Author: Jim

Service Changes by Stagecoach and Lonsdale Buses

by Jim

The next two weekends will see a number of changes to bus services operated by both our local operators, Stagecoach and Lonsdale Buses.

Single deck bus crossing the a canal bridge

From Sunday, 26th October, Services 88 and 89 between Lancaster and Knott End-on-Sea will be operated by Stagecoach, replacing Lonsdale Buses. The only change to the timetable will be the last journey from Lancaster (all week) will extend to Knott End-on-Sea.

From Monday, 27th October, The Monday to Saturday journeys on service 18 Lancaster East City Circular will be operated by Lonsdale Buses. There will be no change to the timetable and Stagecoach tickets and passes will be accepted on Lonsdale Buses vehicles. The Sunday service will continue to be operated by Stagecoach.

The acceptance of one bus company’s tickets on another company’s buses is unusual in Lancashire and has been arranged by the county council following comments by the Bus Users’ Group that passengers visiting Williamson Park or Lancaster Leisure Park from other parts of the city would no longer be able to use Stagecoach Day Riders to complete their journeys.

Also from 27th October Lonsdale Buses will start running two new services, each running hourly on Monday to Saturday.

Service 83 will run from Brookhouse and Caton via Halton, Halton Road, Whalley Road, Slyne Road, Owen Road, Torrisholme Road, Torrisholme, The Shrimp, Lancaster Road, Euston Road and Central Drive to Morecambe Bus Station.

Service 85 will run from Morecambe Bus Station via Marine Drive Central, Bare, Hest Bank and Bolton-le-Sands to Carnforth Railway Station.

In practice, it is expected that buses will run through from Brookhouse to Carnforth and vice-versa and through passengers should, in most cases, be able to remain on the bus at Morecambe, although separate fares will be payable.

Service 85 closely follows the route of Stagecoach service 5 between Morecambe and Carnforth, but neither bus company will accept tickets issued by the other.

Timetables for both services are on our “Latest Changes to Bus Services” page

November

From Monday, 3rd November Stagecoach will introduce new winter timetables on services 555 Lancaster – Keswick and 755 Morecambe – Bowness-on-Windermere. Full details and links to the new times are on our “Latest Changes to Bus Services” page

Finally, Lonsdale Buses will withdraw service 550 Levens-Milnthorpe-Arnside-Morecambe after operation on 11th November. No replacement service will be provided.

Lonsdale Buses to withdraw Milnthorpe-Morecambe service

by Jim
A Service 550 bus in Morecambe. Loadings have not always been this good.

Following the good news about Lonsdale Buses’ new services in Morecambe, here is the bad news!

The company has announced that it plans to withdraw service 550 between Milnthorpe and Morecambe after operation on Tuesday, 11th November 2025. The once-weekly “market day” service has been linking a large area of North Lancashire and south Westmorland with Morecambe since 2020.

The company is running what it calls a “consultation process” over the next 28 days and invites passengers to share their views about the change via the company through its website (details on this link).

The service has always been a commercial operation and originally used a vehicle that on four days a week provided an Arnside to Kendal service. It is thought that the enhancement of the Kendal service to a six-days-a-week and its extension to Carnforth and other villages served by the 550 has reduced patronage and hence viability.

In Lancashire, the withdrawal means that the Crag Bank area of Carnforth will once again be without a bus service, although other places on the route will still have buses to Lancaster and – by connection – to Morecambe.

Lancashire County Council and Westmorland & Furness Council have been made aware of the proposed withdrawal and passengers affected by the change can contact them on the following links:

Lancashire County Council Bus Services Team: email to: busservices@lancashire.gov.uk

Westmorland & Furness Council Public Transport Team (Web contact form)

Otherwise passengers can contact their local county councillor (Lancashire) or District Councillor (Westmorland & Furness)