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Local bus tracking site on line
Lancaster & Morecambe Bus Times has been around for about 8 years, having been set up initially for students and staff at Lancaster University, who still comprise the majority of its users.
However, the site has recently been expanded and developed to cover the whole of the Lancaster & Morecambe area as well as parts of Westmorland, Furness and areas of Wyre and Ribble Valley Districts.
Drawing on data from the national Bus Open Data Service, the site is primarily a map-based overview of the area on which are shown buses (both Stagecoach and Lonsdale Buses as well as other operators) in real time locations. Clicking on the bus icon brings up betails of the route it is operating on and its expected arrival at stops along the way. Clicking on one of the blue bus stop icons brings up a list of the next few expected departures, again in real time.
Whilst the overall approach is similar to other sites, such as Bus Times, Lancaster & Morecambe Bus Times also includes options to show the location of road works and traffic levels as shown on Google Maps. Both these features are likely to have an impact on bus service reliability, so to have them together with bus locations in real time is potentially useful.
Unlike Bus Times.org, the site is mercifully ad-free (increasingly rare on the internet these days) although it does include a link for voluntary contributions (on either a one-off or regular basis). There are also links to Trans Pennine Express where you can buy train tickets (for all operators) and this, presumably, in some way helps to fund the site.
The Bus Users’ Group understands that further development of the site to include actual timetables is planned.
The site can be viewed via this link: Lancaster & Morecambe Bus Times (lancasterbus.co.uk)
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Evening & Sunday Fares to Double
Lancashire’s Evening and Sunday bus fare offer, which sees fares reduced to just £1 for travel after 7pm in the evenings and all day on Sunday and bank holidays, is being amended.
The Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA), which is now the body responsible for local transport in Lancashire, will increase the fare to £2 with effect from 13th September, as the scheme, which currently costs the authority £5m per annum, has been deemed “unaffordable”.
A Report to a meeting of the Combined Authority taking place on 23rd June, states that it expects to receive £18.6m Local Bus Grant funding in the current financial year. The Grant is divided into “Capital Funding” (for building things) and “Revenue Funding” (for running them) and the revenue side of the Grant, which pays for the fares offer, is set to fall by £560,000. The Authority also has to make allowance for expected increases in the costs of contracted bus services as these are retendered and the cost of running the mandatory annual Transport Focus survey of user satisfaction.
Options
After consideration of a number of options, the LCCA will increase the evening and Sunday fare to £2 from 13th September until 31st March 2027, to save almost £1.2m in the current financial year. This will bring the end date of the offer into line with the ending of the Government’s £3 fare cap scheme. Any future local fares offers could then be reviewed in the light of what happens to the national fares cap.
Until then, the offer will continue to be available on all journeys within Lancashire, expect for those operated by Blackpool Transport and most Preston Bus services.
According to the report 3.5m journeys were made using the scheme in 2025/26 or 68,000 per week.
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New Service 85 Timetable Revealed
Lonsdale Buses service 85 is being retimed and extended to Lancaster The new timetable for Lonsdale Buses service 85, Morecambe to Carnforth, from 6th July has appeared on the Bus Times.org website, although you won’t find it anywhere else such as Traveline or even Lonsdale Buses’ own website yet!
Frequency reduced
The service is being extended at both ends of the route. Northbound journeys will now start at Lancaster bus station and run direct via Morecambe Road, picking up the current route at Morecambe bus station. At Carnforth the route is extended to follow the full route of Stagecoach’s 5 from the railway station to Windermere Road. However, as no additional vehicles are allocated, the extra distance means that the frequency is reduced to every two hours. The first bus from Carnforth is at 0700 and the last at 1700. From Lancaster, the first departure is at 0800 but the last is at 1750, running ten minutes earlier than the pattern, which will make it harder to remember.
