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Transport Service Changes or Disruption

Planned public transport changes, disruption information and contacting operators.

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Travel to Harwell and Didcot by bus from Newbury and Donnington 

HM Government funded by logo.
From Monday 30 September residents in Donnington Heights will have a new bus service! 

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.

Local bus changes in September 2024

From Monday 2 September 2024 the following changes to local bus services came into effect: 

  1. Bus services between Pangbourne/Upper Basildon and Reading are now operated by Reading Buses. The Azure 43 service will operate between Pangbourne/Upper Basildon and Reading, replacing the 143 operated by Thames Travel which has now been withdrawn.
  2. The 93 will operate on school days from Reading to Langtree School via Pangbourne, Lower Basildon and Goring replacing the BB3 previously operated by Thames Travel which has now been withdrawn. 
  3. The 145 service running between Goring and Reading via Streatley, Lower Basildon, Pangbourne, Whitchurch-On-Thames (previously operated by Going Forward Buses) will now be operated by Oxfordshire County Council on Tuesdays. The timetable can be found in the latest Icon for pdf District-wide Travel Guide [10MB] . 
  4. The Sky Blue 15, Sky Blue 16 and Royal Blue 33 routes operated by Reading Buses have also updated their timetables. 

You can find out more in the latest Icon for pdf District-wide Travel Guide [10MB] . 

Additional bus services between Newbury and Basingstoke 

HM Government funded by logo.
Improvements to your local bus services are continuing apace, making it an even more attractive way to travel.

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

HM Government funded by logo.
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 [10MB] .

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:

RouteOperatorDestination 
Jet Black 1Reading BusesNewbury to Reading Town Centre
1a, 1c, 1dNewbury & DistrictNewbury to Thatcham 
1eNewbury & DistrictNewbury to Thatcham 
2, 2a, 2c Newbury & DistrictNewbury to Wash Common/Pigeons Farm
2 (Stagecoach)Stagecoach SouthBasingstoke to Tadley/Baughurst
Lime 2 and 2aReading BusesMortimer to Reading Town Centre
3/3a/3c/3xNewbury & DistrictNewbury to Hungerford
4/4a/4b/4cNewbury & DistrictNewbury to Lambourn
6 & 6aNewbury & DistrictNewbury to The Ilsleys
7Stagecoach SouthNewbury to Andover
7aStagecoach SouthNewbury to Burghclere via Penwood, Woolton Hill & Ball Hill
8Newbury & DistrictNewbury to Greenham/Tesco
9Newbury & DistrictNewbury to Racecourse Development
15Reading BusesReading Town Centre to IKEA
16Reading BusesReading Town Centre to Purley On Thames
26Reading BusesReading Town Centre to Calcot
32 Stagecoach SouthNewbury to Basingstoke
33Reading BusesReading Town Centre to Turnham's Farm
X24/X34Thames TravelNewbury - Harwell Campus - Didcot 
41West Berkshire CouncilThatcham to Theale
44West Berkshire CouncilThatcham to Beenham/Calcot via Tadley
46, 46a, 48Stagecoach WestHungerford to Swindon
47West Berkshire CouncilLambourn to Swindon
103/103a/103bNewbury & DistrictNewbury to Greenham Business Park
Wiltshire Connect 110Salisbury RedsMarlborough to Hungerford 
143Thames TravelReading Town Centre to Pangbourne, Upper Basildon and Goring
Community Connect AWest Berkshire CouncilBrightwalton to Newbury
West Berkshire Community ConnectWest Berkshire CouncilOn demand bus service connecting Northwest Downlands with Newbury. 

 

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:

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