportunities at Harwell Campus readily accessible by bus from Newbury. Didcot has proved attractive to for our residents, especially those wanting to see the heritage trains at Didcot Railway Centre for a nice day out. From Harwell, you can connect onto other Thames Travel bus services to Wantage and Oxford.
From 30 September, the X24/X34 will be rerouted through the Donnington Heights development (Garrison Meadows and Bastion Street) and the B4494 Oxford Road, going past Donnington Square and Donnington Priory. Residents in Love Lane near the Bastion Street junction will also have easy access to the bus service thanks to a new pair of bus stops installed here.
The X24/X34 operates hourly Mondays to Saturdays. Further good news is that the service is covered by the £2 Single Fare Cap valid until 31 December 2024.
Why not use this service to get to work, go to Newbury or Didcot, or visit family and friends.
Additional bus services between Newbury and Basingstoke
From 5 May 2024, Stagecoach will be introducing additional services to their long-standing service between Newbury and Basingstoke.
Service 32 formerly known as The LINK will:
- operate on Sundays/public holidays for the very first time
- provide later evening services between Newbury and Basingstoke Monday to Saturday
- additional peak-time evening services on Monday to Friday
With these significant enhancements, why not use the service to go to Basingstoke, catch the latest film, visit friends and family and access job opportunities.
Further information can be found on Stagecoach and West Berkshire Council's websites.
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 follow the recent introduction of the:
- 1e late evening service on Fridays and Saturdays between Newbury and Thatcham
- Lime 2a extension to Mortimer every 2 hours on Sundays
- X34 between Newbury and Harwell Campus/Didcot
With the introduction of on-demand bus services West Berkshire Community Connect and Wiltshire Connect, these changes ensure that local bus services continue to evolve.
Your concessionary fares bus pass will be accepted on these services between 9.30am and 11pm Monday to Friday and all day on Saturdays and Sundays/public holidays.
This service extension has 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 Stagecoach and Hampshire County Council 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.
New evening bus services in Newbury and Thatcham and Sunday services to Mortimer
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 
Travel Guide [11MB] .
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.
Fare cap for bus journeys
You may have heard the Government's announcement about a fare cap, introduced across most bus services in England in late 2022. This offer has now been extended to 31 December 2024.
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.
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 |
| 1e | 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 |
| 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 |
| 26 | Reading Buses | Reading Town Centre to Calcot |
| 32 | Stagecoach South | Newbury to Basingstoke |
| 33 | Reading Buses | Reading Town Centre to Turnham's Farm |
| X24/X34 | Thames Travel | Newbury - Harwell Campus - Didcot |
| 43 | Reading Buses | Reading - Pangbourne - Upper Basildon |
| 46, 46a | Stagecoach West | Hungerford to Swindon |
| 47 | West Berkshire Council | Lambourn to Swindon |
| 103/103a/103b | Newbury & District | Newbury to Greenham Business Park |
| Wiltshire Connect 110 | Salisbury Reds | Marlborough to Hungerford |
| Community Connect A | West Berkshire Council | Brightwalton to Newbury |
| Community Connect B | West Berkshire Council | Thatcham Broadway to Aldermaston Wharf |
| Community Connect C | West Berkshire Council | Thatcham Broadway to Calcot Sainsburys |
| West Berkshire Community Connect - Northwest Downlands | West Berkshire Council | On demand bus service connecting Northwest Downlands with Newbury. |
| West Berkshire Community Connect - Thatcham Connect | West Berkshire Council | On demand bus service connecting select villages with Thatcham |
Other services may be taking part.
You can find the full list of operators taking part across England on the Government's website.
Other Public Transport Services
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.
National Express is not currently operating in West Berkshire.
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 41, 44, 47, CCA and West Berkshire Community Connect; follow Connect on X
- Going Forward Buses - find their contact details on the Going Forward Buses website - you can also find Going Forward Buses on Facebook
- Great Western Railway (GWR) - find their contact details on the GWR website - you can also follow Great Western Railway on X
- 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 X
- Reading Buses - find their contact details on the Reading Buses website - you can also find Reading Buses on Facebook and follow Reading Buses on X
- Salisbury Reds - find their contact details on the Salisbury Reds website
- Stagecoach - find their contact details on the Stagecoach website - you can also follow Stagecoach South on X
- Swindon's Bus Company - find their contact details on the Swindon Bus Company website
- Thames Travel - find their contact details on the Thames Travel website - you can also find Thames Travel on Facebook
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