Criticism
The new 85 will still not be properly integrated with Stagecoach’s 5 When the service was introduced in October last year, it was criticised for being timed just 5 minutes in front of Stagecoach’s service 5 towards Carnforth and 9 minutes in front going towards Morecambe, with both services running hourly. Passengers saw this as wasteful when what was wanted was a regular 30-minute headway, which is also Lancashire County Council’s aspiration for the Overton-Morecambe-Carnforth corridor served by Stagecoach’s 5.
Integration Lacking
However, the new timetable doesn’t deliver this and suffers from the the traditional way in which most bus services appear to be planned in Britain – as individual routes rather than part of an integrated and co-ordinated network as found in places like Germany and Switzerland or, potentially the new franchised networks appearing in places such as Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds.
The new service parallels several Stagecoach routes, all of which operate hourly. Between Lancaster and Morecambe buses on the 85 will run 15 minutes in front of Stagecoach’s 41. Between Morecambe and Carnforth they will still run at similar times to Stagecoach’s 5 although now they will be six minutes behind rather than 5 in front! Because the 85 is timed more quickly than the 5, by Carnforth Railway Station it will run at the same time as the 5 all the way up to Windermere Road, with Stagecoach’s hourly 49 to Lancaster following one minute behind as far as Highfield Road, then nothing for another hour.
In the return direction, the 85 will be 20 minutes behind the 5, which does give a better 20/40 split, although the 85 is of course only every two hours and at certain times of day it will run on top of the 755 as far as Morecambe. Lastly, between Morecambe and Lancaster the 85 will be just 8 minutes in front of Stagecoach’s hourly 41.
The timetable shows a layover time of 17 minutes in Lancaster bus station, which unless the service is to be interworked with something else, will add to the pressure on the inadequate layover space at the station.
What could have been?
Clearly with a route of this nature it would not be possible to produce a regular interval timetable with parallel services over the whole route. However, a cursory look at timetables suggests that if the core section between Morecambe and Carnforth were timed to run exactly half-an-hour apart from the 5 the only real drawback would be that it would more closely duplicate the 41 between Morecambe and Lancaster, although even here the mid-afternoon journey would fill a two-hour gap in the 41 timetable.
The Bus Times version of the new timetable is on this link: Service 85 from 6th July 2026
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Tree trouble at Hest Bank
Buses on the 55 are being diverted at Hest Bank due to problems with trees Passengers at Hest Bank wishing to travel to Lancaster or Carnforth on service 55 will have a long walk to a bus stop from next week when Stagecoach introduces a further diversion on the service.
Problems began earlier in the month when overhanging trees on Peacock Lane caused difficulties for the double-deckers resulting in at least one broken window. The recent heavy rain has exacerbated the problem. Buses were initially diverted via Shady Lane, meaning that stops at the Memorial Hall, Peacock Lane and Sunningdale Avenue could not be served. Whilst recognising the inconvenience to passengers, Stagecoach say that they felt that safety was paramount.
The initial diversion, with missed stops shown at the top Unfortunately, further problems were encountered and so from Saturday, 13th June a further diversion will see buses using Throstle Grove instead. This means that unless some temporary stops are provided at Hasty Brow, the only stop on the Hest Bank loop off the A6 still being served will be Beech Grove, which is only just off the main road anyway.
Tree Lopping
The diversion is said to be “until further notice”, but the Bus Users’ Group understands that Stagecoach is holding urgent discussions with Lancashire County Council, with a site meeting being held to identify the problem trees being held next week. The situation is potentially complicated by it being the bird nesting season. Tree work is only possible between April and August providing that it can be shown that nesting birds are unaffected. Our Group will be supporting Stagecoach by stressing to Lancashire County Council the serious affect that the diversion is having on passengers.
Single deckers?
Only double-deck buses are affected, but these are standard for the 55, at least during the daytime. Stagecoach tell us that they have only a limited number of single-deckers and these are needed for routes such as the 4 and 49 that have to negotiate low bridges. Some of the smaller single deckers might not have the capacity for the 55. The company also feels that having the diversion operating only at certain times of the day would prove confusing for passengers.
Alternatives
Everyone concerned hopes that the situation can be resolved quickly, but if it drags on we would hope that Stagecoach will reconsider the use of Shady Lane and/or single deckers. We also suggest that a temporary stop could be erected at the Hasty Brow junction, which is at least a bit nearer to the village.
Passengers from Peacock Lane do have the alternative of walking to the Coastal Road to pick up service 5 if going to Carnforth and should the problem persist beyond the 6th July they may find that Lonsdale Buses’ revised 85 service a means of getting to Lancaster as well.
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Lonsdale Buses extends service 85 to Lancaster
The 85 Carnforth to Morecambe service is being extended to Lancaster. 
Lonsdale Buses is to extend its 85 service, which currently runs between Carnforth and Morecambe, through to Lancaster. The revised route and timetable will be introduced on 6th July, following requests from passengers according to the company’s website.
The revised service will provide through buses to Lancaster from stops along the Coastal Road and Marine Drive between Bare and Hest Bank. It is not clear from the website what route buses will take between Morecambe and Lancaster, nor has the actual timetable been announced, although the website promises a “regular service” six days a week.
Better spacing of buses?
At present, the 85 is timed to run just a few minutes ahead of Stagecoach’s long-established service 5 between Morecambe and Carnforth. The service revision is an obvious opportunity to correct this anomaly and give passengers a better choice of buses between these points, as well as the advantage of a through service to Lancaster from those sections of the route that do not currently enjoy this facility and we hope this will be the outcome.
The new route and timetable will be posted on this website as soon as they are available.
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Changed Priorities Ahead
Bus passengers travelling north and west from Lancaster bus station are finding their journeys getting off to an easier start with a change in priority at the Damside Street exit.
Every one of the County Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plans of the last few years has promised various bus priority measures on the city’s streets, although all of them seem to have been delayed or quietly abandoned following objections or lack of capacity to implement them. But suddenly, a scheme that hasn’t featured in any of them has appeared at the heart of the city’s bus network.
Buses leaving the bus station via Damside Street have previously had to give way to traffic coming from their right. Damside Street isn’t the busiest of the city’s roads but buses have always had to approach the exit with the expectation that they would have to give way, which frequently they would be required to do.
Now, however, “Give Way” markings have appeared on Damside Street and buses leaving the bus station now have the priority.
A Stagecoach bus takes advantage of the change in priority The actual time savings may be small (and buses using Damside Street to enter the bus station from Cable Street actually lose the priority they previously enjoyed) but as the saying goes: “Every little helps” and hopefully this is just the first of many measures to make life easier for the city’s bus drivers and passengers alike.
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Park & Ride: Service cut and fares up
Lancaster’s Park & Ride service, which links the Infirmary and the City Centre with the car park at Jc 34 of the M6 via Caton Road, will be cut back from Monday 6th July.
The service will be reduced from every 15 minutes to every half hour. Ironically, for a service provided for the purpose of reducing traffic, the frequency is further reduced to one bus every 45 minutes at peak times due to the extra traffic at these times delaying the bus!
The cuts will follow the ending of funding from the NHS, which since 2021 has allowed a second bus to be provided to run the 15 minute frequency and extend the service to the Infirmary from its previous terminus in the city centre. Despite the end of this funding, the Infirmary will still be served.
At the time the funding was provided it was said to be temporary until such time as the NHS could improve staff car parking provision at the Infirmary, although now that it is ending there has been no statement to the effect that the extra parking is in place.
The new timetable inevitably leads to a less attractive service. For example, a car driver arriving at the Car Park and just missing the 0740 bus into the city is expected to wait until 0820 for a bus with the following departure not until 0900.
Heavily subsidised
At the same time as the service quality is reduced, the cost is increased – with a return fare rising to £2.50 – although for a journey of just over 4km each way the fare remains far lower than every other bus fare in the city (and parking is, of course, free).
The motorist is still therefore heavily subsidised and the Bus Users’ Group can’t help but wonder if the money couldn’t be better spent providing better bus services that everyone could use, rather than just those who already have an alternative means of transport.
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Temporary Changes to Dales Bus 80
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New Links to ASDA and Morecambe Prom.
Lonsdale Buses service 83 is being re-routed to serve Salt Ayre / ASDA and Bare (c) Darren Hunt Lonsdale Buses service 83, linking Brookhouse and Morecambe, will have a new route and timetable from Tuesday, 5th May.
The route is being changed to take in the ASDA superstore at Salt Ayre, Bare Lane station and Morecambe Promenade. From Torrisholme Road, buses will run down Scale Hall Lane to Morecambe Road and then via Ovangle Road to ASDA. Returning to Morecambe Road, the service will continue to The Shrimp roundabout and Bare Lane, Bare Crescent and along the Promenade to Central Drive, calling at Festival Market before terminating at Morecambe Bus Station. Buses will return to Brookhouse via the reverse of the inward route.
New Links
The new route provides new links to ASDA and Salt Ayre Leisure Centre from Brookhouse, Caton, Halton, Beaumont, Skerton and Bare as well as a direct service to Morecambe Promenade. It also meets requests from passengers for the service to stop outside the Festival Market and Morrison’s in Morecambe.
Because of the extra distance to be covered and the additional time this will take, the service will operate every 90 minutes with the first bus from Brookhouse at 07.30 and the last return from Morecambe at 18.45 every day except Sunday and public holidays.
The new timetable is on this link 83 – Morecambe – Brookhouse – Kirkby Lonsdale Coaches – Bus Times which leads to a timetable showing the main stops. Ticking the “All Stops” box on the left hand side brings up a timetable showing the estimated times at every stop on the route.
Use it or lose it
Service 83 already fills a number of gaps in the local bus network identified to Lonsdale Buses by the Bus Users’ Group and the revised route follows up on our suggestions for further improvements. The service is operated on a fullt commercial basis and receives no outside financial support, so its continuation depends on how well it is used. The £3 maximum fare cap applies and Concessionary Passes (NoW Cards) are valid subject to the usual rules.
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“Bus Times” added to website
Our website now contains a link to Bus Times.org, a website containing
- Real Time Locations of all buses in Great Britain, Ireland, and the Isle of Man
- Timetables for bus services throughout the British Isles
- Locations, names, photographs, and departure lists of all bus stops
- Website links to all bus operators.
Bus Times is an independent and unofficial site, but it surpasses in the breadth and quality of its information anything yet produced by bus operators, local authorities or government departments. It is free to use.
It is the only website that shows buses of every bus operator, in real time, on a single map and contains links to timetables for every bus route in the UK, plus Ireland and the Isle of Man. On a working day it usually tracks over 25,000 buses of almost 1,000 bus operators calling at around 420,000 bus stops!
Its bus tracking service is thought by many to be more reliable that those provided in bus companies’ own apps and websites.
This map – a screenshot from a Sunday morning centered on Lancaster – shows what to expect, with buses from Stagecoach, Lonsdale Buses, Blackpool Transport, Archway, Preston Bus, Blackburn Bus Co and others all shown together on one map. Clicking on a bus icon tells you which service it is operating, where it is, and whether it is on time. There are links to the full timetable for the service and, for those who are interested, details of the bus itself complete with photographs. Zooming in on the map will show the exact location of bus stops, again with photos, and departure lists of buses from the stop with scheduled and real times.
You can access Bus Times from the menu on this website’s header or from this link: Bus Times.org
JOIN US
Membership is open everyone and the subscription is £5 per annum (£2 for Bus Pass holders and students).
You can join either by
- Sending a cheque made payable to Lancaster Bus Users Group to Steve Clarke, 75 Spruce Avenue, Lancaster LA1 5UB together with your full name and contact details
- E-mailing office@lancasterbususers.com and asking for details of how to pay us directly by bank transfer
- Coming along to one of our meetings and paying there by cash or cheque.
- Meeting dates are shown on the left hand sidebar of this site.
Lancaster Bus Users' Group 